Godfather

I have recently moved to the compound (Al-Bustan) after visiting several in Riyadh. I will share my experiences of the compunds I visited as follows.

Al-Waha - I was not impressed with Al Waha - Very dirty, run down badly managed and uninspiring staff who conducted the visit with a guess we will never see this western expat again….. meh….
On the positive side though the villas are huge, I looked at a 3 bedroom villa and the size was really impressive with a family room as well as a main lounge area. However the yard was non existent and the overall site and facilities were extremely poor, there was no restaurant!

Granada, much the same as Al-Waha. Very old and grubby, furnishings inside the villas are drab, well worn and old. The electricals / white goods are tatty and old.

Al-Hamra – For a British expat if you get this you have struck gold. Finish!

Arabian Villas – I was very pleased with this compound it was British ran and took the advantage of very happy go lucky Filipinos as maintenance and sales staff, as always these guys are chirpy and happy to help whenever and wherever they can. First impressions of the compound were excellent the villas share a pool between around 8 homes and it was a step from the front door, However the villas are tiny!
The site had great facilities and the community seems very close (and the community is the most important thing of being an ex-pat). The price is reasonable too.

Sedar.
Good community, good facilities, way out of the main drag in Riyadh, tiny single floor ‘sheds’ with tin roofs. AVOID!

Al-Bustan.
Im living here now.

Things I like – New, modern, clean, spacious, potentially the best compound in Riyadh, I’m here and I have a villa (don’t think you would be able to say that upon completion, these villas will be like hens teeth).
Brand new stuff, white goods, beds!, sofa, tables etc …etc … etc….
The great TV and internet package, the data / comm’s throughout the villa.
The recently opened swimming pool, Fantastic, the gym equipment, the handy shop. The travel to work, 10 minutes to the centre of Riyadh as the traffic is sparse. 15 minutes from the airport.
The general layout of the compound, wide streets, play parks and a brilliant pool / lounge area.

Things I don’t like – The salesman (well salesmen in general actually, or agents for that matter), hes full of sh*t, lies thru his back teeth and generally can’t be believed in anything he says. Just tell the truth we know there is a labor shortage in Riyadh so why tell everyone that the villas / project is on time!!! We can see that its not!!
The fact no taxis have the first idea where Al-Bustan actually is?
The speed of development. Slow, slow, slow.
The restaurant.
My villa is dull, no natural light enters from the front ground floor of the building.
Am I happy with my choice…. At this moment in time and with none of the REAL facilities yet in place…. Yes and things can only get better.

Make the most of your Riyadh experience and don’t listen too much to the negative comments on here bout Al-Bustan, its what you make of it. If people leave now, I’m sure they will regret it later…… Once the American school is open the demand will be huge here!

Jammy_Dodgers

Cordoba - Very Nice
Phoenix and Arizona - Very nice.

The problem is there is a long waiting list for the nicer compounds

Riyadh Newcomer

The summary above was very helpful GodFather, i had not enough time to check all compounds myself, i was in Al Bustan last december and it is on top of the list of which i visited so far.

my concerns are the construction work as this was not clear enough when this will be done, also when the Schools ( American and German schools ) will start there.

i have a kid going to school next year and we want him to go to German International School which will move to Alö Bustan this year ( this was the plan so far ) so i hope we will be in time

thanks again and all the best in your new life

skoop77

How is the security at Al Bustan? Is there the national guard? Are there many families with children?

The company offered me to stay there but first I would like to know from the people that live there some important issues.

Alessio

skoop77

Good morning,

I am wondering which are the best western oriented compounds in Riyadh and among those, which have the best family facilities and activities going on.

My family will join me soon and I'll move out from the hotel where I am staying now.

Can you help me out please?

Thank you

Skoop77

ExpatLife

We (wife and I on behalf of two kids 8 and 6 yo) recently visited Al Bustan, Seder, Al Hamra, EID, Cordoba, Arizona and Arabian Homes.

