Month: December 2022

Dubai draws attention all year round but is a really out-of-this-world experience on New Year’s Eve. We’ve picked out several locations for you to enjoy New Year’s Eve at its most. 

1. Burj Khalifa

Dubai is well-known for fireworks you’ll never forget. The most anticipated firework event will take place at an iconic place in Dubai — Burj Khalifa.

On December 31 the tallest building in the world will host a cutting-edge laser light and fireworks show on and around its famous facade. The concept idea is “turning the iconic tower into a shining beacon of hope, happiness, and harmony for 2023”.

2. Atlantis The Palm Resort

World celebrities love giving concerts in Dubai. This year you can attend the Kylie Minogue concert at the Atlantis The Palm Resort. A famous pop singer will perform her most beloved tracks as the headline act at the legendary New Year’s Eve gala dinner at one of the most popular 5-star resorts in Dubai.

This year’s theme is ‘A Night With The Stars’, and alongside a Kylie Minogue performance guests of the gala dinner can expect live music, a buffet that boasts more than 65 desserts, and free-flowing premium Champagne drinks.

3. Dubai Opera

One of the famed sights of Downtown Dubai has something special on its program to celebrate the beginning of 2023. Dubai Opera will dazzle you with New Year’s Eve Gala, Disco till Dawn-themed party, Britain’s Got Talent finalists Jasmine & Aaron, a 3-course menu, and free drinks. 

As a spectacular bonus —at midnight you can watch the Burj Khalifa fireworks from the best spot in the city — Dubai Opera Boardwalk.

4. The Global Village

The Global Village is a unique multicultural family holiday destination, one of Dubai’s top attractions. On New Year’s Eve, you’ll have the opportunity to get acquainted with the traditions of celebrating the New Year among residents of different countries of the world.

5. Dubai Marina

If you fancy dining out with a twist or planning a romantic getaway on New Year’s Eve, you can take a short cruise with a gala dinner on a yacht. This will help you escape from the crowds and at the same time immerse yourself in the New Year festive atmosphere. Imagine watching all these fireworks reflecting in the water! 

6. The Pointe 

The Pointe is Dubai’s popular coastal area on the famous artificial island of Palm Jumeirah.

At this location you can welcome 2023 by celebrating with exclusive food and beverages at Dubai’s best waterfront restaurants and cafes, shopping at luxury stores, and enjoying the breath-taking atmosphere of live DJs, spectacular firework displays, and magnificent fountain shows.

7. The Desert

New Year’s Eve in the desert can be an experience to remember. Dubai travel companies offer desert tours on New Year’s Eve. They can include such festivities as dune trekking, sunset watching, live performances (belly dancing, fire shows, DJs), buffets, and a gala dinner under the stars.

8. The Dubai Shopping Festival

What is winter holiday fun without shopping? Especially, if you’re in the city of the biggest shopping malls in the world. 

The Dubai Shopping Festival will take place from December 15, 2022, to January 29, 2023. It’s not only about discounts in stores but also about having fun. The Dubai Shopping Festival offers a lot of entertainment, activities, and cultural events. You can win prizes, get various special offers from hotels, and visit gastronomic and musical events.

TOP-3 locations that you don’t want to miss are The Dubai Mall, The Mall of the Emirates, and the Dubai Marina Mall.

Dubai is well-known as a business hub and the entertainment center of the world. Hardly anything can top that but we try.

Dubai is home to the most international schools in the world. At the end of 2022, there are more than 200 private schools to be acknowledged in Dubai.

They all may have different curriculums and tuition fees, but it is a common trend that the tuition rises higher with the age of a student. So, the older are your kids — the more you’ll have to pay for their education in Dubai. The most popular curriculums for private schools are British, IB (International Baccalaureate), American, and Indian. 

The UAE Ministry of Education is the official accrediting body of schools in Dubai. To say more, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is responsible for the quality of private education through inspections and licensing.

KHDA has its own scale of evaluation from Outstanding to Very Weak schools.

Where Outstanding schools stand for: Quality of performance substantially exceeds the expectation of the UAE. 

And Very Weak is: Quality of performance is significantly below the expectation of the UAE. 

To make your adjusting to life in Dubai a bit easier, we created a list of private schools in the JVC area or near that are ranked Outstanding (the highest rank) or Very Good (the second best rank) by KHDA. 

JSS International School

Location: Jumeirah Village Circle

Average Annual Fees: AED 26,031

KHDA rating: Very good

Curriculum: Indian

Few facts about the school

1. The JSS International School, Dubai is part of the JSSMVP trust that runs more than 300 institutions across India, the US, Mauritius, and the UAE (Dubai)

2. Science is an essential component of the JSS International School’s syllabus. To support the curriculum, the school has physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology laboratories. 

3. For advanced-level projects, JSS International School has a project room where students can complete their projects by performing relevant experiments.

Sunmarke School

Location: Jumeirah Village Triangle

Average Annual Fees: AED 62,690

KHDA rating: Very good

Curriculum: British

Few facts about the school

1. Best value for money education in a premium British curriculum school.

2. The curriculum has a high-impact STEAM and MultiSmart Learning Programme that nurtures all-around student development.

3. Sunmarke School has one of the largest and most innovative campuses in Dubai.

Nord Anglia International School Dubai

Location: Al Barsha South

Average Annual Fees: AED 79,697 

KHDA rating: Outstanding

Curriculum: British, IB

Few facts about the school

1. It is a short drive away from Jumeirah Village Circle. 

2. It has a strong language learning program, offering French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic as second languages. 

