Fairmont Residences Solara Tower, Downtown Dubai
Sol Properties Development developed Fairmont Residences Solara Tower, a 56-storey block in Downtown Dubai. The homes start at one bedroom and climb from three bedrooms to five, with penthouses at the top of the range. That spread means one address can hold a couple on a long weekend and a family of six on a month-long visit. Most of the building's appeal sits in its shared floors. The next three sections follow a single day through them, and a later one explains which home fits which kind of stay.
Developer
Sol Properties Development
Location
Downtown Dubai
Building Type
56-storey residential tower
On this page
- A gym, a steam room and a swim before breakfast
- The afternoon indoors
- Barbecue area and roof deck
- Which home for which stay
- When another tower suits you better
- Red Line stations and a cool corridor
- From arrivals to the lobby
- The lake and the fountain
- The mall and the weekly shop
- Dinner with the fountain in view
- How Downtown got its name
- Souk Al Bahar and the opera
- A family day under the mall's roof
- Nurseries and mosques
- A doctor close by
- If you own here
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
A gym, a steam room and a swim before breakfast
The building has a gym. An early session needs no taxi and no queue for a machine in the next tower, and the steam room is waiting afterwards. The swimming pool is the natural next stop once you have cooled down and want to stretch out before the heat arrives. Landscaped gardens give you somewhere to walk while the air is still mild. A cafe or restaurant on site handles breakfast. The whole morning can happen without leaving the tower, which matters in July when the pavement is hot by nine.
The afternoon indoors
Midday in Dubai argues for staying inside, and this building gives you plenty of reasons to do exactly that, whatever the date. If you have a call to take, a business or meeting room means the bedroom does not double as an office. A cinema room takes care of the slow part of the afternoon when the heat peaks or the children need something to do.
Barbecue area and roof deck
Evening belongs to the barbecue area and the roof or deck area, which suit a meal with friends who would otherwise need a restaurant booking. You can sit outside once the sun drops without leaving the building. Parking is available if you arrive by car, and security and CCTV cover the building around the clock for anyone coming home late from the fountain or the opera. Maintenance services are provided too. A faulty switch or a noisy fan becomes a phone call to the building rather than a lost half day waiting for someone to arrive.
Which home for which stay
Studios and one-bedroom apartments in Downtown suit single professionals, while larger units suit small families or couples. The range here goes further than that. The one-bedroom suits a short break. The three-bedroom gives a family a door to close between the adults and the children, and it is the size where a month-long stay stops feeling cramped. Four and five bedrooms suit two families travelling together or a longer stay with visiting relatives, and a penthouse sits above them all. A Downtown apartment is a base for anyone who wants the fountain and the mall without a car.
When another tower suits you better
It suits you less if you want quiet streets and wide green space. Sheikh Zayed Road and Financial Centre Road are the main access routes, and traffic is heavy at peak hours, especially near The Dubai Mall, where visitor parking is also tight at weekends. That is the district's honest cost. Downtown also has fewer large parks than suburban areas such as Arabian Ranches or Dubai Hills. A 56-storey tower is a vertical neighbourhood. Old Town is different. If you would rather have a low-rise street, Old Town is a pedestrianised quarter of four- to seven-storey buildings in Arabic-inspired style. For another tower in the district, look at Burj Crown or Boulevard Heights 1, which each have their own guide.
Red Line stations and a cool corridor
Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall is the last of three consecutive Red Line stations through Downtown, after Emirates Towers and Financial Centre. An air-conditioned link with ten travelators carries you from the platform into The Dubai Mall. Feeder bus F13 serves the station and the streets around it. An app-booked Bus-On-Demand service covers short trips inside the district, which helps when a summer afternoon makes even a short walk unappealing.
From arrivals to the lobby
Dubai International Airport (DXB) is the only airport you need. The last leg is one taxi from arrivals. Downtown has direct access to Sheikh Zayed Road and Financial Centre Road, so the drive does not wander through back streets. Taxis are easy to find in Downtown. Uber and Careem are reliable, and waits are generally under ten minutes when you head out again.
The lake and the fountain
Burj Khalifa Lake covers about 12 hectares at the centre of Downtown. Burj Park is a landscaped island with views of the tower and the fountain. It opened in 2010. The Dubai Fountain has played in front of Burj Khalifa since 2009. An evening walk to the water is the simplest plan in the district.
The mall and the weekly shop
The Dubai Mall has more than 1,200 retail outlets and over 200 dining options, with Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo and Dubai Ice Rink inside. Waitrose is the mall's supermarket, and it sits inside The Dubai Mall itself. Zoom Market and Choithrams Loft Downtown sit near the Boulevard and cover the smaller top-up shop.
Dinner with the fountain in view
Thiptara, a Thai restaurant at the Palace Hotel, looks onto the Dubai Fountain. Gal, a Turkish restaurant, trades at ground level of Address Downtown on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard. Armani Hotel Dubai in Burj Khalifa houses Armani/Hashi for Japanese and Armani/Ristorante for Italian at lobby level.
How Downtown got its name
The land was known as Umm Al Tarif before the district existed. Emaar first revealed its Downtown project in 2003 as two developments: Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall. The Opera District came later. The main avenue was called Emaar Boulevard until it was renamed Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in December 2012.
Souk Al Bahar and the opera
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. Dubai Opera is a dhow-shaped building in the Opera District that switches between theatre and concert-hall layouts for up to 2,000 people, which makes an evening there an easy walk-in plan after a day at the pool. Burj Khalifa's observation decks sit on the 124th and 148th floors.
A family day under the mall's roof
KidZania is a scaled replica of the city. Children aged 4 to 16 try more than 70 real-life jobs there. The aquarium offers glass-bottom boat rides and penguin encounters. Downtown is also pet-friendly, with designated walking areas and access to pet-friendly parks, so a dog travelling with you has somewhere to go.
Nurseries and mosques
Blossom Nursery Downtown is at Yansoon 7 on the Boulevard, follows the British EYFS framework and takes children from eight weeks to five years. Toddler Town British Nursery takes children from 3 months to 4 years. Sheikha Abdullah Salem Mosque and Al Ghafoor Mosque serve Downtown, and The Dubai Mall has prayer rooms inside.
A doctor close by
Mediclinic Dubai Mall has an on-site pharmacy and an on-site laboratory, so a prescription and a blood test can happen in the same visit. Aster Royal Clinic and Al Borj Medical Center are clinics within Downtown.
If you own here
An apartment qualifies for a holiday home permit only if its title deed is classed Residential, and a developer NOC is required where applicable. Royale Stays manages homes for owners from a management fee of 15%, covering furnishing, photography, pricing, check-in, guest communication and maintenance. The district-wide picture is in our notes on managing a Downtown Dubai home.
Sources
Sources: betterhomes, RTA station list, propsearch.ae, Roads and Transport Authority, Khaleej Times, Bayut area guide, Bayut, Wikipedia, Emaar blog, Property Finder, Gulf News, Property Finder blog, Bayut nursery guide, Mediclinic Middle East, Propsearch.
Questions