Job Discussion Forums

Porphyrogenitos · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 4

Hi all,

I am tossing up bewteen work in Abu Dhabi or Dubai and was just wondering what the pros and cons of each place are????? Any info, insight, tales are most welcome. Can somebody give me a sense of these places? What are apartments like, suburbs, costs, beaches etc. Everything and anything you can offer is most welcome.

Thanking all of you experts in advance.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I'd say that much depends on your age and marital status. For the young and single, Dubai is probably the better choice.

But, IMHO, it would be Abu Dhabi. Dubai has too much traffic, too many tourists and too many hookers for my taste. But, I am a boring old woman. Cool

I always found Abu Dhabi to be a much more livable city.

It would help people to give you advice if you had told us something about yourself. Are you married or single? Do you want a quiet life or parties?

VS

Porphyrogenitos · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 4

Thanks for that. I am married with no dependents. We are simply trying to get a feel for both places not having visited either of them. What are beaches like, restaurants, cultural events, public transport etc. Ultimately we would appreaciate having access to things like good food, bookshops with English books, decent gyms/yoga...in other words a decent standard of living. We hear Dubai is the more international place but louder whilst Abu-Dhabi is also quite good but not as dynamic as Dubai. I guess what we want now is more specific information about both places (pros and cons) and the respctive costs involved.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

One could say that they both offer pretty much the same thing... just that Abu Dhabi has a bit less and is a bit cheaper. Both have gyms and clubs... and one can normally find lessons in whatever one wants. Yoga is everywhere now, isn't it? Laughing

Dubai probably has more restaurants, but it isn't far to go up for a weekend now and again to get a change. The same goes for beaches.

English books tend to be very expensive. It is probably cheaper to get new books through Amazon. There is a good used bookstore in Abu Dhabi... and in Dubai... last I heard owned by the same couple. (oh... 'good' is a relative term... the only branch used to be in Muscat and I would drive over and buy a few bags of them.)

Public transport? very limited bus service used mainly by subcontinental workers. Taxis are plentiful in Abu Dhabi and the system worked better in AD when I was there. The Dubai people always complained about their taxis and I expect with more tourists there now, it has become worse.

Remember that the Emirates is not a very big country, so, do like everyone does and buy a car. It is easy to sample all that the Emirates (and Oman) have to offer on weekends and breaks.

And now I will go away and perhaps someone wants to try to convince you that Dubai is the only way to go. I'm still partial to Abu Dhabi...

Cool

aaysc · Joined: 11 Mar 2003 Posts: 10

I would say it depends on how much money you are making. Dubai is far better than Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is a large Al Ain. The heat and humidity also seems to be worse than Dubai. For things to do, Dubai has far more to offer. The beaches in Dubai and the beach parks are much better in Dubai. There is also the shopping to consider. Dubai's malls are far better than Abu Dhabi's. Sure the traffic is worse in Dubai, but have you been to Abu Dhabi lately? The traffic there is not much better. It boils down to one thing. $$$$
I realize Veiled Sentiments is the resident 'expert' and I hesitated to disagree with such a wise old lady, but I digress.... Good luck. Just remember, living in Al Ain can make any large city look exciting.

QatarChic · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 445 Location: Qatar

I have been to the UAE many times, but have always preferred Abu Dhabi to Dubai; it's just a lot more laid back and less hectic than Dubai.

Getting around AD is a lot cheaper than say in Dubai there are also lots of things to do/see. I am hoping to move to the UAE in the future and my first choice would be AD.

And as VS said, if you want a change- the distance between AD and Dubai is reasonable enough to spend the weekends there...............

PS I'm 30 so I don't think it's an age thing- I also have many single friends who are in their late 20s early 30s and they love AD............

Bindair Dundat · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Posts: 1123

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Very funny BD. Laughing

But as a female, one does get tired of men asking you if you are 'ruski?'

aaysc... feel free to disagree, as there may very well have been charms to Dubai that escaped me. Laughing

For instance, shopping malls bore me to tears... never been a typical female myself.

The only thing that I would have to disagree with is your comment about the climate. It is equally hot and humid in both places. They aren't far enough apart to get any climatic difference - same elevation... same shoreline... Wishful thinking? (6 months of the most dreadful weather anywhere, isn't it?)

VS

DesertStar · Joined: 02 Oct 2005 Posts: 80 Location: UAE Oasis

Dubai is more crowded, more expensive but offers waaay more than AD. You can be involved in more things there. Some might tell you that you can commute to Dubai on the weekends if you live in AD or Al Ain, the fact of the matter is you don't, at least not as frequently as you would like to. Just think of driving 3 plus hrs (round trip) to watch a good movie, a show, a sport event, etc.

AD is a larger Al Ain as mentioned above, it can (and likely will) get boring after a while.

Good luck!

meorbust · Joined: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 57

I choose Abu Dhabi without hesitation. A previous post indicated that while one can plan to visit Dubai on the weekends, it simply doesn't happen as often as one desires because the trip itself takes so long. That is mostly due to the heavy traffic in Dubai. I lived in A.D. for one year and while there I visited Dubai four or five times and each time the drive from A.D. to the outskirts of Dubai was not much longer than the time it took to get from the outskirts of Dubai to the exact point in Dubai I wanted to reach!!!!!

