Buying on the World Islands is different from buying on the mainland, because every trip to and from your home depends on a sea crossing. For a holiday base, a hotel room investment or a long-term waterfront holding, the islands can make sense. For a family that needs a daily school run, or an owner who may need to sell quickly, they are harder to justify.
Before looking at floor plans, ask 4 practical questions: how the boat transfer works and who pays for it, how the island gets its power and water, who runs the property after handover, and who the likely next buyer will be. The answers shape the real cost of an island home as much as the layout does.
Every sale price in this guide is a registered transaction rather than an asking price, and every project is described at its actual stage: open, under construction or planned.
World Islands Dubai: Location, Map, Size & Island Names
The World is an archipelago in the Arabian Gulf off the Jumeirah coast, laid out in the shape of a world map when seen from above. The islands cover an area of about 9 km by 7 km, and a 27 km breakwater surrounds them to hold back open sea waves.
The World Islands Map and Its 7 Continent Groups
World Islands are arranged in 7 groups that stand for the continents. Individual islands carry the names of countries and regions, such as Lebanon, Uruguay, Colombia and Greenland.
World Islands Dubai Developer: Nakheel's Project History
Nakheel is the master developer of the World Islands. Dutch marine contractor Van Oord started reclamation in October 2003, using 15 dredging vessels to move about 320 million cubic metres of sand. The 34 million tonnes of stone in the breakwater were in place by early 2008.
Nakheel then sold the islands to private buyers as plots, and the 2008 global financial crisis halted most building plans on them.
The First Island to Open
Lebanon Island became the first commercially developed island when the Royal Island Beach Club opened there in July 2012.
How Development Restarted
Work picked up again through hotels, mainly in Kleindienst Group's Heart of Europe. Anantara also ran a 70-key resort on the South American group until April 2026, when its operator closed it, citing several outside factors.
World Islands Dubai: Open, Ready & Under-Construction Projects
Each island is developed by the company that owns it, so the developer you buy from decides the build quality, services and handover timing of your home.
The Heart of Europe
- Developer: Kleindienst Group
- Islands: Main Europe, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Honey Moon Island and The Floating Venice
- Homes: hotel rooms in branded hotels, villas on Germany and Sweden islands, and Floating Seahorse villas on the water
- Status: partly open, with more hotels still under construction
Buddha-Bar Hotel and Floating Villas
- Developer: Kleindienst Group with George V Eatertainment
- Location: Honey Moon Island
- Plan: a 162-key overwater hotel with floating villas and a beach club
- Value: about AED 3 billion, announced in April 2025 on a 24-month build plan
Amali Island
- Developer: Amali Properties
- Homes: 24 villas in 7 architectural styles
- Land: about 1.2 million sq.ft. joining the Uruguay and São Paulo islands
- Beachfront: up to 50 metres of private beach per villa
Zuha Island
- Developer: ZAYA
- Homes: 6-bedroom villas
World Islands Dubai Launches: Collecta Samana & Ritz-Carlton
Two branded residential projects are now coming to the islands, and neither has a handover date yet.
Collecta Samana
The first project under Samana's new label is Collecta Samana, which has its own island within the archipelago and is designed with an Italian luxury house that is still to be named.
- Developer: Samana Developers
- Homes: studio, 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom apartments, plus 7 homes on the water and 2 tree residences
- Starting price: expected below AED 2 million
- Payment plan and floor plans: not released yet
- Handover: not announced, as timing depends on when construction starts on the island
- Amenities: beaches, a lagoon, swimming pools, a beach club, water sports, spas, gyms, a residents' clubhouse, a rooftop sky lounge, a co-working floor and everyday retail
The Ritz-Carlton Residences
- Developer: AVENEW Development with Marriott International
- Location: the Hawaii islands
- Homes: villas, plus 2 and 3-bedroom low-rise residences
- Sales: scheduled to begin in 2027
World Islands Property Prices 2026: Apartments & Villas
World Islands Dubai property falls into 4 types: hotel rooms, apartments, villas and floating homes. Recent registered sales cover hotel rooms and villas.
