Libya - Palm City Residences

Some of it is open, rest is being completed. Good supermarket, with western brands you can't get elsewhere. (Marmite!)
Wouldn't want to live there myself, but whatever floats your boat...

Mudman....

Why would you not want to live there?  Just curious since I have never been to Libya....

I think it looks nice, but the apartments/houses are small and right up next to eachother, like a time share resort in Benidorm or a housing estate in the UK. For alot less money you can get a big house with a garden & pool, with loads of space around you. I know Palm City comes with everything provided and if I was a single guy on a 4/4 rotation, I'd want to stay there. Some people will like the security and maybe wouldn't like where I live, where it's quieter but dark at night.
Horses for courses

Agree with Mudman - the benefits are that the complex is managed from top to bottom and it's secure. There's also a decent supermarket with imported foods.

However, it's like a load of shoe boxes stacked on top of each other. If you prefer a quieter and less busy environment where you're not living with a bunch of expats, get a villa.

It should be called sardine city, it is way too cramped. It is also stupidly expensive. The gloss will wear off after a while and the supermarket will need to open up to the general public to remain viable.

Personally, if I had to live in a camp I'd choose a decent villa in Regatta or the Oea camp.

Horizontal Harry wrote:

Personally, if I had to live in a camp I'd choose a decent villa in Regatta or the Oea camp.

Tough call, some nice places at Oea, but I like the pizzas at Regatta

Hi, I actually live in Palm City. I have been in Tripoli for 4 yrs now and moved just recently from a monstrous Villa 700sqm with swimming pool and huge garden to a very nice 3 bed ground floor apt in Palm City. We are a family with 2 small boys.

Pros and Cons of  Palm City for me.

Pros:
Fully managed, no maintenance worries
Safe and Secure,
The whole area is a play area for the kids, riding bikes, rollerblading etc.
The apartment is fully furnished with all mod cons. Just move in with a suitcase.
No power or water cuts, water is clean.
Central air con system hot and cold.
Nice supermarket with hygienic butchers
Sports centre incl indoor pool + tennis courts and football pitch.
Will be a nice restaurant and outdoor pool
Beach – even though a little small,
Fishing off the rocks – Boys love it.
Under parking area is great as a play ground, especially when it is 40 degrees outside or raining.
Great for the kids as lots of other kids around to play with.
2 telephone lines and cable internet – soon to be working.

Cons:
Houses / units are tightly packed together.
A lot depends on where your unit is in the complex. With varying size and style of gardens, as well as your general outlook.
Little privacy outside or on the balcony.
Apartment too small for playroom or office.
Kitchen is small and no where to put kitchen table even though it has a small breakfast bar.
Garden is not big enough to kick a football with the kids.
No private pool – Superior villas have one though.
Wimax is very slow and intermittent, at least mine is.

For us this is a nice place to live. The villa we were in although huge and private was like living in a walled prison. This is great for the boys who have other kids to play with and interact with other people. Hopefully it will be a very sociable place and a chance to meet new people. I like to be able to walk to the local store!

It is not fully complete yet. Restaurant coffee shop and sports centre are not open. I believe that all the units except a few in the square are now reserved.

Hi james - thanks alot for you info any way if you dont mind Can you give me estimatin price fo how much monthly rent for the apartments and villas in Palm City.

Appreciate

PALM CITY RESIDENCES, TRIPOLI

I read James's entry in this blog and with no reflection on him there is always the other side of the coin.
Palm city Residences advertises “promises tenants an unparalleled level of comfort peace of mind and tranquillity.”
Unfortunately it is quite the opposite with staff starting work at around 7am and there has been an incident where staff was still was working at 10pm.    Not to mention there is always construction noise, palm city workers continuously for no reason honking their car horns and screeching at the top of their lungs, to mention just a few.
To give you some idea I am not having a dig at James it is just that it was easy to point out the obvious aggravation that other tenants have and are putting up with

Fully managed, no maintenance worries
*Management, lots of promises and lots of excuses ….unfortunately not very pro-active where needed.
*The maintenance is very disappointing, things are rarely fixed the first time, continuous problems with blocked drains, front doors which are ill fitting, one can see daylight ….allowing rain and dust in incomplete wiring, the intercom is a special annoyance for most tenants, most of the furniture is marked in one way or the other and there is still no sight OF the outdoor furniture…….
Safe and Secure,
*There has been more than one incident where it has been used as a weekend drive for many a nonresident, and it is no secret that security has allowed friends in.

The whole area is a play area for the kids, riding bikes, rollerblading etc.

