The World Islands

The Heart of Europe is a $6 billion (AED 22 billion) development by Kleindienst Group spanning 6 islands of the World Islands archipelago (Germany, Sweden, Honeymoon, Switzerland, Main Europe, Monaco). It is the only active multi-hotel development on the World Islands and the first major project to revive the archipelago since the 2008 financial crisis. As of August 2025, 15 of the planned 20 hotels are under construction, with the remaining 5 (including the Buddha-Bar Hotel) breaking ground before end-2025. Full completion of all 20 hotels is targeted for 2027. The development is privately funded – 50% equity from Kleindienst Group chairman Josef Kleindienst, 50% from off-plan sales, with zero bank financing.

The Floating Seahorse Villas are the signature residential product of The Heart of Europe – amphibious floating structures anchored on Honeymoon Island, each featuring an underwater bedroom and living room beneath the waterline with direct views of the Arabian Gulf’s marine life. The above-water portion includes an outdoor sun deck, private beach terrace, and two bedrooms. They are the world’s first floating villas with underwater living spaces and represent one of the most genuinely unique residential products in global real estate. They were among the first completed phases and have been successfully handed over to owners.

The Heart of Europe spans six islands: Germany Island (contemporary villas – 15 beachfront villas and 17 lagoon villas near completion); Sweden Island (7-bedroom beachfront palaces and royal palaces, rapidly progressing); Honeymoon Island (Floating Seahorse Villas, underwater experiences); Switzerland Island (alpine-themed resort); Main Europe Island (Portofino Hotel with 489 Princess Suites, Côte d’Azur Resort, retail and F&B promenade, climate-controlled European streets); and Monaco Island (upcoming ultra-luxury phase). Each island recreates the architecture, restaurants, and lifestyle of its namesake European destination.

Beyond The Heart of Europe’s 6 islands, the remaining 294 World Islands plots have no roads, centralised power grid, freshwater supply, or confirmed marine transit system as of 2025. Kleindienst stated infrastructure solutions for the broader archipelago are under discussion with public and private entities, but no centralised marine transit has been confirmed. This means that while The Heart of Europe is advancing confidently, wider World Islands plots remain high-risk, illiquid assets requiring patience. Investors considering non-Heart of Europe islands should regard these as speculative long-horizon positions only.

The primary investable hotel apartment product at The World Islands is the Portofino Hotel’s Princess Suites and the broader Heart of Europe managed hotel apartment scheme starting from AED 1.3M with an 8.33% ROI guaranteed for 12 years. Investors own a deeded unit within the hotel, which is managed by the operator on a fully managed STR basis. No active management is required from the owner. The 12-year ROI guarantee is backed by Kleindienst Group’s private equity model (no bank financing), making it structurally more secure than developer guarantees backed by debt.

Yes. Properties within The Heart of Europe and The World Islands are available on a freehold basis for all nationalities, registered with the Dubai Land Department. The isolated offshore location and boat-only access mean that all World Islands properties sit within an effectively private enclave with full security and exclusivity. Purchases above AED 2M qualify for the UAE Golden Visa.

The World Islands are accessible exclusively by private boat, water taxi, or helicopter – there are no roads connecting the islands to the mainland. Private water taxi services from Dubai Marina or JBR take approximately 15-20 minutes. Residents and hotel guests use dedicated boat taxi routes operated by The Heart of Europe. This boat-only access is both the community’s greatest luxury asset (absolute privacy and exclusivity) and its primary lifestyle limitation (no car access, dependency on marine transport). Helicopter landing pads are available on select islands for UHNWI residents.

Palm Jumeirah is fully built, liquid, and established at AED 4,000-7,000/sqft for premium frond villas. The World Islands offers a pre-maturity entry at fundamentally lower pricing for a product with comparable – and arguably greater – global uniqueness. The risk-reward profile is very different: Palm Jumeirah is a capital preservation and income play; The World Islands is a high-risk, high-reward play on the uniqueness premium reaching global recognition. For buyers who can tolerate boat-only access and a 2027+ development horizon, The World Islands offers the type of foundational island investment that no longer exists elsewhere in Dubai.

The World Islands’ long-term outlook depends almost entirely on The Heart of Europe completing its 20-hotel rollout by 2027 as targeted. If delivery is achieved on schedule, the archipelago transforms from a semi-dormant concept into the world’s most operationally active man-made island destination – a status that comparable global island addresses (Bora Bora, Maldives, Seychelles private islands) monetise at 5-10x current World Islands pricing. The 8.33% 12-year ROI guarantee on hotel apartments provides income certainty during the infrastructure maturation phase. The remaining 294 undeveloped islands represent the world’s largest pipeline of island real estate, and successful Heart of Europe delivery will catalyse the first wave of wider archipelago development – a re-rating event with no comparable precedent in Dubai real estate history.