Hotel Rooms
Hotel rooms are the entry point. An off-plan room on Main Europe Island was registered at AED 1 million in September 2026, and a room at the Marbella Resort Hotel at AED 4 million a month later.
Villas
A 6-bedroom Zuha villa was registered at AED 79 million on 2 October 2026.
Rental Returns
No reliable rental yield data has been published for homes on the islands. Any yield offered on a unit here is a projection, not a track record.
Things to Do at Dubai World Islands: A Visitor's Guide
Amenities here are resort amenities, centred on hotels, beaches, pools and restaurants.
Open Now
Voco Monaco Dubai, formerly the Côte d'Azur Monaco hotel and run by IHG since 2024, is a 198-key adults-only hotel with a beach, a pool club and its own restaurants. The Heart of Europe also has the Raining Street, a climate-controlled promenade with engineered rainfall and a small café.
Coming Next
Plans for Collecta Samana also include a floating Italian restaurant run with a Michelin-recognised culinary partner.
Daily Services
The Heart of Europe has no cars, grocery stores or corner shops, so everyday shopping means a boat ride back to the city.
How to Get to The World Islands in Dubai: Boat Transfers and Access
You can reach the archipelago only by boat or by air, as no bridge, road or metro line connects it to the city.
Hotel guests travel on hotel-run boats from mainland marinas, with crossings of about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the departure point and the island. Future residents of Collecta Samana will use yacht shuttles to the mainland every 30 minutes, with boarding points still to be announced.
For a private villa, get written confirmation of who provides the boat service, where it departs from and what it costs each year.
World Islands Dubai Living Guide: Schools, Healthcare & Utilities
Full-time living is possible, but most daily needs are met on the mainland, which makes the islands better suited to weekend and holiday use.
Schools and Healthcare
No island has a school, so children would need a boat crossing and then a drive every school day. Hospitals are also on the shore, which matters for older owners and anyone with ongoing medical needs.
Power and Water
The islands are not connected to Dubai's main power grid, and no grid cable had been laid as of 2025. The Heart of Europe has run on its own generator sets since 2016. Ask the developer how electricity and water will be supplied after handover, and how those costs are billed.
Buying Property on the World Islands: Freehold, Fees and Golden Visa
The World Islands is listed as a freehold area under Dubai Regulation No. 3 of 2006, so foreign buyers can own property here outright.
Purchase Costs
Buyers pay the standard Dubai Land Department transfer fee of 4 percent of the price, plus registration and agency fees. Hotel rooms and branded homes also have management or service charges, so ask for the current yearly amount before signing.
Golden Visa
A property worth AED 2 million or more can qualify its owner for a 10-year Golden Visa, and off-plan homes from approved developers are eligible too.
Checks Before You Pay
Confirm the island's building permits and approved plans, read the hotel management agreement for any hotel room to see how rental income is shared, and make sure off-plan payments go into the project's registered escrow account. Do not accept verbal confirmation on any of these points.
World Islands Investment Pros and Cons: Ideal Buyers and Who Should Avoid
The islands suit buyers who value privacy and sea access over convenience, and who can hold a property for many years.
Pros
Homes here have direct access to the sea and no road traffic around them. International names including Marriott, IHG and Buddha-Bar have committed to projects on the islands, which raises the profile of the address.
Cons
Resale is the main concern. Few sales are recorded, so pricing a home and finding the next buyer can take time. Boat transfers, self-generated power and hotel fees also add to the yearly running cost.
Buy If
- You live in Dubai and want a weekend retreat on the water
- You want a hotel room for managed income and accept that returns follow hotel performance
- You are buying a large villa with private beachfront as a long-term holding
- You are comfortable waiting several years for more islands to be completed
Do Not Buy If
- You need a family home with a daily school run
- You commute to an office every day
- You may need to sell within a few years
- You want a fixed and predictable rental yield
How This Guide Was Researched and Verified
Sale figures date from September and October 2026, and project details reflect developer, operator and news announcements made up to the end of October 2026.
Projects on the islands change often, so launch dates, delivery timelines and prices reflect the position at the time of publishing.
