Construction of this large island started in 2001 and was finally completed 7 years later in 2008. To build the Palm Jumeirah, sand and rocks were used to form a large wall which would protect the Palm Islands from the tides and made it possible to start constructing the inner islands of the Palm.
The plan was to build two other palm islands in addition to the Palm Jumeirah. Namely the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira of which Palm Deira would become the largest. People are now hard at work on Palm Deira as they are planning to build a large shopping mall on the island.
The Palm Jumeirah is a very popular tourist attraction as many luxury hotels and a beautiful residential area of beautiful villas were built on the Palm. You can also visit the largest water park in the Middle East – Aquaventure, and the well-known Atlantis hotel.
What can you experience on the leaves of the palm?
On the leaves of the palm you will find, as explained above, a whole series of luxurious hotels with private, white sandy beaches; a nice residential area with luxury villas, and of course also Nakheel Mall and the Atlantis Hotel with its famous water park.
We will take a closer look at the attractions and hotels on the leaves of the Palm Jumeirah below.
The Palm Jumeirah is made of millions of tons of sand and stones. 32 million cubic meters of sand to be precise.
The Palm Islands are visible to the naked eye from space.
Satellites were used to plan out the Palm Islands in the water.
The Palm Jumeirah has about 60 kilometres of coastline – that’s almost as much as Belgium!
The total cost of building the island amounted to 12 billion! That is 12,000 million and the same as Malta’s Gross Domestic Product.
What to do on the Palm Jumeirah
What can you do when you visit the Palm Jumeirah? From a nice shopping centre to eating and swimming in luxurious restaurants – or even going to a water park or an aquarium.
Attractions and places of interest
Some beautiful and high-quality attractions are located on the Palm Jumeirah. In addition, it is also worth noting that the Palm Jumeirah is often the setting for great and beautiful fireworks displays such as the one held for the United Arab Emirates National Day or religious holidays such as Diwali. The following attractions and sights on the Palm Jumairah are definitely worth a visit:
Lost Chambers
The Lost Chambers is an aquarium located in the Atlantis Hotel. In this world-famous aquarium, you can walk through the sunken chambers of Atlantis and meet new sea creatures in this fictional universe.
A visit to the Lost Chambers is quickly completed but no less impressive. You can see sharks, rays and all kinds of other interesting sea creatures such as the fluorescent jellyfish. When you are a guest at the Atlantis hotel you can visit the Lost Chambers Aquarium for free.
Aquaventure
Aquaventure on the Palm Jumeirah is the largest water park in the Middle East and is adjacent to the Atlantis hotel. As a guest of the Atlantis Hotel you can also visit the waterpark for free. Aquaventure has a lot of great water slides and pools and even a beautiful white private sandy beach.
There are also play pools for the little ones and for the daredevils you can descend 20 meters vertically along the Ziggurat slide!
Palm Fountain
The Palm Fountain is the newest attraction on the Palm Jumeirah. This fountain opened in October 2020 as the largest Fountain in the world. You can watch the Palm Fountian Show every day in the evening from the boardwalk at Nakheel Mall.
If you want to learn more about the Palm Fountain you can read our extensive article here.
Shopping on the Palm Jumeirah
The Nakheel shopping centre is located on the Palm Jumeirah. This new shopping centre has more than 350 shops and restaurants and even a large cinema with no less than 15 screens. In Nakheel Mall you can shop at Lipsy London, Rosa Clara and Giordano.
Famous Restaurants on the Palm Jumeirah
On the Palm Jumeirah you will find many luxurious hotels in which well-known restaurants are located. If you are looking for a place to eat well, you can find a lot of nice addresses on the Palm Jumeirah
Hakkasan The Palm
Hakkasan is one of the most famous restaurants in Dubai. This Cantonese restaurant is known for its beautiful decor, great dim sum and beautiful designs on the plate. Hakkasan is of course not cheap – but a dinner at Hakkasan is always quite an experience. Not least because this restaurant is located in the famous Atlantis Hotel.
Nobu The Palm
Nobu is a well-known name in the restaurant world with restaurants in London, New York, and of course Dubai. Nobu has long been an absolute favourite with celebrities and A-listers, and that is of course no different in Dubai. This Japanese restaurant located in the Atlantis Hotel serves great Japanese tapas and delicious sushi.
Rue Royale
Rue Royale is a French restaurant located at The Pointe on the Palm Jumeirah. This French restaurant uses quality ingredients and presents great works of art on your plate. A nice tip is to reserve a table outside in the winter as the weather is very pleasant and you have a nice view!
Staying on the Palm Jumeirah
As mentioned earlier, you can find a lot of luxurious hotels on the Palm Jumeirah – often at very competitive prices
Atlantis The Palm
Atlantis The Palm is the most famous hotel located on the Palm Jumeirah. Atlantis overlooks the Arabian Gulf and has a beautiful 5km long sandy beach. In addition, you also get free access to The Lost Chambers Aquarium and Aquaventure when you choose to stay at Atlantis The Palm.
Five Palm Jumeirah
Five Palm Jumeirah is a modern hotel with a beautiful swimming pool located on the Palm Jumeirah. This hotel also has a beautiful private sandy beach and is known for its excellent service. You can also rent a penthouse with your own pool – a very popular option as you have a beautiful view of the area from here.
W Palm Jumeirah
The W hotel group is known in Dubai for its great service and beautiful rooms. That is no different for W Palm Jumeirah. This hotel has 5 swimming pools and a phenomenal private sandy beach. In addition, you can also enjoy spa treatments here and sports enthusiasts can visit a fully equipped fitness centre.
Rent a villa on the Palm
Besides booking a hotel room on the Palm Jumeirah, you can of course also choose to rent a villa. These villas are equipped with the latest technological gadgets and come with a nice backyard, a private swimming pool, and of course access to a private beach. Renting a villa on the Palm Jumeirah of course means that you have the choice between cooking a meal or going out for dinner, and is often the best solution for large families or groups.
How to get to the Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah is located 8.7 miles from downtown Dubai. So you may wonder how best to handle transportation to the Palm Jumeirah.
Taxi
The best option for getting to the Palm Jumeirah is to hire a taxi. This can be done via the Hala option on the Careem app, or you can simply rent a Taxi along the side of the track. The taxi driver knows where most hotels on The Palm are – yet it is useful to keep your Google Maps there if necessary.
Bus
There are no buses on the Palm Jumeirah as this part of the city is served by a tram. However, you can take buses that serve tram stops on the mainland such as bus 8 which runs all the way from Deira to Ibn Batutta Mall.
Tram
On the Palm Jumeirah it is best to travel from point A to point B by tram. These tram stops can be easily reached on foot and are served throughout the day by a fast, clean and convenient tram line.
Metro
You can easily get from the center of Dubai to the foot of the Palm when you take the Dubai Metro Red Line. From there it is best to change to the tram that stops at the main hotels, sights and tourist attractions on the Palm Jumeirah.