Al Ghadeer
OVERVIEW: Technically, Al Ghadeer sits just inside Abu Dhabi’s desert border with Dubai, making this up-and-coming community the ‘wild card’ on this list. Al Ghadeer holds unrivalled, traffic-free access to Dubai’s three main thoroughfares: Shaikh Zayed Road (E11), Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (E311), and Emirates Road (E611).
Built by Aldar, a large Abu Dhabi developer, the community is made up of low-rise apartment blocks and villas. But even so, Al Ghadeer is not for those who like short commutes. Although Maktoum Airport is less than 20 minutes away, everything else can take far longer.
A drive to Mall of the Emirates, for example, will take 40 minutes. Meanwhile, driving anywhere within the Abu Dhabi city limits will take the best part of an hour.
But what Al Ghadeer does offer is unbeatable value. Decent quality studios with a garden view can be rented for less than Dh40,000 a year. An attached town house with two bedrooms can be found for less than Dh80,000.
The community’s bargain rental prices are its best selling point, says Manal Al Khader, an agent at Golden Rose Property.
“The prices here are cheaper than both Abu Dhabi and Dubai.”
Nationality-wise, Ghadeer has a fairly wide mix of residents — but the agent has noticed that many British expats have flocked there. Most residents work in Dubai.
LOCATION: For motorists, Al Ghadeer has a trick up its sleeve — it is right next to Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Street, which opened at the end of November 2016. An extension of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, the 62km, eight-lane stretch of highway is the second thoroughfare connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Two petrol stations are also expected to open on the road by the end of 2017.
TRAFFIC PROFILE: There isn’t much traffic worth mentioning — unless one of the enormous trucks that speed along the Seih Shuaib highway meets with an accident.
FACILITIES: Each Al Ghadeer apartment block is equipped with a gym, and there are plenty of swimming pools. But those hoping to make major purchases are going to be sorely disappointed. There is a supermarket, Baqala, that residents use, and a coffee shop.
Most residents will probably opt to drive to the large Ibn Battuta Mall, around a half-hour drive away. Or, the newlyopened Outlet Village mall next to Dubai Parks and Resorts, 20 minutes by car, is another option.
There is currently no pharmacy in the community, and the nearest clinic, the Medhealth Medical Centre in JAFZA, is around 25 minutes away.
The nearest schools are in Dubai Investments Park, around a half-hour away. To get a takeaway, residents commonly order food from afar — although not all outlets deliver.
TRANSPORT: A car or company transport is required. While the closest bus station, at Dubai Industrial City, is only a few minutes away by taxi, the community’s distance is likely to make any journey on public transport either very expensive or time-consuming. Hailing a taxi is also difficult.
PARKING ISSUES: Al Ghadeer residents enjoy plentiful parking in the basement of every building.
It’s been a good experience so far and it works out nicely for my wife and I as she has a lot of family in Dubai, while I work in Abu Dhabi. The community itself is beautiful and well maintained for the most part. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who’s willing to do the distance. There’s not much around here and with only a single convenience store serving the whole community; for anything major, even say a cashpoint, you have to get into your car and venture out. This can be inconvenient sometimes for young mothers or older people.”
Shazily Munawar | Resident