# Dubai Silicone Oasis



## shazb (Nov 3, 2010)

My husband will be working Dubai Silicone Oasis and I will be joining later on, I was just wondering whether anyone could tell me anything they know about DSO, havent been able to find out much about renting apartments and the area etc .....

All replies much appreciated.

Thank you.


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## xpatusa (May 8, 2010)

DSO is literally in the middle of nowhere.
It's really only 15 or 20 minutes from downtown but it feels really isolated.
My office is in the DSO headquarters building and I lived in DSO my first month in Dubai.

The Cedre Villas in DSO are very nice and a good place for a family or even a married couple.
Nice and quiet...

Apartments in DSO are SUPER cheap and not of the highest quality.
Typically lower-income people will rent apartments out there.
I think there is one high-end, small apartment building close to Academic City Road.

The main community centre for the Cedre Villas has a Spinney's supermarket, Costa Coffee, and an Al Arab restaurant.
If you have any more questions or want to know some more specifics just lmk...


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## shazb (Nov 3, 2010)

Thank you for your reply.

Its quite difficult knowing how far areas are from each other, would you be able to suggest some nice areas that are not too far from DSO, maybe a radius of half an hour travel by public transport or bike? 

My husband will be visiting next week and is hoping to have some free time to check out some areas. Are there any areas that you would avoid? 

My husband will initially live in DSO but we will be looking to rent somewhere bigger when I join him in a months.

Thanks again for your reply.


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## xpatusa (May 8, 2010)

All of Dubai is within a 30 minutes drive of DSO.
Public transport (bus) links from DSO are iffy. I bet it would take 2 hours to go from DSO to Marina via the bus considering all of the changes from bus to bus...
And the metro doesn't come this far out.

Dubai is such a safe place and really clean. There are no "areas to avoid" really.
The only place that comes to mind is International City but that's not a tourist stop anyway. 
If your husband is meeting a coworker there or something - ok - but not a place to take a looksee...

From my experience living in DSO, it's best to consider the habitat a place to sleep, eat, and take a rest.
For the true Dubai experience you'll need to take a taxi. (which are cheap relative to other places in the ME and across the world)

I recommend seeing: The Marina/The Palm, Downtown Dubai/Dubai Mall, Dubai Creek/Heritage Village, and Satwa or Bur Dubai (pick one or the other you'll get the same experience). Oh, and tell him to take the metro from somewhere like Mall of the Emirates to Deira City Centre. It's a nice scenic trip and showcases most of the city.

Where is your husband staying initially? The hotel here: Premier Inn?
PM me if your husband is interested in meeting up for a drink or someone to pal around with one day.
I'd be glad to help the transition.


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