Bluewaters Island
There are ten residential buildings on Bluewaters Island as well as two 5-star luxury hotels providing 479 guest rooms and suites.
The apartment buildings contain 698 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom, glass-fronted apartments, each with one or two parking spaces. There are also four penthouses and 17 townhouses.
The star attraction here is the Ain Dubai Ferris Wheel (formerly known as the Dubai-Eye), making Bluewaters one of the top tourist destinations in the Middle East. At 230 metres tall it is the biggest in the world and offers unobstructed views over the entire city.
Amenities for residents include state-of-the-art gymnasiums, swimming pools, landscaped gardens, basketball courts and children’s play areas.
The four penthouses have 360-degree views of the Arabian Gulf, Dubai Marina, Ain Dubai and the Dubai skyline, and offer generous indoor and outdoor spaces, with five bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms and extended living areas.
The interiors at Bluewaters Residences are finished to the highest standards, in a minimalist style with a neutral palette, with full height windows in all apartments. The open plan kitchens are equipped with top end Italian appliances and seamless worktops.
There are two hotels on the beachfront at the far end of the Island, one being Caesar’s Palace with 194 luxury rooms and suites, and 80 serviced apartments with one to four bedrooms. The second hotel, Caesar’s Resort, has 301 guest rooms. Both hotels offer direct access to a 450-metre private beach.
The Island has been designed in such a way that the airflow between buildings creates a comfortable breeze, while giant canopies contribute to the shading. The main boulevard marks the division between the residential areas and the retail and entertainment district, and is more or less traffic free since most traffic passes beneath it in the tunnel.
The giant tree-link structures that run along the centre of the island are similar in style to the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
A new attraction on Bluewaters will be the world’s highest rope climbing platform perched at a height of over 150 metres on one of the legs of Ain Dubai.
The entire $1.6 billion project has been developed by Meraas, the government-owned company behind the new City Walk development in Jumeirah and The Beach retail and restaurant district in Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Transport & Access
From Bluewaters Island it takes roughly 18 minutes to drive to Dubai Mall, 10 minutes to Palm Jumeirah, 16 minutes to Burj Al Arab and 12 minutes to The Walk JBR.*
Dubai International Airport (DXB) is roughly 27 minutes' drive and the new Al Maktoum International Airport is roughly 30 minutes' drive.*
Drivers can reach the island via a dedicated link from Sheikh Zayed Road that crosses a new bridge to Bluewaters. The road then passes through a tunnel before emerging beside the conference centre and hotels at the far end of the island. Parking spaces for residents, shoppers and visitors are situated off the tunnel.
The island provides 2,400 parking spaces and the drive to Dubai Marina is 7 minutes, to Downtown Dubai 20 minutes, to Al Maktoum Airport 30 minutes, to Dubai International Airport 30 minutes, and to Abu Dhabi Airport 45 minutes.
There are not yet any public transport routes to the island. For pedestrians there is a bridge leading directly from The Beach at JBR.
Properties on the Market
Sub-communities
There are two sub-communities on Bluewaters Island. Learn more in the following guides.
Amenities
Taxis, buses and pedestrians crossing the bridge all arrive at Bluewaters Wharf, the main precinct at the base of the Ain Dubai Ferris wheel. This 230,000 square metre plaza encompasses 164 shops, restaurants and cafés, and a number of entertainment venues. 132 of the retail and food-and-beverage outlets are on the ground and first floor levels while the other 32 units are located under the residential buildings.
Local shops and outlets
There are 91 outlets currently open in Bluewaters Island including six gifts & entertainment shops, 44 restaurants, four coffee shops, 10 fashion shops, a café, two medical clinics, a men's salon, two optician & eyewear shops, a luxury food shop, three ladies' salons, a pharmacy, a car rental shop, a real estate office, a supermarket, two art galleries, an ice cream shop, a pop-up shop, a beverage outlet, two smoking accessories shops, a toy store, a bike/scooter shop, a cosmetics shop, a perfume shop and a bakery.
