# Another thread about someone moving to Dubai



## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Hello all. I have been visiting this site for a while and learned a lot, for that i want to thank you guys. Like the title says, this is another thread about someone moving to Dubai, but I will not be asking you guys to let me know if I got a good deal on my salary package, etc. However, I would like some help in other areas....

I move to Dubai in early March and have already been looking on Dubizzle and other sites for a place to live, furniture, and a car. I will be moving by myself and just wondering about a few things:
1. Where to Live - I have looked at the JLT Towers, The Palm, Emirates Hills, etc... My job is near The Mall of the Emirates, so someplace close by where I can get a 1-2 bedroom apartment for AED90-130k. I know most places have gyms and swimming pools, but I also want/need to get back into shape, so I would like to be around a place that has basketball courts (which are apparently hard to find in Dubai) and/or a football field/pitch. 
2. Type of Car - Is there an advantage of getting an SUV over a car? I don't want anything flashy, just something practical that gets me form home to work... what can i get in the $20-35k range (USD)?
3. Where to buy electronics? I am kinda a geek, so I need my gadget fix every so often... Let me know where you guys go to buy tvs, stereos, etc. 

I have other questions, but I think most of them have been preliminarily answered in other threads and discussions... but if i need clarification, I will let you guys know...
I will figure out where to head out for a drink, party, eat, etc when I get there... I will check in periodically... Let me know...


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## Jumeirah Jim (Jan 24, 2011)

indoMLA said:


> Hello all. I have been visiting this site for a while and learned a lot, for that i want to thank you guys. Like the title says, this is another thread about someone moving to Dubai, but I will not be asking you guys to let me know if I got a good deal on my salary package, etc. However, I would like some help in other areas....
> 
> I move to Dubai in early March and have already been looking on Dubizzle and other sites for a place to live, furniture, and a car. I will be moving by myself and just wondering about a few things:
> 1. Where to Live - I have looked at the JLT Towers, The Palm, Emirates Hills, etc... My job is near The Mall of the Emirates, so someplace close by where I can get a 1-2 bedroom apartment for AED90-130k. I know most places have gyms and swimming pools, but I also want/need to get back into shape, so I would like to be around a place that has basketball courts (which are apparently hard to find in Dubai) and/or a football field/pitch.
> ...


Hi, in answer to your questions:

1. I don't think many such places exist in Dubai. You could try the apartments attached to the Metropolitan Hotel on SZR as there is a baseball/football ground attached to the hotel which you may be able to use if you join a club which plays there. If you can live without the field look at The Greens, The Palm and Dubai Marina which are all achievable on your budget and near to MoE. If you want to save $ look at JLT and Al Barsha. 

2. SUVs may be safer on the roads here. The standard if driving is dire and you might get cut up slightly less often in a bigger car and will come off better when(not if) you get caught up in an accident. 

3. Buy everything you can ship in the US. No good deals here even though no sales tax. Even if you pay the shipping probably still cheaper to get from the US. 

Good luck


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## Lita_Rulez (Nov 4, 2010)

Jumeirah Jim said:


> Hi, in answer to your questions:
> 
> 1. I don't think many such places exist in Dubai. You could try the apartments attached to the Metropolitan Hotel on SZR as there is a baseball/football ground attached to the hotel which you may be able to use if you join a club which plays there. If you can live without the field look at The Greens, The Palm and Dubai Marina which are all achievable on your budget and near to MoE. If you want to save $ look at JLT and Al Barsha.
> 
> ...


1. Basketball courts are a nightmare to find. There is one hoop included in the courtyard of one of the Greens community blocks, but no lines, no safety (kidds are liable to cross from the slides to their door anytime of the day), and not a whole lot of room to play to begin with. I would not base my choice of a place on this lonely hoop alone 

As for where to find a place, well I am starting to think that I leave in the only nice building in Al Barsha. But if you can find the same kind of place, I do believe it is the bast place of all the proposed ones (by far) to be living in.
I live 5 minutes walk door to door from the Mall of Emirates. No need to take the car to go to the movies, to go shopping, the DUCTAC (Dubai Comunity Theatre and Arts Center) which has the largest selection of art and hobby classes you can find in Dubai is there as well, and with the new part they have opened, there are 10 new restaurants to choose from. I will basically only take my car to go grocery shopping. This kind of freedom from a car in Dubai is (in my opinion) real luxury.

The palm, except for the kick of saying "I live on the Palm" is one of the worst place to live for me. Nothing around there. No movies, no activities, no sport, no bars, no restaurants, no sidewalks, nothing. You forgot your bread ? Take your car for 40 minutes...

