MAG 218 Events Update, 27 January 2006

The Home Owner Dubai program is still in progress, Saturday 28, January being the last day. It will conclude on this day at 8 p.m. The Madinat Jumeirah is a splendid venue and MAG PDD is prominent as one of the primary sponsors. Attendance by non pre-registered guests is permitted.


The seminars portion of the event has, however, been cancelled in deference to the recent passing away of Dubai's ruler, HH Sheikh Maktoom Bin Rashed Al Maktoom.



The event is especially useful for prospective property buyers providing them a chance to meet with a number of developers and sales agents in one venue. For those particularly interested in the MAG 218 tower, MAG PDD offers a large presentation area with scale model, 3D graphic presentations and a sales team to assist potential buyers.

With regard to sales, the MAG PDD campaign begun in the last quarter of 2005 continues with an offer of Mashreq Bank Millionaire Certificates with purchases of property.

Progress on MAG 218 Foundation Works

Arabian Forasol are in place with equipment ready to begin the excavation process. There has been a delay since the late December announcement of the piling contract by MAG PDD due to construction related issues that unexpectedly came up with master-developer Emaar. It took some two weeks to work out these issues which arose due to the fact that Emaar itself will soon commence construction on its shopping mall adjacent to the MAG 218 plot. Additional details regarding the planned schedule of foundation works will be presented on this website after consultation with the project manager in a week's time.


There are, in fact, a number of issues at play as construction on the MAG 218 tower commences. Among these is the large road works taking place at the nearby Sheikh Zayed Road No. 5 interchange. This involves substantial ground work in the vicinity of the MAG 218 plot. Another is word of a tower to rise adjacent to the MAG 218 (on the NE or Media City side). Master developer Emaar has given assurances to MAG PDD that this tower will be at a distance of at least 20 meters from the MAG 218 tower structure--even though the two towers' podiums will rest side by side.

The MAG 218 Community First Event


Unfortunately not enough participants signed up for the event which was to include a boat ride on the Marina and meeting onsite with the project manager, among other activities. In lieu of this a more casual Coffee Time meet-up was arranged for anyone to drop in on with interest in goings on at the Dubai Marina. The meeting on-site with the project manager has been deferred until next week--Wednesday or Thursday. Anyone interested in joining in may contact me or post a comment below.

Stay-tuned for an informative update following this meeting with the project manager.

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Hotel Recommendations for 27 January Community Event

In reference to the MAG 218 Community event of 27 January 2006.

The following per night rates were checked on 10 January for stays 26 - 29 January. Links are from either Dubai World Site's Hotels and Resorts or Hotel-Rates.com's Dubai Hotels where you will find complete listings. Those listed below are not the cheapest, rather proximity to Dubai Marina and the Madinat Jumeirah and the quality of the property are considered along with price. You may need to recheck rates and get further info online at the alternate link provided:

• Hilton Dubai Jumeirah (5-Star) Dubai Marina
  From Dhs 900 (alternate link), see also From Dhs 900 (alternate link)
  
• Oasis Beach Hotel (5-Star) Dubai Marina
  From Dhs 900 (alternate link)
  
• Jumeirah Beach Hotel (5-Star) Jumeirah (closer to Dubai Marina)
  From Dhs 1560 DSF Rate, (alternate link)
  
• Al Qasr Madinat Jumeirah (5-Star) Jumeirah (closer to Dubai Marina)
  From Dhs 1754 (alternate link)
  
• Regent Beach Resort (3-Star) Jumeirah (closer to central Dubai)
  From Dhs 660 (alternate link), see also From Dhs 900 (atternate link), w/free airport shuttle
  
• Metropolitan Hotel (4-Star) Sheikh Zayed Road
  From Dhs 700 (alternate link), see also From Dhs 700 (alternate link)

Commentary:

Hotels in Dubai are expensive, with prices rising. Not everyone needs or wants 5-star accommodation, but the market is geared toward that--for reason of profit margins, of course. The Internet provides a valuable resource for finding a hotel, but it isn't always easy to find what you want and info changes often. Case in point, 2-weeks prior I found a listing for the same dates as above at the Oasis Beach Hotel for about Dhs 680. Now, not only can I not find the site I checked before but on checking one site repeatedly today I found the listing change from Dhs 850 to Dhs 900.

Top recommendation? The Regent Beach Resort offers the best compromise among price, location and quality of property. It is about as far from the Dubai Marina as the Metropolitan but easier to get to, including by public bus. It is also at a good middle point between the new and old Dubai. Among the 6 hotels listed above, however, I have never before seen or heard of this one, but Jumeirah public beach which it seems to be near is an excellent beach. If you can get the Dhs 660 rate it will be an excellent value, especially considering its free airport shuttle. If price is less of an issue, the Al Qasr Madinat Jumeirah is a brand new, super high-class property with one of the most beautiful settings in Dubai and it is also the venue of the Dubai Home Owners show.

Hope the above helps. Good luck on your own search--and I would appreciate any good deals you find to pass on to others.

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