It's been just over a month since the Plants moved to Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi from their home of three years on the Abu Dhabi island, but they already seem to be in love with their new pad and the community.
Lauretta and Mitchel Plant quickly made some friends in the area. Even their four-year old son Ethan has his circle of new friends. Lauretta is a nursery teacher and works in the city while Mitchel is a project manager at Al Raha Beach development, which is in close proximity to Khalifa City community.
The hunt
While Lauretta, originally from South Africa, and Mitchel, a British citizen, are extremely pleased with their choice, it was not an easy decision to make, especially given the fact that they were quite content with their previous home on the island. "We were living on the island of Abu Dhabi and were quite happy there. The place we lived in was pretty good and it was provided by Mitchel's company," recalls Lauretta.
When they were asked to look for a new house, the Plants looked at Karama, the area between the two bridges (Mussaffah and Maqta), Al Raha Garden and Al Reef. "Between the bridges, I couldn't find anything that suited our budget," says Lauretta, adding that at that point they didn't want to move to Khalifa City as they felt it was in the middle of nowhere.
"We didn't know any better. When we were looking around for a house, my husband did mention moving to Dubai, but then we decided against it because we didn't want to move our son's schooling. I am also very happy at work so moving to Dubai was not a great idea," explains Lauretta. The Plants also prefer Abu Dhabi because they find the city "a bit more family oriented".
The couple worked with a few real estate agents initially who showed them many properties but they couldn't find exactly what they were looking for. "A lot of the properties we saw were very nice but too big and they were meant for huge families and it's just the three of us. Then we met Vera of real estate agency LLJ Property. We told her that we have a child and a dog and we wanted to move to a place which would suit them. We also didn't want a house that was too big. I was very picky because we were very happy where we were before, so we wanted it to be the perfect house for us. Vera showed us this property and we fell in love with it right away and we wanted to move in quickly," says Lauretta. "We saw two units, and this was the second one, which we immediately decided to rent. Khalifa City gives you a bit more for your money compared to many other developments here."
The find
The four-bedroom villa rented by the Plants is spacious enough for the family of three. The villa features an open-plan kitchen and a pool, a favoured area for the family. "We've got a pool at the villa which is fantastic. We love spending a lot of time in the pool area, especially when the weather is good. We have a dog, so it suits us better to live in a community that's pet-friendly. Besides, this house is more spacious than our previous home," says Lauretta.
It's still early days for the Plants in the area; however they already feel good about living in a family location and about the amenities that are available in and around Khalifa City. "After moving in, we got to know the area more and learnt that you've got everything you wanted here," says Lauretta. Etihad Plaza — which houses Albela supermarket, banks, an Etisalat shop, Mugg & Bean and Hippy Chic, and other outlets — is about five minutes away.
"There's a Spinneys [outlet] just across the road at Al Bandar. There are also a few dry-cleaners. Then we have the ‘pink shops' five minutes away where there is everything, including dry-cleaning, food shops, hardware stores, banks and so on. Yas Island is the main entertainment destination in the area. It has many hotels where we go for brunch. I also enjoy jogging in the area," says Lauretta.
She is impressed by the strong sense of community among residents in the area. "Our villa is one of the six villas in this area. People here are fantastic and everybody knows everybody here. Kids all play together in the front. We meet up on the weekends for parties."
The area doesn't have a park for children, and the closest one is on the Airport Road. However, the family is not much worried about this as there are children in the community who Ethan plays with after school and during weekends.
"For me, another important aspect was the drive to work in the city," says Lauretta . "Besides, Ethan's got to go to school. I was thinking that might have been a negative rather than a positive, but to be honest it's not been that bad at all. It's very quick in the morning; it takes me 20 to 25 minutes to get to work."
There is nothing really much to miss. Traffic is no problem at all though it is definitely busy. "But you don't have to sit in traffic like in London or any other city in the world," adds Lauretta. She expects the community to attract a lot of people in the days to come. "I definitely love this place and would like to stay here for a long time," she concludes, adding, "My husband feels the same."
