The Alba Residences
Overview
Set on the eastern crescent of Palm Jumeirah, The Alba is the quiet end of the postcard, the side where the water feels close and the skyline (Marina, Burj Al Arab, even a frame of Burj Khalifa) sits where it should: as scenery.
I am sure you are aware of Zaha Hadid Architects – You know the signatures: fluid, wave-leaning lines, generous overhangs, and glazing that makes the horizon part of your routine. Inside, Gilles & Boissier steer the mood.
Residences
The mix is precise: 3–4 bedroom simplex and duplex apartments, plus three penthouses at the crown. Only 60 keys means hallways are quiet, lifts aren’t a scene, and staff know your preferences by week two. Plans lean wide, not deep, sightlines stack across living, terrace, and water. Doors are full-height, thresholds low, circulation clean.
Sizes & Pricing
- Apartments/Duplexes: from ~4,700 sq ft — room for a proper dining table, a study that isn’t borrowed space, and guest quarters that feel equal.
- Penthouses: up to ~42,900 sq ft — think gallery walls, a real gym, staff circulation that never crosses the main route.
- Pricing: standard units from ~AED 20M, select listings from ~AED 43M, and the top-tier penthouses well over AED 100M (some ~AED 135M+ depending on specification and axis).
Payment & Handover
The structure for The Alba Residences Dorchester is clean: 5% booking, 55% during construction, 40% on handover. With delivery tracking to Q1 2028 (some guidance Q1–Q3), you’ve got the right runway for design development, mock-ups, long-lead stone, and commissioning specialty pieces without sprinting.
Amenities & Daily Use
Private beach access (no guesswork, no day passes), rooftop pools with cabanas, and a wellness centre that reads spa-first, gym-second. Landscaped gardens by Vladimir Djurovic set a slow rhythm underfoot; the promenade is for unplanned walks that somehow hit 5,000 steps. Dorchester does the rest, 24/7 services tuned to your preferences, quiet efficiency over theater.
Service & Heritage
The Dorchester Collection is the difference between “Luxury Hotel & Residences in Dubai,” and a predictable standard of care, a concierge that anticipates schedules, housekeeping that understands fabrics, and F&B that remembers how you take your coffee. It’s hospitality with a memory.
Location & Access
Palm Jumeirah’s east crescent keeps the traffic behind you and the water ahead. Drives to the city are linear and fast when they need to be; evenings pull you back to the terrace. Sightlines are half the value here, Marina lights to one side, Burj Al Arab as a pivot, and the Gulf holding everything steady.
Investment Snapshot
You’re buying three-layered moats:
- Architecture with cultural equity (ZHA holds value before you lift a brochure).
- Brand & service (Dorchester) that translates to liquidity when you sell or lease.
- Scarcity (60 units, first-line shoreline) that doesn’t get diluted next quarter.
For rental logic, the story is easy to tell in one sentence: Palm, Dorchester, Zaha. For legacy logic, it’s what’s left after five years, materials that still look good, a facade that photographs without a filter, and services that never slipped.
