[ boxes boxes everywhere! ]

IT'S moving day! And we're drowning in cardboard!

With 3 separate truck deliveries, checking off box numbers and directing boxes to the correct rooms has me wiped out, especially when some items won't be ending up in the same rooms they came from. It's tiring trying to decipher what the Dubai movers wrote on the boxes ~ lamp covers are lampshades, office side tables are filing cabinets, soft table is an ottoman... Luckily everything is in and tomorrow is reassembly/unpacking day ~ hopefully I can find a spot for everything! But when in doubt ~ into the basement it goes!

lisa

[ house keys! ]

TODAY is the day! After spending a couple of months in hotels, we finally have the keys to our new home! Our container of furniture from Dubai will be delivered tomorrow along with everything we've had in storage for 3 years ~ gosh, I don't even remember what we've got! It's going to be a busy week but I'm so excited to start settling in to our new home and start decorating! Stay tuned!

lisa

[ a new home! ]

WE'RE excited to say that our home inspection was successful and the sold sign is now up! Now we just have to wait until mid July to get the keys!

We love this home - an original tudor-style home built in the 20's with a couple of additions added on over the past 12 years. It has some really lovely details...

Older homes always have such lovely character that is difficult to replicate in new-build homes. And the current owners have done a great job of marrying the newer additions with the older home, making even the original red brick exterior and inlaid wood floors blend seamlessly. Their love for this home is evident.

I think it will be very easy to settle in and feel right at home. This truly feels like my dream home and I can't wait to get our things moved in and start decorating! 

lisa 

[ oh canada! ]

SO WE landed safe and sound and pushed a bit of luggage through customs to last us until our shipment arrives...

It's been great being back to the old stompin' grounds we left in 2005. Of course one of the things on the must-do list was getting my guy a decent hotdog and we knew just where to go ~ to see Jimmy at his hotdog cart outside of the Canadian Tire store...

Jimmy hasn't changed a bit and neither have his hotdogs ~ still $2 and loaded with bonus pieces of sausage. No other hotdog cart can compare...

We've also been house hunting and my goodness, prices are just not what they were 9 years ago when we left this city! I called up the agent who sold our house back then and he toured us around to some really cute ones. There's one that really stood out amongst the rest...and....we already put in an offer!!

It's on a pretty tree-lined street...

Just a home inspection to do this week and then hopefully it will be ours! {well, in a month or so}. I didn't expect to find one that we loved so quickly ~ maybe it was meant to be? Fingers crossed it all goes well!

So that's what we've been up to the past few days ~ busy! So happy to be back!

Happy weekend! And Happy Father's Day!

lisa

[ our new place...maybe? ]

IT'S BEEN a while since we arrived in Dubai and getting all the official permits and paperwork sorted has been a very long, drawn-out process. We are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and the hunt has officially begun to find our new place. You may remember that we toured around some neighbourhoods weighing out the pros and cons of a villa in the outskirts to a small apartment closer to the action. Well, we've decided on an apartment! And in the Dubai Marina area. We love the area, there are lots of shops and restaurants to walk to, the metro station is right there to take me to a long list of malls and the scenery is pretty.

We've narrowed down which cluster of buildings we want to be in and visited a few apartments to see what's available (not many since people apparently love them so the turn-over is slow). They are the original buildings built in the marina development and have an excellent reputation so it's understandable why people don't want to move out.

I wish I had taken photos while inside because you wouldn't believe the one that we have decided on - a decor nightmare! Every wall is covered in dark wallpaper - olive stripes in the living room, florals in the bedrooms and the bathroom and the spare bedroom is plastered in Barbie stickers! We've been assured that all the wallpaper will be removed and the walls patched/painted and everything scrubbed before we move in but it definitely took some effort to see past the ugliness of it.

But the floors are a lovely dark wood (instead of the typical beige ceramic tile so common here) so that's a nice feature. And we were immediately drawn to the view from the square balcony - one direction points to the marina, the other points to the lovely landscaped courtyard and pool area. Compared to the other places we saw, it was a no-brainer.

There are still details to work out before we know if it's ours (so much red tape). And of course lots of work to be done inside before it's ready for us to move in. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

lisa

[ sorting things out ]

SO, it appears that we have sorted out our moving dilemma. We have had to find another villa to move into {disappointing}, but the good news is that we were able to find something. It's not an end unit anymore surrounded by trailing flowers and pretty park area, but it does have a little yard that backs out onto the walking trail to the community pool/park {not too bad}.

I suppose the upside is that we will have possession of the property sooner so our move-in date is only a week and a half away! So it may be looking a bit like this around here...

Let the chaos begin!

lisa

[boxes pic: via hightouchmoving.com]

[ scoping out neighbourhoods ]

WHILE OUR temporary Dubai apartment is ok, I'm anxious to find our more permanent residence and get settled in. And so we took to the streets on the weekend to drive around a bit and get our bearings. Working within our budget, the biggest decision is whether to opt for a semi-detached villa or an apartment. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages which we quickly figured out.

