Yas Island: the Formula 1 circuit, parks and homes by the golf course
How a man-made island near Abu Dhabi began with a race circuit and a hotel above it, then became a place to live. Ferrari World, SeaWorld, golf by the mangroves, four key new developments and four of our clients' transactions.
Yas is an island in Abu Dhabi where the Formula 1 circuit came first, followed by Ferrari, Warner Bros. and SeaWorld parks, and homes are now being built. Our catalogue lists 43 developments on the island, 26 of them by Aldar. Apartments start from AED 1.25 million and canal-side villas from AED 7.9 million. We look at how an empty island became the capital's main leisure destination, where people live, how its four main new developments differ and how our clients made money here through resales.
What is happening on the island
For a long time, Yas was an island people came to for the day: for a race, a park or a concert. Now people are moving here to live. Our catalogue lists 26 Aldar developments on the island, from studios to waterfront villas, while Reportage, Siadah, Royal Group and others are building nearby. More than AED 30 billion in new investment is going into the island: homes, hotels and parks.
For a buyer, that means two things. First, everything tourists come here for is already open and can be seen in person, not only in a render. Second, on an island with 38 million visits a year, an apartment can be let not only to a family for a year, but also to guests. Abu Dhabi has its own short-term letting rules, which should be checked before buying.
If this is your first property purchase in the UAE, start with our guide How to buy property in the UAE: it takes you through the buying process in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, from reservation to getting the keys.
An island named after a tribe
The island takes its name from the Bani Yas tribe. Hunters from this tribe found fresh water on a neighbouring island in 1761 and founded Abu Dhabi. We covered that story in our article about Saadiyat Island. Yas, a 25 km² man-made island, is named after the same tribe.
Development of the island began in 2006, and the first thing built was what was meant to bring visitors to Abu Dhabi from around the world: a Formula 1 circuit.
A circuit built in two and a half years
Hermann Tilke designed Yas Marina Circuit. Construction began in May 2007 and finished in October 2009. The circuit cost $1.322 billion and its grandstands hold 60,000 people. It was laid out on a former headland separated from the island by a canal. Since 2021, the lap length has been 5.281 km.
The circuit's most unusual feature is the hotel. Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture's Asymptote studio placed two 12-storey wings on either side of the circuit and joined them with a bridge. Cars pass underneath. The wings are covered by a 217-m-long mesh of 5,389 glass panels with LEDs, which lights up at night. The 499-room hotel opened on 1 November 2009 and is now W Abu Dhabi. It was the world's first hotel built over a Formula 1 circuit.
A race that began in daylight and ended at night
The first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place on 1 November 2009, the day the hotel opened. It started at 17:00, the sun set at 17:43, and the race finished under floodlights. Formula 1 thus held its first day-to-night race.
Sebastian Vettel won in a Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton started from pole but retired with a brake problem. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been held on the island every year since.
A red roof and 240 km/h
A year after the circuit, Ferrari World opened next door. Its foundation stone was laid on 3 November 2007 and it opened on 4 November 2010. The red roof covers 86,000 m². Its main coaster, Formula Rossa, reaches 240 km/h and was long the world's fastest, until Falcon's Flight broke the record.
The island then grew one park at a time over several years. Yas Waterworld, around 15 ha, opened in January 2013. Yas Mall, with 235,000 m², opened in November 2014. The $1 billion indoor Warner Bros. World park with 29 rides opened in July 2018. CLYMB, with a 43 m climbing wall, opened in November 2019. Etihad Arena, seating 18,000, opened in January 2021.
SeaWorld, covering 183,000 m², opened on the island in May 2023. It is the first SeaWorld without orcas. The island's parks are operated by Miral. Yas recorded more than 38 million visits in 2024, 10% more than a year earlier. The island's hotels had 92% occupancy in August 2026.
Golf by the mangroves
The island has a quieter side, too. Yas Links golf club sits by the sea and was designed by architect Kyle Phillips. It is the region's first true links, meaning a sandy seaside course. It measures 7,450 yards, is par 72 and has 144 bunkers. Eight holes run along the shore and all 18 have sea views. Creating the course required moving 1.8 million m³ of earth. In 2018, Golf Digest ranked Yas Links 44th among the best courses outside the United States.
Yas Beach is nearby, with a mangrove-lined shore and daily mangrove tours. Buyers value this view too: mangroves outside the window feature in the descriptions of three of our four client transactions on Yas.
Five parts of the island
The island is large and life differs across its parts. This breakdown is useful for buyers.
