Boulevard Crescent Tower 2, Downtown Dubai
Boulevard Crescent Tower 2 is a 21-storey tower in Downtown Dubai, developed by Emaar Properties. Its homes run from one bedroom up to three, and twenty-one floors put it well above the low-rise quarters of the district, so the lift bank carries real traffic. You are staying in a building with a front desk, not a walk-up.
The mix fits a couple, a family of four or two friends who want separate bedrooms. It suits you less if you want a quiet low-rise courtyard, because a tower this size is a busy building. A reception desk, security with CCTV cover and maintenance services keep it running. A Downtown apartment also works for anyone who wants the fountain and the mall with the metro in reach and no car needed.
Storeys
21
Developer
Emaar Properties
Units
1 to 3 bedrooms
Area
Downtown Dubai (MBR Boulevard)
On this page
- A day inside, from squash to the barbecue
- One bedroom or three, for a week or a month
- Reaching the tower without a car
- If you own here
- How Downtown came about
- Dinner on the Boulevard
- Burj Khalifa and Dubai Opera
- Fountain evenings and the lake
- Clinics and the mosque
- A wet afternoon in the mall
- Other Downtown towers to compare
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
A day inside, from squash to the barbecue
The morning has more choices here than in most towers. There is a gym and a tennis court, and a squash court and a basketball court complete the set. A court booked before breakfast beats a taxi to a sports club. Squash is the one to try if the weather has already turned hot.
Midday moves to the swimming pool. Cafes or restaurants are on site. Lunch needs no trip across the district and no queue at the mall. A games room covers the hour when the pool has had enough of you.
Families get a play area in the building. The barbecue area takes over once the afternoon cools. A laundry service is part of the building too, and that changes a longer stay, because a week of swimwear and sports kit does not mean a hunt for a laundrette across the district.
One bedroom or three, for a week or a month
For a weekend, a one-bedroom is plenty. For a month, the second or third bedroom turns the flat into a home, with a spare room for a laptop or a visitor. The building has parking, and the laundry service takes care of the weekly wash. Those two facts matter more by week three than the lobby did on day one.
The first evening is gentle. Check in at the reception desk, and then eat in the building or try the supermarkets nearby, since the food is as close as the lift. Waitrose is in Dubai Mall. Spinneys runs three branches within Downtown. Carrefour Market and Grandiose have stores here as well, so the milk and the water are not a long errand once you have unpacked and found the lift.
Reaching the tower without a car
From Dubai International (DXB) the plain answer is a taxi. Taxis are easy to find in Downtown. Uber and Careem are reliable, and waits are generally under ten minutes. An app-booked Bus-On-Demand service covers short trips within the district once you are settled.
The Red Line stations nearest Downtown are Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall and Business Bay, and Emirates Towers and Financial Centre come before Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall as consecutive stops through the district. Feeder bus F13 serves the Dubai Mall metro station and the streets around it.
Most Downtown towers have basement or podium parking, and this one has parking too, while visitors can also use RTA-paid parking zones and the large complex at The Dubai Mall. Traffic is heavy at peak hours, because Downtown stays one of the city's busiest destinations. A hire car is easy to keep, but you will rarely need it.
If you own here
If you own here, every holiday home needs a permit from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism before the first visitor arrives. Owners or managers register the unit on the Holiday Homes System first. Royale Stays manages homes for owners at a management fee from 15%. The service covers furnishing and photography. It also covers pricing and check-in, plus guest communications and maintenance coordination. The Downtown Dubai owner guide covers the district in more detail.
How Downtown came about
Emaar first revealed its Downtown project in 2003 as two developments: Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall. The Opera District came later. The Dubai Fountain has played in front of Burj Khalifa since 2009 and is the world's largest choreographed fountain system. Emaar is the master developer of the district, and Burj Plaza and the Boulevard sit inside it.
Business Bay, next door, is largely a commercial district set along the Dubai Water Canal, while Downtown is built around Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and Dubai Opera. Business Bay has its own Red Line station, one stop from Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall, so the two districts share the same metro line.
Dinner on the Boulevard
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard is lined with restaurants and cafes as well as hotels and residential buildings, with pedestrian pavements along its length. Asador de Aranda and Krasota Dubai are places to eat close to the boulevard. Arabeska serves Middle Eastern food, Bosporus serves Turkish, and Basta serves Italian.
The Pavilion is a gallery and cafe on Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard. It works as a place to meet friends or get some work done over wifi.
Burj Khalifa and Dubai Opera
Burj Khalifa stands 828 metres, and At the Top is its ticketed observation experience. Dubai Opera is a dhow-shaped building in the Opera District, and it converts between theatre and concert hall layouts, with a flat-floor layout as well. An evening there pairs well with a table on the Boulevard before the curtain.
Fountain evenings and the lake
The Dubai Fountain plays on Burj Khalifa Lake. The lake covers about 12 hectares at the centre of the district. Afternoon shows run at 1pm and 1.30pm, and evening shows run every 30 minutes from 6pm to 11pm. An abra boat ride on the lake runs in the evening, and a floating boardwalk is a cheaper way onto the water.
Burj Park sits beside Burj Khalifa and Burj Lake. It is a starting point for a walk or a light jog. The setting is quiet. The tree-lined Boulevard is a popular spot for jogging and evening walks too. Burj Park is dog-friendly. Downtown is pet-friendly, with designated walking areas and access to pet-friendly parks.
Clinics and the mosque
Mediclinic Dubai Mall opens daily from 8am to 8pm, with family medicine and imaging as well as physiotherapy. Aster Royal Clinic and Al Borj Medical Center are clinics within Downtown Dubai, and Emirates Hospital sits in neighbouring Business Bay, just beyond the edge of the district.
Sheikha Abdullah Salem Mosque and Al Ghafoor Mosque serve Downtown Dubai, and The Dubai Mall has prayer rooms inside.
A wet afternoon in the mall
About six million people visit Dubai Mall each month, and it holds more than 800 fashion brands. Souk Al Bahar is an Arabian-style market beside the Dubai Fountain, and its restaurants face the water while several cafes inside the mall look onto it as well.
KidZania in The Dubai Mall is a scaled replica of the city where children try real-life jobs. Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo has a walk-through viewing tunnel. An Olympic-sized ice rink sits in the same mall, so a hot afternoon has three answers under one roof.
Other Downtown towers to compare
Boulevard Heights 1 and Burj Crown are two other Downtown towers with guides here. Either gives you a comparison point if this tower does not fit your dates.
Sources
Sources: RTA, Bayut, betterhomes, Gulf News, Savills, Emaar Communities, Wikipedia, Khaleej Times, Visit Dubai, Property Finder, Mediclinic Middle East, dubizzle blog.
Questions