Thommo67

When exactly is/was the final payment due by ? The official documents mentioned that it was due by the middle of October 2011. I could only get an inspection after that. What are the implications of holding off on the final payment ? Do you need to inform them that you are delaying ? I need more time to think about before making a final decision.

T.Mo

My invoice says payment by 14th November.
I had made a viewing appointment for 7th November several weeks ago before booking flights etc and today have just had an e.mail saying they are shut on Monday 7th and I will have to rearrange! Typical of Al Hamra!

HappyHamra

went to rb4 on 1st of nov for snagging and had no problems yes there was plenty to be done but they were more than helpful and i went back on the 3rd and all the work was done this included painting the whole apartment again and regrouting all bathrooms i also requested they used white and not brown grout in the main bathroom and they were more than happy no questions asked

Camio

I also spent time speaking to Ranjan and Al hamra to negotiate the final payment and the fees and eventually gave up.....in the end, if we don't pay up we don't get the apartment. Reluctantly I handed over the final payment today after inspecting my 2bed at RB2 and have been pleased with the finish....thus far.
The beach opposite is being landscaped for RB residents which is a huge plus as I believed it would be developed one day with more high rise. I think all we can do is cough up and then band together as owners to ensure any further payments are within reason. I believe the development has potential despite the way they have treated us all!

Bewholme Belle

For all Royal Breeze investors/would-be residents:

Having just returned from a fortnight in RAK completing the handover process, I thought some of you may be interested in our experiences.

The Al Hamra office in the RAK Airways Building is your first port of call, as they will arrange an 'engineer' (in our case, an english speaking contracting manager, I would imagine) to meet you on site. There were a number of snaggings - nothing too major, the usual sort of stuff you'd also get in the UK - we told the engineer who conducted the visit that we had furniture arriving in one week's time and that all work had to be completed by then. It was! I think giving them a definite deadline is the way forward. However, as we stayed at the Al Hamra Fort Hotel we visited the apartment on a number of occassions to chivvy them along - I also think your own attitude makes a difference - they are more willing to help / complete matters if you are courteous, friendly etc. The security man in RB2 has been of tremendous help to us and has assisted in ensuring work was done / interpreted where necessary. We found all Al Hamra office staff hospitable and friendly too.

We are seaview and there is a 200m stretch of beach being worked on currently for RB residents - it finishes between the RB1 and RB2 buildings. The beach in front of RB2 onwards is still beach, currently, and belongs to the Sheikh so Al Hamra have NO SAY in what will happen in the future. Our 200m stretch is only leased from him apparently. There is one large private villa being built on the beach to the southside before our 200m starts and given that there is a large decorative beach wall nearer RB5 I would think another villa/residence is planned there. Providing the Sheikh doesn't allow high-rise development in the stretch in the middle I think the best we can hope for is a limited number of exclusive private villas and if your apartment is high enough it will not deter you from having a seaview. At the moment the seaview is the least complete, and still looks a mess (i.e. beach road needs fairly significant finishing work) whereas the golf/lagoon view is more attractive currently given it has had longer to establish etc. The startings of Dana and Al Marjan Islands are there - but apparently little progress is actually being made - neither development impedes upon RB direct or even close views.

There were 8 residents living in RB2 when we arrived and 8 more moving in over the last long weekend (Eid, hence why all workers had a long public holiday). The pools are complete, as well as a children's playarea, and all paving etc is complete. The front has no greenery yet, unlike the back where they have landscaped the communal areas and are making it look quite pleasant. An order has been placed for an amount of sunloungers/umbrellas for the pool area, which I think will eventually be very pleasant. However, I think in real terms it could be another year before all areas are complete / landscaped / etc given that work is not completed particularly quickly!!!

We had a delay in our final payment reaching Al Hamra and they WILL NOT handover your keys until all monies are paid. The 1000 AED is a refundable deposit; there was approx 19,000 AED for service connections (one - off) and annual association fee; as well as the remaining (in our case) 30%. The premium paid to Global was obviously their cut on the sales process - nice work if you can get it - but we all agreed the 'whole' sales price, which included this premium, so you cannot now grumble which particular company it was paid to!

We have placed our unit for rental with Harris & Hunt (who are placed in the Al Hamra Mall and are english speaking - there is also another agent Sultan on the main entrance to the Fort Hotel. I don't yet think the RB area is suitable for holiday lets, as parts are still a building site, but private letting is a possibility - although obviously many units are now becoming available...

