BobbyB

Hello all i'll be moving to Riyadh with my Wife in July/August time and have joined this forum to do a bit of networking etc. We'll be staying in the Cordoba compound, which I have heard good things about - anybody staying there at the moment?

Also, spent time speaking to people from my company who have gone out to Riyadh, stayed in Cordoba and had a pretty good time, plenty of social etc. From what I have read on here, everybody is pretty scathing about how bad life is in Riyadh - question is, are there any positives?? Is there so many negatives because people aren't based on compounds etc.? Done lots and lots of research on the laws of the country and how restrictive a society it is but compound life seems pretty good on the surface. Any advice you can offer?

spartans53

Run round the DQ and learn to brew beer. Also get a multiple exit visa and a Nas Air Gold Card for DXB

homersthirdnipple

Its essential that you have a good compound, mine is absolutely dire, only 2 westerners, no social, gym falling to bits, but I am not here to complain about my lot.
Positives for me is nice weather, tax free salary, very little to spend money on,great if you are here for earning and stashing cash. I find that the locals are good crack and are always smiling, happy to help. Food shopping is as cheap or as expensive as you want. Don,t have a great deal of time to myself as its gone 6 when I get in from work so by the time I have my dinner there is not a lot of time to fill in. Friday pm is a walk out in the dessert with loads of other people and that is pretty cool but other than that its not a hot bed of social activity. Hoping to move compounds in the next couple of months to something like what you are getting.
Good luck
Al

Wigan171

I lived in Riyadh for 7 years . Cordoba compound is one of the best compounds and always there is a waiting list to rent inside. There is Cordoba shopping centre next to the compound and it considers the largest centre in Riyadh, with huge food court, Carrefour which is a French food stores similar to Tesco and so many universal high streets fashion's brand names. Life in Riyadh is strict comparing to Jeddah and El-khobar on the other end sides of KSA. As long as you are respecting their traditions and don't criticise anything of their lifestyle infornt of them, you won’t have any troubles. Most of legal paper work like residency, rent, buying car, exit re-entry visa...etc are done by your employer’s government representative with their authorities and you are only following up with the passport or personnel manager at your office.

The woman must wear a black abaiya and cover her hair in public places. In all restaurants there is entrance for families and another for singles, may be also with shopping centres, there is entry time for families and another time for singles to avoid harassment of Saudi men which popular there . All activities in the KSA must stop during prayers time, but non Muslims can continue working at their office with no problems. Life in the compounds are better in terms of safety, women can dress normally, swimming pool, Gym, western neighbours, freedom to arrange parties, play fields while Saudi people are not allowed to enter any compounds in KSA for security reasons, so you have your privacy and your own little world. If you don’t bother about these advantages, so you can rent a villa somewhere near to your work but you are responsible of everything including renting a lorry to fill up your water tanks in your villa every few weeks as there is still problem in water facilities.

If you feel bored in KSA, you can ask for rentry visa from your employers to travel to Dubai in the weekend to chill out, so many western do it that way and here is the majority plan. Working in Saudi for max 2 or 3 years, consider yourself in Army with your lifestyle back home, save the target money what you want, get Gulf experience then before the end of contract try to secure another contract in Dubai or Kuwait with almost twice your offer and then moving to a nearly western lifestyle country specially like Dubai, so many friends I have, they have done it that way plus investing their saving in real estate developing or buying petrol staions in their home town, so when you fed up of living abroad, you will return back home with running business and high value assets.

Here is link to your compound's facilities.
http://www.cordoba.com.sa/facilities.html

northbadawi

??? Really? Never could imagine when seeing a lot of them in compounds. In private beaches for westerners too.
Anyway "not allowed" here doesn't mean "can not enter".

Jackwow

I've never heard of anyone buying a petrol station, aren't they all owned by the oil companies or the supermarkets?!

Wigan171

I lived there up to 2009 and I don't know if they have changed the rules, but public Saudis are not allowed to enter any compound, I meant to live there or to enter without reason, since the terrorist attack which happened in one of the compounds I think it called Al-Mohiya and few Americans were killed. I remember that a Saudi friend couldn't enter a compound, unless his friend who was a tenant to a villa inside called the security to let him in after he left his ID with them.

Wigan171

Not all, you can have your own station, usually you pay to the oil company to provide you with the oil what you want at your station, in return you put their company's logo everywhere and you sell their products, it is something like franchise, you can have a franchise for examples Shell, Macdonald, pizzahut, just you need around £100-£120k to invest, area in good place and the rest is on them.

Have a look here
http://www.daltonsbusiness.com/buy/m...lling-stations

http://www.daltonsbusiness.com/food-...King-1423.aspx

northbadawi

If you lived in Saudi you should know that every Saudi has a friend who has a fiend who has a friend who has a ... living in compound, or working in security, or knows the owner or manager. And of course everyone always has many important reasons...
Sometimes I see more Saudis (even in ghutras and iqals) than residents in the compound restaurant, not to mention roaring their mustangs and lamborginis when leaving.

weasel decentral

I have never seen one on a compound in Riyadh, maybe Jeddah is looser on the rules

northbadawi

That's why shababs from Riyadh go to Jeddah to look at naked (=veiless and even uncovered hairs) ladies in the streets and malls, and to party in compounds.

For sure Riyadh is winner on traffic rules also.

Wigan171

Riyadh is the best city in KSA in my opinion in terms of shopping centers, motor ways, clean streets and more villas and houses than high building, just there is no sea side to breath fresh air.

Wigan171

I replied to you 2 times with links to petrol stations for sale but the Admin didn't post. So anyway you can buy a petrol sation or even post office. You can also have a franchise to Macdonald or burger king if you want. these are guaranteed income business with ready customers base. Just google petrol stations or post office for sale in UK.

Wigan171

Yes I lived in Saudi but in Riyadh city and the topic here is moving to Riyadh not to Jeddah where you live, so my experience is based on Riaydh I am afraid. May be the rules have recently changed or have become flexible in the city where you live. To be precise every city in KSA applies the rules based on the Ameer (Prince) of the city and his opinion and perspective. Riyadh is the capital of KSA and has the HQ of the majority companies and ministries adding the HQ of relegious police (Hai'aa) as well, so the law is stict somehow in Riyadh than the rest of KSA.

northbadawi

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article588581.ece