The best areas to live in Dubai

As a long-term Dubai resident and an estate agent, you can imagine how many times I’m asked which are the best areas to live in Dubai. The answer, as you can imagine, is dependent on your stage of life, your income, your goals, and, of course, your needs and tastes.

Our sprawling desert city has evolved so much in its relatively short history. You can still see remnants of the old ways of life, but the crumbling wind towers rub shoulders with glass and steel towers today. I think Dubai is a city that is many different things to many different people, and that’s perhaps what helps it retain its appeal. The older parts of the city, in Deira and Bur Dubai, offer mainly low-rise, affordable housing. The place to be 20 years ago, as with all cities, is today’s quirky retro area.

Traditional markets vending herbs, spices, oud, and qahwa lie within close proximity of ultra-modern malls. Old wooden dhows bob gently in the water next to oligarch-owned superyachts. This city of contrasts offers rambling beachside villas, tiny studios for those just starting out, and breath-taking family homes in beautifully planned communities. Love golf? You can live among the links, where some of the world’s best players fight it out for million-dollar international tournament prizes.

Love the water? A majority of houses in Dubai are built along the coastline, and even the newer communities built further inland are only a short drive from the majesty of the Arabian Gulf.

If it’s peace and solitude you seek, Dubai offers a number of retreat-style resorts, deep in the desert.

Greenery, parkland, and trees are offered in most community suburbs, from the well-established Arabian Ranches to the verdant paradise of Al Barari.

If you want the best of urban living, beach sports, shopping, and nightlife, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Marina, and JLT might be the high-rise haven for you.

You can opt to live in some of the world’s tallest residential towers, capped by the Burj Khalifa, or enjoy a traditional style abode with modern touches in the downtown sikkas.

Dubai hosts some of the world’s most exclusive, dramatic, and expensive real estate in areas like the Palm Jumeirah, where the fronds of the man-made palm feature some incredible villas, all with their own piece of beach and unrivalled access to the clear blue sea.

Our city is easy to get around, with the Metro, tram, cheap taxis, water taxis, and yes, even the odd camel ride in the desert or on the beach. There are world-class health facilities, world-class international schools, and commerce overtook energy as the main pillar of the economy a few decades ago.

Dubai really does offer something for everyone. There are properties to rent or buy to suit all budgets, and property styles to suit all tastes.

To best answer the question of where the best place to live in Dubai lies, simply look inside yourself and decide what sort of life you’d like.

-This article is contributed by Nick Grassick – Managing Partner, ph real Estate Brokers

Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in The Brew View – our opinion section – are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TheBrew.ae, the company, or any of its members.