re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

I miss the excitement of moving to the UAE in the early 90s when it was still just picking up. No doubt partly because I've spent so long in the region, I'm not much of a drinker. Give me a Morrocan tea and a shisha and I'm happy 😀

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

Tbh I'm not sure and haven't heard anything been mentioned of a scuba diving club but I'll come back if I hear. I don't see why not though. The snorkelling is wonderful.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

Something I'll have to rectify then :lol: I'm a certified professional but I've been away from it for a while and need to refresh my skills.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

I know what you mean. I recently found an Instagram page called GoodbyeoldJumeirah which hits all the nostalgia buttons.
If you are not pining for the booze, you will be at peace here.
In the evenings, a little cart opens up in the plaza (which is, at the moment, the centre of NC1) and a man serves gahwa and dates from it. Also popcorn. For free. Beanbag chairs and little tables everywhere and a large TV screen usually showing sports. It's a nice atmosphere and plenty of people sitting together over food and relaxing. It may have been more relaxing before all the families (like mine) turned up in September with our screaming kids haha. Summer is obviously a bit harder though seeing as you can't sit outdoors in the evenings as we are doing now.
There is currently another plaza area being built to accommodate for the expansion.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

Any shisha places there at NEOM? Or by the beach?

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

That sounds pretty good, although I may not be able to experience it all that often, shuttling between camps.

That makes me think of another couple of questions. 1) are there public access showers in NC1? I'm assuming near the pool; and 2) is there a steam room and/or sauna?

The latter is a bit much to ask, so I doubt it.

One hopes, but you can do your own pretty easily. Just need a small electric heater on a long lead, to ensure you're well away from your accommodation.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

How is the internet speed in camp? fast enough for streaming/ gaming?

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

No, not at the moment. The beaches are still virgin land - as in, there is nothing built there. All in completely raw state apart from the small towns dotted along the coast. Beautiful.
No sheesha places on camp. My Saudi neighbours have a pipe they use on their balcony and I'm sure others do too.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

There are outdoor showers at the pool and indoor showers at the gym.
No steam room or sauna as far as I know at the moment but there is loads of construction going on right now to build more facilities so this may be included.
The gym is really well equipped for both weight lifters and cardio fans and there are regular classes incl. cross-fit, spinning, yoga etc. There are also little events and competitions held within the community to bring people together in sport and fitness. Jogging events, etc.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

I don't know how fast but I can tell you I watch Netflix and Youtube very comfortably from my laptop both at home and all around the camp! No issues at all. There is a small recreation centre on site with a video game set up too. I've not used it myself but because of its presence and from seeing people use it, I assume the internet is fast enough for gaming.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

The zero/low impact stuff is definitely well-suited for me, so I'm looking forward to it.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

Is no one brewing?

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

Thanks for sharing so much guys! Definitely gives us some sort of comfort…

are there playgrounds/ parks for young kids yet? Also what do families with kids do on the weekends? I was thinking of the boredom if there is nothing much to do locally for the children…

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

Heading to Neom early next year...was told they would put me on a business visa, anyone have an idea how long that lasts before applying for work visa?

Was told I would be in NC2 until at least the end of 2022. They really should have sorted out the accomodation before dragging hundreds of people out there.

re: NEOM COMMUNITY THREAD
 

Business visit visa is good for a year, with a maximum 90 day stay before a visa run is required. I've been told that I should be moved to an iqama as soon as the my recent degree if attested, which is already underway.

The visit visa only took a day to issue. All told, 4 working days and I had it back from A1 Visa services.