Umm Al Sheif

Umm Al Sheif is a small residential community in the western region of Dubai. It is connected to some important routes such as Al Wasl Road (D92) from the north, Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) to the south and Al Thanya Road that runs across the border shared with Al Manara.

Residential communities in Umm Al Sheif are divided into luxury villas and townhouses. Umm Al Sheif is a family-friendly community as it houses many reputable schools.

• A small residential district in Dubai
• Property prices and rents fall in mid to high ranges
• Family-oriented community with basic amenities at hand
• Various accommodation options including villas for rent and sale

Umm Al Sheif is a peaceful area in Dubai. Most basic amenities can be found in the community or its surrounding areas. Every resident enjoys privacy, security, and ease of access which makes this neighbourhood an ideal location for families and expats alike.

This modern community on the western side of Dubai offers a wide range of villas and townhouses on one side and a commercial strip on the other. There are various private homes available for rent and sale throughout the year. Its connectivity to prime areas in Dubai such as Al Barsha, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and more is a major reason for the community’s popularity.

Umm Al Sheif is home to two well-known villa compounds: Emirates Oasis Villas and Verve Villas. The compound of Emirates Oasis Villas consists of 74 private villas ranging from 4 to 6-bedrooms, with built-up areas between 2,863 sq. ft. and 6,405 sq. ft. Each unit comes with a maid’s room, laundry room, private garden and barbecue area. Shared facilities include a swimming pool, gym and a playground for children.

Verve Villas is an exclusive compound that has six villas, each with 5-bedrooms. The 5,500 sq. ft. residences feature private pools, landscaped gardens, marble floors and fully-fitted kitchens.

Hotels in Umm Al Sheif are:

• Lemon Tree Hotel
• Metropolitan Hotel

Lemon Tree Hotel is a 4-star hotel located on Al Wasl Road in Umm Al Sheif. It has 114 well-appointed rooms equipped with modern amenities. Lemon Tree Cafe is a multi-cuisine coffee shop in the hotel, it also offers a breakfast buffet. Other features in the hotel include the meeting room, rooftop swimming pool and a fitness centre.

Another 4-star hotel in the neighbourhood is the Metropolitan Hotel Dubai. Located alongside Sheikh Zayed Road, the hotel has spacious rooms with a complete range of modern amenities. The hotel has a ballroom, casual dining restaurants and a daytime pool bar.

Finding a parking space in Umm Al Sheif won’t be an issue since there are ample spaces in the area. Villas and townhouses offer dedicated parking spaces for residents, either covered areas or basement parking spaces.

Similarly, transportation in Umm Al Sheif is simple and convenient. Residents can travel from and to Umm Al Sheif using the metro and bus service. The closest metro station is the Equiti Metro Station, it lies to the south of the community, along Sheikh Zayed Road (E11). Bus stops can be found along Al Wasl Road, Bus 12 and 93 connect to areas such as Al Ghubaiba, Al Quoz and the Mall of the Emirates Metro Station.

There are many big and small grocery shops, bakeries and supermarkets in Umm Al Sheif selling fresh organic produce. Waitrose is a local grocer that has several branches in different regions of Dubai including Umm Al Sheif. It is widely preferred for regular grocery shopping, freshly baked items, meat, fish, organic goods, etc.

There is an Aswaaq supermarket in the Aswaaq Mall Umm Suqeium, accessible in 4 minutes by car. Other supermarkets near Umm Al Sheif such as Choithrams and Union Co-Operative Society Hypermarket are also accessible within a few minutes by car.

Just like any other close-knit residential community in Dubai, there are many mosques in Umm Al Sheif. Umm Al-Sheif Mosque, Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque & Centre and Umm Al-Sheif Central Mosque are just a few located in the community.

There aren’t any churches or temples around here so those who practise different religions will have to travel to the neighbouring localities. Dubai Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, Emirates Baptist Church International and Fellowship Dubai can all be reached in 15 minutes or less. The best churches in Dubai such as St. Mary’s Catholic Church, New Covenant Church, The Dubai City Church and more are located in Oud Metha around 25 minutes away.

Near Oud Metha in the Bur Dubai area is where the Hindu temples and Sikh gurudwaras are located, 30 minutes away. Shiva Temple, Shree Krishna Haveli, ShrinathJi Temple, the Sikh Gurudwara and the Sindhi Gurdarbar are all located in the Bur Dubai area near Dubai Museum. Those practising the Buddhist faith can visit the Mahamevnawa Buddhist Temple in Al Wasl, 15 minutes away.

British Rose Nursery Jumeirah, Odyssey Nursery, Blossom Burj Nursery and Little Minds Nursery are preschool options located in the community.

Parents moving to Al Sheif won’t find it difficult to find a good school for their kids as there are plenty of options nearby. Emirates International School is one of the best-known schools in Umm Al Sheif, it offers the British and International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum until Grade 13. Horizon International School is also present in the area, it features the British curriculum until Year 13.

Some noteworthy schools nearby in Umm Suqeim include Raffles World Academy, and Raffles International School and Kings’ Dubai. The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management is a higher education option also located in Umm Suqeim.

There are several pharmacies, clinics and specialised medical institutes in the vicinity that deal with general and even critical medical issues. Clinics in Umm Al Sheif include Atlanta Vision Clinic, Dubai London Clinic, Bizrah Medical Center, Spanish Eye Clinic, Dr Galadari Derma Clinic, HealthBay Polyclinic and familyFIRST Medical Center. Those with pets can visit The Veterinary Hospital which is located in Umm Al Sheif along Al Wasl Road.

