zappa19968

Hi everyone, I know its probably been asked before but...I am moving to Doha from Muscat end of month and I am looking for suitable villa/villa apartments preferably on a compound with a bit of greenery! I will be working on the New Port project just outside Wakrah so location needs to be reasonably close....but not Wakrah! My wife also needs to find a good gym and nursery for my 2 year old son.......any suggestions on any of the above would be great TIA..

DohaLady

There are some relatively decent compounds in Old Airport Area, not so great on the greenery front but well priced, decent finishings and not too far from Wakra.
Unsure on the gym and nursery front for you though I'm afraid

Theseus

You could look at Barwa that's on the outskirts of doha nearish to Wakra. Or even Abu Hamour - there are some good compounds there, look at Dar Al Salam

Blue Cat

Hello and welcome to BE

zappa19968

Hi everyone..hi BC.

We are all looking forward to arriving in Doha next month.....just need to find a good place to live.....gym and nursery high priority

Where abouts is Barwa Theseus? is it completed?

co durham boy

Barwa is shit don't bother , it's on the skirts of the industrial area .Piss poor designed apartments with no windows . Keep out of Wakra as well , it's a hole .

Try Abu Hammour / Al Waab or An Khalid . Those 3 areas will get you in proximity of decent nurseries and facilities . Also make sure you know your budget .

Id sacrifice the extra time in the car for the better accommodation especially if you have a family . The Port is going to take you about a hour each way , it's a long way out of Wakra it's actually in Messieed .

Wait until you get here and then suss out whats best for yourself .

zappa19968

Thanks CDB. We were considering Abu Hamour area because its slightly the right side for my job and close to amenities for the family. I guess the traffic is still as bad as ever in Doha? I did work there 3 years back and it was a nightmare, new flyovers and underpasses were being done..are these completed? I know that it will get worse everywhere as the frenzy of the 2022 world cup draws nearer.....bit like when I was in Dubai 2005 - 2010, couldn't go anywhere mid week.

I have been to the port project and it didn't seem that far away from airport..20mins at 6.30am and about same going back at 6.00pm...I guess the extra battle to and from Abu Hamour will make up the the 20-25 mins each day.

Thanks again.

co durham boy

Its a decent area to be in because the road development is well on it's way on that side of the city . You can go either way down the D ring road to pick up West Bay or to the Airport .

The traffic is shit and will be for the next 5 years but that's what comes with a developing city , yes you're right it's a bit like Dubai from 2005 onwards . Sometimes i just don't bother going out at peak times as it's just too much aggro here .

You'd be fine in any of those 3 locations mate . To be honest Doha is loads better than it was 3 years ago , it's moving at a better pace and i expect it to pick up even more . It's been needed though as they've been crawling along with development here .

Id rather be going from Doha to Muscat though !!!

zappa19968

Ha...yes Muscat is great place, if a little sleepy but it comes with its own agro! mainly slow to process anything. Omanisation is in full swing which is great for national statistics but unfortunately it dosent really work, phones are answered with grunts, no call backs, non English speakers, no response to enquiries...the list is endless...I guess its the same the whole GCC over. Fact is theres not much happening here, construction wise....they don't need anything else....airport well on its way...more ministry buildings completed, opera house done.

Im glad that the traffic has improved somewhat over the years, but im prepared for it...something you get used being the ME.

Thanks again.

co durham boy

It's like for like here mate to be honest , you know the score . Qatari's are like pubescent teenage boys on crystal meth . There's an arrogance in Doha that you never get used to , you just kind of block it out and count the cash .

It's not the most friendly place on the planet and most of the city looks like a dogs arse to be honest but they're building and spending cash and my role in life is to relieve them of some of their hard earned as i can .

It's a decent place to earn a living , it's no Dubai or Muscat but all these Gulf countries are just as flea bitten as each other under the surface , just different layers of hospitality to keep the working hordes happy.

It's never forever and we all leave eventually .

zappa19968

Yep that's very true.

Ok well thanks for all the info and advise mate, its appreciated.

I did post another question/thread about the wife driving a hire car for more than 7 days while on visit visa until she gets RP. She has also worked in Qatar, Dubai and Oman in the past so she's well used being around traffic and arrogant people.....just this time she will not be working and be a little isolated whilst trying entertain a hyper 2 year old boy, so initial transport is a must really.

Also do you/can you get Abu Sports card and box.....gotta watch my team now we're in the premiership :-)

cheers.

Theseus

The theory is that she can drive on an international driving permit, which you can get from the post office, for 6 months. You might want to check with the hire companies if they'll accept it though. Its all a bit vague here. Taxi's are cheap though and i know a couple of decent drivers if thats easier for a while.

zappa19968

Hi Theseus, we are coming direct from Oman not UK so no time to get form. She does have UAE, Omani and UK driving licences....does this make a difference? ....can she hire through one company then change to another then another...how do they check?

zappa19968

The driver sounds interesting...how much does it cost per day/week/month?

co durham boy

Ive got some numbers for drivers , my missus uses them , pretty reliable and cheap , best to negotiate a rate on what you need but you can just ring up and the guys are usually there in 20 mins .

It's usually between 30-40 chips a fare

Al Jazeera has the Premiership rights this season so it'll be easy to connect up by either box or through cable by local provider