# Serviced Apartments or Hotel Apartments in JBR or JLT



## abbzia786 (Jul 29, 2013)

Hello All
I was hoping some of you can offer some advice. I will be moving to Dubai on August 17th with my wife and 2 kids (6 and 4 yrs old). The kids have been admitted into GEMS International School at the intersection of Al Khail and AL Marabea road. We need to look for housing (most likely apartments in either JBR or JLT). Until then, our plan is to either stay in a serviced apartment through airbnb website or hotel apartments. Can some of you offer feedback along these two thoughts?
1. Would you recommend the JBR or JLT apartments for a 35 to 45 day time period till we secure housing?
2. What serviced apartments would you recommend - through airbnb or hotel apartments like Bonnington JLT hotel apartments or some other hotels?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you again
Mir


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

abbzia786 said:


> Hello All
> I was hoping some of you can offer some advice. I will be moving to Dubai on August 17th with my wife and 2 kids (6 and 4 yrs old). The kids have been admitted into GEMS International School at the intersection of Al Khail and AL Marabea road. We need to look for housing (most likely apartments in either JBR or JLT). Until then, our plan is to either stay in a serviced apartment through airbnb website or hotel apartments. Can some of you offer feedback along these two thoughts?
> 1. Would you recommend the JBR or JLT apartments for a 35 to 45 day time period till we secure housing?
> 2. What serviced apartments would you recommend - through airbnb or hotel apartments like Bonnington JLT hotel apartments or some other hotels?
> ...


I know some people have stayed in Dusit in Marina and been quite happy with that. In regards to traffic you would be better off in JLT. Some options there would be Oaks Liwa Heights, Movenpick and Bonnington- all within walking distance from the metro.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

^^^Those 3 in JLT are all fine. If they're a bit out of your budget, there's plenty of cheaper (but nice enough) options in TECOM which brings you a little closer to Al Khail Road.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

My cousin lives in The Bonnington and it's really nice.


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## abbzia786 (Jul 29, 2013)

Thank you all. For a 2 bedroom apartment at Bonnington, the rent is about 23000 AED per month. It is a little over my budget - but seems like it would be worth it as I plan on looking for housing around the JLT/JBR or neighboring areas. If you have any other suggestions, i would welcome and appreciate it.
Thank you.



londonmandan said:


> My cousin lives in The Bonnington and it's really nice.


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

abbzia786 said:


> Thank you all. For a 2 bedroom apartment at Bonnington, the rent is about 23000 AED per month. It is a little over my budget - but seems like it would be worth it as I plan on looking for housing around the JLT/JBR or neighboring areas. If you have any other suggestions, i would welcome and appreciate it.
> Thank you.


Did you check out Oak Liwa Heights? It would be a more child friendly option as their apartments are bigger and there is a children's pool. The new and big JLT park is within walking distance and it looks very nice for children to play in. I'm assuming it's cheaper than Bonnington too as the décor is more basic but very functional with a separate kitchen.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

abbzia786 said:


> Thank you all. For a 2 bedroom apartment at Bonnington, the rent is about 23000 AED per month. It is a little over my budget - but seems like it would be worth it as I plan on looking for housing around the JLT/JBR or neighboring areas. If you have any other suggestions, i would welcome and appreciate it.
> Thank you.


I can't answer that as both my cousins bought there, I do know though that you are better off looking for a 1 bed deluxe as it has two rooms but called one bed for some reason.


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## abbzia786 (Jul 29, 2013)

londonmandan said:


> I can't answer that as both my cousins bought there, I do know though that you are better off looking for a 1 bed deluxe as it has two rooms but called one bed for some reason.


Ok Thank you very much to all of you.
I think I will go with the one bed deluxe apartment for the 4 of us.
I dd look into Oaks Liwa heights and their price for the month for a 1 bedroom apartment is AED 25,500 where as one bed deluxe at Bonnington is 21,000.


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

But don't you need a 2 bedroom place for a family of four? A one bedroom hotel apartment would normally have one double bed.


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## Jules_ITFC (Jun 12, 2014)

Hi There.
I lived at the Bonnington for 3 months and could not fault it. When I first arrived I was in the Hilton JBR apartments which are also very nice if you can put up with the traffic to get in and out!
Personally you can not fault the bonnington, and if you liek a beer / sport the Irish bar is very good.


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## abbzia786 (Jul 29, 2013)

QOFE said:


> But don't you need a 2 bedroom place for a family of four? A one bedroom hotel apartment would normally have one double bed.


This is what I found out from the Bonnington JLT - one bedroom deluxe apartment is about 970 sq ft. It has a master bedroom and also a separate guest bedroom with a queen size bed. Each one has its own shower room. The two bedroom is very similar except that it has a spacious guest bedroom and the total sq footage is 1290.
I am guessing one bedroom deluxe should do the trick for a little over a month till I find an apartment in that area.


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

Well, prices have gone up a lot in the last couple of years. I know somebody that stayed in Liwa Heights two years ago and they only paid about 9000 AED per month... They negotiated that price though. I think you need to do more research before you make any decisions to get a place as cheap as possible. 
The below place for example is around 4000 DHS cheaper and very close to JLT...

