Elie Saab Waterfront

Elie Saab Waterfront is a residential tower on Al Reem Island developed by Ohana Development, with the interiors carrying the Elie Saab name. The building runs to 35 storeys and holds 173 apartments plus one penthouse across the top floor. Divide one number into the other and the tower averages around five homes per level, which is where the budget in a project like this actually goes.

173 homes in a 35-storey tower

Layouts run one to three bedrooms. One-bedroom apartments range from about 813 to 1,302 sq ft, two-bedrooms sit near 1,883 sq ft and three-bedrooms around 2,118 sq ft, which puts even the smaller units above what a comparable Abu Dhabi one-bedroom usually delivers. Few units per floor means fewer shared walls, more corner exposure and shorter waits at the lifts. It also means the service charge is divided among fewer owners, which is the cost side of the same design decision and worth checking before signing.

A design house, not a hotel operator

It is worth being precise about what the branding delivers. Elie Saab is a couture house rather than a hospitality group, so what arrives with the name is the design language: finishes, materials, colour, and the detailing of the shared spaces. It does not bring a concierge desk, room service or a managed rental programme, which are the things a hotel-branded residence sells alongside the apartment. The amenity set is residential rather than serviced, covering an outdoor pool, gym, garden, children’s playground, padel court, café, EV charging and visitor parking. Anyone buying the branding for its effect on resale should be clear which kind of brand they are buying.

Al Reem Island, and a payment plan worth reading twice

Al Reem is the densest freehold island in Abu Dhabi and the centre of its expatriate apartment market, with Reem Central Park, Al Reem Mall and a university campus on the island itself and the bridges to Abu Dhabi island minutes away. Tenant demand is dependable for that reason, and so is competition, since more new apartment supply lands here than anywhere else in the emirate. The payment structure deserves attention. Around ninety per cent of the price falls due before handover, leaving only a small balance at completion in 2027, which reverses the post-handover plans common across the market. Developers build plans this way to fund construction directly, and they usually carry a lower headline price than a schedule weighted to the back end. The buyer pays in cash flow what they save on price, and whether that trade makes sense depends entirely on where the money would otherwise be earning. Gorilla Real Estate can run that comparison against the post-handover options currently selling on Al Reem before you commit.