Call it “Marsa Dubai” because that’s the Arabic name for “marina” and therefore the new name for the Dubai Marina.  It was one of my first impressions of Dubai and it feels very jet set-y and cosmopolitan.  I went to the Marina on one of the first days of my first trip to Dubai, and I was amazed to see a woman in shorts and sports bra rollerblading along the water.   (Amazed because at that point, while I knew I was not required to “cover up” in Dubai, I did not know what level of Western dress was required).  With the scantily clad rollerblader, I realized that my relatively modest dress would be fine in Dubai.

The Dubai marina is an “artificial canal city” – the canals and waterways are entirely man made (the largest man made marina in the world, of course).  The development was designed after Concord Pacific Place in Vancouver.  It is very near the open sea, so sometimes waterlife – and even large sharks – get stuck in the marina’s dead ends.

It is a favorite place for expats to live – so bring your yacht and we will find you a home!