*Yes , a whole area to play in  which it also includes, especially skateboarding  between the tables full of customers trying to enjoy their coffee at the piazza
You haven't mentioned the kiddies play area…..I can only presume that it is because as a fully grown man if you leaned against the slide it would collapse.

The apartment is fully furnished with all mod cons. Just move in with a suitcase.
*For some people it might be true, but where are the basic needs for those that enjoy cooking, sieve, colander, microwave dishes and let us not forget the mandatory coffee mugs, measuring jug etc….the list could go on.   As it is the kitchen cupboard shelves are already buckling and need bracing with what little they do have.
*Also that the ensuite in the apartments had no window dressing…….feel  free and meet your neighbor.
*Also some tenants had to ask for the bedding  as there was missing duvets, pillows, mattress protectors …. So it was not as cut and dry as one assumes…..

No power or water cuts, water is clean.
*There has been two water cuts with NO mention to the tenants, one was for an hour and the other for 5 hours, dare I mention that you could not even flush the toilets.  This May there was an email that there will be a power cut….at least the tenants were advised this time.

Central air con system hot and cold.
*Great but the fact that the a/c in the living rooms sounds like a small jet engine is a minor irritation or the fact that it blows straight on to the curtains which end up looking like a giant sail or you just have to change the furniture around

Nice supermarket with hygienic butchers
*ABSOLUTELY AND GREAT STAFF but that is it………..nothing more.  The rest that tenants were told would be available is still quite a distance away

Sports centre incl indoor pool + tennis courts and football pitch.
*Opening at the end of May BUT tenants have been paying for these facilities since they moved in. Fact being that the centre is opening 6 months late and we are yet to see when the showers and toilet areas will be functional.
*THERE ARE SOME LUCKY TENANTS THAT HAD RECEIVED A COMPLIMENTARY MEMBERSHIP TO A HEALTH CLUB ……………..AND THEN AGAIN SOME TENANTS ARE STILL WAITING

Will be a nice restaurant and outdoor pool
*Again waiting for it to open  and the time frame tenants had been given has passed.
When the restaurant does finally open it will have a nice view and I am sure that it will be a success. Considering that at the moment Chris (Chef) is working from a trellis table, BBQ and kitchen from one of the houses….imagine what he will be able to do with a proper kitchen.
*The outdoor pool  will be nice especially if Palm city provides more than the mere dozen seats that are there now ….there was a weekend that there were NO seats for the tenants to seat on.  
Beach – even though a little small,
*It has been presented as “abundance of lush vegetation “……. 4 palms trees and a postage stamp sized lawn???.... this does not depict abundance of lush vegetation for me.
*The fact being is that there is  sewerage pumps that spew out their little nasties just a k or 2 up the road, not to mention behind that lovely rock face in-front of the pool that the workers have been using as a latrine…..had you not smelled it?

Fishing off the rocks – Boys love it.
*Again not very appealing knowing about the sewerage pumps which I must confess at times you can actually see the slick on the surface or that everything imaginable gets dumped off the rocks by the workers and again you can see these nasties floating by

Under parking area is great as a play ground, especially when it is 40 degrees outside or raining.
Great for the kids as lots of other kids around to play with.
*Not a bad idea BUT what about the other tenants do they mind that the children play around their parked cars or the fact god forbid that a driver comes in to park and knocks down a child.  Again an undercover play area would be superb but I can't agree with playing in the car park.

2 telephone lines and cable internet – soon to be working.
*The existing internet is ok BUT there are NO phone lines and this was supposed to be finished ages ago
*There was suppose to be a shuttle bus BUT to no avail ….. lots of excuses from management, should  I mention that there is a bus sitting there being used but not for the tenants.
*Still waiting for our outdoor furniture …. I suppose I should mention that we have a set of tacky plastic stuff.

Hi Inoelall nice post. I will draw up a list of complaints based on it and my own findings and see what can be done.

Having been here a few months now.
We have not had any problems with maintenance and the few things that were broken quickly fixed.

Sorry about your gripe about the underground car park. There is plenty of space outside to park. Kids get priority, but that is my view (very biased I know)and actually the drivers at our building are very obliging. During the day most of the cars are out anyway.

I fully agree about the staff. I have had to move my bike from the garage because it was being used by the guards and some Libyan workers, pedal came off and they tried to hammer it back on. - did not work as held by bolt but succeeded in damaging thread of the pedal. I do not mind if other tenants  use it, when needed, as I know it will be treated properly.

No outdoor furniture either. Actually I did not know we were getting any.

Pool too, not enough sun loungers, I have already complained about this a few times, will do again tomorrow. Had to take my own today. Once the outdoor kitchen is up and running, should be good.