The Marina is nice. If you can manage to find a spot in one of the buildings with a view on the gulf or on the Marina itself, it can be spectacular. And you will be in walking distance from the beach, and from "the walk" (little avenue they have developed for people to walk next to the beach and find restaurants and cafes with a terrace). Then again, any activity will require you to drive quite a way, and the traffic in the evening and on the week end is a nightmare as everyone seems to think that you need to go to the walk in your car...

Jumeirah Lake Towers (that's what "JLT" stands for, most people here seem to forget when advising some newcomers that "JLT" is not universal for Dubai Real Estate, and is more likely to mean "Jalapeño, Lettuce and Tomato" to the rest of the world...) is going to be cheaper, but from what I have heard you need to be as picky about the building as in Al Barsha, and the whole development is build as a ring compound : only one entrance and one exit, you have to go around the whole thing every time you want in or out...


2. I agree with JJ on this one : SUV is the way to go. When I got here closing in on 5 years ago, I wanted to save on car money, and just get a small one to get me from A to B. After driving a rental for a month and seeing that most SUV (a solid 40% of the cars here) were unlikely to care that my head was at the height of their bumpers when they decide to cross 4 lanes to exit at the last second, I went the SUV route. Haven't regretted it since.
For your budget, you will find you are in a very comfortable second hand market.


3. I have to completely disagree with JJ on this one. While it may not be cheaper by a comfortable margin to buy here, it will by all means be easier. At worst, you will find comparable prices (though not as large a selection, and if you are a die-hard geek, often find a generation gap in the latest gadgets because of the way business is run in the UAE). But by sticking to the right stores, and the right sales, you'll get by (hey, I did :eyebrows.
Plus, let's face it, making all you electronics work on a 220 Volt main is not exactly a walk in the woods. It only takes one laps in judgment to fry it


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Lita_Rulez said:


> 1. Basketball courts are a nightmare to find. There is one hoop included in the courtyard of one of the Greens community blocks, but no lines, no safety (kidds are liable to cross from the slides to their door anytime of the day), and not a whole lot of room to play to begin with. I would not base my choice of a place on this lonely hoop alone


Yeah, i am not going to base my decision on a hoop or a field to play on, but on the conveniences of the highway, stores, and other amenities. I think all the apartment complexes should have pools and gyms, so I should be good. Also, i am sure that once I get my bearings, I will meet up with a few of your guys and take it from there.



Lita_Rulez said:


> As for where to find a place, well I am starting to think that I leave in the only nice building in Al Barsha. But if you can find the same kind of place, I do believe it is the bast place of all the proposed ones (by far) to be living in.
> I live 5 minutes walk door to door from the Mall of Emirates. No need to take the car to go to the movies, to go shopping, the DUCTAC (Dubai Comunity Theatre and Arts Center) which has the largest selection of art and hobby classes you can find in Dubai is there as well, and with the new part they have opened, there are 10 new restaurants to choose from. I will basically only take my car to go grocery shopping. This kind of freedom from a car in Dubai is (in my opinion) real luxury.


I am actually looking in the Al Barsha area, I have stayed in this area for work many times before, so it doesn't seem that bad. I am actually also looking at Emirates Hills near some horse track... 



Lita_Rulez said:


> The palm, except for the kick of saying "I live on the Palm" is one of the worst place to live for me. Nothing around there. No movies, no activities, no sport, no bars, no restaurants, no sidewalks, nothing. You forgot your bread ? Take your car for 40 minutes...


Yeah, good point, will cross that off my list...



Lita_Rulez said:


> The Marina is nice. If you can manage to find a spot in one of the buildings with a view on the gulf or on the Marina itself, it can be spectacular. And you will be in walking distance from the beach, and from "the walk" (little avenue they have developed for people to walk next to the beach and find restaurants and cafes with a terrace). Then again, any activity will require you to drive quite a way, and the traffic in the evening and on the week end is a nightmare as everyone seems to think that you need to go to the walk in your car...


Lol, are these buildings on the beach side of SZR across from JLT?



Lita_Rulez said:


> Jumeirah Lake Towers (that's what "JLT" stands for, most people here seem to forget when advising some newcomers that "JLT" is not universal for Dubai Real Estate, and is more likely to mean "Jalapeño, Lettuce and Tomato" to the rest of the world...) is going to be cheaper, but from what I have heard you need to be as picky about the building as in Al Barsha, and the whole development is build as a ring compound : only one entrance and one exit, you have to go around the whole thing every time you want in or out...


