# Marina Square Reem Island Shops/Restaurants etc



## playhookie

Just wanted to let everyone know that there is now a beauty salon on the communal gardens/pool level in Building 6 in Marina Square (Marina Heights 1 or 2 - I don't know - none of them are labelled!). It's the middle of the 5 towers which are on one side of the pool/garden area. It is called Macroon Saloon [sic] - and offers massages, waxing, nails etc. No facials or shellac/gelish yet, although I imagine if there is demand that will be added. They have two hairdressing chairs, but no prices listed for hair services yet... I had a brilliant massage there the day before yesterday - definitely recommended. It is round the front near the place where taxis drop off - each building has a space for a shop there, and one other shows signs of something else coming soon (while a couple are still completely empty with the glass windows still transparent).

Also, just to have it in one place, there are now the following places open that I have found so far in Marina Square (Nov 14):

Downstairs at the parking level:
- Geant supermarket (inside) - this is a supermarket not a hypermarket (very small selection of electricals only).
- French style pharmacy opposite the supermarket with all the French skincare brands! (inside)
- cash point opposite the supermarket (inside)
- Currency exchange opposite the supermarket (inside)
- 800 Pizza (outside)
- Burger Bureau (outside)
- Flower shop (outside)
- Bank (outside) - sorry, didn't notice the name, just that it wasn't our bank...
- Dentist (outside)

- a shawarma place is coming soon - although I'm not holding my breath!

There is also a Laundry/Dry Cleaner at the pool/garden level of Building 8 - which charges 5 dirhams for washing and ironing a shirt. Cheaper than London prices and will do until we sort out a washing machine!

There appears to be no work at all going on on the Paragon Bay Mall or the hotel complex - although they were washing the windows the other day, so maintenance is at least happening. 

I'll update this post as and when I notice any other new shops here.


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## playhookie

I forgot to say I also found the bus stop yesterday - from the pool/garden level go along to Building 8 and down the ramp part-way - when you turn left to start going in a spiral you will see a door on your right. Go in the door and down the stairs all the way to the ground floor (this comes out near the entrance to the bank). Go out and cross the road, go past the villas and around to the main road in the direction of the bridge - and the bus stop is right there. Currently it is a stop with a little tent-like awning with one bench - not air-conditioned. 007 (henceforth known by me as the James Bond Bus) and 063 stop there every 10 mins - both go to Marina Mall eventually. I got the James Bond Bus and the very first stop was HSBC. A couple of stops later and you're at Abu Dhabi Mall. It took over an hour to get to Marina Mall, but it was worth it for orientation purposes. The system is one where you need the right change to drop in the box when you get on (no tickets issued), and as I didn't have change, only a 5 dirham note, the driver just waved me on! I've now got lots of change, so next time I'll put in 4d (bus fare is 2d). It seems like busses aren't used by many Westerners, although coming from London and as yet car-less I have no problems using the bus... The security guard who showed me the best route did look at me like I was an alien when I asked how to get to the bus stop though!


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## Ensky Read

Thanks for the information


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## The druid

Hi.....we are moving to AD in Jan and will eventually be living in an apartment in the Gate Towers complex..... CCAD hospital putting us up in a hotel initially if its not ready. My wife has asked if anyone living there can tell us things like you have about that area. She is particularly interested in good hair/massage salons and supermarkets etc....in other words the day to day important stuff !!! We plan to get monthly bus passes to get around initially .... is this a good way to get round town ?? Thanks


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## playhookie

The druid said:


> Hi.....we are moving to AD in Jan and will eventually be living in an apartment in the Gate Towers complex..... CCAD hospital putting us up in a hotel initially if its not ready. My wife has asked if anyone living there can tell us things like you have about that area. She is particularly interested in good hair/massage salons and supermarkets etc....in other words the day to day important stuff !!! We plan to get monthly bus passes to get around initially .... is this a good way to get round town ?? Thanks


Well, having only been here just over a week, I'm not sure how good my opinion will be! However, I have been to Boutik Mall (which is at the base of the Gate Towers) and there is a Waitrose in there (lovely but expensive - Geant is much cheaper, as are the Co-op in Abu Dhabi Mall or Lulu in Al Wahda Mall), as well as two salons (I went to get a pedicure at one of them on my second day here as I hadn't found the one in Marina Square yet - 70 dirhams for an excellent pedicure). The Boutik Mall is much more "open" than the Marina Square one although it is still not fully open, so you should be fine for day to day stuff. There are several restaurants and cafes in there (my husband went to one with a colleague before I got here called Smoking Doll which he said was rather good although it was definitely "fusion" whatever he meant by that!) although no cinema as yet. The nearest cinema appears to be the one at Abu Dhabi Mall. I'm soon to go off to find a hairdresser - I've heard good things about Glamour Salon over on the main island so I was going to book in the next couple of days, and will report back!

By the way, the Cleveland Clinic is right next to a very exclusive mall called the Galleria which has some quite nice restaurants in it for fine dining... (also a vitally important part of everyday life!!!)

The buses from Reem only go along to Marina Mall, one along the Corniche and one through town, so you'd have to change somewhere if you wanted to go in a different direction and most bus stops that I saw were not air-conditioned... Fine for January when you first arrive, but probably not later on in the year... 