I noticed the skateboarder too. - the one with just 2 wheels. A right pain, must have a word with the management.

Right about the bathrooms and the fix is just plain shoddy.
Also the quality of curtains are not great.

Air con in living room was very noisy but now fixed.

The play area would be condemned in the UK that is for sure. I mentioned this to the management - hope they do something about it.

As I mentioned before it does depend alot on where you actually are in Palm City, so the noise etc will vary.

All the complaints I have about the place are understandable as there is alot of work going on, albiet painfully slowly.
I know it has been a long process and some Tenants moved in last August when it was pretty much still a building site.

I think the management are trying their best to sort things out and very open to any suggestions. Must be a nightmare trying to organise and control so many staff.

Also the customer relations etc are tying very hard to organise activities etc, and putting in some real effort here.
Quiz night was fun, only missing some real beers though. Despite everyone else cheating we still managed to win!

The upside though - it is a very pleasant place to live and the kids love it, which is my main concern.

If you see any driver driving fast or recklessly make a strong complaint to the management and the car will be removed. I have stopped a few cars driven by 'drivers'. Most are very obliging.

Weekend Drivers, get rid of them.

It is a great place that you can't find another one in Libya at the moment, comfortable,leisurable,convenient ,top safety guarinteed and full of fun! u can ride you bike around, play tennis, enjoy swimming all the year round,work out in the gyms with towels provided. Best of all, if you have children, you got to move them in here, as they can always find playmates around, plus plam city hold lots of activities which can specially bring all the residents together.....

- Posted by my wife.

James,
again I have a slightly different version then yourself.

It is a great place that you can't find another one in Libya at the moment, 
*for the moment you are right

comfortable,leisurable,convenient ,top safety guarinteed and full of fun!
*Not sure what you mean by top safety guaranteed.     In regards to traffic I know management has sent one email in regards to car speed limits and parking but this does not seem to be adhered by too many people especially the contractors nor is there any policing by management ….

*If you are talking about children's safety

I am a little concerned when you see a child throwing himself on the top of a car hood and then the adult driver  flooring the car in reverse to dislodge the child from the hood.  Or by the fact that vermin boxes are all in the open, in full view for a child to open and play with, or the tools that are left lying around by the workers after each shift and a child can pick up and play with .    Or do you mean safety for the workers? Here again we differ in definition of safety as I can not see wearing flip flops on a construction  site as a good thing…but then again some workers do have their trusty PITH helmet.    How about the safety harness for those installing windows or shutters above the first floor.

u can ride you bike around, play tennis, enjoy swimming all the year round,work out in the gyms with towels provided.

*In regards to swimming all year round, again I am at a loss as I am not sure what you mean.     The indoor pool is way too small for laps and the outdoor pool, well judge for  yourself, neither the shape or depth allows for laps either.    Basically the outdoor pool can be used in summer to cool off and the indoor pool as a dip pool and if tenants are lucky there might be aqua aerobics but again the depth of the pool might restrict this activity.
As far as the towels are concerned , I suppose they will come in handy  once you can use the showers.

Best of all, if you have children, you got to move them in here, as they can always find playmates around, plus plam city hold lots of activities which can specially bring all the residents together...

True but given that we are paying full rent for about 60% of the facilities, they realy should be doing more.

Last post was by the missus. Slight difference in prose.


The internet has just arrived albeit very late but well worth it. It is really superb. Much faster than Wimax and the download speed last night was almost 1mb/sec. Best I got with Wimax was 275kb/sec and that was on a good day, recently Wimax has been terrible. Suggest you install a wep code in the box though. Took me about an hour to find out which box I was connected to, as too many with open connections.

The furniture also just arrived.

You are right about the pool, little on the small side. Actually my boys had a dip in there the other day only to be told it was not open. - I was sure it was. Far too cold for me though.

I too am very concerned about the driving round the compound. Suggest everyone sends an email to Ray about it.

The containers for the outdoor furniture and sun loungers took over 2 months in transit. The ones before were bought locally, which was why there were so few.

The Gym looks pretty good, just wish they consulted someone about the position of the TV's though.

I think it is coming along pretty well now. Will be better when there are less workers for sure.

Would be great if there was a full bar when the World Cup is showing. - Maybe the next one!

Best Regards
James

i am also considering a move to Libya and i have been told that the accommodation will be in palm city , any updates on the situation , i am confused as there are 50:50 status here

inoelall's assertiveness is what we need. That occidental infatuation with political correctness and cultural sensitivity will never get things done.

I think Im in love with you inoelall (no homo!)

I think I am becoming increasingly proficient at killing good threads.

