Sanctuaries of serenity

Areas once thought to be the 'back of beyond' are now considered some of Dubai's most comfortable areas to live in. Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhary asks residents of some of these areas about the joy of living … far from the madding crowd.

Fifteen years ago, when Ahmad Mahdi told people that he lived in Jebel Ali Village and drove 35 km to his office in Deira, people would look at him with astonishment. Why on earth would anyone want to live like that?

Jebel Ali Village was an area where camels wandered about, the nights was ink black because, you've guessed it, there were no streetlights.

If Mahdi planned to go out for dinner and a movie, it meant a long, very long, evening out. Returning home was an equally long drive back.

Then of course, we also need to talk of purchasing everyday items, you know like bread, milk, vegetables ... There were hardly any supermarkets in the area. So why would anyone wish to live in such an area? But for Mahdi, it was simply a matter of wanting to live where quiet and serenity reigned.

Today, it is these very qualities – of serenity, of getting away from the urban madness – that has made people welcome the idea of moving to faraway housing enclaves that have now come to be known as the 'New Dubai'.

With exceptionally beautiful homes and surroundings to match being built by real estate companies, New Dubai is the new address to live in.

When the real estate companies of the UAE swung into action some time ago and promised freehold/leasehold residences, cynics let their eyebrows disappear into their hairline.

It would maroon expatriates within these gated communities, far away from the nerve centre of the city, their expressions said.

Who would want to live in a villa 30 km away from the city? What would you do there … twiddle your thumbs? Why would you want to suddenly turn maid-cum-chauffeur-cum-grocery delivery boy for your household? Why would you want to spend time on the highway, ferrying your kids to and fro, driving all the way into the city to pick up everyday essentials? Why would you want to drive miles to meet your doc? Or catch a movie? Or have coffee with a friend? Shouldn't simple tasks like this be kept simple?

Arguments rose like a heat wave at parties and the idea of moving away from Dubai to the new communities was consideed a rather needless adventure. Discussions turned parties into noisy events.

But barely a few years down the line, the noise turned into a song - a song of praise for the wise guys who made the first move.

A new equation of time and distance was also put forth – distance doesn't equate to driving time. For example, a person living in Sharjah could take 40 minutes (or maybe more depending on the day) to reach his office on Shaikh Zayed Road, while a resident of Arabian Ranches could zip down and back from his office in Sharjah in 25 minutes flat if he were to take Emirates Road.

The Newtonian buzzword turned newly fashionable all over again.

Other old chestnuts also began to acquire new definition – being in the middle of nowhere now began to mean being in the middle of somewhere – and this somewhere simply happened to be one of the most coveted addresses in Dubai.

As the addresses became worthy of being printed on privileged hand-made paper, all other things followed. Grocery stores, restaurants, department stores, coffee shops, bookstores, laundry services, beauty parlours, gyms, art galleries ... you name it and they were at your service.

Residents of these new enclaves no longer had to drive – rally-style – to the city's centre. The city was cruising to a stop practically at their doorstep.

Most amenities, including shopping malls, supermarkets, schools, pharmacies, clubhouses, golf courses, sporting facilities, even cineplexes, were hotfooting it – towards them.

The bustling neighbourhoods of the waterside Dubai Marina, the lush landscapes of Emirates Hills, Arabian Ranches and the Green Community – just to mention four of the many developments – are proof that resort-style living has turned into a reality in Dubai.

And the good news is that you do not really have to be a millionaire to enjoy these luxuries. Essentially, it means that aspiring to live in a serene environment, far from the madding crowd, is no longer a dream.

Friday spoke to three families from these areas about how they are enjoying life amidst their newly-chosen surroundings.

Going green

Shelley Wren, from the UK, loves Dubai and has been a resident of the UAE for 20 years.

Fond of quiet community living, Wren has lived in many places, but she loved her time at the Chicago Beach Village (CBV), next to the Burj Al Arab. The Village was closed a few years ago to make way for the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex.

At the time, many considered it a far-off place to live in, but Wren adored the area. But then who wouldn't? You wake up, open your windows and just out there is the beautiful, sun-sequinned blue sea.

And, no, Wren didn't mind driving to her office on Shaikh Zayed Road, cleaving through the trafffic mornings and evenings! The idea of going back to that home was worth everything.

Today, Wren runs her own company, Spectra Maxima International, a corporate communications provider specialising in the real estate sector.

She, her two children, Daniel, 13, Natasha, 10, and dog, Snowhite, live in the Green Community off the Jebel Ali area, about 35-40 km from the city.

"As a family, we have always been pioneers when it comes to moving further away from the city limits,'' says Wren.

"From a superb location in Satwa we moved to Chicago Beach Village,'' she says. "We moved to a stunning beach house. We had our own pool in the garden and 20 feet from our living room was the beach!"

"We never had a shortage of friends dropping by for barbecues and parties as we had the best of everything at CBV.''