3. Music is another key subject, as Nord Anglia is associated with the famous Juilliard School in New York. 

4. Other extracurricular activities include sports, art, community activities, and robotics.  

Victory Heights Primary School

Location: Dubai Sports City

Average Annual Fees: AED 43,227

KHDA rating: Very good

Curriculum: British

Few facts about the school

1. It is just a short drive away from Jumeirah Village Circle.

2. Victory Heights is considered one of the best British primary schools in Dubai. 

3. VPHS offers state-of-the-art facilities which create a nurturing and supportive atmosphere for both its students and parents.

4. A majority of the teachers in Victory Heights Primary School are British nationals.

Jumeirah English Speaking School, Arabian Ranches

Location: Arabian Ranches

Average Annual Fees: AED 66,845

KHDA rating: Outstanding

Curriculum: British, IB

Few facts about the school

1. JESS is one of the most sought-after schools in the area. It has been on the list of top schools since 2011.

2. It is one of the few schools in the city to have dedicated support and resources for students with special needs. 

3. Students who graduated from JESS have been accepted into many of the top-ranking universities worldwide.

4. There are various facilities around the campus:

• sports fields and courts
• temperature-controlled swimming pools
• a purpose-built music center with a recording studio
• dance and drama studios
• a 500-seater auditorium
• an outdoor amphitheater

5. Extracurricular activities change each term, allowing students to experience new and unique options.

Dubai British School Emirates Hills

Location: Emirates Hills

Average Annual Fees: AED 61,283

KHDA rating: Outstanding

Curriculum: British 

Few facts about the school

1. It is one of the leading British schools in the region, holding the KHDA Outstanding status since 2017.

2. DBS is a part of a big Taaleem family. Taaleem aims to launch top-notch schools that are innovative and student-centered.

3. The teaching staff at DBS strives to inspire students into becoming creative thinkers and innovators. Their motto is Enjoy, Aspire, Achieve.

4. This top British curriculum school considers itself to be a global educational community that helps students to develop the skills they require to thrive in the dynamic world.

GEMS Dubai American Academy

Location: Al Barsha

Average Annual Fees: AED 73,725

KHDA rating: Outstanding

Curriculum: American, IB

Few facts about the school

1. Is the only American curriculum school to receive an Outstanding rank from 2011 till now. 

2. The school concept is on building good character alongside a strong educational background, supported by a large variety of extracurricular activities. 

3. The school contains:

• an Olympic-sized pool
• a 400-meter running track
• a sports hall that can accommodate 3 full-sized basketball courts
• music studios
• and much more

Students can participate in sports, martial arts, drama, model United Nations, and even a Lego club.

Kings’ School, Al Barsha

Location: Al Barsha South

Average Annual Fees: AED 75,710

KHDA rating: Outstanding

Curriculum: British, IB

Few facts about the school

1. It is a short drive away from Jumeirah Village Circle.  

2. Second languages, sports, music, and even Islamic education help to round out the school’s educational offerings, and the use of cutting-edge technology makes learning easier and more fun. 

3. Students are encouraged to try everything from cooking to photography, and the school even has its own business club for budding entrepreneurs.

Ho Ho Ho! Winter holidays are coming, and what can be a better gift to yourself (or your loved one) than a beautiful piece of property in Dubai?

Yes, buying real estate in Dubai, while sitting comfy on your couch anywhere in the world, is that easy nowadays. Easy and profitable. 

Investing in real estate in Dubai has high ROI rates. Compared to other European countries, the annual rental yield in Dubai may vary from 6% to 12%.

So, ready to invest online? You just need to accomplish this 5-step plan and get your paperwork done. 

Step 1

Choose a property

• Check out property websites and platforms
• Chose the property that matches your criteria: you can filter available properties by location, price, type, and size
• Register your interest so the real estate agents or developer’s sales department could contact you.
• After you made a decision the agent will send the necessary documents for signing first to you, and then to the registration manager via e-mail.

The required documents include:

• Completed Form A and Form B received from the agents of both parties.
• Sales contract (Form F) signed by all parties to the transaction.
• Certificate of ownership of the property (Title Deed).
• NOC from the developer confirming that there are no objections to the transfer of ownership rights.
• International passports of both buyer and seller, and Emirates ID (if available).
• IBAN – seller’s international account number.

Step 2

Register the transaction

After submitting the documents, the trustee registers the transaction and uploads it to the online system of the Dubai Land Department (DLD).

Step 3

Confirm your identity

After all the data were sent to the system, DLD initiates a video conference with both parties to the transaction to confirm the identity of the parties and their signatures in the contract.

Step 4

Pay a down payment

After that, you will get a payment link to the DLD’s escrow account (IBAN) to pay a down payment, government fees, and realtor and trustee services.

Step 5

Get ownership documents

After all the funds were transferred to the account, the transaction will be approved and the buyer will be provided with a new document confirming their ownership (Title Deed), as well as a digital copy of the sales contract.

It is also possible to get a mortgage or a payment plan from the developer. Many Dubai developers offer affordable payment plans under the 30/70, 40/60, or 60/40 scheme for a period of 3 to 5 years.

Congratulations! You’re a property owner in Dubai. Easy-peasy.