Akala Hotels and Residences is an Arada project between Downtown Dubai and DIFC, in the Zaabeel Second area. Arada prices homes from AED 3.79 million and offers one to six bedroom residences. The building is built around medical wellness, with a clinic, spa and training facilities inside it.
The Dubai Land Department registered the project on 20 May 2025 and records it as active with a completion date of 31 October 2029. Three Akala sales were registered in August 2026, and we publish them below.
Property Details
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Arada Developments L.L.C S.O.C |
| Area | Zaabeel Second, between Downtown Dubai and DIFC |
| Type | Hotel and branded residences |
| Bedrooms | 1 to 6 |
| Starting price | AED 3.79 million (Arada) |
| Homes in the project | 546 units (DLD) |
| Project value | AED 1.473 billion (DLD) |
| Completion date | 31 October 2029 (DLD) |
| Escrow account | Yes, registered |
| Payment plan | 10 percent down, 50 percent during construction, 40 percent on handover |
| Nearest metro | Financial Centre |
Registered sales at Akala, August 2026
| Home | Size | Price | Price per sq ft | Registered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 1,044 sq ft | AED 3,855,000 | AED 3,693 | 20 August 2026 |
| 2 bedroom | 1,556 sq ft | AED 6,789,030 | AED 4,364 | 20 August 2026 |
| 3 bedroom | 3,126 sq ft | AED 15,185,000 | AED 4,857 | 21 August 2026 |
Three registered sales is a small sample. They put early Akala pricing between AED 3,693 and AED 4,857 per square foot, with the larger homes carrying the higher rate.
Features and Amenities
- Ultra luxury spa with restorative and therapeutic treatments
- Next generation fitness space for serious training
- Medical wellness clinic for health optimisation and longevity treatments, in a private setting
- Podium pool with lounging areas and a refreshment bar
- Yoga and Pilates studios with facilities for single and couple therapies
- Private cinema room for residents and guests
Location and Connectivity
Arada places Akala three minutes from DIFC Gate Avenue, three minutes from the Dubai Mall and fifteen minutes from Dubai International Airport. The register records Financial Centre as the nearest metro station for its August sales.
Payment Plan
| Stage | Share |
|---|---|
| Down payment | 10 percent |
| During construction | 50 percent |
| On handover | 40 percent |
Who Akala suits
Buyers who want wellness built into the building rather than bolted on, and investors who want a DIFC facing address with a 2029 handover. Entry is close to AED 3.8 million, so it sits in the upper part of the Dubai branded market.
Method and limits
Price, payment plan and amenities come from Arada. Unit count, project value, completion date, escrow status and area come from the Dubai Land Department project register. The sales come from the Dubai Land Department monthly transaction register for August 2026, filtered to the project name Akala Hotels and Residences. Only three sales were registered that month, so no median can be calculated. Price per square foot uses the registered area converted at 10.7639 square feet per square metre. We never publish escrow account numbers.
FAQs
How much does an apartment at Akala cost
Arada lists homes from AED 3.79 million. The first registered one bedroom sale was AED 3,855,000 in August 2026.
When does Akala hand over
The Dubai Land Department records a completion date of 31 October 2029.
Is Akala freehold for foreign buyers
Yes. Zaabeel Second is a designated freehold area, so foreign buyers can own outright.
More about Downtown Dubai
Read the Cresco area guide to Downtown Dubai. Prices, rental yields, handover timelines, schools, commute times and what actually sells there.
Open the Downtown Dubai area guide
You may also want to read how buying off plan works and work out the rental yield.
What buyers actually registered in Downtown Dubai
Dubai Land Department registered transactions, not advertised asking prices.
Between 30 June 2026 and 18 August 2026, 270 residential sales were registered in Downtown Dubai. The median was AED 2,987,500 and the middle half fell between AED 2,000,000 and AED 4,637,500.
| Registered median price, Downtown Dubai | AED 2,987,500 |
| Middle half of registered sales | AED 2,000,000 to AED 4,637,500 |
| Registered median per sq ft | AED 2,566 |
| Registered median unit size | 1,189 sq ft |
| Share bought off plan | 19% |
| Ready stock, median per sq ft | AED 2,454 from 218 sales |
| Off plan stock, median per sq ft | AED 3,397 from 52 sales |
| Registered residential sales in the period | 270 |
Registered sales by bedroom count in Downtown Dubai
| Type | Sales | Median price | Per sq ft | Median size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 19 | AED 1,260,000 | AED 2,438 | 497 sq ft |
| 1 B/R | 95 | AED 2,010,000 | AED 2,221 | 887 sq ft |
| 2 B/R | 102 | AED 3,700,000 | AED 2,651 | 1,374 sq ft |
| 3 B/R | 40 | AED 7,000,000 | AED 3,548 | 2,013 sq ft |
| 4 B/R | 13 | AED 25,000,000 | AED 4,118 | 5,300 sq ft |
Source: Dubai Land Department open data. Registered sales of residential units between 30 June 2026 and 18 August 2026. Mortgages and gift transfers are excluded because they are not arms length sales. Sizes are converted from square metres at 10.7639 sq ft per sq m. The entry price shown for this project is our advertised starting price and is not a registered transaction. Community figures are medians across every project in the community, not this project alone. We do not publish a price per square foot for this project because advertised size ranges are not a reliable basis for that calculation.
What actually transacted in Downtown Dubai
Before you judge a launch price, look at what the community around it registered. Over the last twelve months Downtown Dubai recorded 10,079 registered rental contracts and 1,495 ready sales, all filed with the Dubai Land Department. These are signed contracts, not asking prices.
Rent registered at AED 141 per sqft against a ready sale price of AED 2,758 per sqft. That is a gross yield of 5.1% on ready stock in this community.
We use ready sale prices rather than blended prices deliberately. You cannot rent a home that has not been handed over, so an off plan launch price in a yield calculation produces a number that cannot happen.
Registered rents in Downtown Dubai moved +3.1 against the twelve months before.
The shorter window disagrees. On the most recent three months of contracts the same community reads -9.9%. Summer seasonality and smaller samples both sit inside that number, but we publish it rather than quote only the figure that flatters the market.
| Unit type | Contracts registered | Average annual rent (AED) | Rent per sqft (AED) | Change vs 12 months earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 636 | 77,982 | 151 | n/a |
| 1 bedroom | 4,391 | 117,795 | 135 | n/a |
| 2 bedroom | 3,782 | 193,414 | 142 | +0.4 |
| 3 bedroom | 1,191 | 295,134 | 151 | +1.9 |
| All apartments | 10,079 | 174,328 | 141 | +3.1 |
Full Downtown Dubai guide · Live Dubai market update · Run these numbers on a specific unit
Data verified 27 September 2026. Dubai Land Department registered transactions via Bayut TruView, rolling 12 months to September 2026.
