The Journal

Jumeirah Park’s villas spread across broad residential districts, and its morning addresses gather around the community centre known as The Pavilion, where essential services and leisure venues can be found. Those seeking a little boost to start the day need not travel far for a properly made coffee, a freshly baked croissant or breakfast substantial enough to extend into late morning.

Within a single day in Dubai, the background can shift from a pool above Palm Jumeirah to a Parisian dining room in DIFC and a low stone terrace beside a marina. This variety helps explain the city’s popularity on social media. Its most shared places offer either a view that identifies Dubai at once or an interior distinctive enough to be recognised without a caption.

In the world of collectible design, very few names carry the weight of Hermès, and within the Maison itself, fewer silhouettes carry the weight of the Birkin and the Kelly. Sotheby's London Handbags & Accessories auction — set to open on 28th August — places both at its centre, assembling a sale that offers a survey of what the brand has done best over four decades: take a single form and refuse to leave it alone.

In the first half of 2026, Dubai recorded 296 home sales above US10 million, worth a combined US 5.1 billion. The largest, however, was a six-bedroom apartment at the forthcoming Aman Residences, sold for AED 422 million. Yet Dubai Hills Estate and Palm Jumeirah led the same price bracket, with 51 and 50 transactions respectively, confirming that substantial family houses and beachfront villas have lost none of their following.  

Dubai’s short-term rental market has moved well beyond the early phase of holiday-home investment. What began as an alternative to hotel stays is now a mature part of the city’s residential landscape, shaped by tourism, business travel, relocation demand and a steady appetite for furnished homes.