Some larger multidisciplinary hospitals near Umm Al Sheif are Dubai London Clinic and Speciality Hospital in Umm Suqeim 2, Medcare Women & Children Hospital in Al Safa 2 and Medcare Hospital in Al Safa. These are all reachable in 8 minutes or less. The best hospitals in Al Barsha, Al Zahra Hospital and Saudi German Hospital are 12-minutes away from the neighbourhood.

Umm Al Sheif is situated in an exclusive residential and family-centred region of Dubai. This is because it is bounded by several close-knit residential communities in the Emirate. From the north, it shares borders with Umm Suqeim 3, in the east, you will find Al Manara. Al Barsha and Al Quoz are connected via the south of the community, past Sheikh Zayed Road. Al Sufouh border Umm Al Sheif from the west.

Residents have access to some community-centric shopping centres on Al Thanya Street such as Al Thanya Shopping Centre. It is a small community mall in Umm Al Sheif, it houses the Waitrose supermarket, the Physique 57 gym, a few boutique stores and a couple of dining outlets. The Mall in the vicinity of Umm Suqeim is another shopping destination to visit, especially with children as it has a small play area and a food court as well.

There are a few standalone stores on Al Thanya Street such as Sofabulous, a designer furniture marketplace allowing people to customise their furniture. Next to it is New Era Bookshop, it houses over 100 publishers and has a wide range of books for all ages. Plaisir Cadeaux et Fleurs is a quaint little flower shop that stocks unique flower designs and luxury gifts.

Otherwise, if you are looking to visit a bigger shopping destination, Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall can be accessed within 10 to 15 minutes.

Quite a few restaurants, neighbourhood cafes and fast food corners are located in the area. Popular restaurants in Umm Al Sheif are P.F. Chang’s in Al Thanya Shopping Centre, Al Safadi Restaurant and The Lime Tree Cafe, both of these are located along Sheikh Zayed Road and can be seen from the Dubai Metro. The Roost Rotisserie, Neighbors, Bagel Yard Cafe, Vanilla Sukkar Cafe, The Spread Cafe and Nostalgia are a few more laidback restaurants in Umm Al Sheif.

For an upscale atmosphere, you can visit the dining outlets part of the Metropolitan Hotel in Umm Al Sheif. Don Corleone is an Italian eatery, Al Safa is an all-day dining restaurant, The Red Lion is a British pub while Tropicana is the rooftop lounge.

If none of these restaurants piqued your interest, the neighbouring area of Al Manara has many options to choose from. Bertin Bistro and Restaurant offers a unique experience, it is spread over two floors and each floor has its menu. Bertin offers French, German and Andalusian cuisine. Restaurants in Al Manara with international menus include Jones The Grocer, Bystro and Crumbs Elysee. If you’re in the mood for Lebanese food then head to Reem Al Bawadi, one of the most popular Lebanese restaurants in Dubai.

Residents are never away from the perks of beach life. Umm Suqeim Beach is only 6-minutes away by car and is preferred by families. It is a calmer beach and has sports facilities, a few restaurants and other amenities. You can jet-ski and flyboard at this beach too, or visit the famous Bu Qtair Restaurant next door for delicious seafood dishes.

Watersports fanatics can also head out to the Kite Beach and enjoy adventurous rides, there are also a few food and beverage outlets at Kite Beach. Kite Beach also has jogging tracks, a skateboard area and courts for soccer and volleyball.

While Umm Al Sheif is a relatively tiny and cosy residential community, it doesn’t fail to compete with the luxurious areas of Dubai. Some key Dubai landmarks are easily reachable within a few minutes including the magnificent 7-star Burj Al Arab hotel, which is a spectacular and relaxing site. Near the Burj Al Arab, you will also find the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, which offers direct access to the Wild Wadi Waterpark. One can also access the upscale restaurants, bars and private beach of the 5-star Madinat Jumeirah Resort within 7 minutes.

Umm Suqeim 3 Park 1 is located 4 minutes from Umm Al Sheif. There is a mosque next to the park and a few juice shops and cafes around the park. Umm Suqeim Park is located next to Umm Suqeim Beach, it is a larger park with more amenities.

There are many gyms and fitness clubs around the town. Some preferred choices are Physique 57, Personal 20 and Embody Fitness. To relax and unwind from the stress gathered throughout the week, you have Refinery Beauty Lounge, Sensation Beauty Salon and Beauty Connection Spa.

Depending on where you live, there’s quite a lot to catch up to while in Umm Al Sheif. Kite Beach nearby usually hosts many celebrations and community events on special occasions. To spend a day or two during special festivities, you can head out to the Metropolitan Hotel or some of the hotels nearby such as the Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel or the Madinat Jumeirah Resort.

Umm Al Sheif and its properties are in demand by expats and families who are looking for a luxurious private home. The community has many amenities at hand and is located close to Dubai’s business hubs. However, if your idea of a perfect private dwelling is living in a small apartment, this might not be the right place to search.

• Burj Al Arab is hardly 6 minutes away
• Mall of The Emirates is 8 minutes away 
• The distance between Umm Al Sheif and the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa is only 13 km or a 12-minute drive 
• Dubai Mall can be reached in 12 minutes or less
• Drive towards Dubai International Cricket Stadium may take at least 17 minutes via Umm Suqeim Street
• Dubai International Airport is 20 minutes away from this community