The Best Buildings in Jumeirah Lake Towers

Jumeirah Lake Towers stands out in Dubai thanks to its thoughtful, well-planned development, an abundance of parks and lakes, its rich infrastructure and excellent transport links. Read on to learn more about this district and the properties on sale there.

• A Lake District
• Surroundings
• Inside JLT
• Transportation and Education
• JLT’s Best Towers
• JLT’s Cheapest and Most Expensive Homes
• Rent and Services

A Lake District

Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) is not located in Dubai Downtown but in Jumeirah, considered the city’s most prestigious area. The area was planned carefully and it brings together several diverse communities.

Initially, four artificial lakes were created in JLT; one was subsequently drained to make room for a park which is now situated in the centre of the district and covers an area of 55,000 square metres. The park has sports fields and playgrounds and is home to regular yoga master classes and open-air film screenings. 

The recreation area, including the artificial lakes, covers 730,000 square metres of the total JLT area of 1.8 square kilometres. Alongside all the lakes runs a 7-kilometre boardwalk that houses restaurants overlooking the water, as well as entertainment venues. 

Surroundings

The districts around Jumeirah Lake Towers are considered Dubai landmarks in their own right. Dubai Marina is one such district, separated from JLT by the Sheikh Zayed Road, the city’s main motorway. One of the emirate’s most prestigious, expensive and bustling districts, it is situated along the marina and around a chain of lakes running parallel to the coastline. The lakes are connected to the Persian Gulf via wide canals on both sides. 

Jumeirah Islands is located on the opposite side of JLT, another expensive district designed for families and creative people who prefer spacious and isolated homes. It is made up of 46 islands in artificial lakes and filled with private villas built in a variety of styles.

JLT is right next to Dubai’s golf courses, and Emirates Hills is just beyond these, a low-rise residential area also considered one of the city’s most desirable. Like Jumeirah Islands, it is filled with private villas and includes two golf clubs (Emirates and Montgomery), recreation zones, swimming pools, supermarkets, etc.

These districts form a bona fide lake region; you won’t find an area like this anywhere else in the UAE.

Inside JLT

The area is divided into 28 clusters, of which 26 are residential areas named from A to Z. Each area hosts three towers, its own waterfront, kindergartens and early learning centres, sports facilities, and infrastructure for shopping and entertainment. Some clusters also have medical clinics.

The district hosts the campuses of several universities, and Knowledge Park, which comprises branches of international universities, is a five-minute drive away. 

Overall, JLT has 87 towers, most of buildings were constructed between 2006 and 2011. 78 of them are home to approximately 35,000 people. Almas Tower is the architectural centrepiece and has 66 floors; the other towers range between 35 and 45 floors. The seven towers situated on the waterfront offer a view of the famous Palm Jumeirah artificial island.

JLT also contains two business clusters, AA and BB, which include three towers each. For instance, the Mazaya Business Avenue is made up of three 45-floor skyscrapers 180 metres high; one is home to the Mövenpick Jumeirah Lakes Towers hotel, while the other two serve as headquarters of large companies and promising tech startups. 

With the help of the Dubai government, DMCC, the district’s developer, has succeeded in creating a free trade zone within JLT. All licensing and registration procedures are streamlined, while commercial premises can be bought on a freehold basis. This strategy has attracted large financial, trade and commodity entities interested in a comfortable business climate.

A standout among the non-residential buildings is the 14-floor, power-efficient, LEED gold certified One JLT business centre. It not only rents out business premises but also offers package deals for startups and entrepreneurs looking to organise their business.

Transportation and Education

There is a roundabout located at the exit of each cluster, designed to ensure that cars move at a safe speed within the district.

Besides personal vehicles, the inhabitants of Jumeirah Lake Towers use public transport. There are two subway stations, Sobha Realty Station and DMCC, both of which have transfers to a different line. It takes 47 minutes to reach Dubai International Airport and 24 minutes to reach Downtown (i.e., the Dubai Mall, the largest shopping centre on the planet). There are no large shopping centres in JLT itself, with commerce being dispersed throughout the area.

Buses are another type of public transport used by residents. Routes JLT1 and JLT2 run around the towers two to four times an hour and take between six and eight minutes to bring passengers to the subway stations. The N55 bus takes 50 minutes to reach Al Maktoum International Airport.

In addition, three tram stops are situated along JLT. You can use the Dubai tram to travel through the neighbouring Dubai Marina, take a trip to the Palm Jumeirah artificial island or to Al Sufouh Beach, one of Dubai’s finest public beaches situated between two parks.

JLT does not yet have its own schools. Children usually attend schools in the neighbouring districts. One of the nearest schools is Dubai British School, with buildings on both sides of Dubai Islands. Regent International School, located in the Al Barsha district, is another good option.

The International School of Choueifat, which is part of the SABIS global educational network founded in Lebanon in 1886, is located in Al Sufouh.

JLT’s Best Towers

New Dubai Gate

According to a survey on housing conducted in Dubai in 2021, New Dubai Gate is the most popular JLT complex, having received 24% of the votes. It consists of two residential towers, New Dubai Gate 1 (Cluster Q, 42 floors, 592 apartments, 30 trade enterprises) and New Dubai Gate 2 (Cluster A, 35 floors, 442 apartments).

