Arriving beginning of april...

I reckon that you can get most things here like that. One brand that I can think of that you can't get is Simple. Others might come along and add to this but I'd save your luggage allowance and just bring the bottles etc that you're currently using that will last you until you can suss out where you can stock up. This stuff is heavy after all....

Don't read the spoilt food thread lol we've been here 6 months (husband a year longer) and had a dodgy packet of paxo at xmas..that's all lol In our opinion the meat and fish are no different to home and the fruit n veg is fab, both in quality and choice... I want to know where you shop Sue. lol mostly le marche at Arabian Ranches - can't fault the meat, fruit n veg.. lovely joint of beef today !! For more range and p!g i go to Spinneys at Motor City.. near school i sometimes use Park n Shop (where i got said dodgy Paxo lol) or Choitrhams

Hello all, We will also be arriving early April, if not this last week of March. Hubby is already there now looking for an apartment or villa and I'm here in the US just trying to tie up all our loose ends. We will be keeping our house here, but selling both vehicles. I have a 4-year-old daughter and am 6mos. pregnant. So, needless to say I am not looking forward much to the 14-hour plane ride. I am anxious to get there and meet new people and see everything there is to see!

Don't read the spoilt food thread lol we've been here 6 months (husband a year longer) and had a dodgy packet of paxo at xmas..that's all lol In our opinion the meat and fish are no different to home and the fruit n veg is fab, both in quality and choice... I want to know where you shop Sue.

Don't read the spoilt food thread lol we've been here 6 months (husband a year longer) and had a dodgy packet of paxo at xmas..that's all lol In our opinion the meat and fish are no different to home and the fruit n veg is fab, both in quality and choice...

Hi Nicky and A_lisha, We will also be moving in April (arriving on the 19th) with our nearly 6-yr-old daughter and I have also read the scary threads-- but also some in which people "defend" Dubai and point out the positives. I think we will have to look at it as an adventure and stay optimistic! I would be happy to meet and/or chat beforehand. :cool: getting ready for the beach

I hope your move goes well for you, we are also moving from UK soon, DH comes out next month and me and the dogs arrive in June. Luckily our children are grown up, so we don't have to think about schools, so at least thats one less thing to plan. Deciding what to bring with us is proving a real headache, winter clothes ?? Ornaments ?? TV?? and so on. And if we decide not to pack it, do we give it away, sell it, store it........... We haven't moved house for 20 years let alone moved overseas, so any tips would be so welcome....please !! and don't even get me started on how we decide where to live................ happy days! On one of our last discussion before we moved (DH and I) I said wouldnt it be great if we could just give everything else to charity.Our home was HUGE 5 bed detatched in kent ..over 14,000 sg ft of space filled with STUFF... DH has grown up family so no issue with kids or pets ( we had got rid of the big stuff on Ebay or sisters and relatives )Our thought process was that we can start again without all of the baggage and if we did decide to go back say in five years then our tastes will have changed, the TV will be old hat,and the movies will be streamed through the new IPAD- Just a thought !! The ONLY thing we kept was a tree! ( japenese cloud tree) and the Camping stuff ( i love my tent !! ) I posted a listing on ebay for house clearance and got a message from a young girl in a womens refuge - asking for basic stuff - cups pans etc .. she was willing to pay me for my "stuff" but wanted something decent for her family - I contacted the refuge co ordinator - and gave EVERYTHING to them and the look on this girls face was priceless . The posh pans & my le Creuset and my V&B dishes and a couple of sentimental ornaments - are in safe hands at my mums home. I bought my cultlery,photos,Nespresso coffee machine, harmen and cardon stereo for the IPOD and some movies that we love. As for the clothing !!! I bought my linens and some posh stuff and my fancy pants shoes - and my underwear ( saving grace as the underwear here only seems to go to a D cup ! ) We live in a serviced apartment and we LOVE it !. Whatever your choices - make them together and enjoy your future x happy moving x forget the winter clothes unless your a nesh bird ! its baking hot .. maybe 1-2 cardis for shopping - tv's toaster kettle microwave can all be bought here for a fraction of the UK prices x edited by bowbellscowbells on 26/03/2011 I feel I should give a different perspective on some of the above. I gave away, threw out quite a lot of stuff and really wish I hadn't. I don't find things much cheaper here (usually more expensive) than the UK and didn't bring things like my slo-cooker with the intention of just buying another one when I got here, and 2 years later still haven't bought one. Giving away/throwing out lots of stuff seems liberating at the time (and I was excited about buying new when I got here) but in reality, it was all a lot of hassle and I wish I'd just brought as much as I could from home (apart from the TV - ours from the UK was much too small in the large villa we'd moved to, and OSN struggled to connect it as it had different connectors on the back, so we bought a new one here). Of course it depends on your shipping options, we had a paid for full container from DH's office, but we didn't fill it, and I really wish we had! Our setting up costs were fairly high, and not covered in the main by the company and as I was buying things I was thinking, I've just sent a better version of this to the charity shop. But unlike Bowbellscowboy we live in a 5bed villa not a serviced apartment, so it's a different set up. As for settling in, you will find your niche, but make sure you get out and take part in things (coffee mornings, book clubs, gym etc - whatever suits you), the quicker you make a few friends the easier it will be. Of course Dubai suits some more than others, but most of us are in the same boat. Arrived here knowing no-one except our husbands, and people will be nice and befriend you. Like everywhere, some will be your type, others not. But seize the day and get out and meet people. And if you can drive, get behind the wheel as soon as you can. If you can, just go out and explore - don't have a particular destination in mind and just see where you end up (take a map so you can work out how to get back!). I wish I'd done more of that. Oh and do bring some winter things. I'm often quite cold (esp with the AC on in malls etc), but also if you are returning ever to a cold country then you won't want to be getting off a plane in linens and flip-flops. I wear cardigans (not big thick wooly ones, more your cotton, light type) all the time, and to my horror when I counted them the other day have over 40 of them and can honestly say I've worn them all in the last 2 months. But come with an open mind, don't make your opinion of Dubai that of what you've read. We have the opportunity to go home now or stay another year and we've opted to stay. But in the 2nd week of being here I had packed my suitcase to return home as I hated it. I've grown to like it, and perhaps if we have the option to stay another year this time next year we may extend it again. Happy moving - and safe travels.

