The Acres (Phase 1)

The first phase of Meraas's villa community in Dubailand: 3–5 bedrooms, sizes from 283 to 557 m², a lagoon with a sand beach and seven themed gardens.

What kind of community this is

The Acres is a gated villa community by Meraas, the UAE's government developer. Its portfolio is recognisable — the Bluewaters islands, the waterfront community Port de La Mer, and Burj Al Arab. For a buyer that means predictable timing and above-average quality — and a price that accounts for that predictability.

The first phase launched in December 2023. Layouts are villas with 3, 4 and 5 bedrooms, from 283 to 557 m². Each is stated to have a private courtyard, a pool, a terrace and a barbecue area; the finish includes built-in kitchen cabinets and appliances.

Location — Dubailand, near Global Village, the IMG World of Adventure park and the Equestrian & Polo Club. The grounds have round-the-clock security.

What sets this community apart from its neighbours

The quarter's central design idea is water and greenery in place of dense development: lagoons, lakes and ponds, a park, seven themed gardens, a lagoon with a sand beach. Stated social infrastructure includes an on-site primary school and kindergarten, a retail complex, running tracks, spa studios and a yoga area.

This is a "city within a city" format, and it plays out differently depending on the phase. In the first phase the infrastructure is still being built, and the first owners move into a community where the school and mall exist only on the plan. In a community this size, the gap between the promised and the actual environment stretches out over years.

The launch payment plan was 5% down plus a 4% Land Department fee, 60% during construction and 35% on handover in Q4 2027. The low 5% entry point is what draws investors into projects like this — it's also what makes the instalment plan heavy in the middle of the schedule.

What the market says

A return benchmark for premium property in Dubailand was quoted at 7–8% a year at launch. That's a district average, not a guarantee for a specific villa: in a community with infrastructure still being finished, the early years' rental rate typically runs below the district level.

The selling side's argument at launch was that Meraas's previous projects had multiplied in price by handover, so a similar rise was possible here too. That's an expectation, not a fact, and it can only be checked one way — comparing assignment prices in the Land Department register against the launch price.

A practical benchmark for a resale buyer in this phase: look not at the developer's price for new phases, but at what the first Phase 1 buyers are exiting for. The gap between those two numbers is the idea's real return.

Public launch materials for the first phase, 18 December 2023 — villa mix, sizes, community infrastructure, payment plan and handover date; the district return benchmark is given there too, as a Dubailand average.