Yeah, did not like the one way in and one way out... that adds time to a commute, but seeing as you can't make left turns in Dubai, this might be worth a look, but it is not on the top of my list of places to live.



Lita_Rulez said:


> 2. I agree with JJ on this one : SUV is the way to go. When I got here closing in on 5 years ago, I wanted to save on car money, and just get a small one to get me from A to B. After driving a rental for a month and seeing that most SUV (a solid 40% of the cars here) were unlikely to care that my head was at the height of their bumpers when they decide to cross 4 lanes to exit at the last second, I went the SUV route. Haven't regretted it since.
> For your budget, you will find you are in a very comfortable second hand market.


Yeah, I think I would go with a SUV, but I really want a truck, but don't see many in Dubai the last few times i have been here. What is the smallest SUV that you guys would get? Would a CRV/RAV4 be enough or do you need something like an Explorer/Xterra to do anything? Like I said before, I am single and I don't want to waste a lot of money on a huge car... I am looking at the Explorer, but it is a bit expensive....



Lita_Rulez said:


> 3. I have to completely disagree with JJ on this one. While it may not be cheaper by a comfortable margin to buy here, it will by all means be easier. At worst, you will find comparable prices (though not as large a selection, and if you are a die-hard geek, often find a generation gap in the latest gadgets because of the way business is run in the UAE). But by sticking to the right stores, and the right sales, you'll get by (hey, I did :eyebrows.
> Plus, let's face it, making all you electronics work on a 220 Volt main is not exactly a walk in the woods. It only takes one laps in judgment to fry it


I think I am going to just buy stuff stateside and have friend/family send me the items or just pick them up when I go home, which should be pretty frequently...
Might need you guys to let me know where to pick up a tv and other electronics I need sooner than later...

Thanks for the replies, guys.... Look forward to living in Dubai and meeting new people...


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## Raytrace (Feb 16, 2011)

indoMLA said:


> Yeah, i am not going to base my decision on a hoop or a field to play on, but on the conveniences of the highway, stores, and other amenities. I think all the apartment complexes should have pools and gyms, so I should be good. Also, i am sure that once I get my bearings, I will meet up with a few of your guys and take it from there.
> 
> 
> I am actually looking in the Al Barsha area, I have stayed in this area for work many times before, so it doesn't seem that bad. I am actually also looking at Emirates Hills near some horse track...
> ...


Hi indoMLA,

I'm in roughly the same situation as you. Mine's slightly different though; I have a wife and son, so would be going for a villa rather than an apartment, so I would most prbably be based in the springs. Al Barsha is good, but is not in a compound area, so there will be less amenities. I am going to be based in Tecom, which is very near to the MoE.

I'm aiming to get a Toyota Fortuner; about 2-3 years old for myself, and probably a smaller car for my wife (she's got her eyes on the Audi A4).

I am a gadgets geek myself, and during my visit earlier this year, I managed to track down a couple of places; the Electronics souq is pretty good, as is the area around Karama. I'm sure I saw some smaller pockets when I was driving around, but it looks quite promising.  The only thing I could not find are the DIY type "fixes" like chipboards and resistors, but I was told that you can get them at DragonMart; naturally I have not verified this point yet.

I'll be moving over on the 9th of March. When is your move?

Thanks!


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

indoMLA said:


> Yeah, i am not going to base my decision on a hoop or a field to play on, but on the conveniences of the highway, stores, and other amenities. I think all the apartment complexes should have pools and gyms, so I should be good. Also, i am sure that once I get my bearings, I will meet up with a few of your guys and take it from there.
> 
> 
> I am actually looking in the Al Barsha area, I have stayed in this area for work many times before, so it doesn't seem that bad. I am actually also looking at Emirates Hills near some horse track...
> ...


The palm, except for the kick of saying "I live on the Palm" is one of the worst place to live for me. Nothing around there. No movies, no activities, no sport, no bars, no restaurants, no sidewalks, nothing. You forgot your bread ? Take your car for 40 minutes...

Ok there are currently 7 bars and restaurants on the trunk of the Palm, all open and serving a variety of food and beverages. On the Crescent of the Palm Atlantis alone has several high end bars and restaurants, along with the newly opened Zabeel Saray and the One and Only Royal Mirage. There are sidewalks through every development on the Palm, not to mention that the crescent is 12k long with sidewalks down the entire lenth on both sides of the road. There is a bustling social scene on the Palm, and an abundance of similar people from similar backgrounds, something you may not find so easily in Tecom/Barsha. Not to mention the horrific build quality that dogs those areas.

