Dubai: Gone are the days when living in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) meant no more than residing among a cluster of high-rises that offered accommodation and little else.
Today, JLT hosts not only 61 commercial and residential towers, but also a newly-opened park along with a number of retail outlets that make the community far more self-reliant than ever before.
Last January JLT’s new 55,000 square-metre community park opened in the area once occupied by Lake C. Hundreds of residents have been flocking to the park daily since then.
“It’s the perfect place for mums in JLT to take their children. The park is a great boon for us, as earlier we had to take our kids to Marina Mall and other places in the evenings,” said resident Rania Daher.
The park has free entry with several access gates and a pedestrian bridge linking the park to the southern part of the community. Parts are still under construction, though, like the jogging track and amphitheatre. “When all this is ready, it will be one of Dubai’s best parks,” said Charu Gupta, a JLT resident.
The 200-hectare JLT development currently has over 220 retail outlets – 80 were added last year alone – serving 50,000 residents and workers.
“We don’t leave JLT in search of restaurants anymore. Everything is here,” said Charu. There are restaurants serving cuisines such as Vietnamese, Thai, Korean to authentic Russian and Chinese.
Samar Laham of Own Café in the Gold Tower, Cluster I, says her restaurant, opened last March, is running to full capacity every day. “On weekends people have to wait outside.”
Own Café is the only restaurant offering shisha in JLT. “Shisha is a big hit here. Even people from Dubai Marina and Jumeirah come to try it at our restaurant. Our Friday brunch is very popular too and I personally edit the menu to provide food that is as close to home-cooked as possible,” added Samar.
The Mensch Café, opened in August 2013, has seen similar growth. “Our restaurant is open from 7am until 1am and people are here right on the dot at 7am to grab a quick breakfast and coffee before heading to work,” said owner Sohail.
Besides restaurants, those looking for bespoke fashion can head to Sstudio Vaastra, women’s fashion and accessories stockists. “I opened my studio last year in JLT as it’s a large community. We have been busy ever since and just goes to show how the community is thriving.”
Madhulika Bannerjee, another JLT resident said that despite the daily traffic congestion, she would not want to live elsewhere. “The community is self-reliant and we really don’t have to step outside for anything.”
