Goodbye Dubai?

If you are looking at the new Emmar project in UAQ it is beautiful and there are some amazing ladies living there, the pools are good, the cafe is good, its secure, its quiet, the rent is cheap, there are some good schools in Sharjah that would take you 25 mins to reach, for me it is a no brainer.

we moved to rak a couple of months ago after living in dubai for nearly 10 years. dont get me wrong we love dubai but rak is just so peaceful to live in. ( of course everywhere has its ups and downs and we dont have to consider schools either which might be an issue for some possibly) we live in al hamra and its a lovely environment. we are fortunate to have a townhouse with a roof terrace and we can look out over the lagoon/sea from the front and at the back the golf course. we didnt make the move to relocate lightly-it was a decision that took us 2 years to make. ( we first bought an apt to use occasionally then came for more and more weekends and weekdays/holidays ) until we decided to live here permanantly at the beginning of the year. its a decision we are so glad to have made and the best is that we get to go dubai anytime we want to as its only one hour exactly from al hamra to garhoud/dubai airport on good and empty roads. the facilities arent what you get in dubai ( by that i mean things like clothes make up house hold things from places like zara home sort of shopping - although there are soon to be 2 choithrams, plus we have a big lulu, 2 carrefours and spinneys in a few places. soon to be 2 movie houses as well, rak also has a big fitness first too.) al hamra/rak has coffee mornings for mums and others - i think a few are organised by mums with kids for mums and kids as well others for the rest of us who want to make friends. we are all a friendly bunch i like to think. also they are a good way to find out whats going on. so all in all you can make friends if you make an effort to go along and join in things. we have tennis/yoga/keep fit/zumba/belly dance/tango - all sorts of personal training, etc etc the list goes on, theres someone somewhere here in rak who does something or knows of someone who does what you are looking for ( in the main). the beaches are lovely as are the community pools. we love it here and i can see us being very happy. i wish you well. <em>edited by fairwater on 22/05/2013</em>

I am so privileged to live in Oman. Arrived Dubai 1976 and what a gem of a place. Now hideous in every respect. Dubai,like many other big cities in the world has ups and downs, but I wouldn"t consider it hideous. Is too harsh, in my opinion. But, hey,who am I to judge,I love Dubai.... edited by simoralu44 on 18/05/2013 ditto this simoralu44

sorry to hear about that desperatemom77! Being a teacher, i can only understand that the process of finding the right school can be tough, really tough. Regarding Dubai though, what Akia and I say about Dubai is a very personal opinion. I am sure you will find tons of ladies here on EW who absolutely LOVE it. It can be right for some and not quite so right for others. I don't have children so socialising with other ladies my age can be quite difficult as most of them will be mummies and have priorities that i don't have (don't get me wrong, I LOVE children and that's why i am a teacher!)... Don't write Dubai off just yet. Maybe let DH come first, settle in, visit from time to time with your DS and see whether this would be the right move for your family. As another poster said on an older threat, whenever having the choice of being apart or being together, a lot of people would advise you to stay together as a family. Maybe there's another school you could consider? Think about it and good luck with your decision!

Having just had a bad phone call with the school we only applied our son to and reading your post about Dubai that surely did put me off and took me back to starting point where I was wheighning ups and downs . I will be based here with my two kids and my husband will commute from another country every WE :(( !I wish you good luck and to find the right balance in your family life

I agree with you, akia, I always seem to be busy (when really I'm just "needing" to pass the time when I am not working...) and I can't wait to move to RAK to re-discover the simple pleasures in life. I love refurbishing/painting furniture and sewing home accessories and I can already picture myself on the balcony, with a cup of tea and a biscuit, looking at the sea... Bliss! If you're writing, then I'm guessing you won't be bored and you will enjoy life in UAQ as much as I will in RAK! Feel free to come and visit RAK if you need a break! :) <em>edited by MissMoiselle on 19/05/2013</em>

I think it sounds like a great solution. If you can get a villa there, you can have a high standard of living and you don't have to pay Dubai or even Sharjah rents. When you need a dose of city life, Dubai is not far away. I'd do it if I were in your place.

we have friends in Umm Al Quwain and they have lived there since the late 90s and they love it.. I havnt visted them to be perfectly honest but my husband has and he said they pay peanuts for a huugge 5 bed villa. They aboslutly love living there. they venture out to abu dhabi if they are shopping and hardly come to Dubai as they dislike it so much !

You a so lucky. I would move in a heartbeat to a quiet town. We've seen dubai grow by leaps and bounds. Back in our day which was only 11 yrs ago it was much quieter and people friendlier. Finding your happy place is a great idea. I have mine here and I'm much more at peace! If yours is uAQ so be it. I hope you enjoy it there and are able to make some good friends.

We never went to brunches, we took plenty of long walks and spent quality time at the beaches and malls were places for errands, not to hang out, and we have a great circle of friends in Dubai. It's all about finding the right friends. No one place is going to be the magical answer.

I am so privileged to live in Oman. Arrived Dubai 1976 and what a gem of a place. Now hideous in every respect. It was a gem, true. Not totally hideous but getting there.

I am so privileged to live in Oman. Arrived Dubai 1976 and what a gem of a place. Now hideous in every respect. Dubai,like many other big cities in the world has ups and downs, but I wouldn"t consider it hideous. Is too harsh, in my opinion. But, hey,who am I to judge,I love Dubai.... <em>edited by simoralu44 on 18/05/2013</em>

I am so privileged to live in Oman. Arrived Dubai 1976 and what a gem of a place. Now hideous in every respect. That's a bit harsh isn't it ? so why are you on the Dubai board ??

I am so privileged to live in Oman. Arrived Dubai 1976 and what a gem of a place. Now hideous in every respect.

Hi Akia! We are in the same frame of mind, even though we've only lived in dubai for less than a year (DH has been here for 18 months though). We just feel that even Dubai might be some people's idea of paradise, we feel like we are not shopping-people or brunch-people or fitness-people. We like the idea of living in a small community, having friends araound for dinner, take long walks with our dog, etc. A couple of months ago we "discovered" Ras al Khaimah and it was a revelation! Totally different feel to Dubai, and a much slower and relaxed pace of life. Like you, we'll still have "Dubai Days" two or three times a month and that will be enough for us. Think about what's best for you and your family, if your LO is too small to attend school and you'll be spending your days with her (and DH) in UAQ, think about one "essential" question: Are you going to get bored? :) If you think your quality of life will be better in UAQ, the i'd say go for it! We are moving to RAK in July-August and I can't wait to live "the simple life"! Good luck to you and let me know how you get on!

I know someone who left Dubai for UAQ, I will ask her to post.