# Apt Buildings in Dubai - HELP!



## espn24 (Nov 23, 2013)

Hi everyone. I am moving to Dubai from London in January with my wife and one year old daughter, and will be working in the DIFC. We are looking for a 3 bedroom apartment and are weighing between Downtown, Palm Jumeirah and the Marina. Our budget is up to 300,000 AED per year, but I would hope to spend less if possible.

I'm going to ask some random questions and would be so appreciative for any answers.

1. If Downtown, what are people's thoughts on Residences vs. South Ridge? Are there any other buildings worth considering?

2. What are the best buildings in the Marina? It seems like the quality of buildings is really mixed, and the traffic can be unbearable. Am I missing something?

3. Any recommendations for the Palm? I've heard great things about Tiara but never been and the buildings look a bit Fort Lauderdale. It also feels really far.

Thanks so much.


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

espn24 said:


> Hi everyone. I am moving to Dubai from London in January with my wife and one year old daughter, and will be working in the DIFC. We are looking for a 3 bedroom apartment and are weighing between Downtown, Palm Jumeirah and the Marina. Our budget is up to 300,000 AED per year, but I would hope to spend less if possible.
> 
> I'm going to ask some random questions and would be so appreciative for any answers.
> 
> ...


I work close to the DIFC but live in the Marina. Personally, I am happy not to live in the Downtown area as I really never liked the atmosphere. However, if your job requires you to do a lot of socializing after work then living there can be convenient. Personally, I like to keep my work and non-work lives a bit more separate. 

The Marina has a number of very nice attributes and appealed to me as soon as I saw it. It's actually quite walkable, which is a rarity here. The marina itself is great to jog around. 

The trick with traffic is not to deal with JBR. I live in the cluster at the very end where the Torch, Princess, Ocean Heights, Marina 23 etc are and we have pretty much a straight shot to SZR. Most days I find my commute is around 20 - 25 minutes. However, that assumes you drive. If you are a public transportation fan then be warned the Metro takes at least double that.


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## garry79 (Sep 5, 2013)

Are you set on getting an apartment? For that budget you could get a great villa.


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## espn24 (Nov 23, 2013)

Thank you so much for the responses.

@Simey - any buildings in the Marina you would recommend

@garry79 - I've thought about a villa, but having lived in New York for 8 years and London for 6, its hard to imagine life anywhere but an apartment. Maybe after I spend a year or two and get to know Dubai a bit better.


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## IzzyBella (Mar 11, 2013)

espn24 said:


> Thank you so much for the responses. @Simey - any buildings in the Marina you would recommend @garry79 - I've thought about a villa, but having lived in New York for 8 years and London for 6, its hard to imagine life anywhere but an apartment. Maybe after I spend a year or two and get to know Dubai a bit better.


If you want to look at our 3 bedroom in 23 Marina when you get here, let me know/send me a PM. I found the best way to find a building was just by looking at as many as possible. It's under 200k. (Specific amount undisclosed as it depends on a variety of factors like floor and view - we have the nicer view).

That being said, we've decided to downgrade to a villa next year as we'd like to save more money and have a garden for the dogs


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

espn24 said:


> Thank you so much for the responses.
> 
> @Simey - any buildings in the Marina you would recommend
> 
> @garry79 - I've thought about a villa, but having lived in New York for 8 years and London for 6, its hard to imagine life anywhere but an apartment. Maybe after I spend a year or two and get to know Dubai a bit better.


The ones I listed are all good I think. Ocean Heights, 23 Marina, Torch, Princess.


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

Tiara is great, if you can actually find a flat available!


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## Jager (May 26, 2012)

Another good option in the Marina is the 'Trident' Marinascape complex. Its the two towers (Avant and Oceanic) above the restaurants on the Marina Walk. Benefits of the Trident buildings are :


Great location close to restaurants, coffee shops, Marina Water Taxi, Marina Metro station and only a 5min walk to Spinneys.
Built to a high quality (well, better than most in Dubai !).
Have some of the largest balconies in the Marina (all three bedrooms and our living area have large balconies). 
The added benefit of a large storeroom in the basement which is almost equivelent in size to a 4th bedroom.
A 3 bedroom apartment with views should cost you less than your budget, and the leftover change should be enough to cover your utility bills.


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## espn24 (Nov 23, 2013)

Many many thanks for all the suggestions. I'm excited about moving out to Dubai, and this is super helpful.


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## espn24 (Nov 23, 2013)

IzzyBella said:


> If you want to look at our 3 bedroom in 23 Marina when you get here, let me know/send me a PM. I found the best way to find a building was just by looking at as many as possible. It's under 200k. (Specific amount undisclosed as it depends on a variety of factors like floor and view - we have the nicer view).
> 
> That being said, we've decided to downgrade to a villa next year as we'd like to save more money and have a garden for the dogs


Izzy - I'm definitely interested. I don;t have the posts for a PM but please do PM me.

The move is coming up soon, and I really like 23 Marina.

Thanks a lot.


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## Malbec (Jan 2, 2014)

I have seen apartments in Tiara on The Palm and wasn't really impressed, but it depends whether some of them have been recently renovated or not. The great thing regarding Oceana and Tiara is that you are on the Palm, have direct beach access, while having proximity to Marina.

Dream Residences apartments are very nice and would be my choice should I decide to stay on the Palm. Beach is very nice and the corner apartments have excellent views. It is also within your price budget. The only issue is that they are located on the trunk and it takes a while to get in and out of the Palm.


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## espn24 (Nov 23, 2013)

Thanks a lot!


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