Villa del Garda is a seven storey, 136 home branded residence by Mr. Eight Development, set on the first row of the marina on Island A at Dubai Islands. One bedroom apartments start from about £549,000 and the range runs to five bedroom penthouses of more than 9,000 sq ft. Completion is expected in Q1 2028. The full listing is on the Villa del Garda page.
What is being built
Homes run from one bedroom apartments of around 605 sq ft to five bedroom penthouses of 9,121 sq ft, with two and four bedroom duplexes in between. Every residence is handed over fully furnished and finished to a branded specification, which puts it in a different bracket from the standard off plan apartment stock in the same district. Residents get plunge pools, a gym, a restaurant, landscaped gardens and a residents' membership.
Why the marina frontage matters
Dubai Islands is one of the emirate's last large waterfront masterplans: five islands carrying 21 km of beach, nine marinas, two championship golf courses and more than 80 hotels and resorts at completion, roughly 15 minutes from DIFC. The scarce part is not the district, it is first row marina frontage, and that is what this plot has.
Furniture in the price
For a buyer letting the unit, delivery fully furnished removes the spend and the delay that normally sit between handover and first rent. The trade is the service charge, quoted by the developer at AED 30 per sq ft, which is above the Dubai apartment average and reflects the cost of running branded residence services. Build that into your net yield before you compare it with a bare shell purchase elsewhere.
The developer, plainly
Mr. Eight is a boutique European builder with several schemes under way on Dubai Islands and around AED 2bn of sales behind it, but nothing handed over in Dubai yet. Judge it on the buildings going up rather than on a delivery record, and treat completion in Q1 2028 as a date to monitor. We track construction progress on every scheme we list and will tell you if it slips.
Payment plan
20% on booking, 15% through the build and 65% on handover, plus the 4% Dubai Land Department fee. The 65% at completion is larger than most of our Dubai listings, so plan the handover funding, cash or mortgage, before you reserve.
How buying off plan in Dubai works
Every payment on a Dubai off plan purchase goes into the project's escrow account, registered with the Dubai Land Department under Law No. 8 of 2007, and the developer can only draw on it to build that project. Your purchase is recorded on the interim register, known as Oqood, before the building exists. The Dubai Land Department fee is 4% of the price, paid at booking. There is no local income tax on rent, but UK residents are taxed on worldwide income, so the rent goes on your Self Assessment return and any gain is subject to UK Capital Gains Tax. Our Dubai property investment guide covers the process, the costs and the mortgage position in full.
The market this launches into
Dubai prices softened after the regional conflict in March 2026. The ValuStrat Price Index was 4.5% lower in September 2026 than a year earlier, with apartments down 6.4%, although the monthly falls have slowed close to zero. Property Monitor puts the average gross yield on Dubai apartments at about 6.3%. For a buyer holding five years or more that means a better entry price than at any point since 2023; for anyone hoping to flip before handover it means real risk. Prices on this page are converted from UAE dirhams at 1 AED = £0.2058 and rounded, so the sterling figure moves with the exchange rate.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Villa del Garda cost?
From about £549,000 for a one bedroom, rising through duplexes to five bedroom penthouses.
Is it really furnished?
Yes. Every residence is delivered fully furnished and fitted to the branded specification, so it can be let straight after handover.
What is the service charge?
Quoted by the developer at AED 30 per sq ft a year, which is above the Dubai apartment average.
When does it complete?
Q1 2028 is the target. The developer has no Dubai handovers yet, so we monitor progress and report it.
What is the payment plan?
20% on booking, 15% through the build, 65% on handover, plus the 4% DLD fee.
Is the rent tax free for UK investors?
No local tax in the UAE, but UK residents declare and pay UK tax on the income.
Get the Villa del Garda pack
Request the brochure, floor plans and price list, or message the Dubai team on WhatsApp.
Sources: developer brochures and fact sheets as listed on the development page; Dubai Land Department, Dubai REST and Law No. 8 of 2007; ValuStrat Price Index, Dubai residential, September 2026; Property Monitor, Dubai apartment gross yields, August 2026. Prices converted at 1 AED = £0.2058 (6 October 2026). Verta acts as a marketing agent; values and income are not guaranteed. Take independent legal and tax advice.
