2 English girls moving to Dubai - best place to live aaahhhhh HELP

[fashionexpat]

Hi,

Me an my friend have both been offered a job out in dubai and will be moving in the next 6 weeks or so, can anyone recommend where would be best for us to live, we have heard that the marina is a good place but we wanted to ask if anyone else had any other thoughts, we would like a nice place 2 bed but not massivly expensive or flash.

also a few other things....

is it best to rent a car or buy once your there?
is it best to open a bank account over here with HSBC or wait until you get over there?
can you get sky televishion or some sort of package so we can watch soaps

i have loads of other questions but if i carry on ill have enough to fill a book.....

PLease help xx

[wandabug]

Marina is popular with singles and close to the beach, or Downtown Burj Kahalifa where there are plenty of bars and clubs.
Open a bank account when you get here - it is quick and easy.
Rent a car till you get your res visa then buy.
You can get all the UK soaps with DU package (unfortunately)- they are a week or 2 behind.

[wandabug]

where will you be working?

[fashionexpat]

we are working for a fashion company out there, when i look on the map the office is close to the marina, iv been researching for over 2 weeks on all kinds but still feel like there is loads i dont know

So we have accomadation for a month then we are on our own, im hoping we can arrange an apartment just before, opening an account when we get there sounds easy, and renting a car should be ok...how long have u been out there?

we are both late 20's so hoping we will meet lots of people out there, is there any advice you can give us or anything you think will be useful?

Thanks xx

[Bliksem]

Originally Posted by fashionexpat

we are working for a fashion company out there, when i look on the map the office is close to the marina, iv been researching for over 2 weeks on all kinds but still feel like there is loads i dont know

So we have accomadation for a month then we are on our own, im hoping we can arrange an apartment just before, opening an account when we get there sounds easy, and renting a car should be ok...how long have u been out there?

we are both late 20's so hoping we will meet lots of people out there, is there any advice you can give us or anything you think will be useful?

Thanks xx

What is your housing budget? You have to get your residence visa before opening a bank account. The agents are pretty useless IMHO so best you start looking on the property websites.

Oh and you WILL meet loads of people.

[Mr Rossi]

JLT, The Greens, Tecom - nearby The Marina but cheaper overall and without the traffic hassles.

[wandabug]

You do not need to have a res visa to open a bank account. EmiratesNBD Bank have a branch at Marina Mall - you will need to show your passport and you can open a basic acc (with debit card) immediately. They will ask for a PO Box number - you can use your employers. As soon as you get your residency visa you can upgrade the account for a cheque book. Res visa will take 1-2 weeks depending on the efficiency of your employer, and it will then take up to 10 days to get a cheque book. You will need a cheque book to pay your post dated cheques when you find an apartment. Check out Jumerah Lake Towers as you will get more for your money than The Marina. The JLT Towers next to the 2 Metro stations are good as you can use the Metro footbridges to walk over to The Marina. Is your office close to a Metro station? If so you could manage without a car. Taxis are very cheap here.

[Lita_Rulez]

Originally Posted by fashionexpat

2 English girls moving to Dubai - best place to live aaahhhhh HELP

Is it so wrong that the first answer that popped into my mind was:

My place, obviously.

Originally Posted by fashionexpat

Hi,
is it best to rent a car or buy once your there?

It depends how long you intend to stay. For a year, there is no point in going through all the hassle of buying a car and then selling it in 10 months.
If you are here for long, I'd still recommend renting one for a couple of month so you can get a real feel for what driving is like around here. You may very well change your initial intuition for a very different car.

Originally Posted by fashionexpat

is it best to open a bank account over here with HSBC or wait until you get over there?

It is best to wait until you get here and choose any bank but HSBC.
Worst bank ever in Dubai (and remember, I am french, I have dealt with some very bad banks...)

Originally Posted by fashionexpat

i have loads of other questions but if i carry on ill have enough to fill a book.....

Good, when you get here, we can partner up, work through the whole list, and publish a book that answers all those questions for the next people to come around. I'm sure there is money to be made

Originally Posted by fashionexpat

xx

Love you to sweety

[gemsy62]

Definitely go for the marina, I am here in a temporary place but hopefully I'll get a permanent house sorted here as I love the marina!

I'm from blackpool, 28 and I've been here 2 months. You will be fine when you get here, most you can't sort until you get your visa. The most important thing is patience. You need a lot of that here.

[INFAMOUS]

Love to visit the Marina but would never live there.... Much prefer downtown Dubai, but that's me. Come, spend a month in your accommodation, visit the areas of choice, and make an informed decision...