Family-friendly area

[Dot5]

Hi everyone-what is a family-friendly area (lots of kids, safe) where we should look for a residence? We are excited to meet people from all over. Any suggestions?

[Elphaba]

All of Dubai is safe & friendly to families.


Let's start with place off work & budget & work backwards....

[c.rupp]

Hello

I will be moving to Dubai end of May with my husband and baby from South Africa.

I did some research as we are buying a Villa and not renting so it had to suite our family. (We wanted a garden with at least one tree and lawn)

So far the following looks like a child friendly environment that is safe, central and not too far for my husband to travel to work as that is vital when looking for accommodaton. We decided on The Springs.

Emirates Hills
with a range of villa-style houses in The Springs, The Lakes, and The Meadows and apartments in The Greens.
Best Points:
Tree lined streets and pathways, attractively landscaped lakes, gardens and pool/recreation areas.
The Worst Points:
Slow moving traffic during rush hour & Insects due to the lush landscaping eg.mosquitos and spiders.

Arabian Ranches
located away from the centre of town, off the Emirates road near Dubai Autodrome. This is an all-villa project set among lush greenery, lakes and the Arabian Ranches golf course, with a range of luxury facilities that all add up to some pretty fine living.
Best Point:
It feels like a community, enclosed, safe, neighbourly with all the everyday facilities that you might need.
Worst Point:
It is still a bit of a construction site, with trucks clogging up the roads.

I hope this will help.

Kind Regards,
Charlene Rupp

[sgilli3]

Originally Posted by Elphaba

All of Dubai is safe & friendly to families.


Let's start with place off work & budget & work backwards....

Im with Elphaba on this one
It will depend on your budget, and where you work/kids go to school.

C.Rupp.....IMHO I think you would be best renting 1st, to get a feel for all of Dubai, then making a decision on where to buy...its a huge decision to make

[Elphaba]

Quite right sgilli. Not good to rush into something.


The Springs/Lakes/Meadows & Arabian Ranches are all well and good, but they are very much new and IMO souless Dubai. At the moment AR is a pain to get in & out of as well.

c.rupp - you really don't know what an area is like until you go there....

[Osh]

what areas do you recommend Elphaba? I realise close to work is very important but just as a general idea what areas have "soul"?

[Elphaba]

Well there are those who would say all of Dubai is without soul, but I'd disagree.

If you have the budget my preferred options would be Jumeirah or Umm Sequim. Some lovely villas there, but the best are very pricey indeed.


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[Dot5]

Thank you, Elphaba, Charlene and sgilli! Right now I am sort of "working backwards"-as my husband is sending out resumes in Dubai I am trying to get a handle on what housing would cost in some nice areas for kids, school fees, and other "hidden" costs so we can figure out exactly what we need before he starts negotiating salary and benefits with a potential Dubai employer. I am also trying to figure out the best time of year to move-sounds like summer is out. Any suggestions? Thanks again, everyone, for all the good advice.