Claren Tower 1, Downtown Dubai
Emaar Properties developed Claren Tower 1, and its homes run from studios up to three-bedroom apartments. The layouts between them have one or two bedrooms. That spread of sizes decides who the tower suits. A couple on a long weekend can settle into a studio, while a family with a young child looks at the larger layouts.
A short stay asks little of a home and a long one asks a great deal. The sections below follow a single day through the building, from the first coffee to the last lift ride, and only then step outside. Studios and one-bedroom apartments in Downtown suit single professionals, while larger units suit small families or couples. An apartment here is a sensible base for anyone who wants the mall and the metro without a car.
Developer
Emaar Properties
Units
Studio to 3BR
Area
Downtown Dubai (MBR Boulevard)
On this page
- Mornings that can stay inside the block
- Afternoons for children and for sitting still
- Evenings: the sauna, then the opera
- Where this tower will not suit you
- The neighbour to pick instead
- Metro and the cool walk to the mall
- Buses and taxis, then the water
- From DXB to your door
- Looking up at Burj Khalifa
- The first evening shop
- When you need a doctor
- The fountain and the park beside it
- Old Town and the Boulevard
- The mall and the mosques
- If you own here
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
Mornings that can stay inside the block
A gym sits inside the building, so a workout needs no taxi. A swimming pool belongs to the same address. Cafes or restaurants share the building too, which turns breakfast into a lift ride instead of a trip. If you are working through the week, that is a start to the day with almost no logistics, and you can be at your desk long before the city has finished its first coffee.
For a longer stay the laundry service is the quieter benefit. It stops a single suitcase from setting the pace of the week, and that is a real gain on a longer stay. Maintenance is provided at the building too. That covers the small repairs that a month in one flat can bring.
Afternoons for children and for sitting still
A roof or deck area gives adults somewhere to sit while a play area keeps children busy. The building also holds a day-care or nursery space, which is worth knowing if you travel with a toddler. Under one roof, that covers most of a family afternoon without a single taxi ride.
For a bigger outing, KidZania in The Dubai Mall lets children try more than 70 real-life jobs. A longer family stay raises the school question. Jumeirah English Speaking School and Citizens School both follow a British curriculum and serve Downtown families, and JSS School is 2.02 km from the tower.
Evenings: the sauna, then the opera
The evening can end in the sauna. A reception desk serves the building. Security and CCTV cover the premises, so you know who is at the door when you come home late.
Dubai Opera, 0.58 km from the tower, is a 2,000-seat house whose hall converts between theatre and concert layouts, which suits an evening that begins and ends on foot. Souk Al Bahar has over 100 shops plus restaurants and cafes, sits next to the Dubai Fountain and connects to The Dubai Mall by a bridge. A table with a view of the water needs no car.
Where this tower will not suit you
Claren Tower 1 suits you if you travel with children and want a pool, a play area and a nursery space in the same block. It suits you less if you want the sea at the door. The nearest beach is 2.24 km from the tower, and Mercato Beach and Jumeirah Public Beach both sit within a 20-minute drive of Downtown. That is the trade.
The neighbour to pick instead
Business Bay, next door, is largely a commercial district set along the Dubai Water Canal. If you would rather wake up beside a canal path than beside a fountain, a Business Bay tower is the better pick. The canal runs from Business Bay to the sea, with four marine transport stations along it.
Metro and the cool walk to the mall
Business Bay metro station is 1.21 km from the tower, and the Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall station is 1.25 km away. From there an air-conditioned link with ten travelators carries you into The Dubai Mall, so the trip is a cool one even in midsummer. The metro runs from early morning until midnight, later at weekends.
Buses and taxis, then the water
The nearest bus stop sits on the Boulevard, 0.16 km from the tower. RTA route 27 runs between the Gold Souq and The Dubai Mall, and feeder bus F13 serves the metro station and the streets around it. Taxis are easy to find in Downtown, and waits are generally under ten minutes.
The water transport stop at Marasi MTS is 0.9 km from the tower, and an abra boat ride on Burj Lake in front of Burj Khalifa runs in the evening.
From DXB to your door
Dubai International Airport (DXB) is 19.3 km from the tower, about 21 minutes by road in free-flowing traffic, and real traffic adds to that. Parking is part of the building for residents, which helps if you hire a car. Traffic around The Dubai Mall gets very busy in the evenings and at weekends, though parking at the mall and Souk Al Bahar is free.
Downtown has direct access to Sheikh Zayed Road and Financial Centre Road, with wide boulevards and landscaped public spaces. The catch is heavy traffic at peak hours, because the area remains one of the city's busiest destinations. A midday arrival sidesteps the peak hours.
Looking up at Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa stands 0.75 km from the tower, and its observation decks sit on the 124th and 148th floors. It is the one outing here that you book for a time and plan the day around.
The first evening shop
Circle K is 0.06 km from the tower, which makes it the shop for water and snacks on the first evening, and Spinneys is 0.22 km away for a proper basket. Several chains have stores in Downtown. Carrefour Market, Choithrams, Almaya, West Zone Fresh and Grandiose are among them. Around 23 restaurants and cafes sit within half a kilometre, among them Mizu and Leila.
When you need a doctor
Life Pharmacy is 0.37 km from the tower and Mediclinic is 0.95 km away. Mediclinic Dubai Mall has an on-site pharmacy. It also has a laboratory on site. Aster Royal Clinic, Al Borj Medical Center and J'Adore Medical Clinic are clinics within Downtown.
The fountain and the park beside it
The Dubai Fountain is 0.63 km from the tower and plays on Burj Khalifa Lake, a water body of about 12 hectares. Burj Park, 0.42 km off, is dog-friendly. It is the quieter option for an evening walk when the mall is full.
Old Town and the Boulevard
Old Town is pedestrianised and low-rise. Its buildings stand four to seven storeys high, in a traditional Arabic-inspired style. It makes a calm contrast with the towers. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard is lined with restaurants and cafes, with hotels and residential buildings among them, and this tower belongs to that group.
The mall and the mosques
The Dubai Mall opened in 2008. It had about 1,000 retailers on day one. Inside are the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo and an Olympic-sized ice rink, along with KidZania and a 22-screen Reel Cinemas. Sheikha Abdullah Salem Mosque and Al Ghafoor Mosque serve Downtown, and the mall has prayer rooms inside.
If you own here
Every holiday home needs a permit from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism before the first booking. Owners or managers register the unit on the Holiday Homes System first. Royale Stays manages homes for owners from a management fee of 15%, covering furnishing, photography, pricing, check-in, guest communication and maintenance. Our guide to Downtown Dubai for owners sets out the permit steps. 8 Boulevard Walk and Claren Tower 2 have their own guides.
Sources
Sources: betterhomes, RTA station list, Wikipedia, Bayut, Bayut area guide, Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Mediclinic Middle East, Savills, propsearch.ae, Emaar blog, Propsearch.
Questions