Bigtaff

Is that slang for something else? I'm new here.....

Ethos83

Oh, the irony.

Oldtime expats moaning about New Dubai and talking about how nice Old Dubai was.....yet they all still moved out to New Dubai.

Am I missing something here?

Bigtaff

I guess lots of people have thought the sand might be yellower if they moved elsewhere but, like BlueCat said, I have a few friends in Satwa and they love it there and won't leave. Then again, they do have their own Villas with pool access, not living in shiny towers like newbies like me I like the access to meeting new people that tower dwelling gives but must be nice to have a villa and a pool that only you pee in and not the other 300 residents as well

co durham boy

The good thing about the old parts of town is that you can actually walk to various places to get pissed and it didn't cost you the Earth...!

Ethos83

There are considerably more villas with pools in New Dubai than in Satwa or Bur Dubai.... Satwa actually only has a small area with villas and pools, which is properly called Al Badia. A couple interesting streets tucked off Al Wasl including one amazing Chinese pagoda style house which never ceases to catch my attention every time I trek down there - that part of "Satwa" does have charm.

Then there are the fairly anonymous rows of attached villas between Al Wasl and the main Satwa Street just south of Al Hudaiba. However in either cases you aren't really in Satwa proper, just in very close proximity to it.

A goodly amount of Bur Dubai is also shiny towers. Dubai didn't grow steadily outwards from the creek, it hopped over large undeveloped tracts of land. A lot of the area between Trade Centre roundabout down to Kuwait Road is new and contemporary with New Dubai. Endless rows of boring mid-rise apartment blocks of no distinctive merit.

It does amuse me how people so easily jump to conclusions about my attitude towards Bur Dubai. I detest going down there because of the traffic and also because I don't find it an interesting area after a few visits. Other than the Indian joints of Karama, there's few bars or shops that catches my fancy. The gold souk is tacky as hell. It's hardly "historic." Oh, sure, the area has atmosphere but it's not atmospheric enough to face the traffic and parking nightmare. Rush hour traffic from Defence Roundabout to Trade Centre and along Al Wasl, Al Diyafa and the other main roads into Bur Dubai/Satwa is horrendous.

Ethos83

I came out to Dubai almost three years ago.

When I first came here, the breakdown of where my friends and coworkers lived, both young expats sharing and families with their own villas:

1/4 in Bur Dubai/Satwa.

1/3 in Jumeira/Umm Suqiem.

1/3 in New Dubai (Marina, Ranches, Springs, Greens, JLT etc.)

The unfortunate rest in Mirdiff.

Today?

2/3rds live in New Dubai.

Less than a quarter live in Jumeira/Umm Suqiem.

I think I only know one person who still lives in Satwa and no one lives in Bur Dubai anymore.

I first lived in Umm Suqiem when I came out here and it's amusing that we used to groan about having to trek all the way out to the Marina or JLT.

But the gravity centre of Dubai has shifted southwards, which was duly noted by the editor of the Time Out in a back page feature a few weeks ago. A Satwa devotee she was but even she had to acknowledge than in a span of just a few years almost everyone she knew had moved out to New Dubai.

MataHari

it must be such a nice feeling to be right about everything...

Ethos83

Damn right, old Dutch lady.

On a more serious note, this isn't a question of right or wrong. Just personal opinions along with observations that have been bourne out by many others.

Millhouse

here we go again. Now, where is that spaceship to Mars?

shiva

as long as everyone keeps hating mirdif i'll be happy.
mirdif has
a near zero knobers count
rents dropping like a stone
no traffic
and an exaggerated noise problem

Blue Cat

We had no choice but to move and trust me we have tried to get back down there. We were in Jafflyia which is the area behind immigration. At that time, it was the year before they introduced the rent cap and our landlord decided to put the rent up from 85k to something like 135k, either pay up or move out. We moved out.

Autonomy

We've lived in Oud Metha since we moved here, 6 years ago.

I really like the little "community" type feel - all the shops, launderette etc have known me for years. There a local pub within walking distance. Decent gym at Wafi etc. For years the traffic and lack of taxis was driving us nuts, but even that is much better now...

Generally like the area as it does feel more "real"...

That said my 6 year old building is looking more like 20 year old and the landlord does bugger all up keep so once our lease is up we will be heading New Dubai it appears.

Blue Cat

you will miss that area, I would try and find something else

Ethos83

Why?

I live in the Greens, which is in New Dubai, and we have a terrific community feel. People in the Greens come from all backgrounds, ages and nationalities. We have a little shopping centre in the middle of the Greens with a Choitrams and a row of restaurants. Tecom just across the street has a bunch of little dry cleaners, bars and eateries. The Marina has shops and restaurants and bars and dry cleaners.

It's silly to claim that New Dubai is soulless. I used to think that at one point but you do meet more people of different backgrounds and nationalities in New Dubai than in Jumeira or Umm Suqeim. Most of the services are available as well, just a tad bit more expensive.

Blue Cat

Ethos I am well aware of what is at the Greens I am there everyday as my daughter goes to Regent School. Have you lived in old Dubai? experienced being able to walk out 5 mins and find the best asian food for next to nothing? have any of your arabic neighbours invited you to Iftar? they won't in the Greens but they did in Satwa