We've had a very successful week (actually 5 full days) in Dubai, U.A.E. Our operations (including all 3 areas: cargo, moving and relocations) in Dubai are growing and expected to continue to grow in the near future. Not surprisingly, many of our friends and family are unfamiliar with Dubai's location on the map so I found two which will help.
It's location is in the Arabian Desert and it lies on the Persian Gulf Coast. Dubai is one of 7 emirates in the UAE. It became famous to foreign investment when the Jebel Ali free zone, comprising the Jebel Ali port (reputedly the world's largest man made port) was established in 1979, which provided foreign companies unrestricted import of labour and export capital.
Since 2002, the city has seen an increase in private real estate investment and has even gained the support of such famous investors as Donald Trump. The most famous projects are The Palm Islands, The World Islands, Burj Al Arab, the recently opened Atlantis Hotel and the almost complete Burj Dubai. The Burj Dubai is still under contruction and is currently standing at 688 m. The finished project will be the world's tallest building.
Above is a photo of one of the three Palms. These islands are finished and most of the construction on them is either complete or in progress. We looked at a few properties on Palm Jumeirah so we can better understand where some of our client's assignees choose to live. One location was a penthouse sharing a private beach, swimming pool and restaurant with the building and neighboring building. The 2 story unit was between 5000-6000 sqf and furnished with modern furniture. Each bedroom was built with an ensuite and built in closets. The annual rent was 400,000 Dubai dirhams (AED) which today equals just over 100,000USD.We also viewed a large villa with 4 big bedrooms (again all with ensuites), lots of living space, a tiny front garden, small private pool, 2 car garage, private beach (yes, private beach!) located on a quiet street in a secure gated community. The sqaure footage was approximately just over 6,000 sqf with an annual rent of 425,000AED. Today this is just over 115,000USD / year. Both rents have drastically decreased in the last year by about 30%.
This group of islands that have just been created are meant to look like the world from above. The islands have been built (seems a bit of an odd thing to create) and the development is just starting to take way. If you are interested in buying property here you can check it out directly on their World site.
Most people recognize this very famous Burj Al Arab hotel which is meant to be the most expensive (or at least one of) hotels in the world. I don't know much about it other than it is beautiful. I've only known friends who have went in to have a drink or a coffee and even these are extraordinarily expensive!
Here is the newly complete Atlantis Hotel which we had the pleasure visiting last night. It is a very beautiful 5 star resort with an unbelievable water park, many incredible restaurants (including the delicious Nobu where we ate our Valentine's dinner last night) and many indoor fish tanks that are the home to 1000s of fish including sharks.
Here is a photo taken from space and posted by NASA where the Palms and the World islands can be seen. These and the Great Wall are still the only man-made creations that can be visibly seen from space.As you can see, Dubai is an unbelievable place. It's fun but at the same time a bit odd and unrealistic. Other than our successful meetings and great food, the weather in February was my favorite. Today was almost in the mid - high 20s Celsius (80s F). A great experience when back home it is freezing cold and only about 0 degrees C! At least it'll be great for our skiing trip next weekend.
Cannot wait to get home to our babies tomorrow. We've spoken to them every day by telephone and miss them very much.
