Set on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, Al Reef is a sprawling community of villas and multicoloured apartment blocks. It is also one of the most popular and affordable villa communities.
It was billed as the city's first affordable housing project more than a decade ago when it launched. Prices have dropped since then.
A five-bedroom villa, which fetched Dh200,000 ($54,000) a year at the top of the market, can now be rented for as little as Dh140,000.
But rents have gone up recently as Al Reef villas are in demand. The pandemic has led some people to seek bigger homes with more outdoor space, pushing up prices in the community.
The development comprises 2,000 villas and 2,000 flats.
The villas are set in four different theme zones – Arabian, Contemporary, Mediterranean and Desert.
The design of the villas in each of the areas are broadly similar, but take architectural influences from their regions.
The rooms are fairly spacious and each villa comes with a garden.
The development has a strong community feel, which is a pull for many residents.
Jennifer Bell is happy for her two children, aged 12 and 10, to play outside with their friends in the neighbourhood.
She first moved to Al Reef more than 10 years ago when it was new.
“I first moved to Al Reef’s Desert Village one year after it opened. It was the appeal of living in a villa that was relatively cheap in comparison to other areas I wanted to live in,” said the Briton, who has lived in the UAE for 15 years.
“It was also out of town. At the time, they had just implemented Mawaqif across the city and it was hard to get a parking space. We also didn’t really enjoy apartment living and wanted somewhere with a garden.”
In the early years, there were no stores in the community – now there are lots, including a tailor and a stationery shop.
She left Al Reef some years ago and briefly lived in Khalifa City A but returned to the community in 2019.
“We are once again enjoying life here,” she said.
“I have noticed, however, that the facility management has gone down in quality and it’s now commonplace to find people who have just thrown furniture out on the street in front of their house, which is a shame because it is such a lovely community.”
“It would be nice to see people taking more care of it because it is a nice place to live in,” said Ms Bell.
She is not the only one to notice lax behaviour of some residents.
Others living in the area have also complained.
“I walked to the park the other day in Arabian and there were wires exposed. It’s such a risk,” said Lisa Gerber, a mum of one from South Africa.
“My baby just started walking so he goes to those points and I have to get in the way to stop him.
“I have been here six or seven years and you can just see how the place has gone backwards since then.”
Ms Gerber said she has complained to the management about the problems, but they have not yet been addressed.
She even proposed a residents’ clean-up event to spruce up the development, but could not obtain permission to hold it.
“I can honestly say I have tried every single avenue,” she said.
“We are trying to establish an owners’ association by law to get the company to do something. But the numbers are quite slow. We need to get 2,000 people. We are working on it.”
Despite all this, Ms Gerber said the area still has a lot going for it, such as the sense of community and convenience of the area’s many varied shops.
“We even have a stationery shop. We have absolutely everything,” she said.
“I always go to Starbucks and I meet many people and we have conversations. So for me that’s one of the best things – the people who live there.”
How well connected is it?
The community is well connected.
Although the area is a bit further out – an approximate 30-minute drive to Abu Dhabi city – it lies at the top of the Saadiyat/Yas road, also known as Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Highway.
And anyone who wants to access the other side of the city can take Khaleej Al Arabi, which is a right turn at the roundabout outside Al Reef.
Another big benefit is its proximity to Dubai.
“It’s 50 minutes to Dubai Marina,” said Ben Crompton of Crompton and Partners property company, a resident of Al Reef.
“The road connections are amazing.”
Location and landmarks
When Al Reef first opened, it seemed pretty far from all the action.
But more than a decade on, it is close to other housing developments on Yas and Al Raha Beach.
Yas Mall and the theme parks on the island are all a five-minute drive away.
Rental prices
At one time, a four-bedroom house fetched as much as Dh160,000 a year. Now they can be rented for as little as Dh135,000.
A one-bedroom flat is between Dh48,000 and Dh55,000 a year, making it the cheapest across the city, according to data provided by Crompton and Partners.
A two-bedroom flat is between Dh62,000 and Dh70,000 and a three-bedroom flat is Dh80,000 to Dh90,000.
The rent for a two-bedroom house is between Dh80,000 and Dh90,000; for a three-bedroom villa it's Dh95,000 to Dh110,000; a four-bedroom villa rents for between Dh135,000 and Dh150,000; and a five-bedroom house will cost Dh140,000 to Dh165,000.
Location and landmarks
The closest landmark is Yas Mall, a five-minute drive down Sheikh Khalifa highway.
Facilities
Al Reef has several swimming pools, playgrounds and gyms spread across the development.
There are no malls, but plenty of retail stores, including pharmacies, salons, supermarkets, coffee shops, a tailor and a stationery shop.
There are also ATMs, a money exchange outlet, a small medical centre and lots of restaurants.
Schools and nurseries
Al Reef is very popular with young families.
There is a nursery in the community, but no schools – as yet. There are, however, a number of them nearby on Yas Island, on Saadiyat and in Khalifa City A.
One group, Orbital Education of the UK, plans to open a British-curriculum school for 2,500 pupils.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
Getting%20there%20and%20where%20to%20stay
%3Cp%3EFly%20with%20Etihad%20Airways%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20New%20York%E2%80%99s%20JFK.%20There's%2011%20flights%20a%20week%20and%20economy%20fares%20start%20at%20around%20Dh5%2C000.%3Cbr%3EStay%20at%20The%20Mark%20Hotel%20on%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20East%20Side.%20Overnight%20stays%20start%20from%20%241395%20per%20night.%3Cbr%3EVisit%20NYC%20Go%2C%20the%20official%20destination%20resource%20for%20New%20York%20City%20for%20all%20the%20latest%20events%2C%20activites%20and%20openings.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
More on Quran memorisation:
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdullah%20Khan%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPenguin%20Random%20House%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E304%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Michael%20Knights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2026%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
