Thirty-five private mansions are coming to the grounds of Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Developed by LEAD Development on behalf of Emirates Palace Company and managed by Mandarin Oriental, each residence will sit along one of the UAE’s most significant natural shorelines, with private gardens, courtyard architecture and direct beach access. The collection is limited to 35 homes, a number determined by the land itself and the space required to give each residence its own arrival, its own outlook and genuine privacy from its neighbours.
Mandarin Oriental will deliver bespoke residential services to each home on behalf of Emirates Palace Company, bringing the group’s hospitality standards into the domestic sphere. The craftsmanship and attention to detail associated with the hotel will shape the way each mansion is maintained, staffed and experienced on a daily basis. Handover is anticipated for 2029.
Designed for the Gulf
The design of the mansions draws directly from Abu Dhabi’s coastal setting and the architectural language of the palace itself. Courtyards and landscaped gardens anchor each home, providing generous outdoor living space orientated around shade, airflow and the particular quality of light that the Gulf coastline produces across the cooler months. The contemporary aesthetic is deliberate, avoiding any attempt to replicate the palace’s grandeur while remaining clearly informed by it.
“Building within the grounds of Emirates Palace is a responsibility we do not take lightly. Our mission is to ensure the residences belong naturally within the broader architectural and cultural context of the Palace and Abu Dhabi. This is not simply a residential address, but part of placemaking hospitality with a context that will continue to further position Abu Dhabi as a unique destination in the region.”
Mounir Haidar, Co-founder, LEAD Development
Abu Dhabi sits on a natural peninsula along the southern edge of the Arabian Gulf, and the shoreline that borders the Emirates Palace estate is among the most protected and tranquil stretches of coastline in the capital. Each mansion has been positioned to make the most of that orientation, with panoramic sea views a consistent feature across the collection and the low horizon of the Gulf providing an uninterrupted outlook that few residential settings anywhere in the region can offer. The arrival sequence has been given particular attention, with the layout of the grounds designed to give each home a sense of independent identity within the broader estate. Privacy is structural rather than incidental, built into the spacing and orientation of the residences from the outset.
Private by every measure
The residents’ lounge sits at the heart of the estate, centred on a signature Mandarin Oriental tea library. Two private rooms are available for work or quieter conversation, and a residential bar provides a relaxed space to end the day. Each room has been designed with the same care as the homes themselves.
At the shoreline, a residents-only beach club brings the estate to the water’s edge. Private cabanas line the sand, a dedicated children’s room caters for younger residents, and a chef’s table and golf simulator round out an amenity offering that covers the full range of private life.
The details that define it
LEAD Development co-founder Mounir Haidar has spoken candidly about the responsibility of building within the grounds of Emirates Palace. The ambition is not to add to the palace but to belong to it, creating homes that sit within the architectural and cultural fabric of the estate as naturally as if they had always been there. That discipline governs every decision, from the materials and scale of the residences to the way the landscape draws each home towards the water and the broader grounds.
There will only ever be 35. The site, the address and the partnership behind it are particular to this place and this moment. For Laurent Kleitman, Group Chief Executive of Mandarin Oriental, the project is a natural deepening of the group’s long-standing relationship with the UAE capital.
A waterfront like no other
Emirates Palace has defined Abu Dhabi’s waterfront for two decades. To live within its grounds is something different entirely, each of the 35 mansions positioned between the palace and the Gulf, with a setting that very few addresses anywhere in the world can approach. Handover is anticipated for 2029, and only 35 families will ever call it home.
“Abu Dhabi continues to distinguish itself internationally through the depth of its cultural identity, the quality of its hospitality, and the clarity of its long-term vision. Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions allows us to further our relationship with the capital through a residential experience rooted in discretion, craftsmanship, and thoughtful service. We are honoured to contribute to a setting that holds such significance within the region.”
Laurent Kleitman, Group Chief Executive, Mandarin Oriental