Which social club?
 

Hello BEs,

Will be moving to Dubai in summer this year. Husband has a club allowance and we are wondering which clubs would suit our needs.

We are a young family of 4 and the pre-schoolers would like to go for tennis/ football/ swimming or gymnastics classes if not already offered in schools over the next few years.

For us, we are more particular about a convivial atmosphere with reasonable prices for food/ drinks as we are probably likely to head to the club 1-2 times a week.

Would be a bonus if the club had a gym for members as well.

Appreciate any recommendations that you can provide.

Re: Which social club?
 

I think that you have a shock coming.

Anyway - In my opinion the Westin /Mina Seyahi is by far the best.

but you're better off buying a boat and joining DOSC.

Re: Which social club?
 

There's only one real club in the UAE and that's The Club in Abu Dhabi (old British club). It ticks all your boxes.

But not so much in Dubai. DOSC comes closest but you do need to know how to sail as they won't take social members without sailing experience.

The hotel beach clubs are an alternative but they won't be the kind of social closely knit environments you might expect. And they're expensive.

There's also the Lakes Club but it's little more than a pool with a bar attached.

Re: Which social club?
 

I hope its the nice kind of shock.

Wow! Didn't realize having a nice social "neighbourhood" club would be a tough ask. Maybe a few Brits should get together and start one? I definitely cannot imagine joining one of the hotel clubs, and definitely cannot afford a boat or the marina space rental the DSC would require.

Thanks for the heads up. If I might ask, what do folks do for sports lessons for the kids? Are there community centres that offer these?

Thanks.

Re: Which social club?
 

it's fragmented - you'd do a football place here, a rugby place there, swimming here, flute lessons somewhere else etc. There isn't a community-center like you'd get in the UK offering a beavers/cubs type program. It's all individual clubs in different places.

I would love to open a community hall type business and have been thinking about it for sometime as it's needed. The basic issue is where to put it and where the rent vs. accessibility trade-off wouldn't destroy the business model.

Re: Which social club?
 

I just noticed your location Millhouse. I think Disneyland would sum it up right. :)

To put the question another way then - is there a residential complex or community that you would recommend where we can get the benefits (to the extent possible) that we look for? Something multicultural, and down to earth. We are not the showy types and I would be miserable if I had to keep up with the Joneses.

Budget not much I'm afraid - about 150-180 dhs/year for a 3 bed (I've been told that that's very middle class for Dubai).

Re: Which social club?
 

I would love to do that with you. I know that the realities of Dubai will probably hit me hard, but in my mind cannot imagine that it would be unworkable.:amen:

Re: Which social club?
 

They will do all this cool stuff at school.

It's only the extras (that they want to do more of) that you'll find elsewhere, but if it's sports teams then it's the same as the UK - you go and find the local football / rugby / cricket club. There are plenty of them too.

Re: Which social club?
 

Thanks Scamp. Any areas better than the others for these? Our current target areas for accommodation look like Mirdiff/Garhoud, Jumeira, Safa, Bur Dubai. But cannot see any activities around Mirdiff.

Re: Which social club?
 

Jumeirah / Safa will likely be busier than others.

Mirdiff etc will still have these things within a reasonable drive I expect. A lot seem to use scchool facilities anyway.

Re: Which social club?
 

There's now several expat schools in Mirdif so there will be loads of extra curricular things for kids to do. I do to a circuits class in one of them and the facilities are awesome - pool, outdoor pitches, indoor gymnasiums etc etc.

Anywhere established where you have a lot of expats will have decent facilities.

If you're talking about things for adults then yeah you will have to travel. Nearest bar is in Festival City (4-5km away).

Re: Which social club?
 

that's an interesting range of areas.

Re: Which social club?
 

Google 'Active Sports' or go to their Facebook page. They are an example of one of the many sports companies that offer opportunities for children of all ages.

When you look for a school for your children, ask about their extra curricular programme. Most schools have a good, extensive programme, but some year groups can miss out, particularly Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.

If your children can't swim, get them onto a good swim programme. swimming is a Key Skill for children in Dubai as so many leisure opportunities revolve around this. Look at Hamilton Aquatics.

When you get to looking at schools, if you want any feedback PM me as I have a pretty good idea of which schools are/are not good.

Re: Which social club?
 

Right now we're just looking at the map and trying to triangulate. But soon there will be a new thread on the pros and cons of living in these.

Looking for your inputs on that. :sneaky:

Re: Which social club?
 

Thanks Victor. As its already Feb, we are a bit late to the admissions for 2016 Sep start for the British schools- especially in the foundation stages. I think we have one very pricey option that is looking promising at the moment, with every other school putting us on the wait list which they have said might translate to an offer only 1-2 years down the line. :(

So in a way - unfortunately we dont have the luxury of decision making at the moment. The plan is to get there in June, look at the schools and then start putting the kids on the waiting lists where we would like them to go from next year on:confused:.