We have been living in Palm City since April and other than the gym being a little late opening we have found it pretty good.

On the plus points we did not have to bring anything to Libya other than some clothes, there is security on the compound and what little maintenance / construction is still ongoing is unobtrusive, my wife can go running around the compound which I have been told she could not do in Janzour, and if there are any issues with the apartment they come and fix them that day or the next at the latest my colleagues that live outside have constant battles with landlords over maintenance. In the end it is easy living, no guards or “gate boy” to hire, no maintenance worries, no wi-max hassles, no power issues and when it's time to go just close the door and get on a plane.   

On the down side I have to agree that the where we are it is quite small, we are in a 2 bedroom place, but for two of us it is OK, but if you had kids it would be to small, the supermarket would be expensive if you shopped there all the time and the rest of the other outlets have yet to open. The apartments are all very close together / on top of one another but you can be as anti social or as social as you like, we tend towards the former.

Over the years I have lived in better and worst places but as with all the other postings you have to arrive with a positive attitude and make where you live work for you and get out before you loose your sense of humour, usually about 3 years although that may be a stretch for Libya.

Sprocket ; i have read your reply and the others as i am also in the process of moving to Libya and to live in Palm City ; and i think with the positives you have mentioned ; i would say why to risk it somewhere else ; maybe when you have the tripoli experience after a while then you can stay there or move to another option on knowledge ground

have a good day

Mo

Related:

More Palm City https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28015


Palm City and Regatta Prices https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=30773


Incident @ Palm City https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=47861


A Rant  https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=42556


Renting an apartment/Villa  https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=12333 (with links to local classified websites)


Regatta thread   https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=34944

Hi. I'm living in Palm City right now. It's one of the few places considered "secure" by International Organizations, Embassies... it's quite crowded right now, and If you want to get there you should hurry. We even have a bunch of militia squatters that shoot their guns into the air from time to time.
Wit the situation in Tripoli unstable as it is, I believe it's a very good option, if you have the money to pay for it, it's outrageously expensive.

the situation in Tripoli as unstable as it is?? nonsense! i live in the Medina and things are fine....in fact, the people couldn't be more accomodating or helpful. the odd militia or faux militia guy, but no presence as such

you can check this website also
soog-libya.com

m0j0working:
Please, the idea of this site is too support people, Libya is by no means stable yet.
en.news.maktoob.com/37713/1/1/HotLinks.htm

Officeboy, reporting news that is oversimplified and not supported by fact is irresponsible and hardly supportive. yes, there are incidents, but after talking to several residents of zawiya it becomes clear that this was a land dispute.....there are bound to be incidents as things bed down in new Libya, but characterizing it as "unstable" is less than fair. when will it be stable in your view??

(moderated: pls post in classifieds)

Dear m0j0working:  I really love optimists, it's wonderful to be an optimist, but, come on, you also have to be a realist when it comes to security, which is an important issue for many people.
Tripoli will be considered stable when:
- There is a Government.
- There is an army (one).
- There is a police force.
- Militias armed with machineguns and anti aircraft guns mounted on pick up trucks (you may have noticed them around) get out of the streets, stop doing random illegal checkpoints and shooting celebaratory fire into the skies (so bullets stop falling on people's heads... 200 wounded and several dead, by the way, because of this).
- When policing is carried out by civilian authorities (normally Police).

I have also seen the people walking on the streets, shops open, shisha smoking... all that is great, but can be gone in the minute someone starts shooting one of the million (literariliy) machineguns around in the streets. There are rivalries between militias, power grabs, militiamen are poorly trained poorly commanded... I could go on for hours, trying to explain to you why Tripoli is not considered stable. If you want to believe that the tacatacatac you hear at night are just firecrackers, be my guest. But do not mislead people that may make decisions based on what you post. It may take a month, or maybe a year but Tripoli is NOT stable right now.

Just in case you have not heard the shots: this is what one of the falling bullets did to one of our armored cars as I was passing by, 3 meters from me.

jotxo wrote:

Dear m0j0working:  I really love optimists, it's wonderful to be an optimist, but, come on, you also have to be a realist when it comes to security, which is an important issue for many people.
Tripoli will be considered stable when:
- There is a Government.
- There is an army (one).
- There is a police force.
- Militias armed with machineguns and anti aircraft guns mounted on pick up trucks (you may have noticed them around) get out of the streets, stop doing random illegal checkpoints and shooting celebaratory fire into the skies (so bullets stop falling on people's heads... 200 wounded and several dead, by the way, because of this).
- When policing is carried out by civilian authorities (normally Police).

