cat_inthemiddleeast

Hi guys,

Im moving to DXB on the 27th August and need to find somewhere to live!

Im going to be working in the Dubai Airport Free Zone which is in the following location:

Al Quds Street, opposite to Al Tawar area, Deira, Dubai.
Near Dubai Airport - Terminal 2
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I would like to be pretty central to where everything is going on yet not too far from work.

Can any one suggest areas that I should be focusing my search for an apartment on and also any websites that would be useful to look at?

Thanks so much,

Cat

jrudofsky

Hi Cat,

My better half works there and we live a bit further away nearer the financial centre. However people she works with tend to be towards Mirdiff, Uptown Mirdiff I hear has apartments.

Good luck

Spugsy

Mirdif is pretty good, you have everything there you need and close to the airport as well, it's up and coming although some places (liek where I am) have aeroplanes overhead, but plenty of nice places to rent for decent rates.

arbroath_abroad

Yea i lived down 71 Street in Mirdif for a year and thought it was ok. Now that was before Uptown was even started so i bet its really good now..

Spugsy mentioned the fact that the planes are directly overhead, on certain flightpaths their landing approach took them directly over our villa, and to be honest, you get used to it...

For where you are working, i would recommend either there or Garhood..

cat_inthemiddleeast

Thanks Guys!

I currently live near Heathrow under the flight path leading to Rnwy 27L so am used to the noise! :-)

Ive noticed on the internet that there is a lot of property to rent in the 'International City'... is this any where near and if so any good??

Thanks again!

busybee2

IC sewerage works! and overflowing recently so i hear.

Meow

Don't discount Deira as an area to live. Quite a few nice buildings near Deira City Centre (mall) as well as other parts nearish the Creek. Not 'fashionable' with many expats (bizarrely!), so reasonable rents and there are masses of decent hotels and restaurants in the area. Not far from DAFZ.

Have a good in the Gulf News property section online.

http://www.gnads4u.com/properties


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cat_inthemiddleeast

Thanks for the GNAdsU.com headsup! Also Deira looks VERY affordable for me!

Meow

Just be careful which part! It is a fairly large area and there are lots of building where you wouldn't want to live. You'll just have to spend some time having a good look when you get here.

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VRV

hi Cat,

I've been living here for a very long time. even before sheikh zayed road or mirdiff or burj al arab was created... and I think I can help you...

Just to sum up the areas with pros and cons:

Deira, Dubai:

Pros: affordable and relatively good sized appartments, Rents Cheap.

Cons: Area is over populated, Heavy traffic, Heavy construction going on for at least 2 years to come.

Mirdif, Dubai:

Pros: mainly a family area. Big Villas, and some flats. Built community with a fairly good sized mall and gym and some other facilities.

Cons: some parts has planes passing by every 15 min. could become quite a burden. in the middle of the desert. 20-30 min away from the actual dubai city. Area is dead by 8pm.

International City, Dubai:

Pros: A very large project containing nice architecture, close by chinese mall, a potential beautiful city, and much cheaper than anything else (read cons for why it's cheap).

Cons: In the desert. Close to mirdif so 20 or 30 min away from the lively dubai city. for 4 years now, Sewage problems haven't been resolved. People trying to file law suits against "Nakheel"developer"(2nd biggest Developer in Dubai), but to no avail. Promisses of fixing has been rumoured....on the ground, its the same old horrible smell, sewage flooding, and rat outbreak in some sectors.

Sheikh Zayed Road:

Pros: beautiful high rises. big roads, nice people, a great number of restaurants and shops..etc. close to everywhere in dubai(including airport free zone). 20 min away even in rush hour (you'd be against traffic congestion).

Cons: Extremely pricey. Flat sizes a Joke. parking might be a headache for visitors.

So cat, it all boils down to whats important to u. If u need any more help in details, just ask)...always willing to help expats.

Good Luck,
VRV

Major Tom

Hi, I think that most areas have already been covered, except Festival City (Garhoud) and Health Care City (Oud Metha, Umm Hurair). I know people living in both areas and they're really happy, both are not far from where you'll be working and are well connected with shops, restaurants, entertainment etc. Festival City is very pricy now though, so it depends on your budget. There are a few nice new apartments around City Centre (Port Saeed, Deira) that are renting out and this is close to the airport too. The area around Terminal 2 (Al Qusais) is really is comparatively really cheap for new apartments and close to a nice beach area (Al Mamzar park), but it's not very central and there is a lot of traffic so you'll probably find it a hassle if most of your social life is on the Bur Dubai side. Dubizzle is also a good website for accomodation: www.dubizzle.com. Good luck!

Blue Cat

you missed out the Springs, Meadows, Arabian Ranches, Lakes, Marina, JLT, Jumeirah Islands, Al Barsha and the Green Community

cat_inthemiddleeast

Guys thankyou very much for all of your advice!!! Its really helping my search so much and is making me less nervous about moving out! Can I just clarify that Deira is in the city centre and close to shops/restaurants?

With regards to utilities in DXB is there any type of council tax or is it just water, gas and electricity to pay? (all of this will help decide the budget of my rent!)

typical

You will be "taxed" 5% of your rental as part of the utility bill. However, the utilities themselves are very cheap.