On one of our last discussion before we moved (DH and I) I said wouldnt it be great if we could just give everything else to charity.Our home was HUGE 5 bed detatched in kent ..over 14,000 sg ft of space filled with STUFF... DH has grown up family so no issue with kids or pets ( we had got rid of the big stuff on Ebay or sisters and relatives )Our thought process was that we can start again without all of the baggage and if we did decide to go back say in five years then our tastes will have changed, the TV will be old hat,and the movies will be streamed through the new IPAD- Just a thought !! The ONLY thing we kept was a tree! ( japenese cloud tree) and the Camping stuff ( i love my tent !! ) I posted a listing on ebay for house clearance and got a message from a young girl in a womens refuge - asking for basic stuff - cups pans etc .. she was willing to pay me for my "stuff" but wanted something decent for her family - I contacted the refuge co ordinator - and gave EVERYTHING to them and the look on this girls face was priceless . The posh pans & my le Creuset and my V&B dishes and a couple of sentimental ornaments - are in safe hands at my mums home. I bought my cultlery,photos,Nespresso coffee machine, harmen and cardon stereo for the IPOD and some movies that we love. As for the clothing !!! I bought my linens and some posh stuff and my fancy pants shoes - and my underwear ( saving grace as the underwear here only seems to go to a D cup ! ) We live in a serviced apartment and we LOVE it !. Whatever your choices - make them together and enjoy your future x happy moving x the best advice I have read! Goodluck Rubberduck enjoy Dubai. <em>edited by dutchdesert on 26/03/2011</em>

I hope your move goes well for you, we are also moving from UK soon, DH comes out next month and me and the dogs arrive in June. Luckily our children are grown up, so we don't have to think about schools, so at least thats one less thing to plan. Deciding what to bring with us is proving a real headache, winter clothes ?? Ornaments ?? TV?? and so on. And if we decide not to pack it, do we give it away, sell it, store it........... We haven't moved house for 20 years let alone moved overseas, so any tips would be so welcome....please !! and don't even get me started on how we decide where to live................ happy days! On one of our last discussion before we moved (DH and I) I said wouldnt it be great if we could just give everything else to charity.Our home was HUGE 5 bed detatched in kent ..over 14,000 sg ft of space filled with STUFF... DH has grown up family so no issue with kids or pets ( we had got rid of the big stuff on Ebay or sisters and relatives )Our thought process was that we can start again without all of the baggage and if we did decide to go back say in five years then our tastes will have changed, the TV will be old hat,and the movies will be streamed through the new IPAD- Just a thought !! The ONLY thing we kept was a tree! ( japenese cloud tree) and the Camping stuff ( i love my tent !! ) I posted a listing on ebay for house clearance and got a message from a young girl in a womens refuge - asking for basic stuff - cups pans etc .. she was willing to pay me for my "stuff" but wanted something decent for her family - I contacted the refuge co ordinator - and gave EVERYTHING to them and the look on this girls face was priceless . The posh pans & my le Creuset and my V&B dishes and a couple of sentimental ornaments - are in safe hands at my mums home. I bought my cultlery,photos,Nespresso coffee machine, harmen and cardon stereo for the IPOD and some movies that we love. As for the clothing !!! I bought my linens and some posh stuff and my fancy pants shoes - and my underwear ( saving grace as the underwear here only seems to go to a D cup ! ) We live in a serviced apartment and we LOVE it !. Whatever your choices - make them together and enjoy your future x happy moving x forget the winter clothes unless your a nesh bird ! its baking hot .. maybe 1-2 cardis for shopping - tv's toaster kettle microwave can all be bought here for a fraction of the UK prices x <em>edited by bowbellscowbells on 26/03/2011</em>

