It feels like you're on holiday

When Rosemin Manji tells her friends overseas that she lives on artificial palm-shaped island, they react with fascination. "People from abroad are amazed of the notion of a man-made island," she says. Yet UAE residents more accustomed to Dubai's eccentric excesses respond in more practical terms. "People who live in Dubai often think it's really far, or out of the way. I personally feel I am quite central to most of the places where I like to go."

A fashion stylist and consultant, Rosemin and her husband have been living in a villa on one of Palm Jumeirah's fronds for just under two years, since moving from the UK.

"We are in a four-bedroom Garden Home," she says. "I like it because there's lots of natural light and it's accented in dark mahogany wood inside."

When you enter Rosemin's living room, views of the beach quickly divert your attention away from the mahogany. Sans curtains and with no back fence, the property is completely open to the beachfront.

Before moving to Dubai, Rosemin stayed in another property with a waterview. "I was living in London with a flat overlooking the Thames, but trust me it's not the same!"

As we step out on to the beach, the silence is an unfamiliar sensation. A lady walks her dog along the beach. Kayaks parked in front of some villas suggest there is activity sometimes.

It's easy to understand why residents see it as a complete break from the frenzy of Dubai.

"I love being near water; it is so relaxing," she says. "I usually start my day with a leisurely walk on the beach in the mornings. Also, after a long day in Dubai traffic I find it so relaxing to be on The Palm as it's so quiet. Or maybe I am just lucky on my frond!" Another frond, P Frond, I'm later told is the party frond.

The sand is perfect. There isn't a footprint in sight. Rosemin explains that the beach has just been cleaned and smoothed out by maintenance staff. "They do this at a different time every day," she says. Regardless, homeowners take great pride in the beach.

"I often use the beach and I am pleased to say that it's clean and more importantly residents care about the beach, so it's rare that you will see rubbish on the sand."

So where do they go when they get bored of the beach? "Atlantis has been our 'local'," she explains. "I have always enjoyed Nobu in all the cities I have travelled to, so it's nice to know that there is one located just around the corner. It's one of the best places for sushi and when I have guests visiting in town, Atlantis is always on the tourist list."

The only convenience that's missing from her beachfront paradise is a local shopping centre. "I'm looking forward to the mall opening. Sometimes when you need basic groceries having somewhere like Spinneys or Waitrose close by would be good." At the moment, the nearest shops are at the Shoreline Apartments. These include mini-marts with coffee shops, beauty parlours, barber salons, fashion outlets, travel agents, pharmacies, dry cleaning outlets as well as ATMs. Once Golden Mile is operational, there will be even more retail outlets on The Trunk.

In terms of traffic, Palm Jumeirah is congestion free, says Rosemin. "There is still construction work around, but nothing major that causes delays. It's easy to access and to drive around The Palm. However, I am not fond of all the speed bumps." She says there's one minor downside to living in a villa in the The Fronds. "To be honest, maybe the fact that the houses are so close together. Other than that, I can't really complain."

There's no doubt The Fronds have a touch of Hollywood about them. So what's it like 'slumming it' in one of the apartment buildings on The Trunk?

Bart Leclercq, a Dutch structural engineer, has been living with his partner in The Shoreline Apartments on The Trunk well over a year now."Before this we lived in Al Barsha which had a lot of charm as well but construction works on the roads there were never-ending so we are happy we made the move," he says.

"Living on The Palm is very comfortable. The beach at the back makes it very special and exclusive. There are nice poolside bars and restaurants which are reasonably priced. On your days off it feel like you're on holiday!"

"The beach is wide, clean and relatively quiet. The landscaping is well-maintained and there are lots of flowers. There is a 25m lap pool which is cooled during the summer months. The gym is equipped with the latest exercise machines. Nearby, there is also a small Costa Coffee and a non-working ATM machine!"

"To be honest, there is not much of a community feel and I believe that is what makes it exclusive and comfortable, as people mind their own business. If it is a community feeling you're looking for you should go and live in Karama or Deira."

In terms of infrastructure, Bart has no complaints. "The roads are well laid out and wide. It sometimes gets busy, but never congested. There are always enough car parking spaces in the basement, even for visiting guests."

"We regularly meet up with friends after work or during the weekend in one of the restaurants and poolside bars along the shoreline. One of our favourite places is Barca. The service is pretty bad as the personnel have no clue to what they are serving, but the ambience is great and it is right outside our doorstep."

Two months ago, Shoreline Apartments residents complained to that non-residents were increasingly using the private beaches. Later, however, they explained that Nakheel had taken action to prevent this.

"I haven't really noticed it," says Bart. "But as long as visitor numbers don't increase too much I don't have a problem. Nakheel have employed additional security guards to deal with this so I believe that will help keep the numbers down."

Like Rosemin, Bart says the one thing the Palm lacks is a grocery store. "The one thing we are missing is a good supermarket. Currently, it is a long drive to the nearest shop."

Online networking

"There are definitely ways to get involved in The Palm community," says Rosemin. "There is a local organisation called Crest of Dubai, which is for residents." The site (you'll need to register and provide your address to access it) includes profiles of residents, events and reviews of local restaurants etc. www.crestofdubai.com