However, in the course of the party banter, conversation would slowly veer towards the issue of travelling to work. 'How do you manage to travel so far to work?' or 'What happens when you forget your groceries?'.

"None of that was ever a problem because in the context of things, it was not far to do anything,'' she says. "In those days, I worked in Al Moosa Tower [on Shaikh Zayed Road] and driving from CBV to my office took, maybe, 15 minutes. The same journey today can take you an hour if done during the wrong time," she says.

Wren clearly has fond memories of her time living in CBV.

"As a family, [those were] our most precious moments in Dubai,'' she says.

"Having lived in the Middle East since 1986, I have seen the city change beyond recognition,'' says Wren. "When I first came to Dubai, I lived in a villa [it's the one next to Jumeirah Secondary School near Safa Park]. Our place was then considered far out,'' she says.

It was the 'far out' experience that really fascinated Wren and it was this very experience she was seeking when she chose to live in the Green Community, a lush, luxuriant, sprawling area with villas, apartments and townhouses, a lake, a canal and plenty of open space.

"For us, the Green Community was the most sensible choice,'' says Wren, "and while it was not very close to the city, it presented for us the very best thing after the CBV lifestyle – which is open spaces and the possibility of being green!"

"It wasn't like that when we arrived [in the Green Community],'' she says, "but within 18 months, this community has blossomed into an oasis in the desert with personal and communal gardens that do justice to its name. The facilities are now coming on-stream and the children have, within reason, the safety and security to bike around, shop at the mall."

"The trek to the cinema is no longer a dash to [any of the malls in the city], but to Ibn Battuta, which is five minutes away, or the Mall of the Emirates, which has certainly added another dimension to shopping and movies. Again, all within 15 minutes' drive from home."

Living in the Green Community has provided Wren and her family unarguably the best of open spaces and chic, urban facilities.

"For me, moving to this area was about buying my own home," adds Wren. "In the course of my work, I see the massive developments coming up which are sure to provide more of the same kind of amenities at all levels. This will only develop the environment further for all and that is what is needed," she says.

Wren thinks the metro rail project will serve as the key networking tool, eventually linking up the entire city.

"I think it will be a tremendous bonus to commuters who spend far too much time on the road," she remembers, adding that the amount of time saved can be used to take advantage of enjoying many other things the city has to offer.

Wren says security is a priority for her family and Dubai has always proven to be a wonderfully safe place to live.

As a city grows, ensuring safety is the hardest thing, she admits, but Dubai's track record is impeccable. "Not bad going when you consider [the rapid changes] happening here," she says.

Anchors ahoy!

Iranian Sarira Manavi is passionately in love with the sea and she has always dreamt of living in a waterfront property.

Five months ago, her dream became a reality as she and her husband, Alex Safepour, a Canadian-Iranian, moved to the Dubai Marina from her rented home in Jumeirah.

"I love everything about the Marina," she says. "The view from my house, the walk around the Boardwalk, the smell of the sea, the busy waterfront, the shopping centre, the eating outlets … it has so much to offer," says Manavi.

Quite like Wren, she too believes that the Mall of the Emirates offers a good avenue for catching up on the latest movies. "It is just a five-minute drive away," says Manavi.

"In two years' time, the Marina is going to be the best neighbourhood in Dubai and, given a choice, I would love to buy my own house here," adds her husband, Safepour.

"It is just a few steps away from the best beaches around town; there are plenty of watersport activities and so many five-star hotels and restaurants around," he says.

"I love the Marina Mall and when the Jumeirah Beach Residence opens its clubhouses, there will be boutique gyms and places of leisure just a stone's throw away."

However, one issue that irks Manavi is the noise of all the construction activity taking place all around. "But despite it, I know we are close to the ideal dream," she says.

"We happen to be here witnessing all the development and hence we have [witnessed a few] teething troubles. But we will have stories to narrate to others who might move in when the place is all ready and spic and span. I feel … it is certainly going to be worth the wait."

The Dubai Marina proves that comfortable living isn't only for people who can afford to live in villas.

Indeed, many apartment complexes with affordable rates and manageable mortgages are coming up either in these complexes or in similar housing enclaves in the neighbourhood.

However, all said and done, it's not as if some housing communities do not have their set of problems.

There have been instances of residents complaining about plumbing problems, construction issues, unattended swimming pools, the need for residents' associations, but these can be seen as teething troubles of a society in transition.

With communities mushrooming at a dizzying pace, amenities and facilities soon take root to service the needs of residents.

When the dust of construction settles down, the last of the cranes is no longer a silhouette in the sky and the residential complexes are complete, the full impact of Dubai's amazing growth will be felt – by one and all.

* Note: The Dubai real estate developments are many. Due to space limitations, Friday has featured only three communities in this article. This is purely a random selection to provide an example as well as a glimpse of people and their lifestyles in these new housing enclaves.