Taxis are so much more expensive in Dubai then they are in A.D. And if you have a car, I hope it is a nice and comfortable car, because you will spend a substantial amount of time in that car going from place to place in Dubai. Not to mention because of the size and traffic congestions of Dubai routine trips to pay bills, to go to shopping malls, to shop for groceries (and just about everything humans to in their one life that they are provided with) will require an awful lot of your precious free time (and money if using a cab) just to get from Point A to Point B whether it is an errand or for leisure.

Then there are the claims that Dubai is so much more "cosmopolitan". I think this is just a nice way for westerners to state that they prefer to be around other westerners instead of the "lower classes" (their viewpoint, not mind). Get a big car if you prefer to be around westerners. This way, you can at least talk to them in your car while you are constantly waiting for traffic to move forward an inch or two.

Then there is the weather. When we are talking about temps of about 50 degrees C one city having a little more humidity than another isn't going to make much of a difference. Hot and humid is hot and humid even when you are talking about a difference of 2-3 degrees. But that is not a problem as long as you have a nice car in Dubai with a good AC. You will be nice and cool while the temperature of your patience continues to rise while waiting to move an inch in a traffic jam!!!!

Next, someone said there are a lot more restaurants in Dubai. While I was in A.D., there were restaurants that served food from all over the world and I didn't have to travel far to get to any of them since Abu Dhabi is not as spread out as Dubai. But if you have a nice and comfortable car, once again let me say that you can sit with your cosmopolitan friends in a nice cool car while you spend an hour on the road in Dubai trying to get that special kind of food because it is served at a restaurant that meets your specific tastes. Or maybe these restaurants in Dubai are special because they tend to attract a certain clientele!!!!!!!

Then there is the general price of living accomodation. While rent seems to generally not have an effect on us as teachers, I have heard that monthly utilities such as electricity are much higher than in Abu Dhabi. But once again, you can negate this if you want to live in Dubai and have a nice car with a good AC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next someone mentioned more cinemas. I guarantee you in Abu Dhabi, if you can't walk from your home to a major cinema in 10 minutes, you can get in a taxi and get to one in five. Plus not to mention the abundant amount of DVD and VCD rental places througout A.D.

Finally, throughout my time in the ME, I have heard people say that Dubai is so much more liberal or A.D. is too conservative. Give me a break. Basically what that means is that in Dubai, bars tend to be open on certain holidays in which they are closed in A.D. And that may come to about 5 or 10 days a year!! Big Deal!!!!!!!! Oh yeah, I am sure they are a little different because Dubai may seem to have more of a particular kind of clientele that I eluded to earlier. But the bottom-line is that it is still in the same Gulf country that A.D. is in, and the differences are very minimal!

I apologize for appearing to be a Dubai basher, but Dubai is advertised on television as this great place that everyone must visit, but to me it is nothing but a big dent in a person's wallet and a lot of time traveling from point A to point B. I really do think Abu Dhabi is a hidden jewel of a city that doesn't get the respect it deserves. And I hope it remains that way so that Abu Dhabi can remain the way it is now and avoid traffic jams such as the ones in Dubai and other forms of congestion that "tourist" cities usually have to endure. I lived in A.D. from 2003 to 2004. And traveled there twice a month while living in Oman from 2004 to 2005. If I had the choice of either, I would pick A.D. a thousand times before choosing Dubai once. The bottom line is this: most people do not wish to devote a lot of free time traveling from place to place whether for leisure or errands and at the same time paying more money for it, and in return just getting to see a few more western faces in western clubs, bars, and restaurants that may be open for just a few more days!

menace2society32 · Joined: 17 Aug 2003 Posts: 92

There also seems to be a lot of people referring to A.D. as a place for the older generation and that Dubai may be better suited for the younger individuals. Well just to let you know, I am only 32 and still like to go out to hotels and down a few cold ones and party a little. I am not an old person and would STILL choose A.D. in a heartbeat over Dubai. Like I said before I wouldn't have tor travel far to do it either. But once again, if you live in Dubai and have a nice big car with a good A.C. this point is meaningless.

Bindair Dundat · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Posts: 1123

meorbust · Joined: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 57

Likewise. I like to drink on the weekends also and I would STILL pick A.D. over Dubai also. And I am also still young. So I think we can stop with the portrayal of AD as a place for the elderly!!!!!!!!!!! I only give Dubai one advantage: that is it seems to be the place for major concerts and conferences. But such events only happen a few times a year, which means traveling to Dubai from AD on these RARE occasions is not a problem.

spicegirl · Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Posts: 112

It's Abu Dhabi for me 100 times over Dubai. Everything the previous posters said is true. I hate Dubai these days ..... travelling is horrendous. Mind you, AD's traffic is getting worse, but you can still take a taxi there without having to take out a mortgage, unlike Dubai.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Meorbust... thanks for the good laugh over my morning tea. Laughing

One of the best things about living in the Gulf to me was the avoidance of spending large portions of the day in traffic. That was probably the number one thing that made Dubai unattractive to me. If I went up there twice a year, outside of work related trips, it was a big year. But, traffic worsens every year in AD too. All is relative...

Oh... and where was it or who was it that said anything about the 'elderly?' Personally I define 'older' teachers in the TEFL trade as those over say 35. Cool

I suspect that the majority of teachers in Gulf TEFL are 35-55 years old. Not exactly geriatric as yet and willing and able to hoist a few at the local watering holes.

VS