Living in... Dubai's Arabian Ranches


Sarwat Nasir
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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.

Arabian Ranches could not have captured the ‘family-friendly neighbourhood’ vibe any better.

From two-bedroom townhouses with lake views to seven-bedroom mansions overlooking a golf course, it is a perfect place for young couples and families to set up home.

Established in 2004 by property developer Emaar, the district has 15 gated sub-communities located in Arabian Ranches 1, 2 and 3.

It has 4,500 homes, spread over 1,650 acres.

Arabian Ranches offers residents a premium lifestyle with Spanish, Mediterranean and Arabian-style residences.

The neighbourhood is self-sustaining, with easy access to top-rated schools, medical centres, community centre, restaurants, swimming and sports facilities.

With a drop in rents, you can now score a two-bedroom townhouse at starting price of Dh75,000.

Prices can go all the way up to Dh550,000 for a seven-bedroom luxury villa.

“The location is better than a lot of the other new developments which are along the same corridor,” said Greg Ware, senior sales consultant at Allsopp & Allsopp, a real-estate firm in the UAE.

“It is not the cheapest place to live by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s definitely not the most expensive.

“It has a really good spread of families and there’s a really good sense of community there, because people are encouraged to go out and use all the parks and facilities, and there's so many of them. When you go there, after school, or the weekends, a lot of the places are busy.”

The lively neighbourhood has an 80 to 85 per cent occupancy rate and more are choosing to relocate here as rents become slightly more pocket-friendly.

The 15 sub-communities in Arabian Ranches are Al Reem, Terra Nova, Al Mahra, Palmera, Alvorada, Mirador, Savannah, Aseel, Saheel and Alma.

The luxury ones are Polo Homes, Hattan, La Avenida, Golf Homes and Mirador La Coleccian.

Location and landmarks near Arabian Ranches

Arabian Ranches is situated along Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.

Neighbouring communities include Dubai Hills, Motor City and Dubai Studio City.

Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall are about a 25-minute drive away.

Dubai International Airport is about 23 minutes by car and the Al Maktoum International Airport is 26 minutes away.

Nearby attractions include Dubai Miracle Garden, Dubai Autodrome, Plantation Equestrian and Polo Club and Dubai Butterfly Garden.

It’s also a short drive away from the leisure attractions of IMG Worlds of Adventure and Global Village. The latter also has several country pavilions and is ideal for a unique shopping experience.

Does Arabian Ranches have public transport?

Dubai Metro or Dubai Tram does not link up to Arabian Ranches.

Residents here mostly depend on cars.

Though, there is no shortage of restaurants, medical facilities, supermarkets and schools within the district itself.

Rent prices at Arabian Ranches

Mr Ware said rents for entry level townhouses with two bedrooms range from Dh70,000 to Dh85,000. So, even though Arabian Ranches is a premium community, you can still find an affordable home in some sub-communities.

The current market has caused a dip in rent. Previously, starting rents for similar units started at Dh85,000.

DUBAI UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 17 NOVEMBER 2020.Community guide: Arabian Ranches. The man made lakes. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: Sarwat Nasir. Section: National.
DUBAI UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 17 NOVEMBER 2020.Community guide: Arabian Ranches. The man made lakes. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: Sarwat Nasir. Section: National.

The value for a two-bedroom townhouse start at Dh1.45 million.

“Every time there’s been a difficult blip in the market, Arabian Ranches has always been one of those areas which has managed to do very well by maintaining its pricing or recovering very quickly,” said Mr Ware.

“The only thing about the Arabian Ranches is that you could argue it’s dated, but a lot of people who buy units there will always upgrade and modernise. But, structurally, you’re buying a better villa.”

A three-bedroom villa with a study room (278.7 square metres), in the Al Reem sub-community is going for Dh90,000.

Some of the luxury villas with seven bedrooms (929sqm to 2,043sqm) in the Polo sub-community are selling at Dh27.5m. Yearly rents range from Dh550,000 to 1m.

Nearly all the structures in Arabian Ranches are generously sized and most have a very spacious landscaped backyard.

Facilities at Arabian Ranches

Each sub-community in Arabian Ranches has its own swimming pool for kids and adults, kids play area and park.

The neighbourhood is also equipped with its own tennis and basketball court.

DUBAI UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 17 NOVEMBER 2020.Community guide: Arabian Ranches . The Ranches has an abundance of facilities from tennis, basketball courts and playgrounds. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: Sarwat Nasir. Section: National.
DUBAI UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 17 NOVEMBER 2020.Community guide: Arabian Ranches . The Ranches has an abundance of facilities from tennis, basketball courts and playgrounds. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: Sarwat Nasir. Section: National.

Some of the larger villas have their own private pools and come with a maid’s room plus a study.

Arabian Ranches has a main community centre that has restaurants, medical centres and supermarkets.

There is a mosque in the area and a school.

Schools and hospitals at Arabian Ranches

Arabian Ranches is home to the Jumeirah English Speaking School, which has primary and secondary education.

The not-for-profit school is rated as outstanding for by Dubai's private schools regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

Tuition fees ranges from Dh39,837 to Dh93,852.

Safa Community School is another option outside of the neighbourhood, just a 10-minute drive away.

As for medical care, the community centre has the Mediclinic Arabian Ranches and a pharmacy.

In the Ranches 2, there is an Aster Medical Centre and clinic.

What shops does Arabian Ranches have?

There are about 20 to 25 retail outlets in the community centre – all the way from restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies, clinics and coffee shops.

It has a Carrefour, where residents shop for their groceries.

There are no small grocery or convenient stores located within the sub-communities, so residents do have to drive to the retail centre within the district.

What makes Arabian Ranches a good community?

The quality of homes, facilities nearby and community feel is what makes this neighbourhood popular among residents.

While, it is not the most affordable places when compared to other areas of Dubai, Arabian Ranches makes up for it with the premium lifestyle it promises its residents.

The villas in Arabian Ranches have spacious backyards. Antonie Robertson/The National
The villas in Arabian Ranches have spacious backyards. Antonie Robertson/The National

Some of the luxury homes face the golf course, while others overlook a lake.

But, with rents down, a two-bedroom townhouse in the Palmera going for Dh70,000 to Dh85,000, also offers a lake view.

Laura Walsh has been living in a three-bedroom villa in Arabian Ranches for nearly four years.

“It’s a great neighbourhood for families,” she said.

“You get the open backyard, big bedrooms and living area and you have the kids’ school nearby, as well as the coffee shops and supermarket – there’s everything you need.”

Aayush Chauhan also rents a three-bedroom villa.

“I think what separates Arabian Ranches from other communities is the quality you are getting. It’s well-developed, there’s no construction around. In my opinion, you really are getting what you paid for.”

A version of this article was first published on November 22, 2020.

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

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

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

World Sevens Series standing after Dubai

1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia

THE BIO

Favourite author - Paulo Coelho 

Favourite holiday destination - Cuba 

New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field

Role model - My Grandfather 

Dream interviewee - Che Guevara

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE cricketers abroad

Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.

Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.

Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO

What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

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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.”

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

RESULTS
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:

Juventus 1 Ajax 2

Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate

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Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

RESULT

Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)

Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Results

2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)

2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash

4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.

4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes

Cheat’s nigiri 
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.

Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.

Deconstructed sushi salad platter 
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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.