leepee

Hiya...
I know that the Riyadh British School is based at the Al Hamra Compound. I also know how popular that one is! Would really appreciate any info on other compounds in that area....In an ideal world we want to be as close as poss to the school...

All info gratefully recieved!
Lisa

nottmbantam

Not far away ( ie 10 min drive ) are:

Cordoba ( sister compound to Al Hamra )
Arizona ( regarded as a VIP compound, but pricier than the others )
Fal Compound
Granada Compound

THese are all in the immediate vicinity. Al Hamra will probably have a longer waiting list due to it being on the same site at the Brit School.

tieresias

Be a bit wary if you are offered anything at Al Hamra at the moment - not only is it very popular because of the British school, but there are major building works on one side, working pretty close to 24x7. One of my colleagues is on that "street" and is kept awake.

Cordoba, which is where I am, has a waiting list too. I know because I talk to the manager to try to find somewhere quieter for the aforementioned colleague.

flares

any idea how much Hamra is?

is Cordoba, Arizona similar?

nottmbantam

Not sure about Al Hamra costs, but I suspect they are pretty close to Cordoba Costs:

Cordoba Prices ( annual rent in SR's )

Studio 1 Bed 120,000
2 Bed Villa : 200,000-220,00
Large 3/4 bed 280,000

Our company has been offered a two bed condo on Arizona, they are 200,000.

THree bed villa on Arizona will be in the region of 300,00.

Granada and Fal are I suspect a bit cheaper.

nottmbantam

Yup, seems to generate an awful lot of dust too in that region. Pretty big buildings going up?

Hippacrocapig

I believe there is a new compound opening soon by the Holiday Inn, sorry but dont know what it's called..

nottmbantam

There are two or three complexes immediately by the Holiday Inn ( not far from Al Hamra ) , known as the Izdihars. THey have been there for a while if they are the ones you're thinking of?

We used to use them a few years ago, before shipping everyone out to brand new purpose built place. AFAIK, the compounds are all empty at the moment, and the owners are looking for a single company to to come in and house all their staff on it, so it doesn't sound as if they will be leasing single units to individuals.

tieresias

My colleague's place at Al Hamra (2 bedroom, 2 bathroom plus cloakroom, a fairly small lounge/diner, i.e. one room, kitchen) is SAR 250,000 pa.

I confirm 280k for a large 3-bed on Cordoba. My place here is almost three times the size of his, for the extra 30k a year. I made the mistake of inviting his family round once and severely regretted it...

nottmbantam

Went to see the two bed condo on Arizona today, for 200k a year, there isn't a lot of space.

We've allocated it to a single guy, he's planning on using the second bedroom as his study, as there really isn't enough space in the living area, which is 'compact' to say the least. Nice quality furnishings and fittings, and a nice scenic compound, but very pricey.

tieresias

Yes, it includes the new HQ for GOSI (General Organisation for Social Insurance) and I'm told the king has given permission for 24x7 working in order to get it completed during his lifetime.

Mind you, there are some pretty big buildings going up on my side of Cordoba, but at least they only work during normal working hours. When I first moved in, six months ago, it was just desert and someone told me they were building a new compound. But it's clear now that the buildings are much bigger than that but I have no idea what it is. Certainly generates plenty of dust though!

tieresias

Another couple of compounds worth considering:

- Eid Villas, about 5 minutes away. Could do with a bit of TLC and the prices reflect that. Very good restaurant and cafe with good range of food and friendly staff. A South African colleague lives there, partly because there is a bit of a "Saffer" community. Also, it has a wave pool and twirly water-slide.

- Kingdom, right next to Kingdom Hospital, about 15 minutes away, is, in my opinion, the nicest looking of the compounds I've been to, although I've only been there once and have not been inside a villa. The central area is very "holiday resort". We have a few people staying in their studio flats who say the restaurant is good, although the menu doesn't vary much. It seems quite a sociable place. Also, I guess of no interest to the OP, it is one of the places used by air hostesses for a few days R&R... Anyway, it's expensive with a long waiting list we're told.

- Al Waha. This rarely seems to be mentioned. It's a much smaller place by Exit 1 (i.e. NW Riyadh) and so about 20-30 minutes from the school but it runs a courtesy shuttle-bus to both the British and American schools. I looked at a place there for a newly arrived colleague (who turned it down because it's too far from the American school where his kids had places). It also needs some TLC but the price of a big 3-bed identical to my place at Cordoba, was just SR 200k pa and I got the impression they do not have much of a waiting list. Friendly management and staff and decent restaurant. Limited leisure facilities compared to the bigger places, although it has the basics - pool, gym, hairdresser, squash/tennis courts... I didn't see a shop.

HTH

nottmbantam

Right in front of Cordoba, is the building site for a new Compound, which is being built the owners of Arizona.

THe new compound will be known as California and will be all apartments, no villa's, ranging from 1, 2 and 3 bed apartment. Scheduled for completion end of 2012.

Some of the apartment blocks will be quite large, one will a dedicated one bed apartment block, so 'bachelor central'. Had a look around at the 'show home', which is available to view on Arizona, and it will be a very contemporary interior. Includes all usual amenities and at the moment, I think the building work they're concentrating on is the underground car park!

Winnypower

Hi, Do you have any good real Estate agent can recommend to me? We are looking for decent expat compound with 4+ bed room villa in Riyadh in Jun. our budget can be up 400,000 per year. the compound need to be closed American School.