Al Hamra Fort is only a 5min drive away and is a fairly nice hotel with good beach. The 6* Palace Hotel is not yet complete, but Waldorf Astoria are going to run it for Al Hamra (in fact there was a meeting with their representatives when we were there) - and the Banyan Tree Spa resort on the peninsular to the south of the lagoon entrance is also now open. The Mall has a few empty shops but is otherwise complete, modern and great for an amble. It also has a Spinneys supermarket, which is good. There are also a cafes/restaurants that look out over the marina (couple minutes walk away) and we had a couple of very pleasant nights there dining outside looking at the VERY expensive boats!!! For those who like alcohol, also a brilliant off-license!!! There is one modern shopping centre in RAK already, another about to open - with international named shops etc (Next, ELC, Mothercare, Debenhams, Carrefour etc).


Personally, I think these sorts of companies/hotels DO NOT enter a location without an effective due diligence process first - so if far cleverer people than me think the area is one worth investing in, it's a thought to hold for those doubters of the RAK region on this forum. I think it will be a few years before any of us see an increase in value on the properties to a level that some may have bought at (in fact, some desperate folk are currently willing to sell at a 50% loss) BUT.....it is my honest opinion that if you want somewhere with guaranteed year-round sunshine, lovely calm warm seas, nice restaurants, great shopping, Dubai only an hour away for all that it offers, and a 'village' that offers everything you could probably hope for in one location - AL Hamra / Royal Breeze gives you just that.

My advice is 'enjoy'!!!!!!!

Camio

Just to clarify a few points, from someone who lives in Dubai and visits RAK regularly. I agree with most of what you say Bewholme. However, I have been 'assured' by the al hamra staff responsible for handover that the beach is to be for RB residents only and that no construction will take place on it. It will be landscaped for beach use by the residents and that the sheikh has handed it over to the residents.....time will tell. I have come across a number of units for sale in RB and all the prices are at or above the off-plan prices so my take on it is prices are holding nicely...again, time will tell.

T.Mo

Hi All
We have also just returned to the UK today after our handover in RB 5 again there were a few snags all pretty much cosmetic and these are in the system for sorting, then engineers and staff in RB5 were very helpful and considerate.
The road along the beach side is being improved every day and there has been a lot of work on it during our week stay also the beach for residents is taking shape nicely with a concrete walkway down to it with lights on the wall for night. The landscaping is coming along well and the workers seem to be working day and night on the planting etc round the RB buildings.

Yes the office staff could perhaps be a bit more helpful but if you persevere they get there eventually and even managed to give us a smile or two - perhaps that was because we were leaving! but all in all our trip was much better than expected and the apartment is fantastic.

Cheers
T.Mo

DesertOcean

Is it just me or does anyone else find this thread alittle bit strange. I mean, why haven't any of these posters took an interest in the forum other than this thread.

weasel decentral

..because as you have figured out most of these posters with low post counts, have an agenda. The last few positive posters I am sure are people who are directly or indirectly connected to the company and are talking the place up.

T.Mo

With regard to your post accusing me of being connected to the company (Al Hamra I assume) directly or indirectly I can assure you I am not my husband and I are an individual purchaser from Scotland and I resent your implication. I have made several posts with regard to Al Hamra since I joined the site and not all of them complimentary if you care to look back over the last couple of months posts. I simply thought people might be interested in our first hand experience over the past week.

weasel decentral

Climb down off your high horse habibi, this is a anonymous internet forum, people post opinions here its what its all about.

Anyhow my post was directed more at the poster called happyhamra (the hint is in the name), and camio who claimed the apartments were holding their off the plans value. (recession proof buildings!!)

your post was more like some one who has decided to go through with the sale and now has firmly on the rose tinted glasses, similar to the other one who visited. Maybe this is to convince yourself more than others.

Wow i have just broken the golden rule, never explain. Good luck with your purchase and try not to seek out offence, you'll live longer

Bewholme Belle

Strange....we were told by, no doubt, the same Al Hamra staff that you spoke to, that they DO NOT have the whole beach - only 200m - and if you look at the development work going on at the beach (ie. grading the sand etc) it is ONLY the stretch I previously mentioned being worked on. Further along the beach road towards RB5 is a fairly impressive wall, different to the concrete version near RB1/2/3 - surely the only reason for that is because something/someone is planning something.....??????????

However, given we all thought at one time that our beach was going to be the Dana Island trunk road (as advised by Al Hamra) - what we actually have now is a vast improvement and great news - but we still must remain realistic with regards to the 'whole' beach area.

Jeniffer

As we know the area of the 200 meters is the best solution they can provide us. Lots of investors and owners are very much frustrated for the occured changes. At the same time Management agreement mentioning the beaches for use but doesn't specify in which area.

Jeniffer

Hi, could you please tell the off-plan price for studios, as it seems I paid a reeeeaaaly high price then the same studios on avarage... txs in advance.

Jeniffer

Hi, I just joined Forum and trying to obtain more info on Royal Breeze. Glad to see that people are sharing their experience. I also discovered http://alhamravillage.webs.com/ and Al Hamra Care Group who is gathering signatures for Petition on [email protected] because lots of owners are not happy about developer attitude and lack of cooperation.