[Markdeklein]

you would have about 90k dirham to spend on housing, are single, like the beach and going out meeting new people, and work in Media City?

I will move to Dubai in August and would like to know where I should look and what to look for. What can I get for this kind of money?

Thanks for your help, Mark

 

[Gavtek]

JLT without question, you won't need to use all of your budget either.

 

[Markdeklein]

Thanks GavTek. Any specifc part of JLT you are thinking about?
Thanks, Mark

 

[Gavtek]

Any tower in close proximity to a Metro station, then you an use the bridge to cross to the Marina side.

I'd far much rather use my budget to live in a nice apartment in JLT than a cheap apartment in the Marina.

I hear good things about Goldcrest Executive.

 

[Toon]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What he said!

 

[Markdeklein]

ok. thanks. I thought JLT was only to the northeast of the Marina - a bit far off. By the way: Is that part cool as well? Are there any bars, good restauants around there.


But I now see that the JL Towers / Indigo Tower are at the other side of Sheikh Zayed Rd. That area seems nice (on a map). But is it a step down from the Marina? Or is it good as well? And how long would it take me on a weekend to get to the beach?

Thanks for your help! Mark

 

[fcjb1970]

Not to start a argument about the Marina since people have strong opinions...JLT is a great value for the money and you can get a nice place. Although traffic on that side is miserable, if they finish the construction that will be resolved, but who knows when that will be.

But on a lazy Friday or Saturday afternoon you are not going to take a relaxed stroll down to the Marina or beach living in JLT (even though it is physically possible to walk there). If that is something important to you than you should take that into consideration. A lot of people do not like the Marina or JBR, but to me I cannot see why I would live somewhere that is on the coast and not live next to the beach. But I have lived most of my life land locked and so that probably impacted my decision.

 

[Gavtek]

JLT is perceived to be downmarket compared to the Marina purely because the Marina is closer to the beach and has lot of pretty boats. The buildings themselves, there's not much more difference. The Marina has some better quality buildings, but you'll pay more for that. Generally, cheap apartments in the Marina are turd and you'd get more bang for your buck in JLT.

Traffic in JLT can be bad, but it depends on where you live. There's a new road that goes to the far end of JLT from the Marina interchange that bypasses most of the problems. If you're in Clusters D/E, then you will have zero issues with traffic. Cluster C would be fine too in terms of Metro proximity.

You could easily have a relaxing walk to the beach from those clusters, I often park my car in Marina Mall and walk to JBR, add in a trip across SZR by Metro bridge, and it's not too bad. You wouldn't be doing it in summer though. There's plenty of taxis in JLT and a journey to the beach wouldn't be much more than 15 Dhs and 5 minutes of your time.

There's not too many bars in JLT, McGettigans in the Bonnington Hotel is very popular though and always bouncing. Marina is only a short taxi ride away though. Generally, you'd likely be taking taxis to bars in the Marina if you lived in the Marina anyway. There are plenty of restaurants in JLT around the lakes though, massive selection and more and more opening every week.

 

[TallyHo]

If you have 90K to spend on housing you can get a large 1-bedroom or 1-bedroom + study in a fancy Marina apartment. The better ones tend to be the Emaar apartments - Al Majara, Promenade, Park Island etc. A 90K 1-bedroom will give you stunning views from a high floor, and these apartments will have upscale pool complexes, squash courts, gyms, even in-house coffee shops and screening theatres as at Al Majara. These same buildings often have smaller 1-bedrooms for as low as 70K if you want to save some $ from your housing allowance while still being in a choice building.

You can still get a pleasant 2-bedroom for 90K in a less upscale building. You can even find 2-bedroom apartments in JBR for 90K. JBR apartments are among the largest in the Marina and right on the beach but the actual quality isn't as good as the Emaar apartments or other buildings elsewhere in the Marina.

At the bottom end you have the basic apartments - the Marina Diamonds and the buildings at the south end of the Marina, which are unremarkable and only valued due to the location. A one bedroom in a lower end building probably ranges from 60-65K.

JLT apartments are significantly cheaper than the equivalent in the Marina and as a result people don't live there for the lifestyle but for budget reasons. The downside to JLT is that it's difficult to walk around the place or from building to building due to all the bloody podiums and there are still comparatively few shops and amenities compared to the Marina right across the highway.

Both JLT and the Marina have large resident populations of single western expats, but the Marina is "happening" while JLT is not. Still, you won't go wrong with either location, it's up to you to decide how much you want to spend on your housing.

 

[Bigjimbo]

Or the Palm? 1 bed on the the Shorelines is about 85-90k. Can't get closer to the beach and Media city.

 

[willhow87]

The Greens is great. I'm moving there in a few weeks. More relaxed than the marina and with a bit of open/chill-out space.

 

[nyanda]

What about motorcity?

 

[Rainmaker]

What about motorcity?

Nice place. But mirdiff is better I think.

 

[Markdeklein]

All right. Thanks all. I got what I asked for. See all the areas that I thought about coming back... Marina, JLT, Mirdiff, the Greens.....

Now, will start to look in JLT and the Marina as per Gavtek and TallyHo as they are close to work, the beach and nightlife & restaurants.

Thanks! Mark