One hundred billion dirhams, 6.4 million sqm and eight kilometres of coastline. The largest marina in Abu Dhabi, an Etihad Rail station and the Dar Al Funoon opera house. The final chapter of Saadiyat Island.
Sales open on 23 September. The best lots go in the first hours — front row, corner plots, villas with direct beach access. Message me now: I'll send the floor plans, the full price list for all 351 villas, and shortlist specific lots for your goal and budget.
The first residential project of the masterplan — 351 standalone villas across two gated communities, Talay and Talay Beach. Layouts of 4, 5 and 6 bedrooms from 502 sqm, plots of up to 883 sqm. Apartments, branded residences and mansions follow in later phases.
Open map
Saadiyat is an island of roughly 27 square kilometres, minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and linked to the main island by bridges. The name translates from Arabic as “island of happiness”.
It has been developed since the mid-2000s under a single government masterplan, conceived from the outset not as another residential district but as the cultural showcase of the emirate.
Island map with the key landmarks. Aldar materials. Click to open full size.
The map shows how the island is organised. The western tip holds the Cultural District: the Louvre, Guggenheim, Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum, with the beach and the Mamsha Al Saadiyat promenade and its restaurants and retail running alongside.
The northern shore is the resort strip — St. Regis, Park Hyatt, Rixos, Jumeirah, Nobu and the beachfront golf club. The middle of the island holds the NYU Abu Dhabi campus and Manarat. To the east lies the Saadiyat Lagoons villa community.
Marsa Al Saadiyat occupies the southern waterfront of the island.
Louvre Abu Dhabi, architect Jean Nouvel. Photo: Mohamed Somji.
Saadiyat consistently holds first place in the emirate for both villas and apartments. The average villa transaction in the year to June 2026 was around AED 26,500 per square metre, the highest figure in Abu Dhabi. Completed apartments in the Cultural District trade at roughly AED 1,900–2,400 per square foot. For comparison, the average across all off-plan in the emirate is around AED 2,191 per square foot.
The reason is not only the beaches. The island is finite, development follows an approved plan, and there is physically very little land left. Add the cultural status: land next to world-class museums does not get cheaper.
The project occupies the island's remaining waterfront — eight kilometres of shoreline. Aldar unveiled the masterplan on 22 July 2026.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Site area | 6.4 million sqm |
| Waterfront | 8 km, including 5.6 km of beaches |
| Development value | AED 100 billion |
| Planned population | more than 58,000 |
| Marina | 350+ berths |
| Developer | Aldar Properties |
Etihad Rail passenger trains. A high-speed station is planned inside the district.
In total, Aldar's masterplan presentation lists eleven community pillars for the district:
Based on Aldar's masterplan presentation. Composition may be refined by phase.
Approximate driving times in normal traffic:
Figures are approximate, based on maps and normal traffic. Not a marketing promise.
The first release is Talay villas only, with prices and sizes already announced. Apartments, branded residences and mansions follow in later phases.
| Collection | Sizes | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Talay — 4 bedrooms Launch 23.09 | 502 sqm | AED 13.5M |
| Talay — 5 bedrooms Launch 23.09 | 582 sqm | AED 15.5M |
| Talay — 6 bedrooms Launch 23.09 | 630 sqm | AED 17.2M |
| Talay Beach — 4 bedrooms Launch 23.09 | 506 sqm | AED 13.5M |
| Talay Beach — 5 bedrooms Launch 23.09 | 587 sqm | AED 15.5M |
| Talay Beach — 6 bedrooms Launch 23.09 | 634 sqm | AED 17.2M |
| Waterfront apartments | Later phases | Later phases |
| Branded residences | Later phases | Later phases |
| Private mansions | Later phases | Later phases |
Developer renders.
The cost of entry into Marsa Al Saadiyat varies enormously by product. An apartment and a waterfront mansion are two different markets inside one project. Front-row villas almost always sell out in the first wave and almost never return to the market at launch price. Apartments offer a clearer yield calculation and a lower entry threshold.
Value on Saadiyat does not rest on water and views alone. Next door is the densest concentration of world-class museums anywhere: a case where “amenities” means institutions that generate tourist and rental demand in their own right.
A Frank Gehry building and the largest museum of his career: around 80,000 sqm, 30 galleries, 11,600 sqm of exhibition space and a further 23,000 sqm outdoors. The date was announced officially by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The opera house and principal stage of the region, and the final project designed by Frank Gehry. A main hall seating over 2,000, a 3,500-seat open-air amphitheatre, a 400-seat studio theatre and a 250-seat jazz venue — more than 6,000 seats. Year-round programming: opera, ballet, theatre, jazz.
