Every second billboard on Emirates Road seems to be selling Damac Islands right now, so let me save you some scrolling. It’s a villa and townhouse community in Dubailand, about 30 million square feet of it, with 5,915 homes in the first phase. Prices on the official Damac site currently start from AED 2.75 million. The project is off plan, you pay on a 75/25 plan, and the first clusters hand over from Q4 2028.
That’s the summary. The longer story is more interesting, because this launch broke Damac’s own sales records and the pricing has already moved twice since October 2024.
I’ve spent enough time around the Dubailand corridor to know that half the marketing you’ll read about it is copy pasted from the brochure. So this guide sticks to what a buyer actually needs. Where it is, what the homes cost, how the payment plan works, and the handful of things I’d check before putting down a booking deposit.
Think of it as the sequel to Damac Lagoons. Same developer, same formula of themed districts wrapped around man made water, just bigger. The six clusters here are named Maldives, Bora Bora, Seychelles, Hawaii, Bali and Fiji, and each one gets its own landscaping character.
Worth knowing: the name now covers two separate projects. The original Damac Islands launched in late 2024 and sold out its early releases quickly. Damac Islands 2 came after, right next door, with its own pricing and its own handover dates. Agents blur the two together all the time. Always ask which one you’re being quoted.
The community sits at Exit 36 on Emirates Road, the E611, inside Dubailand. And no, it’s not on the coast. The water is all lagoons, dug and filled, the same as Lagoons and Tilal Al Ghaf. If a broker’s Instagram reel gave you the impression of sea views, adjust that now.
What you do get is a location that works better than people expect. Sports City is about 15 minutes away, Tilal Al Ghaf roughly the same. Al Maktoum airport is around 20 minutes, DXB more like 30 if the roads behave. Mudon, Town Square, Mira Oasis and Cherrywoods are all close by, which matters more than it sounds. It means the supermarkets, nurseries and clinics already exist. You won’t spend your first two years driving to Motor City for groceries.
One thing I’d flag from driving that stretch regularly: mornings on Hessa Street and around Al Qudra can crawl during school runs. If your office is in Media City or Downtown, do the drive once at 7.30am before you commit.
Phase one is townhouses and villas only. Some early marketing mentioned apartments, but that’s not what’s being sold on the ground. The lineup looks like this:
Now the numbers, with dates attached because they keep moving. At launch in October 2024, a 4 bedroom townhouse started around AED 2.25 million. Those are gone. Damac’s own website today shows the community from AED 2.75 million. The big villas were a different world entirely, with 6 bedroom units quoted in the low teens of millions and 7 bedroom homes above AED 18 million in earlier releases.
Don’t treat any of this as a fixed price list. Off plan pricing in Dubai changes with every release, and resale units from launch buyers sometimes pop up cheaper than what the developer is asking today. Check both before you sign anything.
The structure is 75/25. Twenty percent down when you book, 55 percent in instalments while they build, and the last 25 percent at handover. Simple enough. Just remember the price on the brochure isn’t the price you pay. Add the 4 percent Dubai Land Department fee plus admin charges, same as any Dubai purchase.
First handovers are scheduled for Q4 2028. I’d mentally pencil in 2029 if you’re planning an actual move rather than an investment. That’s a common timeline for large master planned developments around the city, particularly in fast growing areas that are attracting long term buyers, much like the communities featured in Dubai’s expanding property investment hotspots.
The community is freehold, so foreign buyers own outright. And since everything here is priced above AED 2 million, a purchase can qualify you for the 10 year Golden Visa, assuming you meet whatever the criteria are when you apply. Rules on that have shifted before, so verify at the time rather than relying on a 2024 blog post. Including this one.
Pools, parks, gyms. Fine, every community has those. What made me look twice at the Damac Islands master plan is the wildlife section. A parrot park. A tortoise garden. An iguana park next to a fruit market. Someone at Damac clearly decided a zipline and a jungle river weren’t enough.
The rest of the list covers an aqua park, lagoon waterfalls, jungle swings, floating yoga decks, a hot springs spa, a central fountain hub and even a wedding venue. Day to day, my bet is the kayaking and paddle boarding on the lagoons is what residents will actually use, because that’s exactly how it played out at Damac Lagoons.
A dose of realism though. These headline amenities open in stages, usually well after the first families move in. Early residents at comparable communities waited a year or more for the full leisure setup. Buy for the house and the location. Treat the iguanas as a bonus.
If you’re a family that wants a large home and got priced out of Dubai Hills or Tilal Al Ghaf, the maths here is hard to argue with. You get significantly more built up area per dirham, from a developer that has delivered this exact type of community twice already. Investors looking beyond capital appreciation should also consider how UAE property rental trends may shape future demand once communities like Damac Islands become fully established.
If you’re buying purely to flip, be more careful. A lot of supply is landing in this corridor at once, and Damac Islands 2 is literally next door competing for the same buyers. That can sit on short term price growth even when the wider market is strong. It also helps to understand what’s happening across the broader UAE property market, because wider demand and supply trends often influence how quickly off plan communities appreciate. Look at what early Damac Lagoons buyers actually made on resale, not what the launch presentations promised, and talk to a RERA registered broker rather than whoever DMs you first.
Strip away the tropical theming and Damac Islands is a straightforward proposition: big family homes, freehold title, staged payments, in the part of Dubai where most of the city’s residential growth is actually happening. That’s why it sold the way it did.
Just do your homework the boring way. Confirm today’s pricing with Damac or a registered broker, pin down the exact phase and handover date for your unit, and drive the neighbourhood at rush hour once. The buyers who regret off plan purchases are almost never the ones who did those three things.
Where is Damac Islands located?
In Dubailand, at Exit 36 on Emirates Road (E611). Around 20 minutes from Al Maktoum airport and about 30 from Dubai International.
How much do Damac Islands properties cost?
The official Damac site currently lists the community from AED 2.75 million. Launch prices in October 2024 started near AED 2.25 million for 4 bedroom townhouses, but those units sold out.
What can I buy there?
4 and 5 bedroom townhouses, and villas from 5 up to 7 bedrooms, spread across six clusters named Maldives, Bora Bora, Seychelles, Hawaii, Bali and Fiji.
When is handover?
The first clusters are due in Q4 2028, with later phases following after that.
Can foreigners buy at Damac Islands?
Yes. It’s a freehold community, so foreign nationals get full ownership rights.
Does it qualify for the Golden Visa?
All units are priced above the AED 2 million property threshold for the 10 year Golden Visa, so yes, subject to the government criteria in force when you apply.
What’s the payment plan?
75/25. You pay 20 percent on booking, 55 percent during construction and the final 25 percent at handover.
Is Damac Islands on the beach?
No. It’s inland, built around man made lagoons, the same concept as Damac Lagoons rather than a coastal project.
Disclaimer: Property prices, payment plans, handover timelines, Golden Visa eligibility, and project details may change without notice. Always confirm the latest information with DAMAC, the Dubai Land Department (DLD), or a RERA registered real estate broker before making any purchasing decision.
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