You can find the bus route maps on the Abu Dhabi Bus Services website http://www.dot.abudhabi.ae/ckfinder/userfiles/files/AD Map 13-6-2013(3).pdf 

I've not got a car yet as I'm waiting to see just how expensive life is here before committing to either leasing or buying a car, and have found it just fine to get around by taxi (they really are cheap!) or occasionally by bus - and my husband is taxi-ing daily to work as well (he works well away from anywhere the buses go so they are not even slightly helpful for him). It can be a bit difficult to get taxis to come at the time they are booked - and they are a bit thin on the ground for flagging down at 7am, so getting a car is definitely on our agenda at some point in the near future. 

Hope all that rambling on has helped!


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## playhookie

Just a quick update to say that a Doner & Gyro looks as though it is about to open next to the Pharmacy/opposite the Geant. They had their metal blind half-way up showing the interior having been done and chairs and tables ready for use... They also had a delivery bike parked in the car park...


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## The druid

Brilliant......keep us posted.....sounds like we might have fun exploring. We doing same re car......wait and see before committing to one


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## playhookie

Doner & Gyros opened today (14 Dec 2014)!


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## The druid

Elaine is smiling abt that !! Keep exploring......looking fwd to doing same when we get there


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## AlexDhabi

If you are living at Gate Towers you are unlikely to ever go to Marina Sq to the shops since the mall at Sun/Sky called Boutik is so much bigger and better. Some highlights from my perspective:
- Nail Art Salon on ground floor
- Waitrose
- Smoking Doll (excellent Thai restaurant)
- Italianissimo (excellent Italian restaurant)
- Leopolds of London, La Brioche and others (coffee shops/cafes)
- Hoi An (Vietnamese restaurant)
- Pharmacy
- Currency exchange
- Small electrical goods/mobile shop
- Men's hairdresser
- NBAD branch and 2 ATMs
- also fast food places upstairs like subway and another salon
Front of Boutik (other side to Gate) is the bus terminus where you can easily (although rather slowly) get to Marina Mall or Abu Dhabi Mall.


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## The druid

Sounds great thanks......think we owe u lunch for all the info you are giving us


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## playhookie

Two more stores are currently finishing off their premises interiors:

BShawarma [sic] - outside near the flower shop - they are still doing the interior and when I went past it looked pretty much like they'd only just got started.

Axiom - inside next to the currency exchange - this looks closer to opening as they've got their store front nearly finished as well.


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## playhookie

AlexDhabi said:


> If you are living at Gate Towers you are unlikely to ever go to Marina Sq to the shops since the mall at Sun/Sky called Boutik is so much bigger and better. Some highlights from my perspective:
> - Nail Art Salon on ground floor
> - Waitrose
> - Smoking Doll (excellent Thai restaurant)
> - Italianissimo (excellent Italian restaurant)
> - Leopolds of London, La Brioche and others (coffee shops/cafes)
> - Hoi An (Vietnamese restaurant)
> - Pharmacy
> - Currency exchange
> - Small electrical goods/mobile shop
> - Men's hairdresser
> - NBAD branch and 2 ATMs
> - also fast food places upstairs like subway and another salon
> Front of Boutik (other side to Gate) is the bus terminus where you can easily (although rather slowly) get to Marina Mall or Abu Dhabi Mall.



Thanks for that info - I think it would be a really good idea to start a new thread with this info for Boutik/Sun and Sky for people living in that development etc as I started this thread for Marina Sq... 

When I last went to Boutik (about a week ago) I saw they were working on a few places including an Art Supplies shop in the entrance area which I'm quite excited about. They've also got a frozen yogurt place opposite the entrance to Waitrose (which is right next to the flower display following that awful, horrendous murder a couple of weeks ago). 

Boutik is a couple of bus stops away from Marina Square/about 4 minutes drive so it isn't out of the way in reality - it depends on what you term convenient of course which depends on perspective too. I think given the few towers which seem to be popping up on Reem which aren't connected to a mall, it is really useful to have a bit of choice locally until the island is fully developed... which will take a while  

I'm not sure I'd agree that Boutik is so much larger than Marina Square though (especially as and when they choose to open Paragon Mall it will have a cinema - I'm not sure Boutik will, do you know?) - it is quite a compact mall and works well for day to day eating out and so on, although you're rather stuck with Waitrose being the only supermarket choice there (and it really is much more expensive than Geant/Lulu/etc - especially the deli - although it does have some brands that Geant doesn't supply so we will be going there every so often to stock up). However, you're right in that currently it is more open than Marina Square is... At any rate, thanks again for your summary of Boutik!


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## The druid

When we get there I think we might. Be nice for others to get a heads up like you have given us


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## playhookie

A new laundry place has opened up inside the mall area, down the corridor opposite Geant (with the currency exchange on the corner) - it is called Modern National Laundry. I found another branch of the White Cat Laundry at the base of Building 2 as well.

It looks like another beauty salon will be opening opposite the yet-to-open Axiom. It has the stands for salon products (TIGI) already there, but empty as yet. 

Axiom still isn't open, but the inside looks pretty much done... Might be any day now...


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## novaexpat

Good info... Have you all purchased clothes or salon services for your children there? Rates?

- NoVAexpat


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