Port De La Mer

Meraas is a Dubai developer owned by the Dubai Holding group. It is known for destination districts such as City Walk, La Mer and Bluewaters Island, where retail, dining and public space are planned together with the homes.

This guide helps buyers compare Meraas with other developers. It covers the company and its ownership, the districts where it builds, the projects on our site, how an off-plan purchase is regulated in Dubai, what Meraas has said about its handovers, and what to check before you sign. Each project links to its own page.

Who Meraas is

Wikipedia gives the founding year as 2007, names Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum as Group Chairman and describes the company as privately held, based in Dubai. On 9 June 2020 the Dubai Media Office announced that Meraas would come under the umbrella of Dubai Holding, following the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with the combined group led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Gulf News carried the statement.

The Meraas website now describes the company as part of Dubai Holding Real Estate and says Dubai Holding Real Estate is the master developer of a 752 million sq ft land bank, a figure it dates to no particular day. Meraas is a government-linked developer, which is a description of ownership and not a guarantee about any building.

Search demand for Meraas is mostly for the name itself, for its sales boutique, and for specific districts such as City Walk. If you know the district, go directly to its page below.

Meraas districts and signature projects

Wikipedia and the Meraas website date the main districts as follows.

• City Walk, launched in December 2013. Central Park, Crestlane, Verve and Viridian are listed here.
• La Mer, launched in October 2017, on the Jumeirah coast.
• Bluewaters, where the first Bluewaters Residences phase was handed over from February 2019 and Ain Dubai was unveiled in 2021.
• Dubai Harbour, unveiled in January 2017.
• Villa and low-density communities including The Acres in Dubai Land and Nad Al Sheba Gardens in Nadd Al Sheba.
• Coastal and residential projects in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah, and Dubai Design District projects such as Design Quarter at d3.

Meraas projects on our site

The table lists a selection of Meraas projects on our site, grouped by the area shown on each project page. Open a link for sizes, floor plans and the current payment plan from the developer.

Meraas homes are usually in districts with ground-floor retail and food outlets, which affects noise, parking and service charges. Visit the district at the times you would be at home, and compare a unit in your chosen building with others on the same street.

Meraas handovers and delivery news, from its own announcements

The Meraas website lists these handovers: La Vie on 29 November 2023, Cherrywoods on 4 December 2023, Central Park Building 1 on 1 November 2024 and Bulgari Ocean Mansions on 15 November 2024. It also reports that on 7 September 2026 Meraas awarded a main construction contract of more than AED 590 million for City Walk Crestlane, and that on 15 September 2026 Dubai Holding Real Estate and ADCB announced a partnership on off-plan financing.

A construction contract being awarded is a progress step, not a completion. For any building you are considering, compare the date in your SPA with the date given by the developer. Our guide to handover delays and your rights sets out what applies if a date moves.

How buying off-plan from Meraas works

The steps are broadly the same for every Dubai developer, because the rules come from the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and its regulator RERA. The notes below summarise what the DLD publishes in its published guidance for buyers. Your own contract and the Meraas sales team confirm the details for a specific building.

1. Choose a unit and pay the booking deposit. Ask in writing whether the deposit is refundable and on what conditions.
2. Sign the sale and purchase agreement (SPA). It sets the price, the payment schedule and the expected handover date. Read the clauses on delay, cancellation and transfer.
3. Registration on Oqood. Off-plan sales are recorded on the DLD Oqood system. Our guide to the title deed and Oqood explains what the record proves and what it does not.
4. Payments go to the escrow account. The DLD says all amounts collected from off-plan buyers are deposited in a project escrow account, opened with a bank that is licensed by the Central Bank and approved by RERA.
5. Funds are released against construction. The trustee bank's engineer verifies completed milestones before money is paid out. The DLD also states that only 5% of total sales can be spent on project marketing.
6. Retention after completion. The DLD says 5% of the amount paid into escrow is retained for one year after completion.
7. Snagging and handover. Inspect the unit before you accept it. See snagging and handover in Dubai.

A project can only be launched or announced once the developer has completed registration and holds the accreditation certificate issued through Oqood, according to the same DLD guidance. That certificate and the project number printed on it are the first thing to ask for. If a financing partnership is offered with the project, ask for the terms in writing and check them against the SPA before you rely on them.

Payment plans and costs

We could not open a payment plan structure published by Meraas, so we do not quote one. Plans differ between launches. Ask for the current offer for your exact building in writing, with each instalment date and percentage. See how off-plan payment plans work in Dubai for what each stage means.

Add the costs outside the plan. See Dubai Land Department fees and service charges and maintenance fees. Buyers using a mortgage should read how much deposit to buy property in Dubai.

What to check before buying a Meraas property

• RERA project number and escrow account. Both should be on the SPA and match the DLD record.
• The phase. Districts such as City Walk are built in stages, so know what is being built around your building.
• The handover clause. A date, a quarter or a range, and the grace period.
• The unit. Number, floor, size and floor plan. See BUA and suite area on a floor plan.
• Service charges. Ask for the rate in a comparable finished building. See how to check service charges.

Off-plan or a finished Meraas home

Meraas districts such as City Walk and Bluewaters already have finished buildings, so you can visit the streets, shops and neighbours before you buy. In a finished building you can see the unit, the views and the service charge bills. The choice is limited to what owners are selling.

Off-plan gives you a full release to choose from and a payment schedule spread over construction. In return you wait for handover and accept that the finished result can differ slightly from the brochure. Timelines can move, so avoid planning your life around one date. Compare the off-plan price with a finished unit of the same size in the same area. Retail and public space in a district often complete after the homes, so the finished street may differ from the render. The gap shows what you pay for newness and for the payment plan. See whether off-plan suits you for the questions to ask first.

How Meraas compares with other developers

The table is a neutral guide to focus and areas. It is not a ranking and says nothing about quality.

Where to go next

Start with the district that fits how you want to live: City Walk, Bluewaters or Umm Suqeim. Our off-plan projects page compares Meraas with other releases, and our buying process explains each step. Read our guide to checking a developer before buying off-plan before you pay a deposit. For launches and brochures, use the Meraas website.