The New Dubai Gate 1 tower, completed in 2010, has underground parking, a heated swimming pool, a gym, and a sauna. The New Dubai Gate 2 tower was completed in 2017. It also has underground parking and the building is located right next to the five-star Mövenpick Hotel.

More than 70 apartments are now on sale in New Dubai Gate. Prices start at 460,000 AED ($125,000) for a studio of 41 square metres in New Dubai Gate 2 or a fully furnished studio of 39 square metres in New Dubai Gate 1. The highest price is 1,300,000 AED ($354,000), for which you can buy a three-bedroom apartment of 106 square metres in New Dubai Gate 2.

Icon Tower

The two Icon Tower buildings, which received 12% of the votes in the survey, make up the second-most desirable residential area in JLT. 

Icon Tower 1, located in Cluster M, has 43 floors (including three underground parking floors), and 400 apartments. The building has a gym, as well as a swimming pool, a sauna, a jacuzzi and a steam room. There’s a barbeque area outside the building.

Icon Tower 2, located in Cluster L, is a multifunctional building that includes offices and outlets in addition to residential areas. The 40-floor tower has a fitness centre that includes a gym, separate swimming pools for men and women, a spa, and a sauna. There’s a garden and a playground outside the building.

There are currently 65 apartments for sale in Icon Towers. Prices start at 500,000 AED ($136,000) for a furnished studio of 40 square metres in Icon Tower 2 or a fully furnished studio of 39 square metres in New Dubai Gate 1. The highest price is 1,400,000 AED ($381,000), for which you can buy a partly furnished three-bedroom apartment of 147 square metres in New Dubai Gate 1.

Goldcrest Views

The two Goldcrest Views towers rank third. Goldcrest Views 1, located in Cluster V and built in 2007, has 40 floors, 376 apartments and underground parking. It offers its residents a sports bar, a rooftop swimming pool, a gym, a sauna, and a jacuzzi.

Goldcrest Views 2 is a 39-floor building with 439 apartments located in Cluster J. It also offers underground parking. Residents can use swimming pools for adults and children, a jacuzzi, a sauna and a gym. The tower also houses a medical centre.

There are currently 64 apartments for sale in Goldcrest Views. Prices start at 490,000 AED ($133,000) for a partially furnished studio of 38 square metres in Goldcrest Views 2. The highest price is 18,000,000 AED ($4,900,000) for a penthouse in Goldcrest Views 1. This property will be discussed in more detail below.

Check out Housearch to explore listings at Jumeirah Lake Towers.

JLT’s Cheapest and Most Expensive Homes

Asking prices for completed apartments in JLT have been rising over the past two years. The average price of a one-bedroom apartment, which was 680,000 AED ($185,200) in early 2021, rose by 32% and reached 900,000 AED ($245,000) in December 2022.

However, the final prices of properties varied, sometimes rising far above the asking-price (as in November 2021, January 2022 and May 2022), sometimes dipping lower. Since August 2022, owners appear to have become more open to bargaining, leading to the average price of similar lots settling on 790,000 AED ($215,100) by December.

In JLT, as in other Dubai districts, you can buy not only residential units but also serviced hotel apartments. A property of this type went on sale in January 2023 at the district’s lowest price of 449,000 AED ($122,300). It is a furnished studio of 34 square metres with a bathroom and a balcony that has a view of Lake Allure. It is located in the multifunctional Laguna Mövenpick tower.

The priciest property in JLT came in at 18,000,000 AED ($4,900,000) in January 2023. This is a fully furnished and equipped five-bedroom penthouse of 573 square metres that has five balconies, a spacious terrace, a private swimming pool, walk-in wardrobe, a staff room, multiple saunas and a jacuzzi. It is located at the top of the 40-floor Goldcrest Views 1 tower. A furnished and equipped penthouse of the same size in the same tower that comes without a pool or saunas costs 5,000,000 AED ($1,360,000).

Rent and Services

How much do JLT apartments for rent cost? The lowest rental price of a JLT apartment in January 2023 comes in at 43,000 AED ($11,700) a year, or 3580 AED ($975) a month. For that, you can rent a modestly furnished and equipped studio of 37 square metres in New Dubai Gate 1.

The highest-priced is a spacious penthouse of 515 square metres in Al Seef Tower 2 that has five bedrooms and six bathrooms but no furniture. Living here will cost you 370,000 AED ($100,700) a year, or 30,800 AED ($8400) a month. Interestingly, for a similar sum (10,000 AED less) you can rent a penthouse of 124 square metres with three bedrooms and five bathrooms; while four times smaller in size, it is impressively furnished and equipped.

Service charges in JLT depend on the building, its height and location, the size of the apartment and the range of services. For a two-bedroom apartment of 101 square metres in Goldcrest Views 2, they cost 18,700 AED ($5090) a year, or 1558 AED ($424) a month as of January 2023. 

Meanwhile, the service of a one-bedroom apartment of 92 square metres in The Palladium costs its owner 12,500 AED ($3400) a year, or 1042 AED ($284) a month. As we can see, the apartments are of a similar size, yet the service charges in the former case are 50% higher.

In a Nutshell

The purchase and the rental of real estate in Jumeirah Lake Towers is an attractive option for those who prefer to live next to parks and lakes, who like to be near the sea and the downtown area, and for those who appreciate well-developed infrastructure.

Cover photo: diana.grytsku (Freepik)