Last Updated on March 23, 2024 by Jamie Marshall
With Dubai’s increasing popularity as a travel and business hub, more people are visiting than ever before. As the number of people making short visits to Dubai continues to increase, the popularity of short stay apartments is also on the rise.
Short stay apartments are basically fully furnished, self-serviced apartments with all the amenities you would find in a hotel – from electronic appliances and essential household items, right down to crockery, cutlery, and linen.
In Dubai, the minimum stay for a short-term rental is typically one week. There are several apartments located all over Dubai that are ideally suited for business and executive travelers.
Benefits of Short Stay Apartments
Short stay apartments have some undeniable advantages:
- There is a variety of self-catering properties available to choose from, including studio apartments, multi-bedroom apartments, and multi-bedroom villas.
- Short-term apartments offer more competitive rates compared to hotels.
- Short stay apartments provide the comfort of a home-away-from-home, and are equipped with everything you would find in a well-serviced hotel including linen and kitchenware.
- Most well reputed apartments will include weekly housekeeping services in their rates.
- Dubai has no dearth of available apartments, so finding one in your preferred area is easy.
- Most apartments are centrally located with convenient access to local supermarkets, malls, and health clubs.
- Organizing a short stay apartment is easy, convenient, secure, and reliable, with many offering the convenience of online bookings.
How to Choose a Short Stay Apartment
With so many choices available, selecting a serviced apartment can become confusing. Here is what to look for in a short stay apartment:
- Location: If you are looking to rent a short stay apartment as a temporary accommodation while you wait for your permanent home to be ready, we suggest you select an apartment in the same area so that you will become familiar with available forms of public transport (if you don’t intend driving) as well as the amenities in the area. This can give you great insight into what it will be like to live in the selected location.
- Cleaning Service: Most reputable serviced apartments will provide a weekly cleaning service for your housekeeping needs. This is a great added benefit so ask if this service is offered before booking the apartment.
- Amenities: This is a deal breaker for many people. Before finalizing on the apartment, check to make sure that it includes all the modern facilities and amenities including linen, crockery, internet access, swimming pool, gym, or anything else that might be essential to your needs.
- Online booking facility: This is a convenient facility, especially for travelers looking to book accommodations ahead of their travel to the emirate. Websites for short stay apartments are usually very well designed, easy to navigate, and are a very convenient way of exploring your options before actually making a payment. They offer potential clients an at-a-glance overview of the rooms, facilities, and amenities offered.
Where to Find Short Stay Apartments
Travelers and visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to selecting a serviced apartment. There are hundreds of serviced apartments in and around Dubai that offer fully furnished apartments for rent on a weekly, monthly, or even yearly basis.
You can look at their websites directly or book through specialist agents such as Holidaysshop, Better Homes LLC and MyDubaiStay. Below, we look at some of the most popular areas in Dubai for serviced apartments.
Dubai Marina
With quick access to some of Dubai’s iconic landmarks, the Marina is a vibrant, cosmopolitan area dotted with cafes, restaurants, and hotels providing a free-spirited atmosphere and a unique lifestyle.
With convenient access to Downtown Dubai, home of the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, the Marina is a very popular residential neighborhood with expats. Amongst the more reputable apartments, the Nuran Marina Serviced apartments offer all the modern amenities and facilities in the heart of Dubai’s business district.
Palm Jumeirah
Shaped like a palm tree and home to many of Dubai’s luxury hotel resorts including the famous Atlantis, this popular man-made island offers stunning views of the sea and has some lovely short-term apartments for rent.
Access to the mainland is via a tunnel and a bridge or you can take the Monorail to and from the island. Amongst the more popular short term rentals are the Shoreline Apartments, set along the East side of the palm trunk with access to the beautiful, soft, white sand beaches of the Palm.
Bur Dubai
A great option for the budget traveler, Bur Dubai is located between Jumeirah and the Creek and has several many affordable serviced apartments available for short term rental.
With a lot of tourist hotspots such as the BurJuman mall, Wafi mall and the floating abra restaurants, Bur Dubai may not be as posh as the Marina and the Palm, but nevertheless offers tourists a great, low cost option for accommodation.
Located in the heart of Bur Dubai is the Golden Sands Apartments with tastefully furnished studio, 1,2 and 3-bedroom apartments available on flexible lease terms.
Downtown Dubai
Perfect for leisure as well as business travelers, Downtown Dubai is where the action’s at. With plenty for tourists to see, including the iconic Burj Khalifa, Madinat Jumeirah, and the Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai also has some great cafés, eateries, and restaurants serving superb food in a relaxing environment.
The location is also perfect for business travelers, being a stone’s throw away from the World Trade Center and the Convention Center. For the utmost in luxury, the Address in Downtown Dubai offers the utmost in luxury, style and five-star service at your finger tips.
Al Barsha
A great location for those who need access to the two technology hubs in Dubai, Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City, Al Barsha is a quiet residential neighborhood popular with travelers for its affordable accommodations and its proximity to the Mall of the Emirates.