Dubai Harbour set to boom with Ibiza clubs and high-end living

In my seven years of living in Dubai, I’ve watched the skyline change dramatically.

Even just around the area in which I live, the Marina, we’ve had the opening of the man-made Bluewaters Island, the massive development of West Beach on the Palm and the construction of enormous hotels such as Atlantis The Royal, St Regis, The Palm and Address Beach Resort (not to mention the soon-to-be world’s tallest hotel, the Ciel Tower).

But I think all of this could be topped for impressiveness in a few years by Dubai Harbour.

Many people will know the Harbour, which opened in 2021, as a setting off point for yacht excursions. Last month, famed Ibiza club Ushuaia opened a concert venue there. But outside of that and a couple of restaurants and a beach club, there is not much there - yet.

All that is set to change drastically in the next few years, with huge developments from the likes of Damac, Arada and Sobha under way.

A rendering of W Residences by Arada coming to Dubai Harbour. Photo: Arada

These high-end, futuristic-looking towers will offer luxury living within a stone’s throw of Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah, and transform the area’s skyline. It is little wonder the area has been dubbed "the new Marina".

“If you look around us, there’s construction going on everywhere right now, with multiple developers,” Amer Kharbush, senior executive vice president for projects at Damac Properties, tells The National.

“Currently RTA [the Roads and Transport Authority], I think, are working on connecting the main Sheikh Zayed Road, so you'll have a direct connection to the Harbour. The beauty about Dubai is they think ahead on all this stuff, so they see the potential of Dubai Harbour and they see that this is going to be the next place.”

It’s not just apartments that will be coming on line, either. Last week, Shamal announced it had begun construction on The Anchor, a premium dining destination spread across 33,500 square metres and four floors.

The Anchor will be a new dining destination in Dubai Harbour

All of this development points to a Dubai property market that has been on fire the last few years. But is it sustainable?

“Do we believe that sales are going to slow down at some point? Of course,” Kharbush says. “But do we believe it's going to bounce back even higher? Absolutely. That's the trend in Dubai. It'll always just keep going higher and higher, and that's what we're optimistic about."