Learn something about the UAE and the culture as soon as you arrive if you have not done so already.where ever you are coming from it will be different . Jumeriah mosque in Jumeriah 1 is a good start whether you are muslim or not as the talks are excellent and from there you should go to Bastyikia, Dubai Museum and many other places. Mix with all nationalities, there are many here. Follow Countries guide lines on dress and appropiate behaviour, it is easy to follow and locals appreciate when we expats make the effort as they get tired of their way of life not being respected. E W did have a list of guide lines which one should read and also in tourist books. Simple one for Ladies and men, dress with, shoulders and top or arms covered,( not strappy tops ok if going to a friends place but if walking cover with a pashmina, no low tops and cover to the knees. Thanks ladies for all your posts. It will be good to join one of the coffee mornings when i arrive to meet various of you. A_lisha think we may have "chatted" before, i arrive a few days after you on 11th April... Fancy a coffee?? Going to look at appts/villas in Executive Towers area. When we arrive we are in one of my husbands company apartments which is in Bur Dubai. Looking forward to meeting new people

Hey, We (me, hubby and 2 daughters 7 & 6 years) arrive on the 8th April from Brisbane, Australia. It has been pretty full on for the past month, we have been busy getting everything organised and all our emotions are on over drive but this is to be expected, I guess!! Let me know if you would like to have a chat - Cheers :)

Hey, We (me, hubby and 2 daughters 7 & 6 years) arrive on the 8th April from Brisbane, Australia. It has been pretty full on for the past month, we have been busy getting everything organised and all our emotions are on over drive but this is to be expected, I guess!! Let me know if you would like to have a chat - Cheers :)

julie3mac I was in Hong Kong '92-03 with many trips into China! You'll find it like a breath of Spring air here, just wait for the moaning about the humidity here...........! at least you can dry your clothes year round. Your coming with the right attitude and I hope that you enjoy it here.

As long as you come with an open mind, have been here 3 years and before that South East Asia for 11 years. Dubai has a lot to offer if you are prepared to look for it. Not everything costs a fortune and you make your own decisions about what your children do, my daughter has only been to the ski park once! in all the time we have been here. Look for the local culture it won't come looking for you. The museum has a nominal charge, the beaches are free, it maybe hot but get up early and go, the camel racing is free, as is the horse racing at Jebel Ali and a nominal charge at Meydan. Look out for world class events such as the showjumping and golf, they are often free of charge. The Abra on the creek is a dirham looking around the souks is a great way to spend a couple of hours as is walking the creek as well as seeing the 'old Dubai' and of course there is the desert at sunrise/sunset. It is difficult to adjust to because it is not home, the driving is manic at times but persevere and enjoy the experience that you have been presented with. Would be happy to talk to you when you get here. We will have been 4 years in China by the time we move and definitely into looking for the local culture - it's what we have done here! (I have joked on this forum before about wanting camels in the garden when we move!LOL!) Just looking forward to a different way of life and all that the Emirates have to offer. For me, one of the main positives will be having people to talk to IN ENGLISH! Don't speak Chinese and we are in a pretty rural part here! We have been in Dubai several times recently (and back again for a few days next week) and have always made a point of going round the back streets, investigating the local places and, not being able to drive in China, I am actually looking forward to the challenge of Dubai driving! Wherever we are, I am one of those who's glass is always half full dwelling on all the positives new places have to offer because let's face it, there will always be some negitives, but that's life! :)

Like many places Dubai has good and bad points - talk to a range of people from any country and there will be those who like things and those who don't. We have been here a bit short of 18mths and got to say we are enjoying it for the most part and discovering new things all the time - financially we are better off in that I don't have to work BUT there are many other things which are huge benefits to our life. Of course I have days where I'd give anything to go back 'home' but that is pretty normal I reckon. Some things are more expensive, some things cheaper and it all depends on how you live your life and what is important to you. Have fun and Good luck :)

As long as you come with an open mind, have been here 3 years and before that South East Asia for 11 years. Dubai has a lot to offer if you are prepared to look for it. Not everything costs a fortune and you make your own decisions about what your children do, my daughter has only been to the ski park once! in all the time we have been here. Look for the local culture it won't come looking for you. The museum has a nominal charge, the beaches are free, it maybe hot but get up early and go, the camel racing is free, as is the horse racing at Jebel Ali and a nominal charge at Meydan. Look out for world class events such as the showjumping and golf, they are often free of charge. The Abra on the creek is a dirham looking around the souks is a great way to spend a couple of hours as is walking the creek as well as seeing the 'old Dubai' and of course there is the desert at sunrise/sunset. It is difficult to adjust to because it is not home, the driving is manic at times but persevere and enjoy the experience that you have been presented with. Would be happy to talk to you when you get here.

:D Both of you will find your own likes and dislikes of Dubai. Don't judge your time on what those of us don't like.

We are not moving until the beginning of next year but will be interested to hear how your move goes. Where are you moving from? I have been reading threads on here for a while now and it's interesting to hear the variety of posts, concerns, questions etc and the different replied also very helpful too in alot of cases. I guess you just have to throw yourself into everything when you arrive and see how you get on! Good luck, keep in touch!:)