The Residences at Business Central, Business Bay
DAMAC Properties developed The Residences at Business Central, a 23-storey tower in Business Bay. The homes run from one-bedroom to three-bedroom apartments, so the same building can take a couple for a weekend and a family for a month. This guide starts with how long you are staying, then the homes, the shared spaces and the way in, and leaves the streets outside until last.
Storeys
23 storeys
Developer
DAMAC Properties
Area
Business Bay, Dubai
On this page
Weekend, week or month
A weekend here is a pool weekend. The swimming pool and the gym are in the building, and a 23-storey tower keeps both of them out of the street's way, so a short stay can run entirely inside it. A week adds the routine: the gym in the morning, a swim when the heat peaks and an evening back in an apartment with a kitchen of your own, which is the real advantage over a hotel room.
A month is where the services start to matter. A supermarket sits within the building or its podium, so the weekly shop is a lift ride rather than a trip, and maintenance services are provided at the building when something needs attention. Parking for residents is part of the building for anyone who arrives with a car, and that removes one daily errand.
Business Bay's canal-side towers, a metro station on the Red Line and Downtown close by suit a trip built around work. Most towers here include covered parking, with paid street parking as well.
From one bedroom to three
Three sizes give you a way to match the apartment to the party. A one-bedroom suits a couple or a solo traveller on a longer visit. A two-bedroom fits two colleagues or a small family, each with a door to close at night. A three-bedroom gives a larger family or a group of friends room to spread out without anyone queuing for the morning shower. Many apartments in Business Bay look over the Dubai Canal, the Burj Khalifa or the skyline, so the view on the floor you book is worth asking about.
The shared spaces, in the order you would use them
The gym opens the day, and the swimming pool takes the afternoon when the heat is at its peak and the deck is the only sensible place to be. The jacuzzi follows once the afternoon cools, which makes it the building's slow hour.
Families have a play area for children, and the roof or deck area gives everyone a change of view from the apartment. The barbecue area turns an evening into a shared meal, with the whole group at one table instead of scattered across separate rooms.
Two further rooms suit a working trip or a small gathering, and neither needs a booking elsewhere. The business or meeting room is somewhere to take a call, and a residents' lounge or function room gives a small group a place to meet that is not an apartment.
The reception desk and the security and CCTV cover set the tone at the door. Cafes or restaurants on site mean a coffee does not need a walk. It changes how a short stay feels.
Landing at DXB
Dubai International (DXB) is the airport you land at. A taxi from arrivals takes you to the door in one leg, which is the simplest way in when you land late with luggage. The Red Line runs from Business Bay Metro Station to DXB Terminals 1 and 3, so the train works too, with a taxi or a bus for the last stretch from the station.
Roads, rail and a canal boat
Business Bay Metro Station sits at the junction of Sheikh Zayed Road and 35th Street, in Fare Zone 6, and buses pass through the district, and the F14 runs inside it from Bay Square to the metro bus stop.
Business Bay sits between Sheikh Zayed Road to the north and west and Al Khail Road on its southern side. Ras Al Khor Road gives a third way in.
Water taxis and ride-hailing add to the metro and bus options. The DC2 canal service runs 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sundays, with a boat every 30 to 50 minutes.
A canal afternoon
The Dubai Water Canal Walk is used for walking and jogging, and for bike hire, with coffee spots beside the water. Marasi Boardwalk is a waterfront walkway with skyline views and restaurants. Private yacht charters operate from Business Bay too, for groups from 8 to 130 guests. A three-bedroom booking suits that kind of group outing.
Streets around the tower
Bait Al Mandi and Tandoori Junction are named casual dining options. Iqbal Restaurant and Farsi Restaurant are named dining spots too, and ROKA Dubai covers Japanese food. For something dressier, the JW Marriott Marquis and Taj Dubai are among the top hotels in Business Bay.
The cafes on site cover the first coffee. Cafe Delices and Caffe Divino cover the next. For breakfast, Vyne Restaurant and Bar and Circle Cafe are listed.
Emirates Hospital Clinic and Aster Clinic are in the district. Blossom Nursery and Learning Tree Nursery are the nurseries named for Business Bay.
For anything the podium supermarket does not stock, Choithrams and Spinneys are the district's big names, and Carrefour Market sits alongside. Loft Supermarket and Viva Supermarket also trade here.
Bay Avenue is the area's hub for dining and shopping, with Bay Avenue Mall as its retail centre. Clothing and electronics shops sit alongside a grocery.
Bay Avenue Park is a green space used for walking and jogging, and the Dubai Water Canal promenade has walking paths and cycling tracks, along with waterside dining for a longer evening. Burj Park, near the district, has views of the Burj Khalifa.
Next door: Downtown and the sea
Business Bay borders Downtown Dubai and has its own Red Line station, next to the Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall stop. Burj Khalifa and Dubai Opera sit a short way off, and the car trip to The Dubai Mall takes twelve to fifteen minutes. Jumeirah Beach is a drive from the district.
How Business Bay is zoned
Business Bay is one of Dubai's central business areas, with the Dubai Canal running through the middle. Of its land, 22.1% is allocated to residential projects, 18.5% to commercial use and 59.4% to mixed use.
What to weigh
It suits you less if you want a quiet residential street. Business Bay is a working district. Business Bay is work-driven and can feel transactional, and congestion creates bottlenecks entering the district from Sheikh Zayed Road. Meera Tower and Executive Tower A are two other Business Bay buildings with their own guides.
If you own here
If you own here, 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. Hosting guests in a Dubai apartment needs a holiday home permit from the Department of Economy and Tourism, and owners register on the Holiday Homes System first. Our overview of how we manage Business Bay apartments sets the district out from the ownership side.
Sources
Sources: RGEstate, Bayut, betterhomes, Property Finder blog, Bayut area guide, Wikipedia, Business Bay, Property Finder, Dubai Media Office, Gulf News.
Questions