The five Bedroom villa in Safa, Dubai. Courtesy Better Homes
The five Bedroom villa in Safa, Dubai. Courtesy Better Homes
The five Bedroom villa in Safa, Dubai. Courtesy Better Homes
The five Bedroom villa in Safa, Dubai. Courtesy Better Homes

Live in the heart of old Dubai for Dh25m


Andrew Scott
  • English
  • Arabic

If you want to live in the heart of old Dubai, this villa offers the perfect opportunity. The five-bedroom residence on a quiet street in Al Safa 2 is on the market for Dh25 million.

Yes, I know the canal is being built down that end of town and traffic is a nightmare as they dig up Safa Park, but it won’t always be like that. And when the construction work is finished, you’ll have a canal on your doorstep.

While the location might not be Downtown Dubai or Uptown Marina, it’s where old school Dubai lives and resides with access to the beach and the burgeoning retail and F&B outlets.

The house is surrounded by a high wall guaranteeing privacy for the established gardens that feature lush vegetation and a beautiful private pool which is both chilled and heated allowing year-round usage. There is also an outside Jacuzzi for those who enjoy the trappings of luxury and lounging in exquisite surroundings. The garden has a semi-tropical feel with wonderful covered terraces allowing formal outside dining or chilling with friends in a poolside hang out.

There is a small gym overlooking the water next to the terrace. The villa itself has five spacious and bright bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, en suite bathrooms and, in most cases, access to a terrace.

The villa is pristine with a high-level of finishing and wood panelling throughout. There is a huge reception room with an ultra modern kitchen, a wonderful vestibule with a wide sweeping staircase, and a master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and en suite bathroom.

There is a separate servant’s quarters, large enough for two people and equipped with a bathroom and functional kitchen.

The villa also offers access to a one-bedroom private suite with a kitchen. It allows a family to have guests stay in their own self contained space and also enjoy the camaraderie and conviviality of family living.

The villa occupies just shy of 10,000 square feet and is offered with all white goods.

Q&A

Thomas Bunker, manager of Off Plan Sales for Better Homes tells Andrew Scott more about the five-bed villa on sale in Safa, Dubai:

I thought only GCC nationals could buy in the Jumeirah area?

That is true unless you have a very close friend who is local. The owner of this property is a European expat that has such an arrangement and he is in sole charge of the sale.

You don’t often see these types of villas come on the general market.

The problem is that when they do come for general sale, the word gets out and a prospective buyer finds that he is some way related to the seller and can avoid paying the two per cent commission to agents by buying it privately. Two per cent commission on Dh25 million is Dh500,000 so it is understandable, I would do it myself if I had the opportunity. It is set in the heart of Jumeirah between Al Wasl Rd and Sheikh Zayed Rd situated perfectly for access in and out of the city.

Dh25m sounds a lot though even for such a great location.

The seller has actually dropped the price by Dh5m. It has been on the market for six months. I think it’s worth Dh35m but the market at the moment is challenging. The finishing in the villa is by far above most others. It is a classic style with care and attention shown to all aspects. It is a conservative US style interior – almost Martha Stewart inspired.

ascott@thenational.ae

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Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.

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1954

1921

1888

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)

Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder

Transmission: Continuously variable transmission

Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)

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Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery 

Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges 

Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic 

Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks 

Ep5: Travel and tourism 

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2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Company profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

While you're here
Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now