Park Island, Dubai Marina
Emaar Properties developed Park Island, and it holds 556 homes in Dubai Marina, every one of them a one-bedroom or a two-bedroom. That mix suits two kinds of stay. A family with a child or two wants the second bedroom and somewhere for the children to burn off energy. Someone working a few weeks in the city wants the one-bedroom and a gym close by. Both are covered below, starting with the family.
Developer
Emaar Properties
Total units
556 apartments (1 & 2-bedroom)
On this page
- Children, a pool and the second bedroom
- Wet afternoons: the games room, the lounge and the court
- A month of work from a one-bedroom
- Steam and a soak at the end of the day
- Keys, parking and who answers when something breaks
- From the arrivals hall to the front desk
- The water taxi to Bluewaters
- The tram stop and the Red Line
- Which hour decides the drive
- If you own here
- The school run
- A doctor close by
- Where Marsa Dubai began
- An afternoon on the Walk
- Sand, boats and the beach clubs
- Dinner over the water, then a film
- Waitrose, World Market and the chemist downstairs
- When a neighbour tower suits you better
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
Children, a pool and the second bedroom
If you travel with children, start with the second bedroom. The two-bedroom homes give a child a door to close, while the one-bedroom homes suit a couple with a baby. Park Island has a swimming pool. A play area for children is part of the building too, so between the two you can fill a morning without crossing a road. Outside, the Marina has small parks and playgrounds alongside the promenade, so a second outing is easy to find once the pool loses its charm.
Wet afternoons: the games room, the lounge and the court
Indoors there is a games room, a residents' lounge and a squash court. These are the places for the hour when the sun is too strong for the pool and the children have run out of ideas. The games room is aimed at the younger ones, while the squash court suits an adult who wants something harder than the gym. If your group splits for an afternoon, with some heading to the beach and the rest staying in, the lounge gives the ones who stay behind somewhere to sit together.
A month of work from a one-bedroom
For a longer working stay the one-bedroom is the sensible size. Residents have a gym inside the building, so the morning routine needs no taxi, and Platform Fitness 3 is 0.05 km away for the class the building does not run. Cafes on site are a lift ride away. Gyms across the district offer personal training, group classes and 24-hour access, which helps if your hours are strange.
Steam and a soak at the end of the day
A sauna and a steam room are part of the building, with a jacuzzi too, and that is a reason to close the laptop by seven. Pair them with the gym and the routine needs no travel.
Keys, parking and who answers when something breaks
A reception desk serves the building, and security with CCTV cover is part of the setup. Maintenance services are provided here as well, which matters on a stay of a month or more when something small breaks. The building has parking for residents. That counts for a lot in a district where public parking is limited and paid public spaces fill quickly.
From the arrivals hall to the front desk
Dubai International (DXB) is 36.2 km from Park Island by road. That is about 35 minutes without traffic. Uber and Careem cover the Marina well, so one car can take you from the terminal to the front desk in a single ride. The Marina connects to Sheikh Zayed Road, a heavily used highway, which means the last stretch depends on the hour you land.
The water taxi to Bluewaters
The Water Bus stop at Marina Terrace sits 0.47 km from the tower, and RTA water taxis cross the canal from Dubai Marina Mall, Marina Walk and the promenade. A pedestrian bridge links Bluewaters Island to JBR. Madame Tussauds Dubai, the first in the Middle East, opened on the island in September 2021.
The tram stop and the Red Line
From the lobby, the Jumeirah Beach Residence 1 tram stop is 0.45 km off, and the tram connects to the metro at DMCC station. Sobha Realty, 0.61 km away, is the nearest Red Line stop, so with the tram this close most errands need no car.
Which hour decides the drive
Marina roads fill up on weekends, public holidays and during school hours. Sheikh Zayed Road is about six minutes out. Media City and Internet City are five to ten minutes away, and Downtown Dubai is twenty-five to thirty minutes by car, while Bluewaters Island and Palm Jumeirah sit ten to fifteen minutes out.
If you own here
If you own here, you can apply directly for a Dubai holiday home permit, while a tenant applying needs a no objection certificate from the landlord. The owner guide to Dubai Marina covers the district in more detail. 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 Dubai Marina area guide sets the district out from the ownership side. Royale Stays’ Airbnb property management, Bay Central, DEC Tower 1, ROI calculator, holiday home permit guide, submit their property and Yacht Bay have their own guides.
The school run
Dubai Marina has nurseries for young children but no major K-12 schools, so older children travel to nearby areas. Emirates International School Meadows, 2.39 km from the building, is the closest named school, and Willow Children's Nursery on Marina Al Seba Street follows British EYFS with a Reggio Emilia approach.
A doctor close by
Emirates Hospital is 0.36 km from the building and Marina Medical Center 0.35 km, so routine care sits within a few hundred metres of the lobby. Medcare Medical Centre and Emirates Hospitals Clinic both operate inside Dubai Marina. For anything bigger, Al Zahra Hospital and Saudi German Hospital in Al Barsha are nearby.
Where Marsa Dubai began
Emaar Properties developed Dubai Marina, which is also known as Marsa Dubai. Phase I has six freehold apartment buildings called the Dubai Marina towers, and Phase II is a high-rise cluster. The tram opened on 12 November 2014.
An afternoon on the Walk
The Marina Walk promenade runs along the water for about seven kilometres, and most days on it are spent on foot, running or cycling between the cafes and the mall. The XLine zip line and yacht rental are among the things to do. For a wet day, 3D Blacklight Minigolf Dubai is 0.79 km from the tower, and the marina basin itself is 0.55 km off.
Sand, boats and the beach clubs
JBR Beach is the closest beach to the Marina. You can reach it by tram or on foot. Beach clubs such as Zero Gravity and Barasti operate along the Marina and JBR waterfront. More than 600 boats and yachts are moored along the Marina Walk, and the sand itself is 0.9 km from the tower.
Dinner over the water, then a film
Pier 7 stacks seven restaurants on seven floors. District 8 serves modern international cuisine, while Fresh Fish Restaurant and Bob's Fish and Chips cover seafood. If the evening needs an ending, Reel Cinemas is 0.64 km from the building.
Waitrose, World Market and the chemist downstairs
World Market is 0.16 km from the building, and Life Pharmacy sits 0.03 km away, close enough to forget it is a separate trip. For the bigger weekly shop, Waitrose has a branch inside Dubai Marina Mall, 0.63 km off. Spinneys, West Zone and Al Maya cover the rest. Breakfast is the one meal you can skip.
When a neighbour tower suits you better
It suits you less if you want three bedrooms, because every home here is a one-bedroom or a two-bedroom. Peak-hour traffic, limited public parking and noise are what the Marina asks of you, with few entry and exit points. Noise in the busier parts of the Marina varies from building to building with floor level and orientation, so ask which way a home faces before you book. Marina Gate offers mid-range apartments and has views over the marina and the Gulf. Studio One is another mid-range tower in the district. Compare the floor plans before you book.
Sources
Sources: Engel and Voelkers area guide, Bayut, betterhomes, ServiceMarket blog, Wikipedia, Roads and Transport Authority, Gulf Business, Bhomes school guide, Bayut area guide, The National, Knight Frank area guide, Propsearch.
Questions