Palm Jumeirah is the largest artificial island on Earth, a real miracle created by man. It follows the shape of a palm tree (trunk and 16 symmetrically arranged leaves), which is surrounded by a crescent-shaped breakwater to protect it from the destructive effects of waves. The island has a huge number of luxury private villas, hotels, skyscrapers, shopping and entertainment centers, parks, beach clubs.
Palm Jumeirah is located in the United Arab Emirates, on the Persian Gulf coast near the coast of Dubai. By the way, this is one of the three islands of the Palm Islands complex, which increases the coastline of the Emirate of Dubai by 520 km. Although Palm Jumeirah Island is smaller than Jebel Ali Palm and Deira Palm, it was created first and thus became the” business card ” of the UAE.
A visit to the United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai, is necessary at least to see the Palm Jumeirah and appreciate what talented people, knowledge and money can do.
History of the Palm Jumeirah
The idea to create a unique man-made island in the Persian Gulf belongs to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates. This idea came to him back in the 1990s, when there was no suitable place for building new buildings on land plots off the coast of the Emirate of Dubai. Construction of the miracle island, designed to increase the coastline of the emirate in order to further develop tourism, was started in 2001.
94,000,000 m3 of sand and 5,500,000 m3 of stone were used for the construction – this amount of material would be enough to build a 2.5-meter-high wall along the equator of the entire Globe. The main difficulty was that the sand from the deserts of the UAE was unsuitable for the construction of an artificial embankment: it is very shallow, and because of this, the water easily washed it out. Incredible efforts were made to lift tons of sand from the seabed and deliver it to the coast of the emirate. When creating a sand embankment, neither cement nor steel fortifications were needed – the entire structure is supported only by its own weight. Nevertheless, this unique project has proved its viability, because Palm Jumeirah has been successfully operating since 2006.
“Palm crown” – this is how Palm Jumeirah is translated, and the photo from the height clearly shows that the outlines of the man-made embankment completely repeat the silhouette of the palm tree. Interestingly, the choice of this form is explained not only by the fact that the palm tree is a symbol of the Emirate of Dubai. Just with a relatively small diameter of 5.5 km, the trunk has 16 branches-leaves with a total coastline of 56 km – if the island had a round shape, this figure would be 9 times less. The artificial island is surrounded by a crescent-shaped breakwater that stretches for 11 km. To strengthen the protection of the island, and at the same time attract divers to the coast of the emirate, all this splendor was supplemented with a coral reef with two sunken F-100 aircraft.
Attractions of the resort area
Tourists coming to the resorts of Dubai (UAE) are offered a wide variety of leisure options: beach holidays, diving courses, sea walks, helicopter flights, all kinds of entertainment at hotels, fitness clubs, SPA centers, museum tours and much more.
Water park
Among the most significant attractions of Jumeirah Island and the Emirate of Dubai, the Atlantis Hotel and entertainment located on its territory can be distinguished: Lost Chambers aquarium with exotic marine life, Dolphin Bay Dolphinarium and Aquaventure water park. As for the Aquavencher water amusement park, it is recognized as one of the largest not only in the UAE, but also in the entire Middle East: 17 hectares of land are allocated for its territory, and more than 18,000,000 liters of water are used for arranging attractions. Aquaventure has many water slides for guests of different heights and ages, there are descents on rapids and waterfalls of a stormy river, a large-scale children’s playground, an opportunity to go diving and swim with dolphins.
Please note! In Dubai, there is another large and popular water park “Wild Wadi water park”. You can find more information about it on this page.
Jumeirah Mosque
Tourists who come to the UAE and want to see religious attractions can visit the Jumeirah Mosque, located in the resort area of Dubai and considered the most beautiful in the city. Although the building was built only recently, its architecture is made in the style of religious buildings of the Middle Ages. Jumeirah Mosque is the first mosque in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, open to adherents of absolutely any religion. Non-Muslims can visit this shrine on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 10.00 am, but entry is only allowed if accompanied by a local guide from the UAE. More detailed information about the mosque can be found on this page.
The View observation deck at The Palm Tower
This new building on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai will open in 2021. Even if you don’t stay at the St. Regis Hotel or the Palm Tower apartments in Jumeirah, you can still visit the skyscraper and The View.
The observation deck and lobby are located on the 52nd floor, and the elevator will take you to a height of 240 meters in just a few minutes, while informative comments in the background will tell you about the architectural details of the Jumeirah Tower. The magnificent 360-degree bird’s-eye view of Palm Jumeirah is impressive, as the Dubai skyline and the Persian Gulf are instantly visible.
Designed in the shape of a palm tree, this tower is now one of Dubai’s most prominent landmarks. While most tourists include Palm Jumeirah in their itinerary around the UAE city, few know that the best way to truly admire the island’s striking shape is not to visit it, but to climb above it. This is what you can do in The View at the Palm.
The building is directly connected to Nakheel Shopping Center. The entrance to The View is located inside the shopping center.
- Opening hours: Mon-Thu — from 9: 00 to 21: 00, Fri. – Sun — – from 9: 00 to 23: 00.
- Admission fee: children 70-111 AED, adults (13+) – 99-158 AED. The price depends on the day of the visit — on weekends and holidays, and in the evening before sunset, the price is higher. Tickets can be purchased on the official website and only for a certain time, which cannot be changed.
- Official website: www.palmtowerdubai.com.
