Hello all, and best wishes for Ramadan to those fasting.
Having been in London (UK) all of my 27 years of existence, I took the plunge recently and have moved to the Emirates.
Naturally, I tried to do a bit of research beforehand, and came across this site. Just hoping to pick some of your brains a little. Apologies for the forthcoming essay!
I am working in the Deira area (very close to the Marriott and probably 1km or so from City Centre).
I am currently staying in a studio/hotel type thing in Sharjah (next to our Sharjah office, which I will rarely use), until I find a flat.
I must say the driving standards are enlightening to say the least
, although I did buy a GPS from Carrefour which has been a godsend (albeit at double the price it would cost in the UK).
I was hoping someone can help with the following questions
Living
Working where I am, I was wondering where is the best place to live. I need to get a 2 bedroom flat in preferably a new build with covered parking. Looking to spend no more than 70k (less if possible) and apparently I should look for aircon included. Being of Arab origin, I am fluent in Arabic as well as English, so would like an area which has a nice mix of western expats, as well as arabs, not to mention Malls, Shisha places, and restaurants within close proximity. I will furnish it myself if necessary.
I have considered Sharjah due to the better value, but the traffic is atrocious, and although the office I use is pretty close to Sharjah, the commute is taking around 1hr, with apparently worse to come when school hits.
Now for the questions
1) - Which areas from your experience would you recommend based on the budget and requirements above? I am all ears.
2) What is the traffic like heading towards Deira from the Jumeirah side of Dubai (for example) Will I save a load of time on the commute, or should I only consider the Deira area?
3) Banking - I just need to do the blood test then I'm sorted for the residency. Once that's hopefully completed, what bank shall I use?? Is it worth opening with HSBC or Barclays, or shall I simply go for a local bank.
4) TV - For watching an Arsenal game or something, then presumably I'd need Showtime, is that subscription via satellite, or is it cable?? Will most flats have a facility for me to install this?
5) Iphone- I've got a Wasel Sim in there at the moment (jailbroken/unlocked), but if anyone is using their Iphone, what is a good package to go for that will have some data?
That's pretty much all I can think of for now, obviously in terms of priority, it's the living that I need to sort out, then I can perhaps worry about the more social things.
Any responses are much appreciated, and if I can help with anything, please let me know.
Having been in London (UK) all of my 27 years of existence, I took the plunge recently and have moved to the Emirates.
Naturally, I tried to do a bit of research beforehand, and came across this site. Just hoping to pick some of your brains a little. Apologies for the forthcoming essay!
I am working in the Deira area (very close to the Marriott and probably 1km or so from City Centre).
I am currently staying in a studio/hotel type thing in Sharjah (next to our Sharjah office, which I will rarely use), until I find a flat.
I must say the driving standards are enlightening to say the least
I was hoping someone can help with the following questions
Living
Working where I am, I was wondering where is the best place to live. I need to get a 2 bedroom flat in preferably a new build with covered parking. Looking to spend no more than 70k (less if possible) and apparently I should look for aircon included. Being of Arab origin, I am fluent in Arabic as well as English, so would like an area which has a nice mix of western expats, as well as arabs, not to mention Malls, Shisha places, and restaurants within close proximity. I will furnish it myself if necessary.
I have considered Sharjah due to the better value, but the traffic is atrocious, and although the office I use is pretty close to Sharjah, the commute is taking around 1hr, with apparently worse to come when school hits.
Now for the questions
1) - Which areas from your experience would you recommend based on the budget and requirements above? I am all ears.
2) What is the traffic like heading towards Deira from the Jumeirah side of Dubai (for example) Will I save a load of time on the commute, or should I only consider the Deira area?
3) Banking - I just need to do the blood test then I'm sorted for the residency. Once that's hopefully completed, what bank shall I use?? Is it worth opening with HSBC or Barclays, or shall I simply go for a local bank.
4) TV - For watching an Arsenal game or something, then presumably I'd need Showtime, is that subscription via satellite, or is it cable?? Will most flats have a facility for me to install this?
5) Iphone- I've got a Wasel Sim in there at the moment (jailbroken/unlocked), but if anyone is using their Iphone, what is a good package to go for that will have some data?
That's pretty much all I can think of for now, obviously in terms of priority, it's the living that I need to sort out, then I can perhaps worry about the more social things.
Any responses are much appreciated, and if I can help with anything, please let me know.