Portavia & Co. · Abu Dhabi area guide

Al Maryah Island

"Is Al Maryah worth the premium?" A premium for what, exactly: the address, the building, or the walk to the office?

Official image of the ADGM towers; not an available property. Image: ADGM.

Explore the setting

Locate Al Maryah Island on Portavia’s interactive Abu Dhabi map, then use Map or Satellite to explore its surroundings.

Al Maryah is Abu Dhabi’s financial district. Most of the island is offices, hotels, a hospital and a mall; homes are the smaller part. People live here for one reason above all others: they work here, or next door.

The island, briefly

Location: between central Abu Dhabi and Al Reem Island.
Ownership: foreign buyers can own freehold.
Rules: the original home of ADGM, Abu Dhabi’s international financial centre, which runs on English common law.
Backed by: Mubadala (government), the island’s master developer, now with Aldar on the next phase.
Make-up: towers only. Branded residences run with hotel services, such as Four Seasons and Rosewood, alongside standard apartment buildings.
Daily life: The Galleria with VOX Cinemas, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the waterfront promenade, and ACTIVE Al Maryah Island for football, padel and tennis.
Next: a joint venture by Aldar and Mubadala, announced in December 2025, to develop the island’s last open land in the north, with offices, hotels and thousands of new homes, including W Residences and The St. Regis. A waterfront water show by WET, the studio behind the Dubai Fountain, is under construction.

Schools and nurseries

There is no school on Al Maryah itself. The nearest are a few minutes across the bridges on Al Reem Island:

Repton School Abu Dhabi: British curriculum with the IB Diploma, nursery to Year 13.
GEMS World Academy Abu Dhabi: International Baccalaureate, from FS1.
Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi: British curriculum, from FS1.

Who it suits

Professionals working in ADGM, the banks or Cleveland Clinic, who want to walk to work.
Buyers who want a branded residence, with hotel services and management included.

ADREC announced a temporary 0% increase measure on 3 June 2026, referencing the last registered Tawtheeq rent. Confirm the current measure and applicable tenancy authority for the exact lease; ADGM has its own property framework.

Who it doesn’t suit

Families who want a school on the island. There is none; the nearest are on Al Reem.
Anyone looking for a villa, a townhouse or a garden. Every home here is in a tower.
Buyers paying for scarcity. The northern expansion will add thousands of homes over the coming years.

What the average hides

A hotel-branded tower and the building next to it share an island, not a service charge. What you keep each year lives in that difference.

Questions before your shortlist

Is Al Maryah Island the same as ADGM?

Not anymore. Al Maryah was ADGM’s original home. Since 2023, ADGM also covers Al Reem Island next door, so an ADGM address no longer means Al Maryah.

Why are service charges higher in branded towers?

Hotel-run residences pay for staff, concierge, housekeeping options and shared facilities to the brand’s standard. That cost comes back to owners every year, whether or not they use the services.

Will the northern expansion affect existing homes?

It adds supply, offices, shops and public space over the coming years. For owners, more amenities and more competition for tenants arrive together. Older articles still describe Al Maryah as an island with no land left; that changed in December 2025.

When you are ready

Read Portavia’s published market context or discuss a specific building.

Editorial review: 9 October 2026. School admissions, planned facilities, phase completion, access and ownership conditions must be confirmed for the exact property. This guide does not confirm available units, prices or returns.

Sources: Official reference 1 · Official reference 2

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