# Where to live



## Talgo27 (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi, I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and have found it very useful. Many on here recommend the Meadows or Arabian Ranches as good places to live for a young family and I know the school choice and availability will also dictate where we live but I have a question I hope you can answer. The office I will be working from is on Khalid Bin Waleed Road (junction of 16th St) in Bur Dubai, where would be a good place to live but be easy to get to work? I need to find out if there is parking at the building if not how easy is it to park in that area? The allowance for housing should be around 200000AED.
Thanks


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## Confiture (Jan 9, 2011)

Hi

The school availability will indeed (as you say) be a big factor on your choice of location.

The housing allowance is pretty good though, so you should be able to find a decent villa etc, within that budget.

To give you an idea, you'd be looking at 45 mins or so from Ranches, depending on the time of day.

Best advice would be to get over here and check out the schools first, then take it from there.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Bur Dubai is an old, built up part of town, it gets quite congested and busy. Parking can also be a problem. There is on street parking in loads of the little side streets so I imagine it would be a case of getting to the office early before the spaces fill up. You're allowed to reload meters here btw.

Meadows and Arabian Ranches are a bit far out. Jumeriah 1 is 15 mins on a clear road. You'll get loads for that allowance in Mirdiff, which would take about 20-30 mins. Dubai is quite small it's the traffic/time of day that dictates how long it takes.

But as mentioned pick the school first, then the area. If it's a longer hike than you expected then it's an excuse to treat yourself to a comfy car


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Oh there are a few private car parks in Bur Dubai, that are a bit dearer than the meter but generally have spaces and might do a cheaper monthly rate.


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## Use Caution (Aug 12, 2011)

Talgo27 said:


> Hi, I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and have found it very useful. Many on here recommend the Meadows or Arabian Ranches as good places to live for a young family and I know the school choice and availability will also dictate where we live but I have a question I hope you can answer. The office I will be working from is on Khalid Bin Waleed Road (junction of 16th St) in Bur Dubai, where would be a good place to live but be easy to get to work? I need to find out if there is parking at the building if not how easy is it to park in that area? The allowance for housing should be around 200000AED.
> Thanks


Hi Talgo27 - sounds like you and I will be deploying out soon, working for the same company (I could be wrong - but the office I will be working in/near is the same vicinity as yours....) Company doesn't start with A..... does it?

NB I am trying to pad my posts so I can get up to the requisite amount so I can PM you direct....


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Use Caution said:


> NB I am trying to pad my posts so I can get up to the requisite amount so I can PM you direct....


You can always go chit chat in the lounge... introduce yourself takes up a post


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## Use Caution (Aug 12, 2011)

Jynxgirl said:


> You can always go chit chat in the lounge... introduce yourself takes up a post


Thanks Jynxgirl - yay another post....lol will follow the advice... didn't even think of it.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Now it just takes a while to set up in the system. Isn't instantaneous. Sometimes an hour, sometimes two or three.


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## Eng.Khaled (Feb 8, 2011)

why don't you try living in Jumeriah 1? You can get a nice villa there. There will be many schools close to you, and you still can reach your office in around 15 min's or even less. You don't have to go that far from your work, in my personal opinion.


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## Talgo27 (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi and thanks for all the replies. I will definitely look at schools in the Jumeriah 1 area to start with as I really don’t want to spend 1.5 to 2 hours a day travelling. I’m glad there are private car parks in the Bur Dubai area I think a monthly pass will be the best option as long as they are not overly expensive. I pay £80 a month to park in Edinburgh city centre.

Hi Use Caution, yes the company is A*****. PM when you can. How does this lounge work and where is it?


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

If you are in the BurJuman Business Tower, parking in the mall is free. I live in Jumeirah 2 and drive there every day and it's thirty minutes door to door, including parking and two lifts and walking between everything.


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## Use Caution (Aug 12, 2011)

Talgo27 said:


> Hi and thanks for all the replies. I will definitely look at schools in the Jumeriah 1 area to start with as I really don’t want to spend 1.5 to 2 hours a day travelling. I’m glad there are private car parks in the Bur Dubai area I think a monthly pass will be the best option as long as they are not overly expensive. I pay £80 a month to park in Edinburgh city centre.
> 
> Hi Use Caution, yes the company is A*****. PM when you can. How does this lounge work and where is it?


Hi again Talgo27,

It appears I cant send you a PM until you reach 5 posts?? I think.... 

Have you been told when you are heading out... I am just waiting on the employment visa to come through and then I imagine I will be heading out there shortly after.

As for places to live, I have been looking in the Silicon Oasis area, I believe its about a 20 min drive to the office. Initially though I would be trying to stay either close to the office (in the Bur Dubai - Mankhool road area - walking distance) or at a minimum, close to the metro - looks like a stop right outside the office.


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## VS400 (Aug 21, 2011)

My husband is looking at jobs for what I think is the same company as you guys. Not sure if we are going to make the move yet and one of the job vacancies at "A" is a bit lower than his actual job at the moment. We are looking at downtown dubai as we are a couple. He would more than likely get the metro to work as we will only have one car as we only have one parking space and my husband is used to walking to work. Maybe look at places on the metro line as it stops right outside Khalid. Nice to see you got a good housing allowance! What is your job roughly if you dont mind me asking?


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

Khalid Bin Al Waleed metro station is right outside the mall. Have a look at the Big Bus Dubai map to get a perspective. It's not to scale but it will give you an idea of where all the points of interest are in relation to where you will be working.


