My Own Home takes you inside a reader-owned property to ask how much they paid, why they decided to buy and what they have done with it since moving in
Hotel sales manager Soniya Sharma Rajwani and her husband Imran Rajwani, a strategy and planning manager, bought their Abu Dhabi dream home after one year of renting in the emirate.
They moved to the UAE two years ago, having lived in Muscat for 11 years, and now live in the 34th-floor apartment, which they bought for Dh980,000 in the City of Lights on Reem Island.
They live there with Imran’s parents and their four-year-old son, Vivaan. It has two bedrooms, as well as a living room and separate dining area, open-plan kitchen, laundry room and three bathrooms.
It might get a little crowded at times, but they wouldn’t change a thing – and plan to live there for years to come.
The National takes a tour.
Please tell us about your home
Soniya Sharma Rajwani: It's very nice. It has a very small, cute balcony, which has a little plant garden.
Imran Rajwani: It's a corner flat, it has a curve, so a lot of natural light comes in. And we are on 34th floor, so the view is quite good.
How is it with five people living together?
Soniya: It gets crowded, but it is nice. We get to spend more time together as a family. Our dinners are always together, and during our weekend all our meals are together.
Why did you decide to buy a property?
Imran: We bought the house last year, in November. We were renting a house when I moved to Abu Dhabi and we were staying on Reem Island, but after one year we realised that rent is increasing. Our landlord was asking us to move out because he was getting a better deal.
At first we thought we’d move somewhere else, but then we did our calculations. We looked at a lot of flats and then we found this one, it’s the perfect one. It was in our budget, we could arrange a down payment and were able to quickly get the loan from FAB Bank.
Because we have a kid and my parents are staying with us, it’s the right decision. It’s very difficult to move from one place to another place every year, taking all your stuff.
My wife also loves to decorate and I always stop her, because we were always going to move, but now we can really invest in the house.
What renovations have you done?
Imran: We invested a little on decorating, improving the laundry room, storage area, kitchen and the dining room. We haven’t done any full renovation.
Soniya: We might do more later on when our son grows a little. We are planning to convert the living room into a bedroom and maybe upgrade the kitchen area, to close it off, if required.
We’re an Indian household, so we do a lot of cooking.
Why did you choose this neighbourhood?
Soniya: Reem Island is beautiful. It’s quiet, it’s away from the city’s everyday hustle and bustle.
There’s a bridge that connects you directly to Reem Island and you don’t have to go through a lot of signals.
In the City of Lights there is a nice, decent crowd, it’s surrounded by the creek, there is a lot of beach area where we can go easily for morning and evening walks. There are a lot of gardens around and kids’ play areas.
It was also a very, very fair deal, compared to what else you can find in the UAE, even in Reem Island. Somehow we got just so blessed to get this apartment at that rate.
Imran: One thing we were looking for was a house with a balcony. We also wanted both bedrooms to have en suite bathrooms.
There is also a lot of mangrove plantation around.
What facilities do you have access to?
Imran: You have a very huge swimming pool, there is a huge gym available, there is a kids’ play area and Reem Central Park is quite nearby.
Sky and Sun Tower Garden area is also quite nearby. We have two malls, Reem Mall and some boutiques.
A place should feel like you want to come back to it after office hours, so this is the perfect place for me.
How long do you plan on staying?
Soniya: I was thinking that I'll get retired the moment I go into my forties. But the day we bought our house, I realised that now, even if I take retirement, this is still our home.
The best part is our parents love the house. When we were in Oman, it was a little slow-paced, they wanted to go back home because they miss the people, but from the time we moved to Abu Dhabi, they are loving it.
They say, “If you want to go, go, but we are not going anywhere.”
The view from The National
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Zayed Sustainability Prize
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
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