Dubai Islands: What Is Open, How You Get There, and What Comes Next
Five islands off Deira, seventeen square kilometres of them, with sixty kilometres of waterfront and more than twenty kilometres of beach.
Two hotels are open. The beach is open. The marina is open. The souk is open. Dubai is building two more ways in. This page sets out what is there today and what is committed, with a date on every one.
The masterplan
Nakheel released the plan on 22 August 2022 and renamed the place from Deira Islands to Dubai Islands on the same day. Nakheel merged with Meydan under Dubai Holding in March 2024, and Dubai Islands is now a Dubai Holding community.
Central, Marina, Shore, Golf and Elite. Around two square kilometres of parks and open space run through them, and the masterplan carries more than eighty hotels and resorts.
The master developer is Nakheel, under Dubai Holding.
| Place | Since |
|---|---|
| The five bridges | August 2020 |
| Hotel Riu Dubai | December 2020 |
| Souk Al Marfa | August 2021 |
| Centara Mirage Beach Resort | October 2021 |
| Dubai Islands Beach | May 2023 |
| Nakheel Marinas Dubai Islands | May 2023 |
Getting in and out
The first question a buyer asks about an island is how you get on and off it. Dubai Islands has a dated answer, and every part of it runs off one street.
The RTA opened five bridges to the islands on 8 August 2020, built with Nakheel at the Al Khaleej Street and Abu Bakr Al Siddique intersection. 2,571 metres of bridge, carrying 20,700 vehicles an hour.
| Bridge | Length | Lanes | Vehicles an hour | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 472 m | 2 | 3,000 | Al Khaleej Street northbound onto the islands |
| 2 | 503 m | 3 | 4,500 | Islands to Al Shindagha Tunnel |
| 3 | 647 m | 2 | 3,000 | Islands to Al Khaleej Street northbound |
| 4 | 362 m | 6 | 7,200 | Between the islands |
| 5 | 587 m | 2 | 3,000 | Al Khaleej Street southbound onto the islands |
Every one of them runs off Al Khaleej Street. That street is the spine, and it feeds straight into the Al Shindagha corridor and across the creek to Bur Dubai.
The RTA is running a 1,650-metre tunnel under Al Khaleej Street, three lanes each way. It carries 12,000 vehicles an hour from the Infinity Bridge ramp in Deira to the Al Wuheida intersection.
The RTA names Dubai Islands among the projects it serves. It stood at 80% complete in May 2026. It is set to finish in the fourth quarter of 2026.
On 6 April 2025 the RTA awarded an AED 786 million contract for a bridge from Dubai Islands to Bur Dubai, across the Creek between Infinity Bridge and Port Rashid.
1,425 metres long, with four lanes each direction. It carries 16,000 vehicles an hour, clears the water by 18.5 metres over a 75-metre navigation channel, and adds a pedestrian and cycling track with lifts.
When it opens, Dubai Islands has a second route to the mainland that never touches Deira.
The Al Shindagha Corridor runs 13 kilometres across Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street. It carries 18 kilometres of bridges and tunnels across 15 intersections.
It takes the corridor from 6,400 to 24,000 vehicles an hour and serves around a million people. Every phase on the Bur Dubai side finished on 11 May 2025.
MetroGold Souq station on the Green Line is the nearest, in Deira. It carried the name Palm Deira until May 2020.
The hotels open today
Two are open and running. Both are Nakheel joint ventures and both sit on the beach.
800 rooms and suites. The emirate's first four-star, twenty-four-hour all-inclusive beachfront resort. A splash park, three pools and ten food and drink outlets.
607 rooms and suites. Centara's first property in the UAE, themed on Thai and Arabian design, with a waterpark on site.
ComingRixos Dubai Islands Hotel & Residences is under construction with Nakheel and Ennismore. The masterplan carries more than eighty hotels and resorts in total.
The beach, the marina and the souk
Open daily from sunrise to sunset, with beach volleyball and beach football. It is the first family beach in Dubai where dogs can swim. Dubai Holding runs it under the Dubai Retail brand.
Nakheel holds Blue Flag status across its Jebel Ali, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Islands beaches, the international mark for water quality, safety and environmental management.
Launched 24 May 2023. 248 wet berths for vessels up to 47 metres, 40 dry berths up to 20 metres, and 13 superyacht berths.
Dock assistance runs around the clock, with gated access, CCTV, showers and a laundrette.
Souk Al MarfaOpen since 18 August 2021, running 1.9 kilometres along the waterfront. Its first phase holds 400 stores.
The beach Dubai just built next door
Khor Al Mamzar Beach opened on 5 May 2026, across the water from Dubai Islands.
The swimming shoreline is a 128% increase on what was there. Padel and volleyball courts, twelve lifeguard towers, and the region's first floating walkway sit along it.
It is part of a AED 3 billion Dubai beach programme running to 2030, which targets a 170% increase in the emirate's beach capacity.
The airport is moving
On 28 April 2024 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the designs for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International.
“It will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport, and all operations at Dubai International Airport will be transferred to it in the coming years.”
Twelve million tonnes of cargo a year, across 70 square kilometres. Phase one is set for within ten years, at a capacity of 150 million passengers a year.