Vacation by the sea
The most pleasant and comfortable weather conditions for a holiday on the sea coast on Palm Jumeirah are observed in mid-autumn. This is the time of the “velvet” season in the Emirate of Dubai, when the water temperature in the Persian Gulf is kept at the same level +20 – +23 °C, when it will be nice to sunbathe in the sun and hide in the shade of a beach umbrella.
The Jumeirah coast is a series of beach areas covered with snow-white soft sand, with clear water, with convenient and comfortable descents into the water. There are different beaches here:
- free of charge, which can be visited by both residents of Dubai and tourists who have come to the UAE;
- private ones that belong to a particular residential complex or hotel – as a rule, the entrance to them is closed;
- paid public parks-beaches.
Of the public beaches, it is worth highlighting Jumeirah Public Beach, which is located near the Dubai Marina Hotel and the Jumeirah Mosque. Although it is not equipped, it is very spacious and clean.
Among the beaches that belong to hotels, you should pay attention to the beach of the Atlantis Hotel. After all, not only guests of Atlantis can relax on it, but also vacationers who have decided to visit the Aquaventure water park. Access to this private beach is included in the entrance fee to the water park.
There is a Shoreline beach on the island, which belongs to the residential complex of 20 high-rise buildings of the same name. It is noteworthy that the entrance to Shoreline is allowed not only for people from this area, but also for ordinary tourists. The residential complex is guarded, so the rest there is completely safe.
Read also: Dubai Beaches Review — where to relax best.
Accommodation options for vacationers
Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah is home to many world-class hotels, some of which rank among the city’s and emirate’s outstanding attractions. Dubai is a luxury resort designed for affluent vacationers, so prices are high here.
Site users booking.com they offer more than 100 interesting settlement options.
And now a few words about the most famous hotels in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
- At Atlantis The Palm 5* , you can rent a room for between $ 250 and$ 13,500 per day. As already mentioned, here is the most famous water park in the UAE Aquaventure and a private beach-hotel guests can visit them completely free of charge.
- In the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, a double room per night will cost $ 200 – $ 1,100. The hotel has a spacious sandy strip by the sea, two swimming pools, tennis courts and a beautiful children’s club. It features 6 bars and restaurants.
- Slightly cheaper, from$ 180 to $ 700 per night, will cost a room at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort. In addition to the rooms, the hotel includes villas above the sea and a villa with a pool right on the beach. Guests have access to the beach, 3 swimming pools, 4 restaurants and a SPA.
- A room at Fairmont The Palm costs from $ 125 to$ 1,650 per night. There are 4 outdoor swimming pools, a nice beach, a gym, and several restaurants. The hotel also has a kids ‘ club, which offers various entertainment and educational programs.
How to get to the Palm Tree
The famous resort is located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Dubai, and it is from Dubai that you need to get there.
The most convenient and fastest way to get to Palm Jumeirah is by rented car or taxi. It takes about 30 minutes to get there from Dubai International Airport, but during rush hours there are usually small traffic jams in places where tour groups stop for photos.
Directly on the territory of the resort, you can travel both by taxi and by high-speed train on the monorail. The monorail starts at Gateway Towers station (this is at the very beginning of the Palm Tree trunk), with a total length of almost 5.5 km. The standard interval between flights is 15 minutes, the total travel time from the starting to the final stop (there are 4 of them) is 15 minutes. Monorail opening hours: daily from 8: 00 to 22: 00.
Palm Jumeirah Challenges
Although the island is very beautiful, environmentalists in the UAE and around the world are excited about the changes taking place in the flora and fauna of the Persian Gulf. In response to multiple demands to make the life of marine inhabitants safe, the authorities of the Emirate of Dubai have built artificial reefs off the coast and plan to supply all artificial islands with energy from environmentally friendly sources.
The presence of a breakwater also creates certain problems. It is extremely important for protection from waves, but at the same time leads to stagnation of water in bays and provokes the appearance of an unpleasant smell from it. The UAE Government has made a number of attempts to solve this problem, but the desired result has not yet been achieved.
There is another important question: “How long can such a huge but too fragile embankment stand, which is affected by climate change, as well as terrible waves washing sand out of it?”. The authors of the project claim that over the next 800 years there is no need to worry, and persuade investors to buy a “piece” of amazing real estate in the emirate. Moreover, the legislation of the emirate has been amended to allow anyone to purchase real estate here with absolute ownership rights.
Useful tips
- While relaxing by the sea on the island of Palm Jumeirah (Dubai, United Arab Emirates), it is forbidden to take photos, smoke hookah and drink alcoholic beverages, and take sun baths topless. If you ignore the listed rules established by the emirati authorities, you can be fined.
- According to many tourists, the view of the unique resort area of Dubai is impressive only from a height, and from the ground everything is much more prosaic. That is why it is advisable to travel here not by taxi, but by monorail. It is laid, although not too high, but still at a height of several meters above the ground.
- It is better to go to Palm Jumeirah on your own, without a tour. So you can plan the time and duration of your trip at your own discretion. By the way, you can go in such a way that you can have time to relax and take a walk, as well as watch the sunset.
- The final stop of the high-speed train is located at the famous Atlantis . The building, of course, is luxurious, but the territory is closed to the public. A trip to the hotel will only be appropriate if you plan to visit the Aquaventure Water Park.
- If you move along the right side of Palm Jumeirah, you will see the famous Burj Al Arab Hotel. If you move to the left side, you will see an overview of the Dubai Marina.
