Al Reef Villas & other off-island Abu Dhabi living
 

Has anyone got any opinions on the Al Reef Villas development behind Abu Dhabi airport? The first phase is coming online in the next six months and two bed town houses are renting at 140 to 150k.

I'm quite interested in this as I work in Dubai Media City and my wife works for Etihad out of the airport. One concern is lack of shops/infrastructure near there, as the Central Plaza with shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. isn't going to be completed for a coule of years.

Anyone know anything about the place? Alternatively, any suggestions for other areas to live in that price range or lower out near the airport or off island? Dilemma I have is that I don't want to live in a split villa and I can't afford the 210k price range of Raha Gardens villas or 300k for Golf Gardens (shame!). I am looking to move in January 2010. Anyone got any help/opinions/suggestions on Abu Dhabi renting?

Re: Al Reef Villas & other off-island Abu Dhabi living
 

yes they are right in the middle of nowhere, i wouldnt have thought that they would be doing any of the infrastructure for a good long while, they are behind on the schedule of villas so they will concentrating on those, which estate agent told you those prices? kca/b or mbz are down to nearer the 200 mark. any other area off island will be local housing areas, which are not open to expats, unless the owner has built and paid for the building himself.

Re: Al Reef Villas & other off-island Abu Dhabi living
 

I would question potential build quality. Soundproofing for the nearby airport is probably also not great. Gonna be a building site for a good few years still.

Re: Al Reef Villas & other off-island Abu Dhabi living
 

My colleague has bought a 3 bedder and a 5 bedder at Al Reef. He visits the site regularly to check progress. Apparently, it's doing okay. It's not as bad as Arabian Ranches, which is a constant building site. If you can snap up a bargain and don't mind living away from amenities (bit like Al Raha, I guess) then it's worth considering, in my view.

Re: Al Reef Villas & other off-island Abu Dhabi living
 

I used to live under the Heathrow flightpath so think this won't be a problem! I heard about the place through www.homebaseuae.com although the website isn't up yet. Advert in the back of Abu Dhabi Week. Going to go take a look in a week or two.

Wish I could afford the 210 I am hearing for Raha Gardens! Sadly budget won't stretch that far.