# Active young family - which areas in Abu Dhabi?



## Zonkey (Feb 12, 2016)

Things have got very real very quickly. There is a very nice offer on the table for us to move to Abu Dhabi. We are visiting soon to get a lay of the land and the job itself. 

We are a family with a 5yr old boy and 3yo girl. School wise we will look at British Schools like, Cranleigh, Repton, Brighton etc... 

Working: Corniche

Outdoors:
I know it's hot, and a desert... Gottit thanks! However, we need to get outside.
Riding bikes (MTB and road/triathlon ), swimming, running, kayaking, fishing, walking etc... 
We have big dogs here, but unlikely they will make the move as it's not fair on them. 

Street life:
We live in the suburbs here, and miss the ability to walk from home to the shops to get coffee, newspaper, or whatever... (lived in Putney, London previously). Not a deal breaker though.

LIVING OPTIONS:
We get provided with housing, or an equivalent in allowances. Don't know where or what this is just yet - but apparently it's quite good. 

Must have outside space... preferably a pool. So no apartments etc... only Villas. 

LOCATIONS:
Initially - I like Saadiyat Villas. Would love to be close to the sea, swim, kayak and fish (from kayak), close to cranleigh, easy in to Corniche, new cultural center, decent sized houses (we have quite a big one with a big garden currently). However, it appears a little pricey, quite new ( so no 'vibe') and its suburban living...(isolated).

Then Raha beach area looks alright. A little further out, but I don't know if the sea is conducive to fishing and kayaking. Or much else about the area

Around the mangroves looks okay - but not sure about accessing the water with kayaks, and whether there is a beach there. It also looks more 'in the city' which is maybe not the outdoors feel we'd like. Are the mangroves protected?

Anyway... 

Hopefully someone can give me some direction and feedback. Would be good land in AD with as much info as possible from those in the know. 

Many thanks


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Budget?


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## Racing_Goats (Sep 5, 2015)

From what you've said it sounds like Raha beach might be better - al bandar, Zeina, muneera etc are all nice mostly apartments but there are some townhouses and limited numbers of villas there. Quite expensive though but not sure how so compared to saadiyat. The run over saadiyat highway to corniche is generally pretty easy and quiet, and al Yasmina school in Khalifa city A is closer to Raha beach and well rated.

School run from Saadiyat beach villas to Brighton college would be a pain after a while I think.


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## Racing_Goats (Sep 5, 2015)

Raha beach is also handy for yas circuit and yas park where there are active run and bike sessions every week (train yas at yas marina circuit, and abu dhabi striders iTrain saturday) - yas island has a developing network of bike paths and parks as well as being the base for MTB Abu Dhabi which runs some small events and races. 

Much of raha beach has direct beach access from community waterfront, Al Bandar has a dragon boat community team and there's watersports easily accessible at yas beach (kayak, sailing, windsurfing) - if you were to bring dogs with you there's a few open spaces (sandy areas) and beaches where they can be walked and run a bit.

School run from Saadiyat beach villas to Brighton college would be a pain after a while I think.



Racing_Goats said:


> From what you've said it sounds like Raha beach might be better - al bandar, Zeina, muneera etc are all nice mostly apartments but there are some townhouses and limited numbers of villas there. Quite expensive though but not sure how so compared to saadiyat. The run over saadiyat highway to corniche is generally pretty easy and quiet, and al Yasmina school in Khalifa city A is closer to Raha beach and well rated.
> 
> School run from Saadiyat beach villas to Brighton college would be a pain after a while I think.


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## Zonkey (Feb 12, 2016)

Thanks for replies. 

Brighton is only if we are that side. If we are on saadiyat we would definitely look at cranleigh - although I'm sure it will be outside our allowance. 

Accommodation appears 25-30k ℗ month but I've found out that the company owns some Properties so thjis may not be so easy for choosing a location. 

I love the closeness of saadiyat to the corniche and the open sea, the Yas area seems to offer Mir currently but a little further out. 

I guess it's all trade offs....


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## nonoa (Jan 9, 2014)

Living here, you will rely on your car to get to places. Not to discourage you, even if you live in Al Raha Beach, you can still easily get to the mangroves(which yes are protected) or any nearby beach . Point is, driving for leisure is soooo much easier to handle than driving for work.

There is an open beach on the saadiyat highway which is beautiful and lots of guys hang out there to kite surf and what have you....this is not the saadiyat public beach which is more family friendly. You'll find the spot on google maps.

Like you said, it's all trade offs. By the way, have you started contacting schools yet cause the waitlists here are getting crazy.

Your commute is definitely MUCH more comfortable from Saadiyat. The Sheikh Khalifa Highway is much more pleasant than the Sheikh Zayed Highway as this one gets more crowded as you pass the Sheikh Zayed Bridge.


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