Just keep an open mind till you get here and have a good luck around. For me the Palm is ideal as it offers peace and quiet when you need it, yet can also offer the best in nightlife and socialising when you fancy it.


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## DubaiATC (Jun 26, 2010)

The Marina is nice. If you can manage to find a spot in one of the buildings with a view on the gulf or on the Marina itself, it can be spectacular. And you will be in walking distance from the beach, and from "the walk" (little avenue they have developed for people to walk next to the beach and find restaurants and cafes with a terrace). 



indoMLA said:


> Lol, are these buildings on the beach side of SZR across from JLT?


I live on the north side of the marina across Jumeirah Beach Road from Murjan in JBR. It is a fantastic location, definitely with all the "spectacular" benefits mentioned in the above post. I have a view of the Palm Jumeirah and the Atlantis from my bedroom and a great view of the marina looking southwest from the living area and balcony. As I'm sure you're already aware, rents have come down a lot and there are plenty of 1BR apartments in the marina in the 55-60,000 range. (Check Sulafa Tower for large apartments with low rents, new building too) You can even get in some "premium" buildings now for 70-80, approximately. I live at Park Island, which is a very nice EMAAR property and I have seen 1BRs here recently for 60K. Not sure about 2 BRs, but Dubizzle is your friend.

IMO, Al Barsha seems to be a step down from the marina and other areas in numerous ways. Sure, you'd be closer to work, but if your quality of life goes down, is it worth it? I know you said you've "stayed there" for work, but living there is quite different. Not sure which thread it was in, but I did see a post recently by someone saying they thought they lived in the ONLY good building in al Barsha (not an exact quote) and there was reference to the build quality.

Good luck!


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

I think everything has already been said about the different areas. I am not 100% certain as we went through a large number of units/buildings before deciding on one - but I think The Promenade buildings in the Marina might actually have a basketball court as well as a gym/pool. If someone lives in the Promenade, they can probably confirm or if Yoga Girl stumbles upon this thread, she will confirm because I know it's her DREAM to 'move up' to those buildings lol. Plus I think the rent is deff with in your range - We were looking at a 2 bedroom on a high floor with decent view for around 120ish ... I am sure we could have negotiated it down.

Goodluck and welcome to Dubai.


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

I have finally arrived and living in a hotel sucks like mad. 
Now to get going on looking for a place to call home.


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## Raytrace (Feb 16, 2011)

indoMLA said:


> I have finally arrived and living in a hotel sucks like mad.
> Now to get going on looking for a place to call home.


Mate,

Which hotel are you bunking in? I'm planning to give easyHotel @ Jebel Ali a shot; cheap and did I mention cheap?


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Raytrace said:


> Mate,
> 
> Which hotel are you bunking in? I'm planning to give easyHotel @ Jebel Ali a shot; cheap and did I mention cheap?


I am in a hotel apartment provided by my company. The place is not bad, I just hate having to lock up all my stuff every time I leave for the day... I might be a bit paranoid, but I got some decent stuff I don't want walking away.... I also want to be comfortable and rest in my own bed, sofa, and watch my own damn tv.


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Sorry to bump my own thread, but did not want to start another one when we have discussed places to live in this one...

I have looked at quite a few places and have narrowed my choices to three areas:
1. The Greens & The Views (as they call it on Dubizzle). 
2. JBR
3. The Marina

The Greens seem to be real nice with views of the Golf courses and pool and decent sized apartments. However, this place appears to be a place for families to hang out and I don't see a lot in the way of restaurants, bars/pubs, and other stuff single folks do... But this place is close and I can be at work in 10 minutes or sooner...

The Marina and JBR, have all the bars/pubs, restaurants, places to chill at, etc. that are real appealing to me, but I have witnessed that some of the buildings there are hit or miss. In JBR, I have been told that it gets crowded on the weekends and also that the towers are tall and there are not enough elevators to service the number of residences that live in the area. I also heard that some towers in JBR and Marina smell like sewage (I have actually encountered one apartment that had this smell). 

Are there specific buildings in these areas that I should look at and/or be aware of? I was told to check out the Jewel, DG Tower, and there were certain towers mentioned to me in the string of JBR towers... For the Greens, I have been told to check out the Golf towers...

Furthermore, I have been informed to be cognizant of who the builder is as some use cheap materials... Some say Emaar and Nikhil are the best, but one agent told me the new Emaar apartments are not good as they started to skimp on quality of materials used....

If you guys can assist me in what I should be looking for, it would be appreciated... thanks.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

indoMLA said:


> The Greens seem to be real nice with views of the Golf courses and pool and decent sized apartments. However, this place appears to be a place for families to hang out and I don't see a lot in the way of restaurants, bars/pubs, and other stuff single folks do... But this place is close and I can be at work in 10 minutes or sooner...
> 
> For the Greens, I have been told to check out the Golf towers...