(1) Al Bustan is a work in progress but the facilities looked great. I don't know if we had the same sales/marketing agent which some people refer to in this string, but the guy seemed genuine and he was open about timing of getting the compound up and running. Stage 1 is completed, stage 2 going online in mid April and stage 3 yet to commence. He thought that it would be very tight for the American school to be fully operational in September. We visited the current American school and the person there said that they have been told to expect a September start date but perhaps not everything will be up and running on the first day of the new school year. Al Bustan has a facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AlBustanVillage). We looked at Al Bustan on the basis that if the kids got into the American school, then one less daily journey to deal with. This is the only compound that we saw with gas stoves on the list (if that is important to you). All the other compounds had electric stoves and most with the old coil hotplates. Cheaper than Al Hamra and Cordoba. On par with Arizona and EID.
(2) Seder – the cheapest of all the compounds visited. I didn't get to see inside a villa as our driver got horribly lost (2 hours from Olaya District to Seder on a Saturday night!!. Journey should have only taken an hour at most; but have learnt to laugh at these things now!). By the time we arrived for our appointment, the manger had to leave. He talked us through everything but we could not see a 3 bed villa. However we did have two nights at Seder visiting people we know (they have an apartment). I have to say, at least as visitors, who were run off their feet that Seder was a very restful place to spend two relaxing evenings. We had dinner in the restaurant twice and relaxed in the friend’s decent sized garden (for an apartment) and their friends dropped over. What I liked about Seder was that it was very open. It reminded me of a north Queensland town. While there we had some good thunder and lightning plus a drop of rain on Thursday night (a real Queensland experience!). One thing to say is that with single story accommodation you don’t feel closed in which I imagine is a potential feeling at other compounds. Nice to be sitting in a backyard (when you can) seeing open sky and palm trees and not looking at the back of a two story building. I hear less favourable comments about Seder; however I reckon it is what you make it. For every person who has told me that they left it for another compound, there is a person who moves to Seder from a more ‘upmarket’ compounds. The community has a good feel but people are not living in each other’s pockets. I know about 6 people living there. One of the 6 is unknown to the other 5 and he has been living there for months now. So it strikes me that if you want your privacy, that is no issue either. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see a villa. But the ones we saw from the outside are all detached, which eliminates the sharing of a common wall
(3) The big plus about Al Hamra is that it is physically connected to the British School (BISR). And although other compounds are close to the BISR (such as EID, Corboba and Arizona), with Al Hamara you just walk the kids through the adjoining security gates/doors and one less car/bus journey to deal with. I heard people say that they thought Al Hamra had become run down. We didn’t see any evidence of that. There were lots of maintenance people out and about. The facilities all looked great and have to say that this compound ticked all the boxes based on a one hour visit. Whereas Seder was the cheapest on our list, this was the most expensive (like Cordoba) comparing like size accommodation. When we told people we were looking at Al Hamra, one of the first things we were told is that the BISR is relocating. However I cannot find any reliable info on when/if the BISR will move (anyone know).
(4) EID – like Seder, we know people who live here. One has a two bed apartment and the other (a couple with kids) have a villa. We had a great evening there, dining out at the café besides the pool and we looked at a selection of villas. All villas were smart and I thought probably the best layout of space seen across all compounds. Again, no complaints about the facilities. I think the roads within the compound could do with a resurface and the place would benefit with a few workers doing a continual sweep. If the roads are not resurfaced in a couple of months, I reckon night jogging around the complex will become pretty hazardous. The management were pleasant and very helpful. You would expect no less when you are visiting as a potential customer. This goes for all the management teams we met at every compound. Therefore the people to give a better view are those who live in the compounds and know the management teams. Cheaper than Al-Hamra and Cordoba. On par with Arizona and Al Bustan rent.
(5) Cordoba – not much to say here. Not because nothing to report, but rather it felt like Al Hamra and was on par with quality and facilities. The manager is very confident of his operations and we had a pleasant cup of coffee with him after the visit at the café next to the pool where he gave us more information about demographics/background of customers and plans for the future. Villa layout was like Al Hamra. Villas in both compounds are very spacious with good layouts.
(6) Arizona Golf Resort – I really liked this place. I am not a golfer, but the sight of seeing mothers (at 1pm) walking their prams around the fringe of the golf course gave us a good feel. Now in fairness there were not many golfers on the course, so the mums were not in any danger. Surreal to see a couple of groups of gazelles walking through the accommodation grounds and also on golf course. We liked the villas. Good sizes and good layouts. Management said that they are replacing the furniture in all properties. The place we looked at I thought had decent enough furniture, but it will be gone in a month or two replaced with some swish Italian looking designs (I wonder if that will be reflected in rent reviews!!). We also took a look at the 3 bedroom apartment. The specification was very high and impressive. We were told that this is the showcase apartment for anyone thinking of moving into the sister compound (California) next door which is due to open soon. Pricing – see EID above.
(7) Arabian Homes – this was the second compound we visited after Seder. It is a great compound. Again, management were open and friendly. Like all other compounds, we had at least an hour visit. Facilities were all very good. Rather than having a large central pool with say one or two satellite pools elsewhere in the compound, Arabian Homes is designed so that a number of properties have a pool located on their doorstep. It reminded me of villas you see in south of spain where 6 villas share a common pool. However you are not confined to the nearest pool. When we visited we were shown two properties which were being renovated. The quality of the renovations was pretty good. I hear a lot of good things about Arabian Homes from others. It was more expensive than Seder and probably a little south of EID, Arizona and Al Bustan.
I think these blogs are excellent, but anyone looking to move to Riyadh should physically see as many compounds as possible. Obviously read and digest the blogs and comments from others, but at the end of the day, you are your own best judge. I think it important to keep focussed at looking at like for like. There is no use looking at say a three bedroom villa in some compounds and two bedroom apartments at others (unless you are want to get a fuller accommodation spectrum) if at the end of the day you want a two bedroom apartment. Having said that, I was blown away by the 3 bedroom apartment at Arizona but as the wife pointed out “the kids are not getting their own ensuites” and so to looking at comfortably sized 3 bed villas. Contact all compounds in advance. Some will supply prices by emails, others will ask you to complete enquiry forms but you will get their prices (in not in advance) on the day of your visit. Getting around Riyadh was tricky. If you don’t know how to get to the compounds invest in a good driver or taxi. The hotel driver we had toi get us to Seder was hopeless and we let the hotel know. A friend recommended a taxi service and although his driver was not available, his ‘brother’ was. We gave this guy the list of compounds and he knew where each and every one was located except for Al Bustan. Yet that was resolved with one phone call to his ‘brother’. The downside was that the wife would not let this guy go, so I paid him waiting time and fed and watered him.

