Villa, be thy name.

Tomorrow is the day. Our 40 ft. long container has made its way across the Atlantic Ocean from Pennsylvania, and almost all of our worldly possessions are to be delivered tomorrow and unpacked on Sunday. We are so excited... it will be like Christmas! In some ways, tomorrow will be the day where is really hits me that we actually live here. Without our stuff, it still felt temporary. Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to settling in, but there was always this little part of me that thought we might get back on a plane and head home any day.

Enough about that. More about the villa. Our villa is yellowish and semi-attached (on one side). I has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a sitting room upstairs, and 1 bedroom, 1 powder room, living room, dining room, kitchen and maid's room with bathroom downstairs. The kitchen looks nice, but upon closer inspection, the cabinets are not the wood they apprear to be. The granite countertops are lovely, though. There are no basements in Dubai, so for now, the maid's room will be storage. Three of the bedrooms upstairs have decent floor to ceiling closets. One bedroom upstairs has no closet. Each bedroom also has only one electrical outlet, but fortunately each room has built in overhead lighting. The villa is older, but it was totally renovated prior to our leasing it. It has a 2 car covered parking area, and the whole thing is enclosed by about an 8 foot high cement wall. Unfortunately, it does not have a pool, but we won't be far from the beach. It also has a generously sized (for Dubai) back yard. It is in a quiet neighborhood in Umm Suqeim 1, about 10 minutes from the boys' school. It is also walking distance (on a cool day) from grocery store strip mall and a small strip of restaurants which includes a Cosi, a Mexican restaurant, and a Central Perk coffeehouse (modeled after the one on "Friends" and owned by the actor that played the manager).

Although the yard of the villa was initially a dusty sandpit, our gardener has transformed it. We now have grass, giant pots, stones, mulch, seasonal flowers, palms, etc. that need to be watered as much as you would expect to have to water non-desert plants living in a desert. At least they make it feel more like home. We also have a large patio for our patio furniture and Scott's grill. When the weather cools off a bit, that will be a nice feature.


The photos posted are from before all the landscaping was completed. Come to think of it, the gardeners still have another pot to deliver and some more palms, so technically the landscaping still is not finished.

All of our appliances have been delivered, too. In Dubai, rentals do not come with appliances. So we had to order a stove, refrigerator, microwave, washer/dryer and dishwasher. The washer/dryer is an all-in-one machine. Dryers here don't work very well because they are mostly condenser dryers. They don't vent to the outside, and you have to empty the water tray after you use it. I guess since the new machine is a combo washer/dryer, at least I won't have to empty a tray because it should just drain. Because of the unique location spot for our washer/dryer and dishwasher, basically an open closet under the steps that happens to be in the kitchen, we have had all kinds of problems getting the dishwasher hooked up. For now, my new Bosch dishwasher sits all wrapped up in the kitchen waiting.... I'd really like it to be hooked up before we move in, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we find a plumber who can figure it out.


I will try to remember to take photos of how lovely the landscaping looks now. It has come a long way since we first leased the villa.

The next few days will be crazy for us, and hopefully by the end of the week, we will be all moved into our new home and saying goodbye to the Chelsea Tower Hotel!