2 bedroom hotel apartment in tecom


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## brinks (Jun 12, 2014)

abbzia786 said:


> Hello All I was hoping some of you can offer some advice. I will be moving to Dubai on August 17th with my wife and 2 kids (6 and 4 yrs old). The kids have been admitted into GEMS International School at the intersection of Al Khail and AL Marabea road. We need to look for housing (most likely apartments in either JBR or JLT). Until then, our plan is to either stay in a serviced apartment through airbnb website or hotel apartments. Can some of you offer feedback along these two thoughts? 1. Would you recommend the JBR or JLT apartments for a 35 to 45 day time period till we secure housing? 2. What serviced apartments would you recommend - through airbnb or hotel apartments like Bonnington JLT hotel apartments or some other hotels? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again Mir


I am so sorry to ask this question, but I was wondering if your family has residence visa in their passport? you will need a one year rental contract to sponsor your family and unless you rent a place or get a one year rental in a hotel apartment you wouldn't be able to get your family residence visa or send your kids to school.
Am I missing something?


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## abbzia786 (Jul 29, 2013)

brinks said:


> I am so sorry to ask this question, but I was wondering if your family has residence visa in their passport? you will need a one year rental contract to sponsor your family and unless you rent a place or get a one year rental in a hotel apartment you wouldn't be able to get your family residence visa or send your kids to school.
> Am I missing something?


Hello Brinks
Thank you for your email. It is a great question which I am hoping will solve as I get there. I got my residency visa on the passport in June. We will be staying at a hotel apartment through the end of September (as our container is coming in 2nd half of September). As soon as we get there, Aug 19th, we will be on the lookout for an apartment in the JLT or JBR area. I am hoping we can finalize an apartment by the end of August hopefully. Lets say we start our tenancy contract Sept 1st or Sep 5th, I will have the tenancy contract and the DEWA paperwork within a couple days. I will then apply for my wife and kids residency visa via the VIP stuff that they call, which should take 5 - 7 days max. If everything goes according to plan, I am guessing i will have their residency visa by 15th Sep. However, I havent discussed this with the school yet and if they will run into an issue.
Please let me know what your thoughts are.
Thank you,


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## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

QOFE said:


> I know some people have stayed in Dusit in Marina and been quite happy with that. In regards to traffic you would be better off in JLT. Some options there would be Oaks Liwa Heights, Movenpick and Bonnington- all within walking distance from the metro.


we are in Dusit residences on the Marina and a two bedroom is 15,700/month based on a one year rental. Very easy to get in and out and staff are very good.


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## brinks (Jun 12, 2014)

abbzia786 said:


> Hello Brinks Thank you for your email. It is a great question which I am hoping will solve as I get there. I got my residency visa on the passport in June. We will be staying at a hotel apartment through the end of September (as our container is coming in 2nd half of September). As soon as we get there, Aug 19th, we will be on the lookout for an apartment in the JLT or JBR area. I am hoping we can finalize an apartment by the end of August hopefully. Lets say we start our tenancy contract Sept 1st or Sep 5th, I will have the tenancy contract and the DEWA paperwork within a couple days. I will then apply for my wife and kids residency visa via the VIP stuff that they call, which should take 5 - 7 days max. If everything goes according to plan, I am guessing i will have their residency visa by 15th Sep. However, I havent discussed this with the school yet and if they will run into an issue. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thank you,


That's right and. We are assuming that everything goes according to plan and there are no hiccups along the way. 
I believe schools start sept 1, so please make sure you and the school are on the same page as to when your kids will be joining


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Personal views ;

Real estate guys won't be interested in you unless you are ready to move so be happy to get the property in advance - don;t try and do everything 'just in time'.

DEWA etc should be doable in 48 hours - the agent may do this for a fee. If you like standing in queues, then enjoy the queuing, otherwise give them the money and let them get on with it.

Get a letter from your employer stating your kids applications are submitted for residency so the school won't have any hangups. Sometimes the applications get delayed - a team member of mine took about two months due to issues not of his making. Best be prepared as you'll have enough on your plate.

Plan on getting everything ready a week before the container arrives as you may well find it arrives earlier than planned - every estimate for customs transit for me and my team were well beaten - weeks became days and before you know it, the stuff will be on your doorstep.

Don't underestimate the bureaucracy - I found I needed move out permits, move in permits, additional passes and spent two entire days moving paperwork around. One colleague was scuppered at the last moment as weekend moves turned out to be banned so he had to reschedule the move date - check with your new home people what the rules are and how much paperwork is needed.

Welcome to Dubai !


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## LesFroggitts (Dec 30, 2013)

As mentioned by TWG don't rely on the container scheduling provided to you when the cargo was collected, odds are it won't be right (I'm in the industry so know what I am saying).

You no doubt have the bill of lading, container number and anticipated vessel of departure - in which case it's nowadays just like tracking flight arrivals, you will be able to get up to date sailing details from the carrier's website.

If you need any help, drop me a PM and I can guide you.


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