Sama Yas: a chef-designed kitchen
Sama Yas Aldar is building in a park with flowers, birds and trees. There will be 475 apartments in eight-storey buildings stepping down towards the park. Two-bedroom apartments range from 184 to 290 m², three-bedroom apartments from 256 to 300 m². There are duplexes, and many units include a maid's room. Prices start at AED 4,600,000, with three-bedroom apartments from AED 6,426,731. Handover is due in Q2 2028. Buyers' funds are held in an escrow account at FAB.
The defining feature is the kitchen. Chef Izu Ani, behind Dubai restaurants Gaia and Carine, designed it down to the spice shelf. His restaurant will also be in the development. Woods Bagot is responsible for the architecture and Mustard & Linen for the interiors. Details have been considered throughout: Italian marble worktops were selected from 48 quarries for their veining, railings were refined through 34 samples, tiles were hand-glazed by Italian craftspeople, and the paint is free of harmful emissions. The target under the local Estidama green-building system is three pearls.
The building offers hotel-style services: 24-hour concierge and in-home service, Maison Mocha coffee shop, Curzon cinema, library, spa, a driver service for residents, pet concierge with dog walking, and park picnics. A running track circles the park.
Yas Riva Reserve: villas by the canal
Yas Riva Reserve: Aldar's gated community of 292 villas along a canal at the edge of the island. Of these, 247 villas are within the community and 45 are on the waterfront. They have four to six bedrooms, warm wood in the architecture and pontoons on the water. The club and shops are within walking distance. Handover is due in Q3 2030.
| Villa | Amount | House | Plot | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 bedrooms, within the community | 96 | 437 m² | 711 m² | AED 7.9 million |
| 5 bedrooms, within the community | 116 | 482 m² | 828 m² | AED 9.3 million |
| 6 bedrooms, within the community | 35 | 538 m² | 936 m² | AED 10.5 million |
| 5 bedrooms, waterfront | 17 | 552 m² | 802 m² | AED 13.3 million |
| 6 bedrooms, waterfront | 28 | 609 m² | 1,294 m² | AED 14.5 million |
The rarest villa is the five-bedroom waterfront type, with only 17 in the whole community. The six-bedroom waterfront villa has the largest plot, 1,294 m² compared with 936 m² for the equivalent villa within the community. Payment: 5% upfront, then 5% every five months for 25 months, two payments of 10%, and 50% on handover. Mortgage pre-approval is not required. Aldar also gives five years without service charges and does not charge the 2% ADM fee.
Within the community is a club with adult and children's pools, padel, yoga, a library, café, mini-market, pharmacy and a congregational mosque. A feature the neighbouring communities lack is a community garden, where every resident has their own plot for herbs, vegetables, flowers and fruit trees.
Yas Park Place: studios from AED 1.39 million
Yas Park Place: Aldar's most affordable new development on the island. It has 780 apartments in 11-storey buildings, due for completion in Q1 2030. A 45 m² studio costs AED 1,390,000, an 80 m² one-bedroom apartment AED 1,900,000, a 130 m² two-bedroom AED 2,950,000, and a 163 m² three-bedroom AED 5,000,000. Funds are held in escrow at ADCB.
There are two payment plans. Under the first, 45% is paid during construction and half the price on handover. Under the second, 60% is paid during construction and 20% remains on handover. The development has a cinema room, coworking space, infinity pool, children's pool, restaurant and pet area. Dogs are allowed.
Yas Beach Residence: two waterfront buildings
Yas Beach Residence is being developed by Siadah: two stepped, 11-storey waterfront buildings with 371 apartments. Two and three-bedroom apartments are now on sale: two-bedroom homes from 168 to 235 m² start at AED 4,513,300, and three-bedroom homes from 242 to 360 m² start at AED 6,506,250. The development has an infinity pool, running track, gym and a shop on the ground floor. Funds are held in escrow at FAB.
Due for completion in Q4 2026. Before buying, ask the developer for the current completion date.
More homes on the island
Twelve more island developments from our catalogue. The price and completion date are updated on each development's page. Find other developments in the Emirates catalogue.
The price of entry
Yas is cheaper than Saadiyat. Apartments in seven developments on the island start below AED 2 million: Selina Bay, Yas Park Place, Gardenia Bay, Icon Tower, The Canopies, Mayyas At The Bay and Ansam 2. Starting prices at Vista Del Mar, Yas Beach Residence, Sama Yas and Stellar range from around AED 4.3 million to AED 4.9 million. Canal-side villas start at AED 7.9 million.
A starting price always refers to the smallest apartment. At Yas Park Place, that is a studio; at Sama Yas, it is a nearly 190 m² two-bedroom apartment. Compare like-for-like apartments under the same payment terms. On top of the price, the buyer pays registration fees and, after handover, an annual service charge. We explain how it works in our article on the cost of owning an apartment.
