| Liban |
| Initially posted by one of our esteemed members Hey, as a person who has spent 1 and a half years in Dubai and now nearly 2 years in Abu Dhabi, lemme see if I can help.. General Living: - Abu Dhabi is smaller than Dubai, which means less time to get from one end to another. Also means your office location need not define where you live. As cabs are plentiful and dirt cheap, not driving too is not an issue. - Rents are slightly lower than Dubai, but seems to be going up at almost the same rate. Owners are also not bound by any laws on rent caps, and so can raise them at will. - Cost of other things are the same across the UAE. Entertainment/Social Life: - Almost all the kinds of activities in Dubai are available in Abu Dhabi, just that the scale is much smaller. For eg., For every 5 or maybe even 10 pubs in Dubai, you have one in Abu Dhabi. But you will find something for every mood/occasion/preference. - Malls are less numerous, with AD Mall and Marina Mall being the majors. Al Raha mall is about to open, on Al Raha Beach on the DXB road, and the Khalidiya mall should be open in a year or less. - Parks/Children's activities are plenty, and parks are well maintained, both in terms of greenery and facilities (games, water etc). You also have options like the Cultural Foundation, which is I guess the equivalent of the town hall. Nice library, Internet access, frequent concerts, plays, shows, art exhibitions, book fairs, and movies (dirt cheap) - Cinemas are the same brands as in Dubai, and considering the lower number of people who would turn up to watch English movies, tickets are never a problem. Since moving here in 2004, the Da Vinci Code is the first movie that I heard was sold out. The City: - Yes, you will see a larger percentage of UAE nationals when compared to expats, and different places will have more of different nationalities. - The layout of the city is very different from Dubai, in that you have more high-rise buildings concentrated in downtown Abu Dhabi. (Unconfirmed rumours call it 'the Manhattan of the East'.) Typically, the city improves in status as you move towards the Corniche. Villas are in a different section of the city altogether, which means that apartment dwellers and villa dwellers need not cross paths at all. - Traffic in the city is considered to be more chaotic than Dubai, but only because of driver mentalities. The cars here can actually move, unlike Dubai, and so accidents are plenty. When driving in Abu Dhabi, do not assume that you will not be cut off. When parking, do not assume that someone will not park behind you. And if you have an accident, especially with a UAE national, even if he is at fault, prepare to be blamed. - Racism will be seen in places like night clubs, but not much more than Dubai. - AD has actually more of a 'town' mentality than a 'city' one, and is quite proud of its Arab heritage in all that it does. Until now it used to result in garishness, but now, like in the case of the Emirates Palace Hotel, they seem to have found a good balance. Of course, the colours on the top of the hotel can still make you cringe, but the interiors are real classy. - AD the city is a little island, and normal life happens on it. If you wanna do some repairs to your car, drive off the island to Musaffah, and even the airport is on mainland UAE. - The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is HUGE! Driving down to the Saudi border one weekend is a good exercise in diversity, and an eye opener for all us city-slickers. Another nice drive is down to Al Ain, a greener city and sleepier. I actually recommend a move to Abu Dhabi, but not all of you! Dubai is close enough for a weekend trip, and I do come there on weekdays sometimes. If I leave AD by 4pm, I'm at Dubai Marina by 5pm, and then near Wafi by 6! On the highway to Dubai, until you reach the Emirate of Dubai, the speed limit is 160kmph. If you want to go slower, be very careful when venturing into the fast lane. AD drivers believe that 160kmph is a general indication of where your speedo needle should hover, and u can see cars doing 180-200. Working here is quite different, as you can expect a more traditional/conservative approach to almost anything. Still, its a difference seen almost everywhere in the world. In India, you see the same difference between Delhi, the capital, and Mumbai, the capital of everything else! I guess its up to you, whether you want an action-packed life that never lets up, or a life that lets you sit back and relax at least every now and then. Hope this helps. Cheers, and all the best. |
| naruto |
| [quote="Liban"] Initially posted by one of our esteemed members Hey, as a person who has spent 1 and a half years in Dubai and now nearly 2 years in Abu Dhabi, lemme see if I can help.. General Living: - Abu Dhabi is smaller than Dubai, which means less time to get from one end to another. Also means your office location need not define where you live. As cabs are plentiful and dirt cheap, not driving too is not an issue. liban i dnt know wher did u get this info but no offenc Abu Dhabi is larger than Dubai if u compare between their sizes .but if u ment the constracted area Dubai is bigger ..just wanted to make it clear ..peace |
| sniper420 |
[quote="naruto"]
yeah AD is larger ....but the city is dead so it looks small |
| Liban |
| The CITY of Dubai has exceeded in terms of SIZE (not population) the CITY of Abu Dhabi. The EMIRATE of AD is much bigger, of course, than the EMIRATE of Dubai. Peace! 8) |
| sgt_noodles |
| Thanks for the useful info Liban. I am about to move to Abu Dhabi soon, so I could definitely use this information. PS: What's a good place to meet nice ladies in AD :) |
| cheap_Deal |
| wow that was a lot of useful info Liban, thanks. hmm 160kmph speed "limit" eh??? oh boy that sure sounds... faaaaast |
| uae75 |
| Abu Dhabi all the way....but hey, i am bias and i admit it lol |
| yorky500 |
U might wanna add another 20km to that estimated speed. :lol: :lol: Its like a 6 km sprint between camera's, 200-220 between them, and slow to 160 when you get to them, then speed up again. :shock: |
| dodgeek |
| been to AD a couple of times for work..... dunno....find that its not as fun as DXB....thats just my 2 cents i guess... not as many expats....not as good of a mix of different nationalities. and really not that much to do..... thats just my 2 fils though...prolly i dun get to go around too much... :oops: |
| sage & onion |
| I think you would have to give it a little more time, whilst AD is certainly different to Dubai, it does have plenty to do, but as always you have to take a little time before making a judgement. |
| ales_1969 |
| Hi ! Can you please tell more aboute this:
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| BabyDoll |
| Great post. Any update after more than 1 year since your posting? |
| pete t |
| I lived in Abu Dhabi for 4 months Now been in Dubai for 4 months I SOOOO glad i moved to Dubai it's a western city Modern Abu Dhabi is the middle east ... :roll: Abu Dhabi Negatives RENT IS FAR MORE THEN DUBAI Now and you get no pools, gyms, spa etc or parking !!! parking in Abu dhabi is just insane completely unplanned and a MAJOR issue You CAN NOT go out after 5pm or you could spent 45 min or more trying to find a parking spot................................. Abu dhabi is a run down city, terrible foot paths ( you trip on bolts and other things all the time walking around ) the traffic lights are just DUMB,.. timed light in all directions ?? silly when you have main road connecting to minor roads ?? I"m a western and well I don't like being staired at all the time ( who does ?? ) shopping is all local knowleage stuff there are blocks of shops all selling the same thing .. cool maybe But really painfull if you need a connect to a laptop or Phone or whatever.. NO Internet websites the shopping centers just have normall things average.. :? traffic well is not too bad On a scale of 1 being good and 10 being bad Abu Dhabi is a 8 Dubai Traffic it's a 11 in peak times good on the weekend tho it's the drives not the road everyone wants to be infront no one lets you in. mid contruction everywhere .. you have a feeling is will be done soon then you see another development !!!! other then that Dubai is much better in all areas the only plus side to Abu dhabi is the speed limit everything it's all Dubai.. :) |