Dubai Marina Towers Compared: Marina Crown and 8 Others

Marina Crown is a 52-floor tower finished in 2006, and it sits among a group of Dubai Marina towers that look similar from the water but differ a lot in age, size, service charge and walk to transport. This guide compares Marina Crown, Marina Plaza, Marina Tower, Emirates Crown, Orra Marina, Escan Tower, Botanica, Mesk Tower and La Riviera so you can match a tower to your budget, view and parking needs.

Which Dubai Marina towers are people searching for?

The towers below are the nine names most searched in the area. They are not the only choices. Dubai Marina has dozens of residential towers, and our Dubai Marina community guide covers the district as a whole. Use this page to narrow your shortlist, then compare unit by unit.

All figures come from Bayut building pages, Wikipedia or the sources named in each row. Where sources disagree we say so rather than pick a number. Service charges are shown as Bayut reports them from the Dubai Land Department index, mostly without a date, so treat them as a guide and ask the owner for the latest invoice.

Dubai Marina towers compared side by side

Two things stand out. The older Emaar and Select Group towers are not necessarily the cheapest to run, and the tallest tower is not the most expensive to maintain. Always compare the charge on the exact unit.

The Marina towers one by one

Marina Crown: what you get

Marina Crown has 52 floors, was completed in 2006 and offers one to five bedroom homes. Bayut lists one bedrooms of 811 to 900 sq ft, two bedrooms of 1,347 to 1,500 sq ft and three bedrooms of 2,171 to 2,200 sq ft, plus larger duplex penthouses. The amenities include separate adult and children's pools, a gym, a squash court, a daycare and covered parking. Bayut gives its service charge as AED 17.54 per sq ft, the highest of the towers where we have a figure. The Mina Seyahi tram stop is a 3 minute walk. See our Marina Crown page for current availability.

Is Marina Plaza a residential tower?

No. Bayut describes Marina Plaza as a 28-floor commercial tower, built by Emaar and completed in 2011, with offices from 215 to 19,618 sq ft, shops and a business lounge. If you search for "Marina Plaza" to rent a flat, you will not find homes there. It suits a company that wants a Marina address. Bayut gives its service charge as AED 16.37 per sq ft plus AED 4.80 per sq ft for air conditioning. The JBR 1 tram stop is 4 minutes away.

Emirates Crown: the tall one with big flats

Emirates Crown rises 63 floors, including three parking floors, and was completed in 2008. The flats are large: Bayut lists two bedrooms at about 2,614 sq ft, three bedrooms averaging 3,882 sq ft and five bedroom penthouses averaging 7,685 sq ft. The developer is named as Bin Shafar Holding Group and Vackson Real Estate. Its Bayut service charge is AED 13.15 per sq ft, as of 2022. The Dubai Marina tram stop is about a 12 minute walk. Large units mean large total bills even at a lower rate per sq ft, so multiply before you compare.

Marina Tower, Mesk and the Emaar towers

Marina Tower was built by Emaar and completed in 2006. It has 32 or 33 floors (the page gives both) and 202 apartments, with one bedrooms of 900 to 1,200 sq ft. Its charge is AED 12.83 per sq ft, the lowest in our table. The Dubai Marina and Marina Terrace tram stops are an 8 and a 4 minute walk away.

Mesk Tower is one of the six Emaar towers in the first phase of the Marina. Bayut and Wikipedia describe it as a 40-storey tower of about 185 metres, with 234 apartments of one to five bedrooms. Sources date it to 2003 or 2004. It is among the oldest towers here, so inspect the interiors and the building services before you commit.

Botanica, Orra Marina and La Riviera

Botanica Tower, by Select Group, has 41 floors and about 371 units, from 475 sq ft studios to two bedrooms of 1,110 to 1,210 sq ft. It has a sky garden on the 27th floor, is pet friendly and is about 5 minutes from DMCC metro, according to Bayut. Its service charge is AED 14.59 per sq ft.

Orra Marina was built by Orra International between 2008 and 2012. It has 30 or 31 floors, one to three bedroom flats and four bedroom penthouses, and a temperature-controlled pool, gym and sauna. Do not confuse it with Orra Harbour Residences, which is a separate project by a different developer.

La Riviera is a 37-storey residential tower (one listing site says 34) with 182 homes, from two bedroom apartments to five bedroom penthouses. Sources name different developers and completion dates, so ask for the title documents.

Escan Tower: the newer, smaller-unit option

Listings describe Escan Tower as a 31 or 32 floor building completed around 2016 with about 397 units from studios to three bedrooms. Developer names vary between Escan and Tharwaa-linked entities. That mix of sizes makes it a tower of studios and one bedrooms for tenants and investors, rather than the large family flats of Emirates Crown. Check the developer name on any sale contract.

How to choose between Marina towers

• Budget: compare the unit, not the tower. Our rental listings show current asking rents. On our Dubai Marina page on 19 October 2026 we showed a furnished 796 sq ft one bedroom at Fairfield Tower asking AED 130,000 and an unfurnished 1,064 sq ft one bedroom at Opal Tower Marina asking AED 100,000.
• View: towers on the water give sea or marina views, while the inland side faces the road and the lakes of JLT.
• Parking: ask how many spaces the unit has and whether visitor parking exists. Our parking checklist helps.
• Transport: the tram runs along the Marina and the metro is a short ride away, but walking times differ by tower. Check the route on foot.
• Service charges: use the Dubai Land Department service charge index and our service charge index guide.

What does the service charge mean in dirhams a year?

A rate per square foot is easy to misread, so here is the same flat size in three towers. For a 1,000 sq ft apartment, the Bayut figures give about AED 17,540 a year in Marina Crown (17.54 per sq ft), AED 14,590 in Botanica (14.59) and AED 12,830 in Marina Tower (12.83). The gap between the highest and lowest is about AED 4,700 a year, or roughly AED 390 a month, before any air conditioning or parking charge. Owners pay this charge, and it feeds into the rent landlords ask. If you rent, the charge matters less, but it still shapes how well a building is kept up.

Which Marina tower suits which person?

What to check before you rent or buy in any of these towers

1. Ask which floor and which side of the tower the unit is on. A high floor with a marina view and a low floor facing the road are different homes.
2. Ask for the latest service charge statement and any planned works. Older towers can face lift, cooling or facade repairs.
3. Confirm the size on the title deed. Our guide to built-up area and suite area explains why listings differ.
4. Ask about the cooling system. Some towers charge for district cooling separately, as the Marina Plaza figure shows.
5. If you rent, register the contract on Ejari and keep the receipt.

Marina or JBR?

If the towers above feel crowded, look at the beachfront next door. Jumeirah Beach Residence has a similar tower mix with direct beach access. Our Marina against JBR guide and the pros and cons of Dubai Marina explain the trade-offs.