Taz786

To be fair, metro isn't bad if you take the gold class. Note, getting a seat depends where you get on or off though.

I prefer metro than rush hour traffic but its my own preference.

DXBtoDOH

Aye. Pay no attention to Scamp. He has a personal vendetta against the metro because it doesn't take him directly from his front door to his favourite golf course

scrubbedexpat141

Only since you told me I was wrong for pointing out it's not that useful.

mission

I gotta agree with SCAMP.....this is to a large extent complete shyte. I have lived in both the Marina (5 yrs) and JLT (3 yrs). The ONLY thing the marina has going for itself is the marina/sea view - absolutely NO point in living in the marina if all you will see are the buildings through your window.
Most of the buildings are extremely old and sh*t...IMO there are only about 2-3 reasonable buildings worth living in the marina:
Orra Marina
Opal Tower
Cayan Tower
most others are either:
too small
sh*t building
sh*t layout
no balcony or the balcony is off the bedroom which is completely pointless

jam25mack

Trident...
Cascades...

CeeBee

Nope, merely expressing my opinion. I assume that's ok? I'll ask permission next time sir.

Go on them all knowing seasoned expat give us your alternative suggestion for a newcomer to the city. I'm dying to hear it.

Ps. Don't be so aggressive.

scrubbedexpat141

Oh dear.

You suggested that the ONLY place to consider living is the Marina....not even considering a person who may not work next to it. The OP for example will be in Healthcare city so living in the Marina as the ONLY option is bullshit, because it is.

As for other suggestions, I'll start with Downtown or DIFC or Business Bay or SZR. Any of those would be far better placed for someone working in Healthcare city than the Marina.

PS. No need to ask permission in future, just try to think before typing.

mission

Trident is good
I have never been to Cascades - but I was under the impression it was shyte also?

jam25mack

Cascades is OK, obviously there are some less desirable apartments but generally they're big and well laid out. Some apartments do have issues with the noise from the neighbouring buildings roof mounted AC units. They've had the ministry out several times who have take readings and said the noise is excessive.

chipie

What are peoples thoughts on Al Barsha for living?

I need to find some accommodation within next six weeks, office is located near FGB Metro although I anticipate sorting a vehicle, using the Metro isn't an issue having suffered London Underground for so long.

I'm mid-forties so somewhere steady but still somewhere sociable with the odd decent bar within walking distance.

Millhouse

Cheap and not very cheerful.

Maybe tecom although it's damn depressing there.

co durham boy

It's a bit grim mate to be honest , it all depends on what you want though . Some decent bars round there though and you'll never be short on company !

scrubbedexpat141

Buy a business card holder. A large one.

DXBtoDOH

Barsha is a big area and most of it is villas, but I assume you're referring to the apartment ghettos behind Mall of Emirates and along Sheikh Zayed

This area can be divided into two sections. The first part is directly behind Mall of Emirates and is a high-rise (up to 20 floors thereabouts) ghetto that's looking worse for the wear. Some buildings are fine enough, others are downright dire. A number of inexpensive hotels with cheap bars in the area. Upside is that you can walk easily to Mall of Emirates and there's scads of inexpensive cheap eats (and, err....'massage' parlours).

The other part is south of MoE and alongside Sheikh Zayed and goes back inland a few blocks. This is the better area, relatively speaking. There's one actually very nice mid-rise apartment block reminiscent of a European building, with shops and cheap Arabic grills/kebab places on the ground floor and well-kept, bright and airy apartments. The other buildings are not as nice and quality varies. A few hotels dot the area with their bars. This area is handy to Sharaf metro (two stops to FGB where G&D Park is).

If you find an apartment you like and are comfortable with, Barsha, especially the latter area I described, can be just fine and dandy, especially if you intend to take the metro to work daily. Driving in/out during rush hour can be a mare, which is why you'd want to take the metro. Weekend traffic is generally not a problem, especially for the nicer part of Barsha. The location is central, only a few minutes from the Marina and slightly longer to reach Downtown.

jam25mack

The Greens may also be a shout.