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## Use Caution (Aug 12, 2011)

VS400 said:


> My husband is looking at jobs for what I think is the same company as you guys. Not sure if we are going to make the move yet and one of the job vacancies at "A" is a bit lower than his actual job at the moment. We are looking at downtown dubai as we are a couple. He would more than likely get the metro to work as we will only have one car as we only have one parking space and my husband is used to walking to work. Maybe look at places on the metro line as it stops right outside Khalid. Nice to see you got a good housing allowance! What is your job roughly if you dont mind me asking?


Hi VS400,

It appears that 'the company' is on a bit of a recruiting drive... I might be in a similar boat to yourselves in regards to allowances etc... If you read through my posts here will will note that I have little experience in the exact field (starts with S********) hence my significantly lower offer amount - still I'm in it to gain the experience first and then longevity in said career field - I come from a completely different realm of the S******** field.

Once yourself and Talgo get upto 5 posts I will send you both a PM and we can discuss particulars, pros/cons in a more discreet area...

Cheers


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## VS400 (Aug 21, 2011)

I should have more than 5 posts so def pm me. I can't see anything suitable for husband at the mo. He is currently far too busy wrapping up projects and working on his chartership so Im doing the searching for him as im just a lowly trolly dolly so plenty time for me to look! I would def look at somewhere on the metro line. I am a regular visitor to Dubai and th emetro is great, really reliable and you will save plenty money on 2 cars, unless you have kids which is a different story.


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## Talgo27 (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi BedouGirl

Yes I noticed that the metro stop is right there but I hadn't realised that it took 40min from Nakheel Harbour (where there is a park & ride) to Khalid Bin Al Waleed. Quite a long journey but still an option. I'm sure it would be quite a bit cheaper than a montly parking pass.

Talgo27


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## Talgo27 (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Use Caution

I'm working on my post count so you should be able to PM me soon.

You are much further along the process than I am. I already work for A*****, in fact I have been with them for over 6 years but I'm looking for a change.

I have friends that live in Silicon Oasis who I visited in October. It's very nice there. I thought it would be a longer drive than 20mins.

Talgo27


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## Talgo27 (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi VS400

Yes A***** are expanding in the area after downsizing in the UK. I am a senior engineer with 17 years experience. The role I'm negotiating is a design manager's position. Hope this helps. PM if you would like more info.

Have you tried the other Consulting Engineers?

Talgo27


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## divsbabs (Nov 22, 2011)

Use Caution said:


> Hi VS400,
> 
> It appears that 'the company' is on a bit of a recruiting drive... I might be in a similar boat to yourselves in regards to allowances etc... If you read through my posts here will will note that I have little experience in the exact field (starts with S********) hence my significantly lower offer amount - still I'm in it to gain the experience first and then longevity in said career field - I come from a completely different realm of the S******** field.
> 
> ...


Please let me know about the company so that will send them my resume as i am looking for job.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


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## Use Caution (Aug 12, 2011)

divsbabs said:


> Please let me know about the company so that will send them my resume as i am looking for job.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


To those that have asked and I hate saying this as it seems mercenary - I wont be divulging the company name here on an open forum. Also seeing as VS400, Talgo and myself are still working through the process to a: Secure the job b: Get out to Dubai c: Survive the probation process - I wouldn't want to mention anything further than what I already have. If you read through the posts the three of us mentioned above are at various stages of the equation and it would be unfair to mention the company name and the industry.

Unfortunately discretion is the appropriate course of action concerning our future (and potential future) employer.

For those looking for work, I am sure there are plenty of places to look that fit your specific skill-set. For me this has been a (very) long process - essentially starting in Feb of this year to get to this stage, so I hope you can understand my reluctance to mention anything specific. 

Good luck with the job hunting.


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## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

*Taxis are cheap*



VS400 said:


> He would more than likely get the metro to work as we will only have one car as we only have one parking space and my husband is used to walking to work.


Don't want to teach you to suck eggs but is he used to walking to work in 50 degrees celsius and 105% humidity? He's going to want to taxi or drive for at least a third of the year isn't he?


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## VS400 (Aug 21, 2011)

We were looking at places very near to metro like burj Khalifa which I have walked and is only 300m or so. We haven't worked out all the details yet as he hasn't even applied for jobs yet. But thanks for letting me know Dubai is a hot country!


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## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

*Sorry*



VS400 said:


> We were looking at places very near to metro like burj Khalifa which I have walked and is only 300m or so. We haven't worked out all the details yet as he hasn't even applied for jobs yet. But thanks for letting me know Dubai is a hot country!


ha ha, point well made
I just remember how it was for me the first time I walked outside (I arrived in August of course! It was 6deg celsius in NZ and 46 deg here) I felt like I was walking through hot porridge instead of air... 300m would kill me


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## bjpause (Oct 4, 2011)

Hi bjpause here, my first post, although been reading this forum for a few months now. We have in fact just moved to Dubai(Dec 1) from Brussels, where the traffic is also an issue. We've chosen to live on the Palm Jumeirah as it's quiet and has good access via the Sheik Zayed Road to downtown (work DWTC bldg). It seems to me that the traffic flow in and out of downtown goes towards Abu Dhabi in the morning and towards Dubai in the evening, thus making the journey into town quite easy. The advice of 'Confiture' is the best; come and spend a couple weeks looking, we took a short term let in the JLT complex before 'moving in'.


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## Dubai_Exec (Dec 5, 2011)

You can live in Oud metha which is about 6 minutes drive to khaled bin al waleed if there is no rush hour. Oud Metha has new nice buildings with parking and it is the area next to al Nasr football club


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