# Al Reem, Al Raha or Other



## xnaseemx

Hi,
First thank you to everyone on here, I have spent weeks reading and learning and finally decided to post questions that I am still unsure about.

My husband and I are moving to Abu Dhabi. My husband is currently there and I will join him in a month. We are looking for a place to live..

We are both in our late 20s and newly married, not big clubbers or drinkers but do like cafes and being social, and I like shopping 

We would like a place that isn't too far from everything and our budget is around 100-130,000 for the year, we are looking for a 2 bedroom apartment.

From what I have read I have narrowed it down to a few places:

Al Reem Island: hopefully the sky/sun tower though I know that is cutting it close with our budget. (other tower recommendations would be appreciated)

Al Raha Beach: Expensive but seems that you get the most bang for your buck and from what I have seen kitchens are already furnished which does save us some money..

Would anyone recommend other towers? I would love a nice pool and my husband would love a gym.. we would also like a place that is reliable, we do not want to deal with maintenance issues regularly

does anyone know anything about Khor Al Raha? I have been unable to find a lot on that...

Thank you in advance


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## earthworm88

Hello, welcome to the forum!

I am not familiar with Al Reem island, but the buildings generally command slightly higher price per sq footage due to its proximity to the city center. Some buildings are of higher quality in finishing and therefore fetch a higher price, and they may be of smaller sizes say compared to Al Raha Beach. There is still a lot of construction happening on the island, and still have plenty of supply in your price range (though closer to 130k and up), it is just a matter of preference for floor plan, location, size etc. 

Al Raha Beach is definitely less crowded and more exclusive, and is getting expensive. The least expensive of the 3 communities would be Al Muneera. Their finishing is quite nice, and all the white goods are provided in the unit. It is a short walk across the bridge to the beach and lots of restaurants. The 2 BD apartments currently run in the range of 140-160k depending on the building, floor and facing direction. They are managed by Khidmah which is a "subsidiary" (for lack of a better term) of the developer Aldar. The owners/landlords are required to go through Khidmah legitimately for the renting (external agents will work with the Khidmah agents), part of the requirement is that the apartment must have maintenance contract in place in order to proceed with the tenancy contract. Since the community is at least 2 years old, all the initial snags have been addressed by now. So it will only be daily maintenance issues such as cleaning of AC filters that you need to call maintenance team for which is only a phone call away. Shared pool and gym are quite decent, and they just opened the sauna and steam room facility there as well. 

Where you work will also be a deciding factor as because these two locations are far apart. I have friends living in both areas, and they totally love where they are at. 

Khor Al Raha essentially is Al Raha Beach  Khor in Arabic mean creek, watercourse, or bay. 

It is best to check them out in person to get a feel of the community etc. 

Best of luck with your search and your move!


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## rsinner

At a budget of 100-130K you might struggle to get something in Al Raha Beach, but might get something in Al Reem. 
Unfortunately given the recent rent hikes, 130K will probably not get you into the better or larger apartments, but will easily get you a good 2 bed. There are threads on the forum about the various building so worth doing a search.
I am assuming you have already checked out dubizzle.com and propertyfinder.ae


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## blue2002

If you can adjust your budget to the realities of Al Raha, then Saadiyat Beach Residences might also fit in the bracket (ca. 150-175K / 2 bdrm). Each one of the locations (Saadiyat Island, Al Raha, Al Reem) are very different communities. It may be worth visiting all three to develop one's own point of view. We chose Saadiyat Beach Residences earlier this year for the following top reasons:
1) Low-rise buildings (5 floors)
2) Walking areas inside and outside of the compound
3) Higher standard than Al Muneera (albeit that is often in the eye of the beholder)
4) A relatively quiet area
5) A great kiddie pool
The biggest advantage to Al Muneera is - in my opinion - the private beach. On Saadiyat we unfrotunately have to (a) drive 5 min to the public beach and (b) pay to enter it. First world problems, I dare say. ;-)


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## metmanph

For a young couple, I would suggest Corniche, Khalidiya or Reem Island. 2-beds in new buildings with pool and gym are widely available at the top end of your price range.

I've no experience of Raha facilities, but do note it is a fair distance from Abu Dhabi downtown. Might suit you though if you work near the airport, or have to travel to Dubai frequently. 

You would benefit enormously from checking into a hotel for a week and visiting the different areas to form your own view.


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## AlexDhabi

I pay over 150K for my 2 bedroom in Sun Tower and I believe there is a waiting list for flats at Sun and Sky. One block you should view is Gate Tower, a complex of 3 towers just across the road. Khidmah is the agent for all these built by Sorouh, now taken over by Aldar, the builder at Al Raha.
TDC is the developer of Saadiyat BR. They also have properties at Eastern Mangroves. Last time I checked they are cheaper than Saadiyat. Anyway I think Saadiyat is too far out unless you happen to work on the same island. People I know choose SBR as cats and dogs are allowed.


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## LaurieM

Depends on whether you really want to be in the centre, will you be working in the city? We have friends who live on Reem Island and love it but their apartment is very small for what they pay. We live in a 2 bed apartment in Al Reef Vills and really like it, we have a spacious apartment and we are only 10 minutes from Yas Island which has loads of nice cafés, bars and things to do and the drive to work (20 mins) is a lot less hectic than if we lived in the city. I think the prices in Al Reef are maybe a bit closer to your price range but they are definitely on the rise!


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## xnaseemx

thanks for all the great info. We ended up going with a 1 bedroom in the gate towers. 

We booked a hotel and within a few days i made it my mission to travel around all of abu dhabi and check out as many apartments as I could. Gate towers is still new and the gyms have yet to open but for the price and location it seemed to best fit our needs  We should be moving in within a week or 2


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## barnabybleach

Can anyone advise on the status of amenities, shops, cafes etc on Al Reem? It seems there are some decent enough 2Br places in Marina Square area for around 130k, but is everything nearby still "coming soon"?


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## rsinner

barnabybleach said:


> Can anyone advise on the status of amenities, shops, cafes etc on Al Reem? It seems there are some decent enough 2Br places in Marina Square area for around 130k, but is everything nearby still "coming soon"?


There is a good supermarket (Geant) in Marina Square (and a bank and a high end flower shop and a laundry and a pharmacy). Other than that, you can get to Boutik Mall under Sun and Sky Towers (on Reem Island) with a 5 minute drive. It has a Waitrose, a bunch of restaurants, and certain other useful things (e.g. salons).


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## Andy17

barnabybleach said:


> Can anyone advise on the status of amenities, shops, cafes etc on Al Reem? It seems there are some decent enough 2Br places in Marina Square area for around 130k, but is everything nearby still "coming soon"?


 As rsinner says otherwise the main mall in Marina Sqare is "coming soon" and has been since we moved into Tala Tower last September. Al Whada mall is a short drive away and has all the usual shops including a large lulu's supermarket.


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## mikey1978

Hi all

Greetings from Melbourne. I just joined!

Reading this info is great. I will be working at Etihad head office starting next month so have the same queries re locations. Will be good to get there and check it all out but thinking city area / corniche / tca from what I've been reading anyway.

Will figure out how to get to Etihad and all the other ins and outs of the place once I'm there I guess


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