For most expats, the gated communities seem to be the most popular. Villa neighbourhoods such as Emirates Hills, Arabian Ranches, and the Green Community are a perfect place to raise a family so they are great if you have kids (we don't). Most of these communities are relatively expensive but include onsite facilities such as community swimming pools, tennis court, supermarket, and a few take-out restaurants. Some may face out onto golf courses, while others onto man-made lakes.
Pros: Fairly spacious with 2-car parking at your door and a small backyard.
Cons: The areas surrounding these neighbourhoods are a maze of construction, both with new residences and roads. Getting anywhere definitely requires a car, which is a huge consideration since they are definitely in the suburbs and quite a distance from shopping centres, etc. Not on the metro line. Not much privacy from neighbours.

[emirates hills]

[arabian ranches]

[arabian ranches]

[green community]

The other option is to go for an apartment. There are tons of them to choose from and more and more still under construction. Location is key as well as the reputation of the builder and maintenance companies as some have already acquired a bad reputation for cheap fit and finish and cutting corners on on-going maintenance. 

For most expats, the Burj Dubai, the Palm Jumeirah or Dubai Marina seem to be the most popular areas. These areas are also relatively expensive so we are limited to a 2 bedroom for our budget. So obviously, the bigger the better as the 2nd bedroom must also accommodate the drying rack for laundry (there are no dryers) and any other storage we might need.

Pros: Restaurants, shops & services are right outside your door, including the metro line. Gyms, spas, and swimming pools included in each building. Great views.

Cons: Compact in size, limited storage, underground parking for one car, no backyard - just a balcony.

[burj dubai]

[palm jumeirah]

[palm jumeirah]

[dubai marina]

So as you can see, we have a bit of decision making to do. A villa does provide more of a "home" feeling like we're used to, but an apartment provides a lot of convenience. I still haven't made up my mind. What would you choose?

lisa

[ house hunting ]

WELL, judging from your comments and emails, it's a tough choice between an apartment or a villa. Believe me, I have agonized over it.

But we've made a decision... a villa!

I think it ultimately boiled down to a simple thing, really.... what can I control and what can I not? And the answer was pretty simple ~ I can't control other people ~ not their habits, lifestyles or cuisine. And knowing how my sanity has been stretched to the limit with neighbour noise and odours, I just couldn't risk moving into another apartment and potentially dealing with the same thing all over again. Most places require you to pay for an entire year of rent upfront and sign a lease, so it's not an easy situation to get out of here in Dubai. So it's a gamble. And one that I wasn't willing to take again, no matter how much I love the convenience and location.

And so, after hitting the streets and touring some neighbourhoods, we've decided on Arabian Ranches...

...a large gated community about 20 minutes from the heart of downtown Dubai. It's got quite a nice vibe to it with a lovely community spirit. Driving around reminded us of our visit to Scottsdale, Arizona ~ you almost forget you're in Dubai...

It's divided into smaller enclaves, with homes varying from huge villas to attached villa/townhouses. The developer has done a nice job of including plenty of park space, community pools/tennis courts and a few man-made lakes with walking trails. It really does feel like a little oasis in the desert...

We were only out looking at the layout options, but happened to view one where the owners were looking to move out at the end of June and it was perfect ~ an end unit, backing onto a park with a pretty little backyard...

... and all for less than what we would pay to rent our current 2 bedroom apartment in the same building we're in now with the hike in rental prices. I think the sound of birds chirping instead of traffic and construction noise clinched it for me.

I know I'll need to work out the location situation ~ that's the biggest Con on my list. But I think it will feel a lot more normal for us to live in a villa since we've never really been apartment dwellers. I'm ready for a change. I can't wait to feel the grass between my toes and have a solid night's sleep!

lisa

[ pros and cons ]

HOW was your weekend? Ours was interesting ~ a huge thunderstorm! Complete with lots of lightning, a sandstorm and road flooding in some areas because there is no road drainage here in Dubai. Definitely got everyone talking about the weather since rain is so rare.

We also did a bit of house hunting ~ no, we are not leaving Dubai right now {sorry, nothing that exciting!} We just need to vacate our apartment in June and find a new pad since the landlord gave us notice last year. Rents have risen considerably which has made the hunt even more complicated.

You may remember 2 years ago we were trying to decide on an apartment vs. a villa when we first moved to Dubai {read about it here}...

Well, we've been at it again! Both options definitely have their pros and cons for the same price...

Apartment

Pros: convenient location, a view, walkable for me to amenities, metro, groceries, includes pool and gym, close to my guy's office, lots of restaurants/cafes nearby, trendy city living, close to friends

Cons: small space with no storage, decent buildings are expensive, noise from neighbours above, pungent smells from neighbours, underground parking/elevator, too much traffic to bike on roads, traffic noise, tiny balcony

Villa

Pros: larger space with storage, parking at your door, a backyard with grass, no noise from anyone living upstairs, no smells from neighbours, easy to bike around the neighbourhood with bike paths, quiet neighbourhood, community pool

Cons: suburb location, not walkable to amenities or metro or groceries, no gym, further to my guy's office, few restaurants/cafes nearby, far from friends, I probably need to get a car

As you can see, it's not really an easy choice for a couple our age {40+} with no kids. There are many things we have really enjoyed about our apartment, but we have also had a lot of problems ~ endless maintenance issues, constant high heels clicking upstairs at all hours of the night and most recently, pungent cooking smells coming right into our apartment from next door despite our air purifier running 24/7. But this apartment could have just been a dud.

While we were leaning one way with our decision, this week we've completely gone the other way. Can you guess what we've decided?

lisa