My RAK Rent: ‘I loved our villa so much I bought identical home on same street’

Rula Kanaan pays Dh91,000 to live in Mina Al Arab area, where laid-back lifestyle suits the family

Rula Kanaan and her husband live in a three-bedroom villa in Mina Al Arab, Ras Al Khaimah. Photos: Antonie Robertson/The National

Inside the property that Rula Kanaan lives with her husband and two young daughters.

The living room area.

The family have lived in the property since 2019.

The kitchen area.

The property is only eight minutes from the school that Ms Kanaan's daughters go to.

One of the bedrooms.

The master bedroom in the villa.

Ms Kanaan loves the property and community so much that she's bought an identical home on the same street.

The play area in the community.

Ms Kanaan loves the laid-back atmosphere where she lives.

My RAK Rent takes you inside a reader's home to look at what they get for their money, how much they pay, and what they like and don't like

Rula Kanaan and her family love life in the three-bedroom villa they rent in Ras Al Khaimah so much that they have decided to buy an identical one in the same community.

The Jordanian-Palestinian and her husband currently pay Dh91,000 ($24,775) a year for their home in Mina Al Arab, which will rise to Dh100,000 in 2025.

Ms Kanaan, who works as a managing partner in a travel company, said she enjoys the laid-back lifestyle and proximity to the beach in the place she's called home since 2019. She invited The National inside to see what makes it so special.

Why did you choose to live here?

We're only about eight minutes away from my daughters' school and a few minutes from the beach as well. We have tennis courts and swimming pools here in the community as well. You never really have to go too far unless you need something in particular from the city, which is only around 20 minutes away.

There's never really any traffic – we don't have that yet in RAK – but it might change if more people keep moving from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. There are tennis courts we can use here, as well as swimming pools, and there is a community gym.

A lot of people use scooters, bicycles or walk because the school is in Hamra village, which is pretty close by.

Is there much of a sense of community?

There's a great community here and we often end up carpooling with the neighbours as we are always going to the same places. If you have to work, or you're sick, there's someone able to help and pick up the kids or drop them off.

Everyone hangs out with each other outdoors in the winter months, so you don't really have to arrange play dates ... [children will] just run into their friends or someone from their class. It's pretty relaxed. Even if somebody bakes something, you'll usually see them handing it out and sharing it with their neighbours.

In 2019, Rula Kanaan and her husband were paying Dh68,000 to rent the three-bedroom villa. Antonie Robertson / The National

Do you see yourself staying much longer?

We're actually moving to another villa [which is the same size on the same street] in March. We are buying this property for Dh1.7 million. It was the last available property on the street for sale, now similar properties are being valued at Dh2 million.

We started renting for Dh68,000 in 2019, rents have been going up every year and are more likely to increase every year because the casino is opening soon. We're not planning on moving [away from the community] any time soon so it felt like the right financial decision.

What touches have you made to make the property feel like home?

We have the guest bedroom, which is also our office, because we have a lot of guests during the weekends and in winter my in-laws come and spend a month here each year. There's no specific theme, though.

How has the area changed since you moved here in 2019?

We're seeing a lot of people moving here from Dubai because of the property prices there and a lot of new hotels are opening up. A lot of the buildings that were almost empty are now full because they're getting their staff and their managers living there.