lawyergirl

congratulations Becci! I hope you enjoy your honeymoon in Crete!

Look forward to meeting you in Al-Ain!

Cheers

Amazing Grace

Brendon, Skype is available here in Al Ain as elsewhere in UAE but it is advisable if you havent got it on your laptop download it before you arrive here. It is not available if you try to download it here. Also recommend you find a reliable UK based VPN to download before you come which will enable you to sign in to websites which maybe blocked here. Hope this helps

brendon2001ad

Brilliant, thanks for that!!!! Any suggestions for a vpn in UK?

On the subject of things to be done before I leave, are there any little things that anyone has forgotten and wished they had remembered excluding food?

I have loads of photos if that helps.

sassypilotswife

Hi Brendon.

We use HotSpot Shield and our Skype works great If you take any meds, make sure you have enough of them until you find a doc here that can give them to you. Finding some OTC meds are hard to find such as Melatonin.

Mrs Bex Congrats and enjoy your honeymoon !!!! See you soon !

Bluelionesse

Download skype onto your laptop before you come, it's great for computer-computer calls, but doesn't seem to let you do computer-landline calls.

Amazing Grace

As I said Brendon its best to use a UK based one because then you can download UK programmes, use for online banking etc. I will PM you the name of the one I use, not good to advertise on the public forum. With regard to medication if you do take regular prescribed from your doctor you need to bring a letter and a prescription from you doctor with you. Everything else is probably available but you will pay over the top for some medications in the pharmacist. Good news for UK guys is we now have a Boots the Chemist just newly opened in our new shopping mall Bawadi Mall and their own brand medications are excellent.

Cochraf

We have re-located to Al Ain as of yesterday and are currently staying in a hotel awaiting accommodation. Our employer had assured us that there would be no problem in finding dog friendly accommodation but this has turned out to be not the case.

Would anyone have the name of some dog friendly landlords we could contact? Obviously it would have to be in an area where we could walk the dog with out any major issues with the locals. Is this even possible?

We are desperate as our dog is almost 11 and we do not wish to just leave him with anybody as anything could happen while we are gone. If we cannot find anything I will have to return home and be separated from my husband.

Your help would be appreciated.

Blenheim

I am in the process of moving to Al Ain. Very keen to hear from anyone there about the state of housing and naturally cost of rental.
Also what is the cost of living like in comparison to NZ.

Amazing Grace

Blenheim, you need to take some time and read through this thread, it is very long and is repetative in some places but all the answers are there. Cant help you on the cost of living for NZ as I dont come from there but some thing are more and some things are less than the UK just depends on your own personal needs. Larnie who started this thread is from NZ and always ate out at local eateries she will be along later no doubt and will highly recommend this. The food is great and freshly cooked but again depends on what you like/dislike.

larnie

Hi Blenheim

Assume you are from Blenheim. I am from ChCh originally and latterly Wellington so Hi!! and welcome! The cost of living, I believe is directly comparable to your income. When we arrived we found it incredibly cheap living but in hindsight realise it was probably because our income here was so much more than NZ, but having said that some things are incredibly cheap such as eating out, We ate locally almost every night as it was much more affordable than cooking for two. The local restaurants are fabulous, cheap and tasty you just have to be adventurous. The most expensive thing is accommodation but that is all relative to your income. If your accommodation is more than 20-25% of your gross income then we would deem it 'too much'. Food is really cheap if you shop in local supermarkets. Power is cheap, but make sure you are not paying for the whole block of villas if you are living in an arab neighbourhood as we were LOL. Internet is also cheap and of course petrol is like 7 cents a litre!!! Alcohol is expensive comparatively speaking but that is comparing to NZ wine. Spirits are cheap as chips as are SA wine. NZ wine is daylight robbery as in $120 for a bottle of Montana Sav Blanc which I saw in the supermarket in ChCh for $11. But the lifestyle if the income matches is .like nothing you have experienced before in NZ, so go for it! The standard of accommodation is very good, although all rental accommodatioj excludes whiteware, but it is cheap as chips so don't stress just come and enjoy!

Cochraf

Hi Larnie

How does one go about purchasing alcohol in Al Ain? I know you have to have a license. Where do we get one and then where do we go to purchase?

Thanks

Amazing Grace

Cochraf, which hotel you staying in for a while, I live in The Hilton

Cochraf

Hi Larnie

We are at the Rotana until the 16th and then are supposed to get housing.

Amazing Grace

Just sent you a PM Cochraf

Amazing Grace

Just advertise it why dont you