wardo

hi, i'm new on here so hello to everyone! i am 22 and relocating with work from london to Dubai in march 2008. I have heard loads of positive stuff and i'm massively excited about it! loads of questions!! i'm flyin out in Nov to sort flat, car and see Dubai (never been!) so researching loads at the moment.

The company i'm working for are putting me up in Dubai Marina so i would like to know pos and neg whats good etc also nightlife and socialising etc for round there and central??

I play a decent standard of rugby in London and so i'm looking for something similar or better if possible out in Dubai - i've heard a little about the Exiles and Hurricanes but would like to hear more!

I've heard a lot of dificulties with insurance companies and type of cars ie sports cars...is this a reality or do you just have to hunt around??

look forward to any responses!

shakh your bootie

Hey fella, congrats on your new job. Assuming that your company is giving you a good basic + allowances, you will have a great time here despite the fact that inflation is pretty insane. Check your figures against expenses before coming out!

There is a fairly decent social scene - it's not London, though - Timeout Dubai will give you a fair guide to the nightlife. Popular clubs are the Apartment, Trilogy, Boudoir, Peppermint, Zinc - for some of these you will have to find yourself a date or at least a woman willing to walk past the bouncer with you...

Insurance for a sports car for under 25's will be expensive - I have no idea how much as I am well over 25!!! Also, do you really want a sports car? A 4 by 4 has a lot of potential for fun - off-roading & dune bashing are popular week-end activities here and there's a lot of places where you just can't get to in a saloon.

Some of our posters are active on the rugby scene - the Dean or Inselaffen would be good people to ask.

Welcome to the board, and also to the UAE.

twisty100

I paid 19.000 AED for one year fully comp on 2007 a Porsche 911 S and i'm 27. It might be a little harder for you as your 22, however I have been told that insurance is worked out as 4.5% of the value of the car and has no relation to age...

Marina is a good area to live, lots of young people and good hotels etc with some decent bars. It is a building site at the moment but is slowly improving with cafes opening up etc.

You're gonna have a ball mate..

Welcome to Dubai.

M

Inselaffen

Royal Sun Alliance are usually the best on 2 door cars. Some others like Oman Insurance wont touch 2 doors!

wardo

thanks for the reply mate! yeah i had heard inflation was going through the roof! i'll try and grab a time out then and follow up those names too. is the marina well located for all those places and central nights out?

whats the ratio like then on nights out cos that sounds like there are loadsa blokes about... like the sausage fest london can be! lol

haha 4x4 also sounds appealing mate! prob be spending a lot of time traveling around the place too so maybe a better option. are the roads pretty shit condition?

shakh your bootie

Marina is a good location for a single guy - traffic there is likely to get worse as construction projects near completion...

Technically it's 70/30 male/female, but a lot of the 70 are construction workers. None of my male expat friends have had problems getting girlfriends. Oh, except Inselaffen. But we'll fix that....

The roads in town are fine (the traffic isn't tho) - the 4x4 you only need if you want to go into the interior, which is to be recommended.

wardo

ok thanks! one of the others said u were the one to talk to about rugby out in Dubai... i've heard a little about the Exiles and Hurricanes but wanna know more...training per week where it is games etc - and what kinda level...?

thanks

wardo

thanks mate! well thats encouraging to hear! which company was that with? sounds like nightlife will be prettygood then! looking forward to some crazy nights out!!

Inselaffen

OIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iii!!!!

shakh your bootie

just answer the dude's rugby question.....

wardo

ah right well that sounds ok....haha i wont ask why....

what do u mean by the interior? whats special about it#?

Inselaffen

I don't know a huge amount about the rugby scene as I play hockey myself.
But the Hurricanes won the double out here last season, however I understand as a club they are vagrants using the Exiles facilities. The Exiles is the biggest club but they will lose their ground soon so Sheikh Mo can have his nice shiny new racecourse. I think their new facilities will by part of the new Emirates country club and will be shared by all the rugby clubs. The new season just started last weekend I think!

and its damn hot for playing sport!

shakh your bootie

There's a few interesting places to visit - totally different landscape from england's green and pleasant - head north through Wadi Beh to Mussandam to see the fjords, to the east you can off-road in the Hajjar mountains. For a longer trip Oman has a lot of places to see - Muscat, Turtle Beach, Sallalah. Head north from Abu Dhabi and you can drive the dunes at the edge of the Empty Quarter by Liwa. If you're an outdoorsy type... Otherwise, get a sports car and lounge-lizard around the Dubai watering holes!!!

wardo

haha both sound like a great plan!!

Cham128

isn't hockey a girls sport though?