Reehan 4, Downtown Dubai
Reehan 4 holds 47 homes, from one bedroom to three, and Emaar developed every one of them. The block belongs to the Reehan cluster of Old Town in Downtown Dubai, a pedestrianised, low-rise quarter built in traditional Arabic-inspired style. A pharmacy sits within the building or its podium, and a roof or deck area gives you somewhere to sit outside, so the first errands of a stay and the first evening both happen under the same roof.
Developer
Emaar Properties
Units
47 (1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments)
Area
Reehan, Old Town, Downtown Dubai
On this page
- A small block in a district of towers
- Your first two days
- Who uses which part of the building
- Getting around Old Town and beyond
- The mall, the aquarium and the children
- A city in miniature for the children
- Burj Park, with or without a dog
- By the water and on two wheels
- The Opera District and the tower
- Clinics and nurseries
- Prayer rooms and the nearest mosques
- Dinner after the park
- How the district was built
- If you own here
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
A small block in a district of towers
Scale is the thing to understand about Reehan 4. This is a low-rise cluster block, not a tower, and the shared spaces are set by that: landscaped gardens at ground level and the roof or deck area above. Downtown has fewer large parks and open green spaces than suburban areas such as Arabian Ranches or Dubai Hills, so a garden that belongs to the building does more work here than it would in a villa community. You share it with a modest number of neighbours, which is the real difference from a tower address on the Boulevard.
Your first two days
The first evening is the easy part. The pharmacy and the retail units in the building cover the small things you forgot to pack, and Zoom Market, Choithrams Loft Downtown and Geant Express Burj Vista are supermarkets near Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard for the bigger shop. Security and CCTV cover the building, so a late arrival is as calm as an early one.
Dubai International (DXB) is the only airport you need, and the last leg is one taxi ride from arrivals. Downtown has direct access to Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) and Financial Centre Road (D71). Taxis are plentiful in the district, including pink-roofed cabs for women and families, and the RTA Bus-On-Demand service covers Downtown if you want a short hop without hailing anything.
By the second morning you will want a proper shop. Spinneys runs three branches in Downtown Dubai. The retail units at the block are the quick option for milk and bread.
Who uses which part of the building
With children, the swimming pool and the play area for children are the two facilities that matter. The landscaped gardens add a place to run between the two, and the block has parking for residents if you arrive with a car seat.
A couple gets the roof or deck area in the evening and a residents' lounge or function room for anything that needs a table. Business visitors stay beside the financial district on Sheikh Zayed Road, and the lounge gives a work stay a shared room in the building besides the bedroom.
For a month, the laundry service and maintenance services matter more than the pool. Laundry is handled in the building, and repairs go through the same desk of maintenance services.
Getting around Old Town and beyond
Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall is a Red Line stop on a raised viaduct beside Sheikh Zayed Road, with Financial Centre and Business Bay as the next stations either way. An air-conditioned link with ten travelators has carried passengers from the station into The Dubai Mall since December 2012. The metro runs from early morning until midnight. Weekend hours run later. The Red Line connects Downtown with Business Bay, Dubai Marina and Expo 2020.
RTA bus route 27 links the Gold Souq and The Dubai Mall. An app-booked Bus-On-Demand service covers short trips within Downtown. If you hire a car instead, the block has parking for residents.
Downtown sits on Sheikh Zayed Road in the city centre, between DIFC on one side and Business Bay on the other. Traffic is heavy at peak hours because the area remains one of the city's busiest destinations, so a morning transfer to DIFC is a metro job.
The mall, the aquarium and the children
About six million people visit The Dubai Mall each month, and it holds more than 800 fashion brands. That is the reason to go on a weekday morning. The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo has a 48-metre shark tunnel through the tank, and the tank can be viewed from three floors of the mall.
A city in miniature for the children
KidZania is a scaled replica of a city where children aged 4 to 16 try real-life jobs. Play DXB, in the same mall, adds virtual reality and rides. Both are indoors, which is the point in July.
Burj Park, with or without a dog
Burj Park is dog-friendly. Downtown itself is pet-friendly, with designated walking areas. The Dubai Fountain has played in front of Burj Khalifa since 2009 and is the world's largest choreographed fountain system, so a dog walk at dusk comes with a show.
By the water and on two wheels
The Dubai Water Canal opened in November 2016. It runs from neighbouring Business Bay to the sea and has walkways, cycle paths and four marine transport stations. Closer to home, bike rental stations in Downtown offer pedal-assisted bikes, with stations and availability shown in the provider's app. The Boulevard's pedestrian pavements are used for walking and running laps past its cafes, hotels and residential towers.
The Opera District and the tower
The Opera District faces Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain across the lake. Dubai Opera opened there in 2016, with a hall that converts between theatre, concert and banquet use. Dubai Opera has 2,000 seats. A ticket gives an evening a destination without a car. Burj Khalifa stands 828 metres, and At the Top is its ticketed observation experience, so the same trip can start with the view and end with a concert.
Clinics and nurseries
Aster Royal Clinic, Mediclinic, Al Borj Medical Center and J'Adore Medical Clinic are clinics in the community. Toddler Town British Nursery occupies the Promenade Level of The Residences 4 in Downtown Dubai and takes children from 3 months to 4 years. Jumeirah English Speaking School and Citizens School serve Downtown families with a British curriculum.
Prayer rooms and the nearest mosques
Sheikha Abdullah Salem Mosque and Al Ghafoor Mosque serve Downtown Dubai. The Dubai Mall has prayer rooms inside.
Dinner after the park
Al Bayt, a Middle Eastern restaurant, sits at lobby level of Palace Downtown on the Boulevard. Thiptara serves Thai food at the Palace Hotel, with a view of the Dubai Fountain. Both are a short taxi hop from the door if the evening runs late.
How the district was built
Burj Khalifa construction began in 2004, and the tower opened in 2010. The Dubai Mall opened in 2008. Emaar is the master developer of Downtown Dubai, a district that holds the Opera District and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, and the same company built the homes here that it built around them.
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 wider picture is in how Royale Stays runs a Downtown Dubai home. Act One Act Two is another Downtown building with its own guide. Boulevard Heights 1 also has its own guide.
Sources
Sources: propsearch.ae, betterhomes, Property Finder, Bayut, Bayut area guide, Property Finder blog, Wikipedia, Khaleej Times, Gulf News and Savills, Emaar blog, Savills, Bayut nursery guide, Gulf News, Emaar Communities.
Questions