New outlets on Bluewaters Island 2022 & 2023
For a full list and analysis of shops and services on Bluewaters Island visit our Bluewaters Island amenities page.
Bluewaters Island Location
Drivers can reach the island via a dedicated link from Sheikh Zayed Road that crosses a new bridge to Bluewaters. The road then passes through a tunnel before emerging beside the conference centre and hotels at the far end of the island. Parking spaces for residents, shoppers and visitors are situated off the tunnel.
The island provides 2,400 parking spaces and the drive to Dubai Marina is 7 minutes, to Downtown Dubai 20 minutes, to Al Maktoum Airport 30 minutes, to Dubai International Airport 30 minutes, and to Abu Dhabi Airport 45 minutes.
The map below shows the location of Bluewaters Island and just below are summaries of the nearest attractions, parks, beaches, golf clubs and cinemas. For a more in-depth look at the local attractions, and to see what's on in and around Bluewaters Island, visit our Things to Do guide.
Local Schools
Bluewaters Island has a number of schools nearby with the closest school being Emirates International School Meadows at 3.8 km.
In terms of performance there are three schools nearby that have achieved either of two highest government inspection rating of 'Very Good' or 'Outstanding' including Emirates International School Meadows which has a rating of 'Very good' and The Winchester School which also has a rating of 'Very good'.
Things to Do
We've partnered with LadiesNightDubai.com and BrunchCrunch.ae to give an overview of the current Ladies Nights and Brunch offers in the vicinity of Bluewaters Island. For full nightlife listings and to see what else is happening nearby see the Things to Do page.
Nearby neighbourhoods
Explore communities that are either adjacent or close to Bluewaters Island.
Masterplan
A look at the original masterplan published by the developer at the time of the launch of Bluewaters Island.
The original masterplan included a driverless train system which would operate on a dedicated track along the middle of the road bridge. Known as the Group Rapid Transit (GRT), this system would comprise 25 driverless vehicles capable of carrying 24 passengers each and would connect stations on the island with Nakheel Harbour and Tower metro stations. This was never built.
Design Stage
Images depicting the initial concept designs for Bluewaters Island.
Projects often go through a number of design revisions as they progress and developers may or may not honour their original plans when it comes to architectural designs, amenities and landscaping. The images below are provided as a means to compare the original plans with the realised development.
Bluewaters Island History
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March 2022
A new ferry shuttle begins operating from Bluewaters Island to Dubai Marina for a daily fare of AED 5. On weekdays (Monday through Friday), the service operates from 4:50 pm to 11:25 pm, while on weekends (Saturday and Sunday), it operates from 4:10 pm to 11:45 pm.
Construction History
The island was constructed between 2013 and 2014 using 3 million cubic metres of sand, 800,000 cubic metres of rock and more than 35,000 square metres geotextile material.
Construction involved five major projects on the island: 1) Construction of the 210-metre high Ain Dubai Ferris Wheel; 2) Infrastructure links to the mainland; 3) The mid-rise towers and town houses; 4) The boulevard area with retail and dining units; 5) The construction of two hotels.
By March 2017 construction work on the island was 75 per cent complete with the project moving on from its structural phase to building finishes. Work was completed in October 2018.
Five main contractors were involved in the works as well as over 40 of the world’s leading consultant firms. At its peak 16,500 employees and 25 cranes a day were working on Bluewaters. 64 million man hours were recorded and 12,000 direct jobs sustained over the 12 months ending March 2017.
A contract worth between $50 and $100 million was awarded to the French specialist company POMA to manufacture and install 48 high-tech capsules for Ain Dubai. POMA previously provided capsules for the London Eye and the High Roller in Las Vegas.
See the development of Bluewaters Island in photos:
Bluewaters Island in the News
Bluewaters Island Buildings
There are 16 building developments on Bluewaters Island. For a full list of all Bluewaters Island buildings visit our Buildings Guide.
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