The Residence, Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai
The Residence Burj Khalifa was developed by Emaar Properties, the master developer of Downtown Dubai, and its homes run from three bedrooms up to five. Three bedrooms is the smallest home here. That sets the tone for the stay: a family, a group of friends or a long working visit fits here far better than a quick overnight, and the day below follows that kind of stay from the first coffee to the last walk.
Developer
Emaar Properties
Area
Downtown Dubai
On this page
- Coffee on site, then the gym
- The pool, the lounge and a table for work
- The desk and the night
- When to pick a neighbour instead
- Taxis, a feeder bus and the Red Line
- Landing at DXB
- Burj Lake and the fountain
- The tower the building is named for
- Souk Al Bahar and the bridge to the mall
- Waitrose, Spinneys and a doctor in the mall
- Rink, aquarium and a role-play city
- Business Bay by the canal
- How the district was built
- If you own here
- Dinner, then the opera
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
Coffee on site, then the gym
The morning can stay inside the building. Cafes or restaurants on site cover the first coffee, and a gym inside the building is ready before the heat builds, which suits anyone who trains early and wants to be back for breakfast before the rest of the group is awake. If you would rather be outdoors, the tree-lined Boulevard is used for jogging and evening walks, with open spaces around Burj Lake. Burj Park is beside the lake. It makes a gentler start to the day than the shops and restaurants do, and you can reach it after breakfast on foot.
The pool, the lounge and a table for work
By early afternoon the swimming pool is the draw. A residents' lounge or function room gives a group somewhere to sit out of the sun, and a business or meeting room offers a quieter table than the sofa if one of you has a call to take. Because the homes run to three bedrooms and more, and the pool, lounge and work room are all inside the same building, a party of six can split between the pool and the work table without anyone queuing for a seat.
The desk and the night
Security and CCTV cover the building after dark, so a late return from the opera needs no second thought. Maintenance services are provided at the building as well, which means a tap or an air-conditioning fault is a call to the building rather than a trip for you. Most towers in Downtown give one or two parking spaces per unit, and visitor parking near The Dubai Mall is tight at weekends.
When to pick a neighbour instead
It suits you less if you travel alone. Studios and one-bedroom apartments in Downtown suit single professionals, while larger units suit small families and couples. With a three-bedroom as the smallest home here, you would pay for rooms you do not use. The Address Boulevard is one of the serviced and branded residences in Downtown, with hotel-style service. Burj Vista is another tower in the district known for a view of the fountain or of Burj Khalifa.
Taxis, a feeder bus and the Red Line
Taxis are easy to find in Downtown. Uber and Careem are reliable, with waits generally under ten minutes. If you hire a car instead, the building has parking for residents, so the car has a place to sleep. Feeder bus F13 serves the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall metro station. It also runs through the streets around it. An air-conditioned link with ten travelators carries you from that station into The Dubai Mall, so a hot afternoon does not need any car at all.
Landing at DXB
From Dubai International Airport (DXB) the way in is one taxi ride with no change, and it ends at the building's reception desk. Downtown has direct access to Sheikh Zayed Road and Financial Centre Road, with wide boulevards and landscaped public spaces once you are off them. Traffic is the district's one real cost, because it stays among the busiest places in Dubai at peak hours. Land outside the rush if you can.
Burj Lake and the fountain
Burj Khalifa Lake covers about 12 hectares at the centre of Downtown. The fountain has played there since 2009, as a choreographed system of jets and lights. Walk down to the water at dusk and the whole district seems to face it. The outdoor season returns at the end of October, when the Dubai Fitness Challenge brings walks and jogs to Burj Park and the Boulevard, so the evening walk by the lake gets easier from then on. The district-wide picture, from the lake to the metro, is in our guide to Downtown Dubai for owners.
The tower the building is named for
Burj Khalifa stands 828 metres, and At the Top is its ticketed observation experience. If you want the view without the climb, the lake shows you the tower from below. A ticket for the decks is a short taxi or metro hop from wherever you have parked.
Souk Al Bahar and the bridge to the mall
Souk Al Bahar sits beside the Dubai Fountain. This Arabian-style market has over 100 shops plus restaurants and cafes, and a bridge joins it to The Dubai Mall. Emaar announced in June 2024 a 1.5 billion dirham expansion of the mall, so building work around it may change which entrance is quickest on the day you visit.
Waitrose, Spinneys and a doctor in the mall
Waitrose is the mall's supermarket, inside The Dubai Mall, so the big weekly shop and a coffee can share one trip. Spinneys has three branches in Downtown. That makes the small top-up shop easy to fit into a walk. Mediclinic Dubai Mall sits on Level 7 of the mall's Fashion Parking and opens daily from 8am to 8pm, with imaging on the list. You will rarely need it, and it is good to know where it is.
Rink, aquarium and a role-play city
A family with a free afternoon has the whole mall to choose from. The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo and an Olympic-sized ice rink sit under the same roof as a THX-certified Reel Cinemas screen, so a rainy or very hot day has a plan. KidZania is a scaled replica of a city. Children aged 4 to 16 try more than 70 real-life jobs there.
Business Bay by the canal
Business Bay, next door, is largely a commercial district set along the Dubai Water Canal, whereas Downtown is built around Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and the fountain. The two share one metro line, since Business Bay has its own Red Line station one stop from Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall.
How the district was built
Burj Khalifa construction began in 2004 and the tower opened in January 2010, which means the district around the building grew up in the years since. The fountain and the mall follow the same Emaar plan, so the streets read as one place.
If you own here
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 Airbnb management guide for Downtown Dubai sets the district out from the ownership side. Our furnishing, photography, pricing, check-in and guest communications sets the district out from the ownership side. guide to Airbnb property management, submit their property and The Address Residences Dubai Opera have their own guides. Every holiday home needs a permit from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism before it is let. Owners or managers register the unit on the Holiday Homes System first.
Dinner, then the opera
Armani Hotel Dubai in Burj Khalifa houses Armani/Hashi, a Japanese restaurant, and Armani/Ristorante, an Italian one, at lobby level. Armani/Amal, an Indian restaurant, is on the third floor of the tower. On the Boulevard, Al Hallab Bab El Bahr serves coastal Lebanese food at 29 Boulevard. Dubai Opera is a dhow-shaped building in the Opera District that converts between theatre and concert hall layouts. Sheikha Abdullah Salem Mosque and Al Ghafoor Mosque serve the district, and The Dubai Mall has prayer rooms inside. Take the Boulevard back on foot after dinner, and leave the taxi for the morning.
Sources
Sources: Emaar Communities, Bayut area guide, Emaar blog, betterhomes, Bayut, Khaleej Times, Wikipedia, Mediclinic Middle East, Gulf News, Property Finder blog.
Questions