At Yas Park Place and Yas Riva Reserve, half the price is due on the handover date. You pay less than half before receiving the keys, but the funds need to be ready by then. We explain how to read a payment plan in our article on developer instalments.
Four Yas transactions by our clients
Since 2023, our clients have bought apartments in Yas developments under construction and sold them before receiving the keys. We described all four transactions on our channel. They have one thing in common: all involved buying in 2023, putting down a small portion of the price, and selling after two or three years.
The first transaction is the easiest to follow. The client bought a one-bedroom apartment at Aldar's Yas Golf Collection in March 2023 for $358,000. Before the sale, they had paid $104,000, including the registration fee. In May 2025, the apartment sold for $447,000.
In the second transaction, the client paid 5% in March 2023 and another 25% during construction. We sold the two-bedroom apartment with golf and mangrove views before handover to a buyer from our database.
The highest return came from a one-bedroom apartment with a water view: +140% over 32 months. The structure was the same: 5% on entry, 25% during construction, then a sale before handover.
The fourth apartment was the largest: two bedrooms, a staff room and 122 m². It was bought for $847,000 in April 2023 and sold before handover for $1.06 million.
All four transactions took place in a rising market. The return on capital invested is high because the client had paid only a third of the price before selling. If the market stalls, the same structure works in reverse: selling before handover may be difficult, and the remaining balance will be due at handover.
What you don’t see at a viewing
What will change by 2030
On 7 May 2025, Disney and Miral announced Disneyland Abu Dhabi on Yas. In May 2026, Sphere was announced for the island: a $1.7 billion concert sphere due in 2029. Miral is investing more than AED 12 billion on the island over five years, and the number of hotel rooms will grow by 30 to 35%.
Housing supply will grow too. Aldar is building Yas Point on the island's north side: 1,600 apartments, a five-star hotel, an international school and around 5,000 residents. Together with Reportage's new THE WADI community, that makes 5,550 apartments. Sama Yas is due in 2028, Yas Riva Residences in 2029, and Yas Park Place, The Canopies and Yas Riva Reserve in 2030. The leisure island will become an area home to thousands of families. We do not forecast future prices.
Who it suits and who it doesn't
| What matters to you | Which development | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Smaller budget | Selina Bay, Yas Park Place | Entry from AED 1.25 to 1.39 million |
| Hotel-style service | Sama Yas | 24-hour concierge, a chef-led restaurant, chauffeur-driven car |
| A larger apartment sooner | Yas Beach Residence | Only 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, due for completion in Q4 2026 |
| Your own land and home | Yas Riva Reserve | Villas on plots from 711 to 1,294 m² by the canal |
| Golf and peace and quiet | Yas Golf Collection, Waldorf Astoria Residences | Yas Links and the mangroves nearby |
| Families with children | Yas Riva Reserve, Yas Park Place | A park, children's pools and the island's parks nearby |
Who it won't suit. Anyone who wants to live in the centre of a large city with offices and older neighbourhoods: this is a leisure island with new developments. Anyone bothered by crowds and the annual race. Anyone commuting to Dubai every day: around 50 minutes each way on clear roads. Read our guide to freehold ownership to understand how foreign ownership works in the Emirates.
Buying mistakes
Quick answers
Where is Yas Island?
It is in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, between the capital's centre and Dubai. Zayed International Airport is around 15 minutes away, central Abu Dhabi 20 to 30 minutes, and Dubai around 50 minutes by car. This is not Dubai, but a neighbouring emirate.
What is on the island besides homes?
Yas Marina Circuit, home of Formula 1, Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, Yas Waterworld and SeaWorld, Yas Mall, the indoor Etihad Arena, Yas Links golf club, a beach with mangroves and a marina. Disneyland Abu Dhabi and the Sphere concert venue have been announced.
How much does an apartment on Yas cost?
Prices start at AED 1,250,000 at Selina Bay. A studio at Aldar's Yas Park Place costs AED 1,390,000, two-bedroom apartments at Sama Yas and Yas Beach Residence start at AED 4.5 to 4.6 million, and Yas Riva Reserve villas start at AED 7.9 million.
When are new Yas developments due for completion?
Yas Beach Residence is due in Q4 2026, Sama Yas in Q2 2028, Yas Park Place in Q1 2030 and Yas Riva Reserve villas in Q3 2030. Established communities are nearby.
Have buyers made money from resales?
Our clients sold four Yas apartments before handover and made 78 to 140% on capital invested over two or three years. These are results from past transactions, not a promise of returns: the market can fall too.
Is it noisy to live near the circuit and parks?
It depends on the location. Formula 1 takes place for several days each year, and the arena and parks can bring concerts and crowds. Residential communities are set apart, but check the master plan before buying to see what will be outside the home.
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