The place we are going for is on the Palm Jumeirah, the large set of man-made islands in the shape of a palm that sticks out into the Persian (or is it Arabian?) Gulf. It has a big new Atlantis Hotel at the top of the trunk. They have other island developments planned, grandiosely called The World and The Universe, but like many things here, those projects are still u/c (under construction) even though they appear on many maps as if built!
A large part of Dubai is on paper only or just half built, so one good thing about the new apartment is a nice view where everything looks finished! Many of the places we looked, including this gorgeous hotel we are in, have unfinished areas, ramps being worked on, so you have to run a gauntlet to get in and out and around. Since cars are king here, the car parks once you find them are huge and nice.
One crazy thing about apartments here is that they are owned by individuals, often absentee landlords. The one we want is owned by a Russian. Since it's brand new there's a year warranty with onsite builders still there so we should be able to work any kinks out. We did see another one owned by a sheikh who had never occupied it after buying it and one year later trying to rent it there was damage even though brand new! People buy apartments here like they buy stocks or mutual funds in the US. Lots of them are left unoccupied because the landlord doesn't want to deal with renters. And each landlord gets his own agent so no agent can show you all the availability. I had to go out with four different agents to find this particular apartment! The agent who found the one we like best is a tough broad who can stand up to the Russians!
I will still have my work cut out for me furnishing this place, large 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath plus study (or if you prefer, maid's room) and laundry room, 2200 sq. ft.! Fortunately the kitchen and laundry are equipped, and there's also a built in soundsystem for the whole unit. Neal's firm will pick up the rent, but the furniture is probably on us.
We met the future King of Bengal last night at a community networking event. He's an Indian banker with a Portuguese wife who splits his time between Dubai, Portugal, and Angola. It was interesting to talk to him about Portugal--he told us the mayor of Evora is Indian, which we didn't know-- and Neal just happens to have a client doing business in Angola so it was a fortuitous encounter.
A large part of Dubai is on paper only or just half built, so one good thing about the new apartment is a nice view where everything looks finished! Many of the places we looked, including this gorgeous hotel we are in, have unfinished areas, ramps being worked on, so you have to run a gauntlet to get in and out and around. Since cars are king here, the car parks once you find them are huge and nice.
One crazy thing about apartments here is that they are owned by individuals, often absentee landlords. The one we want is owned by a Russian. Since it's brand new there's a year warranty with onsite builders still there so we should be able to work any kinks out. We did see another one owned by a sheikh who had never occupied it after buying it and one year later trying to rent it there was damage even though brand new! People buy apartments here like they buy stocks or mutual funds in the US. Lots of them are left unoccupied because the landlord doesn't want to deal with renters. And each landlord gets his own agent so no agent can show you all the availability. I had to go out with four different agents to find this particular apartment! The agent who found the one we like best is a tough broad who can stand up to the Russians!
I will still have my work cut out for me furnishing this place, large 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath plus study (or if you prefer, maid's room) and laundry room, 2200 sq. ft.! Fortunately the kitchen and laundry are equipped, and there's also a built in soundsystem for the whole unit. Neal's firm will pick up the rent, but the furniture is probably on us.
We met the future King of Bengal last night at a community networking event. He's an Indian banker with a Portuguese wife who splits his time between Dubai, Portugal, and Angola. It was interesting to talk to him about Portugal--he told us the mayor of Evora is Indian, which we didn't know-- and Neal just happens to have a client doing business in Angola so it was a fortuitous encounter.
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