ExpatLife

All - looking to make contact with (get views of) anyone with families at Arabian Homes and Arizona about your views living at these two places. We have two kids, 8 and 6 yo. Have bumped into families living at other compounds, so would be interested to hear about the experience of living on these two compounds to help round off thinking.

ExpatLife

We heard the same when we contacted compounds from abroad, but the protests softened when we met some of the management. Not saying that they are fighting for customers, but not sure that all compounds are closed. Of course it depends on what you are looking for, so I guess that one compound might have say villa accommodation available but no chance of a two bed apartment. When we were in Riyadh all compound managers met us, sometimes on only a few short hours notice including those that did not return previous emails. However, feeling bullish by this, I called Kingdom City for an appointment and was completely rebuffed and I quote "we have a waiting list of between 6 to 18 months so no reason to visit us" - at least she didn't waste our time!

becas14

I need to choose between Al Rabwa or Al Bustan!!Who can help?Someone who lives there??

nonthaburi

It is nice at Kingdom!

Godfather

If your the sporting type Al Bustan by a country mile.

The facilities are magnificent now. and the community is growing and events are taking place on a weekly basis. After writing my first post. I am so glad I moved to Al-Bustan, no regrets whatsoever. I know ALL the compounds in Riyadh now as I have friends in most and for sure 110% they are ALL envious of the setup here its got the best facilities bar none.
The 8 lane bowling alley just opened recently, the Ball Room opened a couple of weeks ago and the 80 seat cinema will open next month. Tell me another compound that can offer that!

My advise to anyone looking to move get in now as once this place is full you wont get another chance!

omyelmago

Hello I'll be in Riyadh

from next August. family will join in september. do you have the contact of the person handling the sales in bustan compound?

Godfather

the person you need to talk with is Sameer Khan


Hes a bull shitter like all these sales guys so take what he says with a pinch of salt.

omyelmago

only 3 bedrooms are still available in al bustan
any one has Al hamra contact?

FriendlyExpat

I visited Al Bustan and did not really like it, primarily because the compound is all grey concrete. It felt oppressive and sterile. The villas were brand new but crammed together and very dark inside - no natural light at all. Also the compound is huuuuuge - over 1,000 homes. I imagine once it gets full that it will feel pretty busy. The facilities are pretty amazing (cinema, indoor tennis courts, etc), although they have a burger king...of all the nice potential restaurants they could have gone for, they choose BK. I'm not sure what the prices are.

I like Arizona Compound (nice, leafy, golf course, currently costs 225,000 SAR for a 2 bed condo, 285,000 SAR for a 3 bed villa and 300,000 SAR for a 3 bed villa with a golf course view) or Kingdom Compound (a bit cheaper, less greenery but a more communal atmosphere, nice villas and **much** better activities).

Najd Compound is also good although a bit overpriced (something like 300,000 SAR for a house) and a notch down from Arizona or Kingdom. Yamama Compound is similarly OK, nice big homes, good facilities but a bit dull and overpriced (something like 300,000 SAR?)

Seder Compound is super cheap (like 130,000 SAR per year for a 4/5 bungalow) and has good facilities and a nice community, but small basic detached bungalow homes, a long way from the centre of Riyadh and the manager tries to solicit a £2k bribe to get you in (erm, no thanks!). Reminds of an American suburb (I think it was originally used by the US army).

Also consider living on the Diplomatic Quarter, it's cheap, very quiet and green, lovely areas to walk around, women don't have to wear the abaya, good facilities (although I always get approached by scary wild dogs on the side nearest to Wadi Hanifah).