The Crescent Tower C, Dubai Production City
DAMAC Properties developed the Crescent complex, and Tower C is one of its apartment towers in Dubai Production City. Inside you find studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes. Two bedrooms is the ceiling. The complex sits on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road in the Me'aisem 1 area of Dubai. A tennis court on the lawn is the first thing that sets this compound apart from the plain tower blocks around it.
Developer
DAMAC Properties
Units
Studio, 1BR, 2BR
Area
Dubai Production City (IMPZ)
Who this tower suits
A solo traveller on a work trip takes a studio that asks for little. A couple takes a one-bedroom and keeps the living room to themselves, and two friends who split a two-bedroom get a door each. For a weekend the compound is the plan, with the pool in the morning, a set on the court after lunch and supper from the barbecue area. A month leans on the jogging track and on the retail outlets that operate on the ground floor, which keep small errands inside the building. Pets are welcome, which matters if you travel with a dog. You will like it less if you bring a large family, because the tower stops at two bedrooms, or if you want the beach on foot.
A day inside the compound
The morning starts on the jogging track, which runs through grounds that hold two lakes. Landscaped gardens surround the towers, so the loop feels green rather than roadside. Back inside, a gym with full equipment sits inside the building, and high-speed lifts carry you up. Showered and dressed, you can be at a desk before the heat builds. For a remote worker that rhythm is the appeal of a compound like this, and the quiet of the lawn is part of it.
Midday belongs to the temperature-controlled pool. A children's play area serves the building too, so a family with a small child can fill an hour before lunch without leaving the grounds. In the afternoon the tennis court takes over. Summer heat makes early evening the sensible hour to book a game.
Evening ends at the barbecue area, and the steam rooms follow it. If you come back late from the road, the lobby has a front desk that works around the clock. It is the last stop of a day that never needed a taxi.
The homes, the car and the front door
The floor plans stay compact: a studio, a one-bedroom or a two-bedroom. For a longer stay the one-bedroom is the plan that works, because it gives you a separate room to sleep in and another to work from. Covered parking and a basement parking area sit in the building, and 24-hour security with CCTV watches over it, so a hire car stays covered while you are out. Milk and water are a lift ride away at the ground-floor shops. If you drive, the basement is where the car sleeps. If you do not, the shops and the lawn cover a quiet week, and a booked ride covers the rest.
If you own here
Most residential buildings give about one parking space per apartment, so a second car needs separate arrangements. Royale Stays manages homes for owners from a management fee of 15%, covering furnishing, photography, pricing, check-in, guest communication and maintenance.
Arriving from Dubai International
Taxis and ride-hailing cars are easy to book here, so the road is your way in from Dubai International (DXB). Al Khail Road (E44) joins Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road at the tip of the district. The Al Khail bridge is the main entry. Weekday traffic builds up around that bridge from about 5.30pm, which means an evening arrival queues at the entry. A morning landing gets the empty road.
Bus route J02 starts at IMPZ. That gives the district a second public bus link beside the F34 feeder. A ride is quicker; the bus costs less time on your wallet than on your patience.
Around the compound
With children, the afternoon runs past the tower's own play area. City Centre Me'aisem is the mall of the district, run by Majid Al Futtaim Malls, and it has casual dining and salons beside its stores. Circle Mall in nearby Jumeirah Village Circle has retail, dining, a fitness centre and everyday services. Both fill a hot afternoon.
How the district began
TECOM Group launched the district in 2003. It was the International Media Production Zone then, known as IMPZ. It grew into a mixed-use free zone built around media and production companies, with homes, offices and light industry side by side. Venues for the media business include an auditorium, sound stages and studios. TECOM Group also runs in5 Media here, a programme that trains and supports entrepreneurs in media fields. DAMAC built the ten most prominent residential towers here. All have studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Lakeside and Lago Vista are residential sub-communities of the district, and Tower A of the same complex has its own guide: The Crescent Tower A. RSG Group built the three Qasr Sabah buildings. Each has six storeys, in a quieter part of the district. They suit you better than a tower with a pool and courts only if you want a calmer street.
Stocking up and eating out
Carrefour and Spinneys are the nearest supermarket brands. Mango Market is another. W Mart and Swiss Mart are smaller supermarkets beside the Carrefour hypermarket. Many towers have grocery shops on the ground floor, and some also have salons or cafeterias; this one has retail outlets at street level. Use them for the first breakfast, then go to a supermarket for the weekly shop.
FourChef's Restaurant serves Indian and Chinese food, and Spiice Bite serves Indian and Arabic dishes. Terrilloo serves Indian and Pakistani food. Grand Bazaar Turkish Restaurant and Majlis Al Sultan are sit-down restaurants named for the district. The choice leans towards South Asian cooking. For breakfast, Bert's Cafe and Restaurant and Filli Cafe are both named for the district.
Schools, clinics and mosques
Dubai Production City has limited schooling inside its boundaries, so families on a long stay use schools in surrounding communities. Arcadia British School and Dubai British School both teach the UK curriculum from foundation to secondary. Emirates International School Meadows also teaches the IB curriculum, and Victory Heights Primary School in Dubai Sports City is another school families nearby use. Dibber Nursery takes children from 4 months to 6 years old, and The Wonder Years Nursery and Building Blocks Nursery are named for the district. GEMS Metropole School in the Motor City area follows the British curriculum, and Dwight School Dubai in Dubai Sports City teaches the IB curriculum.
Mediclinic Me'aisem and Your Center Polyclinic provide general medical care close to the district. There is no full hospital inside it; NMC Royal Hospital in Dubai Investments Park and Al Zahra Hospital are the larger ones nearby. Yousuf Mohammad Hadid Badri Mosque and Nasser El Din Mosque are mosques near the district, and Caliph Umar Bin Farooq Masjid is a third.
A weekend away from the tower
Dubai Butterfly Garden is close to the district. So is Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Dubai Autodrome in Motor City and The Els Club golf course are reached by road. If you have a car, a Saturday at the autodrome and a Sunday back at the pool make a fair weekend.
Sources
Sources: Wikipedia, Bayut area guide, Gulf News, Dubizzle blog, Property Finder blog, Bayut, Property Finder.
Questions