For the district this means permanent evening footfall — exactly what waterfront projects usually lack, emptying out after sunset.
Developer and architectural renders.
Pricing for the first project is out.
Talay and Talay Beach villas start at AED 13.5 million, on a 50/50 payment plan, with a service charge of AED 84.61 per sqm. The full price list for all 351 villas, the floor plans and the payment schedule are on the project page.
In the first quarter of 2026 residential sales in Abu Dhabi reached a record AED 38.1 billion. Off-plan grew 184% year on year and accounted for around 90% of sales value and more than 80% of all transactions. The average off-plan transaction reached roughly AED 2,191 per square foot, up about 18% year on year. Across the first half of 2026 total real estate transactions exceeded AED 117 billion, and foreign direct investment into the sector tripled.
| Stage | Due |
|---|---|
| Marsa Al Saadiyat masterplan unveiled | 22 July 2026 |
| Talay sales open | 23 September 2026 |
| Talay handover | Q4 2029 |
| Talay Beach handover | Q4 2030 |
| Dar Al Funoon opens | 2030 |
A masterplan of this scale takes years and dozens of phases. Buying at masterplan stage means the first years are spent inside an active construction site. That is normal mechanics in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but it has to be built into the yield calculation.
I'll send the floor plans, the full price list for all 351 villas and the numbers for your goal — to live in, to rent out, or to flip before handover.
A breakdown without this section is useless, so let me be direct.
A district for 58,000 residents is not a two-year project. Your property may be handed over while the surroundings are still being built out for another five to seven years. For rental income that means a lower rate in the early years.
Around 15,900 new homes are entering the Abu Dhabi market in 2026. When large phases complete simultaneously, that puts short-term pressure on both rental rates and resale prices.
The buy-at-launch, sell-before-keys strategy does not always work. It depends on the developer's assignment terms, the percentage you have paid in, and how many sellers just like you come to market at the same time.
Service charge, marina and premium amenity management fees, registration and agency costs. In projects with a yachting component, running costs sit noticeably above average. Real yield is only what remains after all of it.
An Aldar Properties masterplan worth around AED 100 billion on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi: 6.4 million sqm, 8 km of coastline of which 5.6 km are beaches, the emirate's largest marina with 350+ berths, and more than 58,000 future residents. Aldar calls it the final chapter in the development of the island.
The first and so far the only one is Talay: 351 villas across two gated communities, prices from AED 13.5 million, sales opening 23 September 2026. Apartments, branded residences and private mansions follow in later phases.
Aldar has named eleven anchor elements: five-star hotels, cultural venues, parks, an Etihad Rail transport hub, world-class education, Dar Al Funoon Abu Dhabi, a waterfront promenade, a yacht club, a wellness club, walking and cycling routes, and community infrastructure.
Saadiyat Island is one of Abu Dhabi's investment zones, where foreign nationals can buy freehold — full ownership. The exact status for each release is confirmed by Aldar documentation at launch, and that is the first thing to verify before reserving.
The UAE operates an investor residency visa programme for property purchases above a certain value threshold. Conditions and thresholds are revised periodically, so current requirements need checking at the time of the transaction — I will verify them against the rules in force before you sign, not after.
A performing arts centre next to the Saadiyat Cultural District and the final project designed by Frank Gehry. Construction started in 2026 and it is scheduled to open in 2030. A main hall seating more than 2,000, a 3,500-seat open-air amphitheatre, a 400-seat studio theatre and a 250-seat jazz venue — over 6,000 seats in total.
It depends on the goal. If you need rental income from month one, the Saadiyat secondary market gives you a known rate and a known service charge today. If you are after capital growth over a five-year horizon and can wait, a new phase at launch has historically delivered the bigger spread. These are different instruments, and neither is always better.
Abu Dhabi is a smaller market with fewer speculative transactions and lower volatility. But size and liquidity are not the same thing: supply here is a fraction of Dubai's, while demand for it is growing faster. Hence the result — off-plan rose 184% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, the average transaction price gained 18%, and foreign direct investment into the sector tripled. A smaller market with demand running ahead of it delivers both liquidity and price growth.
When buying a new build directly from the developer, the commission is paid by the developer, not by you. The price is identical to the sales office. The only difference is that you have someone running the numbers with you and telling you when a deal is not worth doing.
351 villas, and the best lots go in the first hours. Message me now — I'll send the full price list, the floor plans, and shortlist specific lots for your budget and goal.
