Ramhan Island villas in Abu Dhabi: Eagle Hills, the Ritz-Carlton Reserve and where the project stands in 2026

Ramhan Island is a natural island between Saadiyat and Yas that a single company is developing end to end: Eagle Hills, the private vehicle of Emaar founder Mohamed Alabbar. Villa sales opened in February 2023. In July 2024 a second story arrived when Marriott International signed the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the UAE for the island.

What was sold in 2023

Phase one offered detached villas of three to seven bedrooms, many with beach access or marina views, from roughly USD 1.74–1.78m — about AED 6.5m for a three-bedroom home. Payment plans put 40% or more on handover, and the first phase was promised for Q1 2026. The master plan runs to roughly 1,800 villas plus marina residences, a retail promenade and several hotels. Because the island is natural rather than reclaimed, mangroves and existing beaches are kept — the strongest argument against the artificial islands nearby.

The Ritz-Carlton Reserve

The Reserve will occupy its own islet within Ramhan: 50 villas of one to four bedrooms, including what are billed as the region's first floating villas, with opening slated for 2029. Reserve is the most exclusive tier of the Ritz-Carlton brand, with only a handful of properties worldwide. For owners of ordinary villas on the island, an operator of this level is a price anchor — it signals confidence in future visitor numbers. For a buyer of a branded villa the logic is different: you are paying for the operator's service and scarcity, not for price-per-foot growth.

Status in September 2026

	Promised	Now
First villas	Q1 2026	late 2026, bulk in 2027 (per portals)
Access	road bridge	bridge under construction; ferry for now
Ritz-Carlton Reserve	2029	unchanged
Three-bedroom villa	≈ AED 6.5m at launch	from AED 10m in the offers we see

The roughly one-year delay hurts anyone who planned to rent quickly. The price move helps anyone who bought early. That fits the wider Abu Dhabi picture: according to the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, residential sales in H1 2026 reached AED 70.4bn, nearly triple a year earlier, with repeat-sale villa prices up 12% year on year.

Who it suits

• Families looking for a second home by the sea with nature around it rather than a neighbouring tower.
• Long-horizon investors (five years plus): the island's value unlocks once the bridge, marina and hotels are running.
• Not for short-term income: there is no rental market on the island yet.

In August 2026 Eagle Hills also confirmed it will develop Lulu Island off the Corniche, which suggests the developer is deepening its commitment to the capital. For the broader comparison, see Abu Dhabi or Dubai: where it makes more sense to buy.

Prices, listings and photos: Ramhan Island.