Ten months ago Adam moved us from Sobha Hartland to Villanova. We are moving back, and in this post I am going to tell you why.
Before Sara gets going, let me explain, because she has just made it sound like I grabbed the whole family, ripped them out of somewhere she loved, and brought them to Villanova for no reason.
When we moved to Dubai, we knew we would eventually buy a place. What I wanted to know first was simple. Are we an apartment family or are we a villa community family? Trying it was always on the cards. What we very quickly found out is that we love being close to the school, and we are definitely an apartment family.
So here is what we learned, honestly, including the bits that do not flatter me.
The school run is the whole ballgame
Every morning at 6:45am, my mornings used to start with a walk to school with the boys. That is the thing I really missed.
"I will probably still do this with them even though they are old enough to do it themselves. The mornings are a great way to start the day. Saying hello, seeing friends, having that nice chill walk to school."
From Villanova it was about 25 minutes there and 20 minutes back. And it is not just the drive. It is the parking at pickup, because there are not enough spaces for everyone, so you park at least a five minute walk away and have to allow the extra time.
Then the maths gets worse. Riley is in secondary now, so he finishes an hour later than Reggie.
That is roughly three to three and a half hours of my day, gone.
The bit Adam does not come out of well
Worth saying out loud: in a whole year at Villanova, Adam did fewer than five school pickups.
"You moved us, but it was me that had to keep coming back. You have never done the school run. Not once since we moved to Villanova."
Fair. Which is also why we are all rather looking forward to a happier household with less driving in it.
The top tip that comes out of this
This is the one we repeat constantly, and this whole experience is why:
Choose the school your children are going to first. Then choose where you live.
You may not be able to get within walking distance. But the amount of time you spend in the car will have a massive impact on your day to day lifestyle here.
"I go back to Villanova to sleep"
When we started talking about moving back, Sara said something that stuck.
"I am not really moving back. My life has not really moved from Sobha Hartland. My friends are here. I play padel here twice a week. I am here every day. Whether it is picking up from school, working from a coffee shop, or playing padel. I go back to Villanova to sleep."
That was the moment it became obvious.
What we will genuinely miss about Villanova
This is not a hit piece. There is a lot to like:
- The space. A bigger kitchen area, more room generally.
- Pulling onto a driveway. After timing it at two and a half minutes from the ground floor to level five parking at Waves Grande, this is not nothing.
- Outdoor space for the boys. The amenities, the basketball courts, room to be on their bikes.
- The walkways. Flat, well made, perfect for pushchairs and for running.
- The Lab. If you want a pub on your doorstep for the sport, it is a great shout.
The pool thing nobody warns you about
This is the detail that surprised us most, and it is worth thinking about before you sign anywhere.
At Waves Grande we were down at the pool two or three times a week. At Villanova, where the amenities are genuinely excellent, Sara went twice in ten months.
Why? Because you cross a road and walk through a more public area to get there. Adam timed it at ninety seconds. Sara maintains it is longer.
"You have to be fully dressed. I would not walk from where we are in Villanova to the pool in just a towel. I would feel that was disrespectful. Whereas we were down a flight of stairs and we were there."
Ninety seconds and a change of clothes was enough to kill the habit entirely. Facilities you do not use are not facilities.
The mistake in how we thought about it
Adam's honest reflection:
"You cannot really translate what you had in the UK straight to Dubai. In the UK you go home, shut the door, the weather is not fantastic, so you build your lifestyle around being inside. I carried that mindset over here. But your lifestyle in Dubai is outside. That is one of the benefits of being here."
The idea of making the home your kingdom, where you spend most of your time, just has not been our experience here.
Location, and the hidden cost of 25 minutes
Sobha Hartland sits close to downtown, close to the gyms we use, and close to the events and networking that both of us now do, including Sadeeqa. It feels accessible while still being its own quiet bubble.
Villanova is about 25 minutes on a map. But that number is misleading.
"If you are going for a coffee and someone says let's meet in downtown, for me that is two and a bit hours out of my day. That is a massive consideration."
So think not just about where you live, but about the things you want to do around it.
So who is Villanova actually for?
It is not that simple, but here is roughly how we would think about it:
| Villanova probably suits you if | An apartment probably suits you if |
|---|---|
| You want a villa or townhouse, like most families arriving from the UK | You want to be within walking distance of school |
| Your school is a sensible distance away | You want security and maintenance on call |
| You have toddlers or babies who benefit from a garden | You want the pool and gym to be genuinely convenient |
| You commute to an office and want somewhere calm to come home to | You work from coffee shops and float around during the day |
Sara's point on budget is worth repeating too. If a townhouse or villa near your school is within your budget, plenty of families would choose it, and that is completely reasonable. Ours was a lifestyle decision as much as anything.
What we would tell you before you move
"Have your list of what you want your life to be like in Dubai, and what your priorities are. But know that it can change once you get here. You cannot have it all. Some things have to give."
And the silver lining, which took Sara a while to admit: we would not appreciate Sobha Hartland nearly as much if we had not done the stint in Villanova. Adam needed to get it out of his system before committing to buying somewhere, and now we both know exactly what we want.
Where we looked at moving back to
Our shortlist in Sobha Hartland:
- Crest (towers A, B and C). The furthest point from the school, but still only about a ten minute walk.
- Crest Grande. Just handed over and being snagged, so the timing lined up well.
- Waves Opulence. Two doors down from Waves Grande. Sara reckons this is where we will end up buying.
- Creek Vistas Grande. Opposite the mall being built and directly opposite the school.
- One Park Avenue. Actually top of our list when we first moved to Dubai, but the apartment we viewed went very fast.
Read the rest of the story
This move is the third chapter of something we have documented the whole way through:
- Why we moved from Sobha Hartland to Villanova in the first place
- What it is really like living in Villanova, the full community tour
- Sobha Hartland: complete neighbourhood tour
If you are weighing up areas yourself, our neighbourhoods guide covers the main family communities, and the schools section will help you do the first step properly.
Working out where to live? Take our neighbourhood quiz to narrow it down for your family, or look at the relocation package if you want someone who has actually lived in both to help you get it right first time.