# Geography and Accomodation of Dubai for Idiots.



## ghandi2485 (Nov 18, 2008)

Hi guys

Ive been offered a Dubai employment contract with a large firm who own a lot of retail, property, finance, hotels etc. A few questions which hopefully one of you can help me out on:

1. I dont understand the geography of Dubai so please help - what are "NCOs", and free trade zones? My office is in Dubai near the City Centre Mall and its an Arab company, it should be tax free right ? (Ill be sending money back to the UK and not in the UK for more than 89 days in any 1 tax year etc...) so whats this concept of free trade zones?

2. Where to live - Ive seen the basic link to Dubizzle and the other accomodation threads so apologies for this but when I search for properties I seem to be able to categorise them in to:

JLT
JBR
Marina Apartments
Springs
Discovery Gardens
Others

Are all these as nice as each other and all commutable to Diera and back? Ideally i'd like an expat community but not too much - I like the sound of JLT and JBR. (Ive heard ill be going against the traffic so should be OK?)

Thanks

Ghandi


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## ghandi2485 (Nov 18, 2008)

Can anyone help with this one - pretty please?


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

If you're going to be working in Deira, I suggest that you live there! All the areas you have mentioned are literally on the other side of town. Traffic in Deira is a nightmare, so the closer you live to your workplace, the better. You do not want to waste time travelling, plus you will end up spending a fortune on travel if you choose to live too far from your workplace.


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## ghandi2485 (Nov 18, 2008)

Thanks Maz - problem i have is on BHomes I can't seem to find any flats in Deira, and I want a nice beach/seah front facing apartment if possible, close enough to all the nice bars/restaurants of Jumeirah/Marina etc (materialistic I know) or is Deira just as good.....?


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

ghandi2485 said:


> Thanks Maz - problem i have is on BHomes I can't seem to find any flats in Deira, and I want a nice beach/seah front facing apartment if possible, close enough to all the nice bars/restaurants of Jumeirah/Marina etc (materialistic I know) or is Deira just as good.....?


The beach? In Deira? You're kidding, right!!!

Ok, I'll put this in perspective for you. It will cost you a lot more to live in JBR/ Marina than it would do to live in Deira. Factor in taxi cost - my friend was doing this commute - 100 dhs each way!!! That's 4000 dirhams a month + at least 8000 for a room only!! A one-bed sea facing apartment in JBR at the mo will cost you at least 180k a year (and possibly more!!!). How many times are you going to go down to the beach or those nice restauarants after work - hardly ever. So, why not live in Deira and head towards the Marina during the weekends.

Gulf News has loads of ads for rental properties. Try their Classified section as well. I'm sure at some point Elphaba has posted a number of links for places to find rental properties - do a search!

What's the attraction to JBR anyway? I live there and you pay for the name only!!! There are far nicer and much cheaper apartments elsewhere!


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## ghandi2485 (Nov 18, 2008)

Ive only been to Dubai a few times to please excuse the lack of knowledge. Ive seen the restaurants / bars around Jumeirah/Marina hence the attraction - whats Deira like and is there a lot there? Ill be out most nights. Ill be driving too so no taxis to work but I take your advise on properties, though im still not seeing many in Deira on Gulf news - what are the other nice & cheaper-than-Jumeirah areas surrounding/commutable fron/in Deira? Yes ive tried Elphaba's links but I donlt know what area im looking in...

Many thanks in advance for the help


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

ghandi2485 said:


> Ive only been to Dubai a few times to please excuse the lack of knowledge. Ive seen the restaurants / bars around Jumeirah/Marina hence the attraction - whats Deira like and is there a lot there? Ill be out most nights. Ill be driving too so no taxis to work but I take your advise on properties, though im still not seeing many in Deira on Gulf news - what are the other nice & cheaper-than-Jumeirah areas surrounding/commutable fron/in Deira? Yes ive tried Elphaba's links but I donlt know what area im looking in...
> 
> Many thanks in advance for the help


Deira is vibrant but quite different to the Marina/ JBR and surrounding areas. I've only been there once so I cannot really tell you much about it. 

It might be better to wait until you arrive and then have a chat with your colleagues about the areas that are close to your workplace and then start looking for a place based on their recommendations and your personal preferences. There are loads of restaurants in Deira - probably a lot more and offering a much wider range of cuisines than the ones in JBR and at much cheaper prices, so do not base your decision purely on the availability of restaurants and amenities, as those can be found all over Dubai. Try and go for a place that is nice, affordable and close enough to work. There is really no point in wasting good money on rent if you can avoid it!


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## Jim Wilde (Jul 25, 2008)

I lived in Diamond 1 in Dubai Marina for 3 months whilst waiting for a place in the Springs.....I coughed and had sore throats all the time from the dust and crap that is kicked up around the construction areas. Even the local Pharmacy's call it "Marina Flu"!!! I agree with Maz...unless you just HAVE to live in JBR or the Marina...I would most certainly be looking to stay in Deira.
As they say......Marina "ain't all that"!!

Enjoy your stay


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## ghandi2485 (Nov 18, 2008)

Agreed, thanks.

Just one last thing - what are "NCOs", and free trade zones? My office is in Dubai near the City Centre Mall and its an Arab company, it should be tax free right ? (Ill be sending money back to the UK and not in the UK for more than 89 days in any 1 tax year etc...) so whats this concept of free trade zones?


