The Palms

The Palm Islands also referred to as The Palm Dubai and The Palms will be in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent, and will have a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment centers. Each of the islands Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, and Palm Deira are being built in the shape of a date palm tree and consist of a trunk, a crown with fronds, and are surrounded by a crescent island that acts as a breakwater.

The islands will support luxury hotels, freehold residential villas, unique water homes, shoreline apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities, health spas, cinemas and various diving sites.

The Palm Jumeirah

The Palm Jumeirah is the smallest of the three Palm Islands, it is located on the Jumeirah coastal area. The unique man-made island is built in the shape of a date palm tree and consists of a trunk, a crown with 17 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that will form a water-breaker.

The Jumeirah Palm Island is basically a retreat and residential area for living, recreation, and leisure. It will contain three types of villas -Signature Villas, Garden Homes, and Canal Cove Town Homes, shoreline apartment buildings, beaches, marinas, restaurants, cafes, themed boutique hotels, and a variety of retail outlets.

All the major international hotel brands will be available at The Palm Jumeirah including Movenpick Resort Oceana Palm Jumeirah, Moevenpick Resort & Spa Palm Jumeirah, Antara, Fairmont Palm Residence, Radisson SAS, Hilton, Metropolitan, Shangri La, etc. Major attractions of the island are

Logo Islands -The Palm, Jumeirah will contain two identical artificial islands of 140 thousand cubic meters  in the shape of The Palm’s logo -a wispy palm leaf on either side of its trunk. The islands will be personal islands for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoom.

Lighthouse Hotel and Residence-Located on the crescent of the Palm Jumeirah, the Lighthouse Hotel and Residence’s architecture was designed to capture the light of the rising sun and beam it into the complex’s interior. The Lighthouse Hotel will contain 380 rooms and during the night, the roof will be lit and an arc of light will be projected across the Palm Jumeirah and the Arabian Gulf.

The Palm Residence Al Nabat and Al Haseer -Two residential apartment buildings, located on the eastern shore of the trunk of Palm Jumeirah, contain their own private beach and clubhouse. Designed in the Arab Eclectic style, fusing elements of the Arabian heritage with modern materials, each of its apartments will either have a sea or garden view.

Marina Residences (Marina Apartments)-Located on the northern edge of the Palm Jumeirah’s trunk, the Marina Residences will comprise of six luxury residential freehold buildings with 858 apartments and 12 penthouses. The development will also include 30 independent townhouses and be surrounded by picturesque landscaping and recreational areas.

The Palm Jebel Ali

The Palm Jebel Ali is the middle-sized island; it is located on the Jebel Ali coastal area. The unique man-made palm-shaped island will consist of a trunk, a crown with 17 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that will form a water-breaker.

The Jebel Ali Palm is more of an entertainment destination for both adults and children, which caters to both residents and tourists. The island will include six marinas, a ‘Sea Village’, a water theme park and water homes built on stilts between the fronds and the crescent.

The Palm Deira

The Palm Deira is the largest of the three islands; it is located on the Deirah coastal area. The unique man-made palm-shaped island will consist of a trunk, a crown with 41 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that will form a water-breaker. Upon completion, it will become the world’s largest man-made island, housing more than a million people.

The Palm Deira will cover 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) in length and 8.5 kilometers in width and have an area of 80 square kilometers. It will consist of residential property, marinas, shopping malls, sports facilities, and clubs. The residential area will be located on the fronds and will contain 8,000 two-storey town houses in three distinct styles – Premier Villas, Grand Villas and Vista Town Homes.

The weather in Dubai is often scorching – if you know anyone who has just come back from there, you’ll no doubt be envious of their sudden tan! But despite the weather being ideal for bronzing on the beach, there’s actually another option: sports in Dubai. Okay, running around in the incredibly hot weather may not be everyone’s idea of a good time but for those that would miss their exercise while taking a Dubai holiday there are plenty of things to do that won’t leave you melting in the sun. Here are the best of them…

Working out

For many, the last thing people want to think about when on holiday in Dubai is pumping iron and working the rowing machine, but with air conditioned fitness centres in all the luxury hotels this needn’t be as gruelling as you’d think. So far, so normal, but in some lodgings, a unique Dubai sports twist is taken on hotel fitness by the coaching by ex-Soviet Union Olympiads, attracted by the wealth of the country.

Elsewhere there are a number of privately owned leisure clubs aimed at the English speaking ex-patriot community, and these have the usual range of swimming pools, tennis courts, squash courts and health spas…

A leisurely round of golf

It’s surprising to see a number of well maintained grass golf courses in a desert city like Dubai, but there they are nonetheless. There are a number of good options for golf players of all abilities, from the ‘beginners need not apply’ courses at the Emirates Majils to the more forgiving Montgomerie. Al Badia is also worth a look, somewhere between the two on difficulty, but with a clubhouse that’s up there with the best in the world making it perfect for some leisurely sports in Dubai.

A refreshing swim

Nothing beats the Dubai sunshine like a refreshing swim, and most hotels will have their own pool to cool off in. If you want something a little more fun, there’s also the Wild Wadi Waterpark at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel complex, which is ideally suited both to kids and the young at heart. With a massive selection of 24 water slides (including the memorable “Jumeirh Sceirah” with speeds of up to 50mph) this is definitely the most fun way to get some exercise on a holiday in Dubai.

Take to the water

Of course you don’t need to just settle for a swimming pool or a water park – Dubai has a natural expanse of water at the Arabian Gulf, and with it a vast range of water sports to enjoy. Jet skiing, water-skiing and that old favourite Scuba Diving are all great ways of staying in shape and having a great time on your holiday in Dubai.

Skiing (!)

If the weather really gets too much for you and you want the opposite extreme, then why not go skiing? No, I’m not about to suggest heading off to another country – you can actually enjoy an amazing indoor ski slope made from real snow! It sounds like an urban legend, but Ski Dubai has made this possible by making ‘real snow’ and then blasting it out into the building which acts as a giant refrigerator – a massive 30 tones of fresh snow are added daily to ensure that the resort’s 5 slopes (covering 22,500m ²) are always fresh and Dubai’s sports enthusiasts are kept happy.

So if you were hoping for an excuse to relax your exercise programme for your trip to Dubai, I’m afraid this isn’t it! There’s plenty to do on holiday in Dubai that won’t leave you massively dehydrated, and it’s well worth checking out!