Marina Sail, Dubai Marina
Land at Dubai International (DXB) and the plain way to Marina Sail is one taxi leg from arrivals. Uber and Careem cover the Marina well. Street taxis are easy to flag along Marina Walk and outside the mall, though the wait stretches a little on weekend evenings. At the tower a reception desk serves residents, and security and CCTV cover the building. If you land late at night, one taxi ride and a desk at the end of it mean you carry the bags only once. CCTV covers the building.
Units
1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments
Area
Dubai Marina
On this page
- The first coffee and the weekly shop
- A day inside the tower
- Which flat for which traveller
- Playgrounds and the nursery question
- Prayer and health
- If you feel unwell
- Rail and water
- When the car helps and when it does not
- Walking west to the sand
- An afternoon at Dubai Marina Mall
- Boats and dinner on the water
- How the Marina came to be
- What to weigh before you book
- If you own here
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
The first coffee and the weekly shop
Retail units and cafes or restaurants share the site with the apartments, which settles a first coffee without a trip across the Marina. For a bigger shop, Waitrose has a branch inside Dubai Marina Mall, with Spinneys and Al Maya as other grocery options in the area.
A day inside the tower
Start in the gym, which sits inside the building. Then try the swimming pool for residents while the Marina outside warms up. Coffee needs no trip, since cafes or restaurants share the site. Children get a play area of their own. A barbecue area gives the evening somewhere to start, a lift ride from your door. Together those pieces mean a day with no plan still has something in it. In the hot months that matters, since the heat can keep you off Marina Walk until evening.
Which flat for which traveller
The homes run from one-bedroom up to three-bedroom, and this spread decides who the tower suits. A one-bedroom fits a couple who want the Marina Walk on the doorstep. A two-bedroom suits a small family or two friends who each want a door to close. The three-bedroom is the one for a larger family or a group travelling together. The pool and the gym cover most of a day for a party that size.
With over 200 residential towers, Dubai Marina has a deep supply of apartments of different sizes for a holiday stay. If another block suits you better, Ocean Heights and Skyview Tower have their own guides on this site.
Playgrounds and the nursery question
The building play area covers the early part of a family day, and the Marina has small parks and playgrounds alongside the promenade for the rest of it. Dubai Marina has nurseries for young children, but no major K-12 schools inside it, so older children travel to nearby areas. That suits a holiday far better than a school term, because a family on a short stay has no school run to plan around and can spend the morning at the water instead.
Raffles Early Childhood Centre sits on Dubai Marina Walk. It takes children from 45 days old. Its Early Years Curriculum runs up to age 4.
Prayer and health
Masjid Al Rahim is a prominent mosque in the area. It seats up to 2,000 worshippers.
If you feel unwell
Day-to-day healthcare is easy to reach in the Marina, with full-service hospitals in Al Barsha serving the area. Medcare Medical Centre operates inside Dubai Marina. So does Emirates Hospitals Clinic. Back at the tower, maintenance services are provided at the building, which matters if a tap or a lock gives trouble.
Rail and water
The Dubai Tram threads through the community and links up with the metro, which cuts down on short car trips. If you plan to ride, you can start on the tram and change onto the metro without a taxi in between. Stops along the line include Dubai Marina Mall and Marina Towers. Sobha Realty and DMCC are the Red Line stations that serve the area. RTA bus routes connect to Ibn Battuta and Mall of the Emirates.
The water is a transport option too. A marine water taxi links Marina Mall with Marina Walk, and a one-day hop-on, hop-off pass covers the Marina routes. Another water taxi runs from Marina Mall to Bluewaters Island. The RTA ferry joins Marina Mall to Dubai Canal.
When the car helps and when it does not
Parking for residents comes with the building. Many Marina towers provide resident parking, but public parking is limited and paid public spaces fill quickly, so visitor parking is worth checking before you arrive with a hire car. Visitor parking is available but tight at peak hours, which is why the tram or a taxi works better on busy evenings. Marina roads fill up on weekends and public holidays, and again during school hours. A car still helps for weekend trips and for grocery hauls.
Walking west to the sand
JBR has 40 towers set directly on the beach, whereas the Marina's towers surround a canal, so a swim in the sea means heading west. JBR Beach is the livelier one, with water sports. Marina Beach is quieter.
Dubai Marina has few parks, so the Marina Walk promenade takes the place of green space for jogging and cycling. It runs for about seven kilometres. A pedestrian bridge links Bluewaters Island to JBR. You can reach the island on foot.
An afternoon at Dubai Marina Mall
Dubai Marina Mall is linked to the five-star JW Marriott Hotel Marina and has four levels and about 140 stores, plus a children's play area. With the hotel attached, the mall works as a full afternoon out. Children have the play area and you have the stores, so nobody needs the car.
Boats and dinner on the water
Cafes line the promenade. The Marina Mall and The Walk at JBR add further dining. Pier 7 stacks seven restaurants across seven floors at the water's edge. It is the easy answer when a group cannot agree on one cuisine.
The Scene and The Coffee Club are for breakfast. Seven Hot Pot Marina and Doner Market serve casual meals around the mall and Marina Walk. Fresh Fish Restaurant covers seafood.
How the Marina came to be
Emaar built Dubai Marina as a master-planned waterfront community around a 3.5-kilometre man-made canal, and the district began taking shape in 2003. Most residents live in apartments, from studios to four-bedroom units and penthouses. The Dubai Tram arrived later, and it is the reason the Marina and JBR now feel like one walkable strip.
What to weigh before you book
It suits you less if you want a quiet street. Peak-hour traffic and limited public parking are the main cons of Dubai Marina, and there are few entry and exit points. Noise gathers near The Walk and The Beach. Marina Sail makes sense for the pool and the gym. If you want a calm week with few people about, you will find Marina Walk crowded at its busy hours and may be happier in a quieter area, but if you like a district with energy outside the door, you will find it here.
If you own here
A tenant applying for a Dubai holiday home permit needs a no objection certificate from the landlord, while owners can apply directly. 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. Our guide to Dubai Marina for owners sets out the area side.
Sources
Sources: betterhomes, Bayut area guide, Engel and Voelkers area guide, Bayut, ServiceMarket blog, Wikipedia, Khaleej Times, Knight Frank area guide, The National, Gulf Business, Propsearch.
Questions