iggle

Hello Friends and my arch-nemesis Lightbitter

I have lived in Abu Dhabi now 2 years and i am bored. I am planning of moving to Dubai but still keep my job. I actually know very little about Dubai, i've been there about 4 times. I work on the outer edges of Abu Dhabi, so there is no "Downtown" additional drive. My drive from Ream to work is already 30-45mins long, I am expecting a 1hr drive, worst comes to worst i could just change jobs.

So many questions

1) Whats the drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi like
2) Where would you recommend I start looking, i would guess it would be marina way
3) How much are 1 bedroom apartments is said area
4) What sort of pit falls should i look out for
5) What is the job market like in Dubai in the next 1 year or so
6) My tenancy runs out in Feb, so I will be making the move around Xmas time
7) All advice welcome!
8) I hear Emirates Crew girls are hotter than Etihad, this is the main reason for me moving

DXBtoDOH

Replies in red:

1) Whats the drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi like Long and boring but usually smooth. Expect to drive fast or get out of the way. Dubai Marina to AUH is 50 - 60 minutes. Once in a while, maybe every two months, there's a major accident that causes a slow down but most of the time as long as you avoid the bottleneck that begins further into Dubai around TECOM area you'll be fine.


2) Where would you recommend I start looking, i would guess it would be marina way Yes. Two best options are: 1. Marina for most convenient to AD. Look at apartments in the south end of the Marina near the ramps to/from E11, or at the very north end just off E11. Anywhere in the middle requires dealing with Marina traffic. 2. JLT, which is opposite Marina. Slightly cheaper and much better traffic in/out, but slightly removed from the Marina bustle (good or bad depending on your view, it's still leagues better than Reem Island).

Disco Gardens is cheaper and a bit closer to AD but traffic in/out of Disco Gardens is bad.

3) How much are 1 bedroom apartments is said area Anywhere from 75k up to 120+. More you pay, the nicer. JLT and Disco Gardens have district cooling charges. Marina doesn't for the most part. Keep this in mind. In Marina the cheaper apartments tend to be on the south end.

4) What sort of pit falls should i look out for None really. Same problems with finding a reputable agent in Dubai as in AD, I expect.

5) What is the job market like in Dubai in the next 1 year or so Who knows. Stronger than AD I think. AD is a government town and dependent on oil. Dubai is much more diversified. Seems more committed to spending their way out of recessions and high profile projects still abound.

6) My tenancy runs out in Feb, so I will be making the move around Xmas time And your question is?

7) All advice welcome! The drive isn't that bad, really. Just longish. But if it's already taking you 35 minutes to get to work, then driving an extra 30 minutes to be in Dubai after hours and on weekends is well worth it, methinks. It really is a different world altogether from AD.

8) I hear Emirates Crew girls are hotter than Etihad, this is the main reason for me moving What happened to the Lithuanian?

Lightandbitter

You couldn't commute, you would get lost everyday

Millhouse

I can never understand why anyone would wish to live in Dubai and work in AD.

DXBtoDOH

Well, why live in Slough when you could live in London?

If you have a family and are "settled down" then there's no real point in living in Dubai.

But if you're a swingeing single, Dubai is easily leagues ahead of AD in terms of excitement and entertainment. It has a je ne sais quoi that AD does not.

AD is a place where tumbleweed blows through the high street at noon.

mission

cheaper accommodation and better quality of life, I imagine

mission

err no idea, I ain't into chicks - ps what is the obsession with you and cabin crew beanies?

iggle

Thank you for the time and effort in your reply, i do appreciate that.


Oh she's still around, but she's put some weight on. I might have to upgrade the model.

co durham boy

Just wait until you get to Qatar , you'll be longing for a night out in A.D

Millhouse

yeh, driving an extra hour a day on the highway to hell is deffo an upgrade.

iggle

I work in construction, in the UK 1hr is the normal drive. You don't work where you live, because where you work changes so often. The 1hr drive doesn't bother me nor an issue.

Worst comes to worst I'd look for work in Dubai, but i am bored in Abu. Maybe we could go for a drink

Pongo

AD airport area to JLT area is 100km...1000km a week round trip, your vehicle will need a lot of servicing.

co durham boy

I tend to agree with this , i find it bizarre that people tramp up and down that road everyday just so they can go to the Barasti .

I quite like Abu Dhabi , had a decent few years there . There's a definite difference but it's still a decent place to stay .

DXBtoDOH

Do you have a big fancy beast?

If you make the move you might want to go back to a gold Tiida. Much more fuel economical. I imagine the petrol expenses for a FJ would really add up. And this is the one downside to the commute I hadn't mentioned and it's that you fuel up a lot. As in all the time.

It's ok for me as there's a petrol station 1 minute from where I live so I usually pop down at 9:30 PM when it's quiet and am back in under 15 minutes altogether. But the petrol stations along E11 have massive queues, especially the afternoon return to DXB. It's a bit better in the AM. Unfortunately there are very few petrol stations around Marina/JLT. Based on this alone I might be tempted to focus the apartment search on JLT so I can nip into the petrol station in the Meadows at night easily.

If there's a petrol station by your office and you can fill up quickly whilst at lunch, then problem solved.

mission

Barasti is a sh*thole, truly horrendous....full of chavs who think they are 'living the dream' and can mouth off to whoever is willing to listen to them. I find the brit crowd in there complete tossers.