Palm Jumeirah Holidays 2024/2025
Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah is the world’s first and largest man-made archipelago. Shaped like a palm tree inside a circle, the trunk and 17 palm fronds form upmarket islands connected by a monorail. Stay at the villas on the fronds or explore the trunk’s malls, restaurants and hotels.
Palm Jumeirah Holiday Deals
Explore this artificial island
You’ve probably never visited anywhere like Palm Jumeirah before, a palm-tree shaped archipelago in Dubai that can be seen all the way from space. You’ll start your journey to the island from the Palm Gateway monorail station, and from there you can easily travel to the tip of the island.
On Palm Jumeirah’s ‘trunk’ you’ll find luxury hotels and shopping malls and each palm frond houses a residential villa complex, all with private beaches. When you reach the crescent-shaped island encircling the palm tree you’ll discover some spectacular beaches, and a variety of other water-based attractions. The island is well known for its glitzy Palm Jumeirah hotels, upmarket restaurants, and amazing views of the Dubai coastline.
Sun, sea and sand: the island’s best beach spots
On your Palm Jumeirah holidays, expect to be surrounded by beautiful beaches and azure waters. Most hotels on the island have access to their own exclusive, private beaches. Even if you aren’t a hotel guest, you can still use the beaches if you pay the entry fee. The upshot is that there are far more facilities available, and the beaches are very well maintained. The Riva Beach Club is one of the easiest on the pocket. It’s a quiet, family-friendly option that comes with an excellent Mediterranean restaurant, a bar and a temperature-controlled swimming pool.
Free public beaches are just a short taxi ride away. You can reach Marina Beach, in the Jumeirah Beach Residence District, in 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Al Sufouh Beach, less than 10 minutes’ drive away, is one of Dubai’s more peaceful stretches, with a secluded, pristine shoreline.
Top watersports attractions
Palm Jumeirah is surrounded by pristine waters, and there are ample ways to enjoy it. At Atlantis, The Palm, a luxury 5* hotel, you’ll find the Aquaventure Water Park. Kids and grown-ups alike will love the adrenalin-fuelled water slides, river rides and rapids. Here you can also take a shark safari – wearing an underwater helmet, you’ll safely explore the park’s marine lagoon. Another of the Atlantis hotel’s attractions is The Lost Chambers Aquarium, a huge series of underwater caverns where you can dive, snorkel and even take yoga classes.
Also on the crescent, Water Adventure Centre offers a dizzying range of watersports. You can charter a luxury yacht or rent a kayak to explore Palm Jumeirah from the sea. If you’re feeling adventurous try flyboarding, a hoverboard attached to a water hose that will allow you to rise up to 30 feet in the air.
Try delicious dishes from around the world
There’s a spectrum of dining options on the archipelago, from everyday eating covering the cuisines of the world, to internationally-renowned, high-end restaurants. We recommend Bonfire, an alfresco restaurant located right on the beach – sitting in your own private gazebo, you can try succulent barbecued food from around the world. Alternatively, Moana Seafood serves exquisite fish dishes, which you can enjoy looking out over the ocean.
Meanwhile, The Golden Mile Galleria, a huge new shopping and dining complex, has a range of budget-friendly restaurants and cafes. Here you can grab an Indian Biryani or a Turkish kebab, a salad bowl or an ice cream.
Busy nights at Palm Jumeirah
Early evening is the perfect time to hit up The Boardwalk, while the night is still young. This 11-kilometre pedestrianised walkway extends around the crescent at the top of the island. As you stroll along with the locals, you can watch the sun set over the ocean, and grab a pre-drink bite from one of the food trucks located along the promenade.
Then it’s on to the more serious nightlife options, from chic lounge-bars to buzzing nightclubs. The 101 Lounge Bar is a secluded beachfront bar located at the tip of the western crescent, where you can sip drinks looking out at the city’s illuminated skyline. Or the club at Nasimi Beach is one of Dubai’s most popular concert venues, offering late night gigs from internationally renowned DJs and artists.