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

The mall you are referring to is known as Deira City Centre (DCC). There are both good and bad parts of Deira and there are some nice apartment buildings overlooking the Creek, pretty close to where you'll be working.

Most expats live at the other end of town, so know little about Deira. I have lived in the area for years, so obviously I like it. There is loads to do around here and there is way more to Dubai than the bars/restaurants in Jumeirah and the Marina. If you live in Deira, as well as all the places locally, you are a hop, skip and a jump away from Festival City, Wafi (loads of restaurants & Raffles), Bur Dubai, Satwa, Irish Village and Century Village. It is rarely a problem to get a cab. 

If you really must live at the other end of town, you would be going against the traffic, but please don't discount the more established parts of town. As well as Deira, consider Garhoud, Oud Metha, Downtown/Oldtown (nr Burj Dubai), even parts of Bur Dubai.

A free zone is an areas where it is easier to set up a compnay. You do not need a local sponsor and it is often easier to change jobs with a free zone visa. The term is nothing to do with tax-status for individuals.

An NOC is letter of no objection from your sponsor/employer. You need them to do just about anything including getting a driving licence, a contract phone etc. 

Would you be working for MAF by any chance?

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## spartybtown (Dec 8, 2008)

*re*

where would you recommend I live if working at the american hospital


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

spartybtown said:


> where would you recommend I live if working at the american hospital


Depends on budget, but near/nearish areas include Deira, Oud Metha, Bur Dubai, Garhoud, Al Rashidiya, Mankhool, Oldtown/Downtown.

-


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## ghandi2485 (Nov 18, 2008)

Quick couple of more questions - 

1. Whats the Burj Dubai area like? Seems to be many apartments there

2. I assume the traffic on the bridges is alot worse going west than east in the mornings (i.e. from Diera to Dubai etc) and vice versa in the evenings?

3. Elphaba - on those areas above do any of them have apartment blocks with gyms, sauna, security etc?


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

ghandi2485 said:


> Quick couple of more questions -
> 
> 1. Whats the Burj Dubai area like? Seems to be many apartments there
> 
> ...



Burj Dubai is up and coming. Still a pain to get in and out of the area, but will be nice when finished.

Note bridge/SZR traffic called is North to South. Deira is North. You will see roadsigns referring to Sheik Zayed Road North & South. Traffic in the morning is worse from Deira to new Dubai, although to be honest it isn't too bad. Most of the traffic is coming from Sharjah and the floating bridge (although nearest to where you are working) is to be avoided as there is no Salik (road toll) on that and thus is is congested with the Salik Dodger. Travelling from new Dubai to Deira/Sharjah is awful from around 4.30 - 8.00 most nights.

Most areas have buildings with pools, gyms and a doorman. Any decent building will certainly have all three. 

-


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## ghandi2485 (Nov 18, 2008)

Elphaba, as always your advice is like a bible to us. Thanks!


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## Singapore_Sling (Nov 28, 2008)

Elphaba said:


> Burj Dubai is up and coming. Still a pain to get in and out of the area, but will be nice when finished.
> 
> Note bridge/SZR traffic called is North to South. Deira is North. You will see roadsigns referring to Sheik Zayed Road North & South. Traffic in the morning is worse from Deira to new Dubai, although to be honest it isn't too bad. Most of the traffic is coming from Sharjah and the floating bridge (although nearest to where you are working) is to be avoided as there is no Salik (road toll) on that and thus is is congested with the Salik Dodger. Travelling from new Dubai to Deira/Sharjah is awful from around 4.30 - 8.00 most nights.
> 
> ...


Elphaba:

I have been reading this thread with great interest as I currently am negotiating a job offer for a position located in Deira and am trying to get a feel for where we should be looking to live. Here are some of our particulars:

1. Work location is just north of Al Maktoum Bridge (according to Google Earth)
2. Our budget for rent is ~150,000 
3. I have two boys (14 & 10) and we would like to try to get them into the Dubai International Academy (for the IB program)

We obviously can not afford a villa in the Springs or Ranches areas and will be looking for a 3 bedroom flat. So I have a couple of questions:

1. How long would a commute from Deira to the school be at 6:30 am?
2. How about the reverse in the morning and evening (if I drive to work)?
2. Would it be easier to find this type of accommodation in our price range in Deira or closer to the school?

Thanks in advance (I look forward to being as knowledgeable and helpful as you in a few years)


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Singapore_Sling said:


> Elphaba:
> 
> I have been reading this thread with great interest as I currently am negotiating a job offer for a position located in Deira and am trying to get a feel for where we should be looking to live. Here are some of our particulars:
> 
> ...



DIA is quite a distance from Deira. If you get a clear run you are talking about a half hour journey. With traffic it could take double that. 

You will need to decide if your preference is to live near where you work, or near the school. As you rightly say a housing budget of AED 150k pa is not enough for the Springs, but there are other areas where you can get a 3 bed apartment for close to that. You should be able to find somoewhere in or near Deira, or if you want to be closer to the school, look at TECOM. This is the area near The Greens where lots of apartment buildings are springing up, or in the area behind Mall of the Emirates. 

Travelling fro the school to Deira late afternoon/early evening is a horrid journey and if timed wrong could easily take 90 minutes. On balance, if you don't mind the drive, you would probably be better off living nearer the school than where you'll be working.

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## Singapore_Sling (Nov 28, 2008)

Elphaba:

Thanks for your advice. My wife is a teacher and will also look to get a job at DIA making it 3 to 1 for living near DIA. I will start looking in the areas you suggest.


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