That is the direction of the city, and Dubai Islands sits inside it.
Healthcare
On Al Khaleej Street in Deira, the same street the bridges run off. Dubai Health runs it as a tertiary multispecialty hospital with a twenty-four-hour emergency department.
Centres of Excellence in cancer care and ophthalmology, alongside cardiac, critical care, obstetrics, paediatrics, surgery and imaging.
In Abu Hail, with more than thirty specialties and its own emergency department. It holds JCI accreditation through March 2027.
Schools
The schools sit on the mainland, a short run down Al Khaleej Street.
In Dubai Festival City. It teaches the IB and holds a Very Good rating from its KHDA inspection.
KHDA paused full private-school inspections for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 academic years, so published ratings date from earlier cycles. Short-notice inspections resume from the 2026–27 academic year.
The projects at Dubai Islands
Two residential projects we cover sit on Island B, and both are freehold to all nationalities. Registration is 4% of the price plus the Oqood fee, paid once with the booking, and the developer pays us, so you pay no commission.
678 residences and fourteen retail units across three towers of 21 levels, inside the Siora masterplan. Ceilings run 3.2 metres in the living areas. Prices, the payment plan and what is available.
Six buildings and 903 homes in the first phase, with a hotel, a private beach, a jazz club and a cinema on site. Heights run from G+20 down to G+6. Prices, the payment plan and what is available.
Who Dubai Islands suits
Twenty kilometres of beach, a Blue Flag standard, and 248 wet berths with thirteen for superyachts.
A buyer who reads infrastructureThe bridges are open, the tunnel finishes this year, and a second crossing to Bur Dubai is under contract at AED 786 million.
Most of what is being built here hands over towards the end of the decade, and so does most of what Dubai is building around it.
A buyer who wants old Dubai at the doorThe creek, the souks and Deira sit at the other end of the bridges, and the island itself is quiet.
Dubai Islands — Questions buyers ask
Where is Dubai Islands?
Off the Deira coast, north of Dubai Creek. Five islands across 17 square kilometres, reached from Al Khaleej Street.
Was Dubai Islands called something else?
Yes. It was Deira Islands. Nakheel renamed it Dubai Islands on 22 August 2022 when it released the current masterplan.
Who is the developer of Dubai Islands?
Nakheel, which merged with Meydan under Dubai Holding in March 2024. Dubai Islands is a Dubai Holding community.
How do you get to Dubai Islands?
Five bridges opened in August 2020, all running off Al Khaleej Street. Together they carry 20,700 vehicles an hour across 2,571 metres of bridge.
Is a second road being built?
Yes. The RTA awarded an AED 786 million contract in April 2025 for a 1,425-metre bridge to Bur Dubai across the Creek. It runs four lanes each direction and carries 16,000 vehicles an hour. A 1,650-metre tunnel under Al Khaleej Street is also due to finish in the fourth quarter of 2026.
What is the nearest Metro station to Dubai Islands?
Gold Souq on the Green Line, in Deira.
Which hotels are open on Dubai Islands?
Two. Hotel Riu Dubai, with 800 rooms, open since December 2020. Centara Mirage Beach Resort Dubai, with 607 rooms, open since October 2021. Rixos Dubai Islands is under construction, and the masterplan carries more than eighty hotels in total.
Is there a beach at Dubai Islands?
Yes. Dubai Islands Beach is open daily from sunrise to sunset, and it is the first family beach in Dubai where dogs can swim. Nakheel holds Blue Flag status across its Dubai Islands, Palm Jumeirah and Jebel Ali beaches.
Is there a marina at Dubai Islands?
Yes. Nakheel Marinas Dubai Islands opened in May 2023 with 248 wet berths, 40 dry berths and 13 superyacht berths.
What can you do on Dubai Islands today?
Two resorts, the beach, the marina, and Souk Al Marfa, 1.9 kilometres of waterfront retail with 400 stores in its first phase.
Is Dubai Islands freehold?
Yes, the residential projects there are freehold to all nationalities.
What is happening with Dubai International Airport?
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid approved the new terminal at Al Maktoum International in April 2024, an AED 128 billion build for 260 million passengers a year. He said all Dubai International operations will transfer to it in the coming years, and phase one is set for within ten years.
Are there schools on Dubai Islands?
The schools are on the mainland, down Al Khaleej Street. Deira International School in Dubai Festival City teaches the IB and holds a Very Good KHDA rating.
Where is the nearest hospital?
Dubai Hospital on Al Khaleej Street in Deira, run by Dubai Health, with a 24-hour emergency department. Canadian Specialist Hospital in Abu Hail is the other, with more than thirty specialties.
How many hotels will Dubai Islands have?
More than eighty resorts and hotels are planned across the five islands.
Which projects on Dubai Islands do you sell?
HADO by Beyond, from AED 2,160,000 with 10% on booking, and The Meriva Collection by Ellington, from AED 3,007,828 with 20% on booking. Both sit on Island B and both have their own page here.
Do I pay you a commission?
No. The developer pays us.
Buying on Dubai Islands?
Tell us which project you are looking at and what you need from the home. We sell at zero commission, and we will send you the price list and payment plan for each one.