The Greens is definitely more family oriented. However, you can always take a taxi when you want to go out drinking - however, definitely it is not the same as just being able to get down from your apartment and walk to the hotel next door like in JBR or some places in the Marina. In terms of commute, all three locations are close by so will not affect your commute time much whichever location you choose.

In terms of buildings in Greens, all are built by Emaar so quality is consistent (or consistently lacking  ). Golf towers and couple of buildings next to it are technically in The Views - they are the newer part of Greens. Then there are the semi new Arno, Travo, Turia and the new Mosela and Tanaro. While you can't go wrong choosing any of the apartments in Greens, I would personally limit my search to these buildings (the new and the semi new)


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## DubaiATC (Jun 26, 2010)

indoMLA said:


> The Marina and JBR, have all the bars/pubs, restaurants, places to chill at, etc. that are real appealing to me, but I have witnessed that some of the buildings there are hit or miss.
> 
> Are there specific buildings in these areas that I should look at and/or be aware of?


I live at Park Island, an EMAAR property across Jumeirah Beach Road from Murjan/JBR and The Noodle Room restaurant. Park Island is a great place to live. The build quality is excellent and I have no complaints. 

Any time I have needed something in my apartment attended to I have gotten fast service from the maintenance personnel, including the installation of a new tiolet because there was a crack in the front of the existing one that leaked when it was flushed. I was a bit concerned about that because I didn't call about it until I had lived there for over 6 months. (It is in the half-bath in the entry that I just did not use) But they asked no questions about that at all and promptly put in a brand new toilet.

The location is fantastic. Very close to all the "bars/pubs, restaurants, places to chill" that you mentioned. When the World Cup was going on I had just moved in and didn't have TV set up yet, but it was just a 5-minute walk to one of numerous places to catch the games.

There is a gym with new, high quality equipment, including a Precor FTS Glide, which I love. There are 3 treadmills, 2 eliptical machines, 2 stationary bikes and a rowing machine. There's also a separate yoga/pilates/whatever room. The pool area is really nice as well; not your cookie cutter rectangular pool but three infiniti-style pools that loook great with the marina water as a backdrop. There's also a kids' wading pool and a shower.

Perhaps the best thing about Park Island (right now) is how much the rents have come down. A few days ago I saw a 1BR advertised on Dubizzle for 58,000, which is the first time I have seen anything in Park Island below 60,000. (I look periodically because I will probably move to a different apartment within Park Island when my lease is up in June)

I hope this helps.


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

The Greens is very nice and lot of singles or young couples live there as well, you see them all the time jogging around the lake. I quite like the area and if you want restaurants or bars you can always take a 5-10 cab ride to Tecom or The Marina. But if you want these at walking distance then you need to be at Marina/JBR.


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks for all the responses, guys (and gals)...
I will keep looking, but I think I am leaning more toward the Greens; Hopefully in one of the towers that overlook the golf course and the new Dubai city skyline...

.....now on to vehicles.... please look to see this thread get bumped in the future....


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## aahaan ali (Mar 8, 2011)

Hi,

Hope you are doing great,

what kind of job are you doing. 

About your living in dubai.... Emirates Hills is the best place in dubai for living, you can find everthing there. and there is a basketball ground also.
if you want from informationg about dubai. i will help you.


Have a nice day and Best Regard for Now
Aahaan


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## tallbaldblue (Apr 11, 2011)

Hello all. I have been visiting this site for a while and learned a lot, for that i want to thank you guys. Like the title says, this is another thread about someone moving to Dubai, but I will not be asking you guys to let me know if I got a good deal on my salary package, etc. However, I would like some help in other areas....

I move to Dubai in early March and have already been looking on Dubizzle and other sites for a place to live, furniture, and a car. I will be moving by myself and just wondering about a few things:
1. Where to Live - I have looked at the JLT Towers, The Palm, Emirates Hills, etc... M

There is a basketball ct. in a park next to Ridges Hotel near Satwa Rdabt, u may not find accomodation very close to there, but the metro goes near ur work.....


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## tallbaldblue (Apr 11, 2011)

indoMLA said:


> I have finally arrived and living in a hotel sucks like mad.
> Now to get going on looking for a place to call home.
> 
> Haven't heard of anyone losing anything in a hotel, I suppose u cd ask the mgmt to see ur inventory and guarantee it in some way. Tourism is a big deal here so the police would be tough on this....


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