Best places to live in Abu Dhabi

Hi Anya! We are a family of 4 with 1 dog and 1 cat. We live off island, it is the best place for a family with kids and even better if you have pets. Off island you can get a villa for the price of what an on island apartment for 4 would be. Also, it can be a little hard to find places that allow pets and even harder when you are looking at apartments. Other than the abundance of stray cats wandering around here, not too many people have dogs and cats here. My neighbor who is a local told me that is because most Muslims consider dogs to be unclean and they also believe if you have a dog in your house the angels will not come into your home. We have a friend that lived on island with his rottweiler, and he had to be very careful walking him. He said people would throw rocks and other debris at his dog. We also have a neighbor that had her dog shot by a pellet gun when they lived on island. Are your kids going to be in school here, and do you know where you might be sending them? That should also play into your housing decision. You don't want to live on a completely different side of Abu Dhabi from their school, or you will be pulling your hair out in traffic. I should also mention, that off island there are more places for kids to ride bikes and most villas will have a yard for them to play in. Khalifa A, Khalifa B, and Mohammed Bin Zayed are all good areas to live in off island. We live in Khalifa B(my kids go to school in Khalifa A), and I couldn't be happier with our choice for our family.

Hi Cristy:) Hello from sunny Southern California:)!!!!! It sounds like you're enjoying your stay in the UAE. My husband has a 6-month consulting gig in Abu Dhabi & I'd love your input. It'll be just the 2 of us plus our 6 yr old Daschound. We were originally thinking of renting an apartment but after reading blogs like yours, I'm thinking that it might be difficult with the dog. Do you mind explaining a little more how the local mind set towards dogs has impacted your daily life with the pooch? Which areas of Abu Dhabi are, if not necessarily dog friendly, at least a little more accepting of them? The assignment will probably cover the peak summer months so I'd also appreciate any tips you can offer regarding living and traveling with the 4-legged member of the fam:) Thanks, Yolie