Hameni By Zaya

We've been staying here on and off since 2021, moving from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom and now a two-storey three-bedroom duplex. The building has a beautiful, nostalgic European-Iranian design, with a futuristic Dubai feel and clear Persian grandeur. Its curved, sand-colored postmodern exterior can feel both aristocratic and futuristic, almost like living in one of Jacque Fresco's Venus Project buildings. High, wide windows, tall ceilings, open corridors, big kitchens and green plants built into the entrance columns all add to the effect. The balconies are enormous, sometimes so much so that I wonder why the bedrooms had to be small when the balconies could have been at least 25% smaller. The pool area has a Miami feel, with plenty of greenery and trees. The air intake and exhaust are among the best in the city. The apartments get clean air, and with a deep AC cleaning every year, the air can feel especially fresh even in Dubai's sandy weather. There used to be a bar, but it's closed now. Arasi, the lobby cafe, is trying to be a stylish place with good food and lounge-style work space. Parking is clean, and security and the owners have been very accommodating about letting us store boxes, small storage units and tires behind our spaces. It's a busy building, with Careem drivers and service workers, from cleaners to gardeners, coming and going all the time. The residents are generally young, upbeat and rich. There are a few airline captains and some families with children, though not many. My kids don't have much to do here beyond the pool. There's no playground, game room or table tennis, and no sauna, which feels like a big omission for a building like this. The gym has a superb wooden parquet floor, with none of the bad smell you get from worn rubber flooring in some JVC buildings. Equipment-wise it's standard, with four treadmills, two stationary bikes, a rowing machine, and a few chest, press and arm machines, plus dumbbells. Beyond that, it's just the pool, cafe and outdoor seating. A sauna would be easy to add, and a kids' playroom would be welcome too. Still, with the atmosphere, balcony sunsets and park runs around the building, I'd call it one of Dubai's best in this retro Jetsons-meets-future-Persia style. I wish management took better care of the corridors, dealt with mold in piping areas and kept up with refreshing this seven-year-old building.