Maria Tower, Al Furjan
Maria Tower is a 15-storey apartment building in Al Furjan, with one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes. That is a short list of home types, and it makes the choice easy: you pick a size, not a layout from a catalogue. The building sits in a gated freehold district of apartments, townhouses and villas, which gives the tower a calm setting rather than a skyline of its own.
Maria Tower suits couples and small families who want a pool and a gym under the same roof as the bed. A one-bedroom is enough for two people on a week away. A two-bedroom gives a family of four, or two friends who want a door between them, space to spread out. It suits you less if you want a beach walk at nine in the evening: Al Furjan covers 560 hectares of mostly residential streets, and the sea is a drive away.
Storeys
15
Unit mix
1 and 2-bed apartments
Area
Al Furjan, Jebel Ali First
Building type
Residential (freehold)
On this page
- From the gym to the sauna, in the order a day runs
- The ground floor: parking, the desk and the cafes
- One bedroom or two, from a weekend to a month
- Arriving from DXB: taxi to the door, or the Red Line
- How the district started
- Spinneys, Nesto and the first shop
- Parks and a walk between the clusters
- A school run, a clinic and a pharmacy
- Where dinner happens
- A day out, and Friday prayers
- Next door in Discovery Gardens
- Winter, summer and the pool
- If you own here
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
From the gym to the sauna, in the order a day runs
Start with the gym, because it is quietest before the working day begins. The swimming pool comes next, once the morning rush of school bags and laptops has cleared the lobby. By late afternoon the sauna and the steam room are the better plan, and they turn a tired afternoon into a slow hour that needs no taxi.
The barbecue area and the children's play area belong to the evening. If you travel with young children, the play area gives them somewhere to burn off the energy that the pool has not already used. The barbecue area is there for a dinner you cook yourself, which keeps a longer stay from turning into a run of delivery boxes.
The ground floor: parking, the desk and the cafes
Arriving by car is simple because the building has parking for residents. A reception desk and security with CCTV cover sit between the street and the lifts, so a delivery or a late arrival has a person to meet it. Cafes or restaurants share the site, and maintenance services are provided at the building, which means a tap or an air-conditioning unit that misbehaves has a route to a fix.
One bedroom or two, from a weekend to a month
On a weekend the size of the home hardly matters. On a month it matters a great deal. A one-bedroom gives one or two people a kitchen and a living area with room for a laptop, while the gym downstairs replaces the paid membership you would otherwise hunt for. A two-bedroom suits a couple where one of you works from home and needs a room with a door.
Longer stays also want variety, and the district supplies it. Al Furjan has tennis courts and soccer fields. Jogging and cycling paths run between them. The Al Furjan Club adds pools, a gym, sports courts and fitness studios, and a sports complex at Al Furjan Pavilion has a pool, tennis courts and a sports hall.
Arriving from DXB: taxi to the door, or the Red Line
From Dubai International Airport (DXB) you can take a taxi in one leg to the building, and the parking below means a rental car has a place to stay too. Rail is the other way in. Al Furjan (R72) is one of the Route 2020 stations on the Red Line, alongside The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Investment Park and Expo 2020. The station opened on 1 January 2021.
By road, Al Furjan lies between Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road, with Al Yalayis Street feeding the district. The main roads slow at peak hours, and some parts of the community are still under construction, which shows up as a diversion more than a delay.
If you would rather not take a taxi from the platform, RTA Route F45 is a metro link bus that starts at Al Furjan Metro Station and runs to Discovery Gardens. The F46 runs to Ibn Battuta Mall.
How the district started
The district is newer than most well-known neighbourhoods of the city. Nakheel Properties is the master developer, and the name Furjan means small villages, which fits the village-style clusters on the plan.
Spinneys, Nesto and the first shop
For the first evening, Spinneys at Al Furjan Pavilion is the obvious stop. It sits beside the Al Furjan Clubhouse. A Carrefour Market, Nesto and pharmacies cluster at the Avenue Residence centre, and Danat Al Furjan Grocery and Geant are further supermarket options. With a cafe or restaurant on the building's own site, the very first coffee needs no errand at all.
Parks and a walk between the clusters
For fresh air, Dreamz Park 1 and Dreamz Park 2 are two mapped play areas, and Masakin Al Furjan has a large common garden with a children's play area, barbecue spots and benches. Walkways and parks run between the residential clusters, so a loop after dinner stays off the main roads.
A school run, a clinic and a pharmacy
If your stay includes children of school age, The Arbor School and Arcadia Global School both sit in or beside the community. Arcadia Global School teaches the National Curriculum of England from FS1 through Year 8. Chubby Cheeks and Redwood Montessori are among the nurseries that take children from a few months old.
Medcare Medical Centre is the clinic mapped in the district, and Aster Pharmacy and BinSina Pharmacy are two of the pharmacies. For anything bigger, the hospital list sits outside Al Furjan and you reach it by road.
Where dinner happens
Dinner stays local. Oregano serves Italian food. Arabian Grill and Jawharet Beirut are two more restaurants mapped in the district. Tim Hortons is there for the morning coffee before a call.
A day out, and Friday prayers
A day out is easy to build from the district. JBR, Dubai Marina Walk and The View at The Palm are the main visitor spots reached by car, while Dubai Butterfly Garden keeps butterflies of more than 50 species in two climate-controlled domes and stays open all year. The garden suits a rainy-day plan or a summer afternoon when the pool has lost its charm.
Al Furjan West Mosque and Al Yaqeen Mosque are the two mosques named for the community, which matters if you plan around the Friday midday prayer.
Next door in Discovery Gardens
Discovery Gardens borders Al Furjan along Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, and cycle routes link the two. It is also the neighbouring Red Line station, so a trip one stop along the line costs little time.
Winter, summer and the pool
Winter is Dubai's driest season, with daytime around 20 to 30 C and cooler evenings, which opens terraces and outdoor dining. That is the season to use the pool and the barbecue area once the sun drops. In summer the sauna and steam room are the odd pair out, and most of your time moves indoors.
If you own here
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 Al Furjan for owners sets out the permit steps. Permits are not issued for properties whose sale agreements prohibit short-term rentals, and a developer no-objection certificate may be required where applicable. You can read about owning a home in the district on the page about letting a home in Al Furjan with Royale Stays. If you are weighing a few buildings, compare Maria Tower with Azizi Tulip or Candace Acacia.
Sources
Sources: Khaleej Times, Property Finder blog, Engel & Voelkers Dubai, Inside Realty, Accor, Roads and Transport Authority, Bayut Area Guides, Dubai Media Office, Gulf News, dubizzle blog, Real Estate Club Dubai, Dubai Miracle Garden site, Bayut.
Questions