I have also seen the people walking on the streets, shops open, shisha smoking... all that is great, but can be gone in the minute someone starts shooting one of the million (literariliy) machineguns around in the streets. There are rivalries between militias, power grabs, militiamen are poorly trained poorly commanded... I could go on for hours, trying to explain to you why Tripoli is not considered stable. If you want to believe that the tacatacatac you hear at night are just firecrackers, be my guest. But do not mislead people that may make decisions based on what you post. It may take a month, or maybe a year but Tripoli is NOT stable right now.

Just in case you have not heard the shots: this is what one of the falling bullets did to one of our armored cars as I was passing by, 3 meters from me.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak … 4027_a.jpg

I agree with everything you said been in Tripoli it is definitely not stable. The idea of no law and order just isn't right. I've heard from the locals that the FF are not willing to give up those arms and ammunition.

Damn, I was looking forward to answering, never mind.
Stay safe guys
OB

Tripoli, the rumor mill....some things never change.

Makes it fun though, damn I miss place.
Back in two weeks, cant flippin wait.

After a few months in Pam City I believe it's worth to update on the situation:
- Supermarket is working on half the surface, but they managed to keep all their products on exhibit. No fresh vegetables, some fresh fruits, and the butcher is nowhere to be seen, but there are some nice frozen meat cuts. Still, it's expensive.
- The internet speed has gone dawn to Neanderthal style. Half of the time you can't get a connection. This is a real problem.
- The restaurant, pool, gym... etc are all open and nice.
- The beach is dirty and the sea looks contaminated. Apart from the beach, the sea water seems clean and you can snorkel around and see little fishes.
- Lots of people around, most of them UN staff and Embassies. Some oil companies too.

As for the situation in Tripoli. I'd continue to call it "unstable" What happened at the airport, the attack against the British in Benghazi, kidnappings and armed robberies. Things are still not looking good.

jotxo wrote:

..I'd continue to call it "unstable" What happened at the airport, the attack against the British in Benghazi, kidnappings and armed robberies. Things are still not looking good.

The answer to the mystery question, "Where did the flags come from?" Pretty much from day 2 or 3, all of a sudden, the rebel flags appeared. Who made them? How and when did they find time to make so many of them during constant fighting?

The concensus amongst our group is, the flags were always there, you just never heard about them because Qaddafi regime were very keen on hiding them and the various internal factions and problems they were dealing with within the country. Until these factions get reparations (many people lost property and had their property unfairly and unjustly redistributed during Q's 40 year rule) and until these factions come to some sort of mutual agreement -- this will continue to spiral out of control.

the  ongoing subjet here has  no relation with the topic ..my best regards to moderator.

Hello,

I would add : Please start new threads on the Tripoli forum if you want to debate on other topics. Thank you.

Another update on life at Palm City:
- The supermarket has improved the variety of products. Still expensive.
- The internet speed is still crap.
- During the weekends,e specially on fridays the compund is invaded by oursiders that sneak in trhough the seaside or are simply allowed in by the gate guards. There has been a rape attempt, and break-ins in several villas. If anyone tells you this place is safe , they are wrong.
- The restaurant ans swimming pool are super nice if you can ignore the voyeurs stationed on the rocks (looking at women).
- After a few months of use, the houses are already deteriorating: Filtrations, defective piping, faulty electricity lines... not very good quality of construction.
- It's full of foreigners, not a good place to meet Libyans.
- It's OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive.
- No generator to back up in power cuts (come onnn).

PD Somehow, after the awful slaughter of US diplomatic staff in Benghazi, I can't help but thinking that, if they can get the US Ambassador to Libya, they can get anyone. And.. if there is a place where juicy targets for islamists concentrate, that is Palm City, It only lacks the SHOOT US sign in the entrance.
Anyway, it's completely booked, so don't bother. :-P

wow you make this sound very ........ cool hehhehe

I am sorry to hear about your troubles jotox.

jotxo wrote:

Another update on life at Palm City:
- The supermarket has improved the variety of products. Still expensive.
- The internet speed is still crap.
- During the weekends,e specially on fridays the compund is invaded by oursiders that sneak in trhough the seaside or are simply allowed in by the gate guards. There has been a rape attempt, and break-ins in several villas. If anyone tells you this place is safe , they are wrong.
- The restaurant ans swimming pool are super nice if you can ignore the voyeurs stationed on the rocks (looking at women).
- After a few months of use, the houses are already deteriorating: Filtrations, defective piping, faulty electricity lines... not very good quality of construction.
- It's full of foreigners, not a good place to meet Libyans.
- It's OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive.
- No generator to back up in power cuts (come onnn).

PD Somehow, after the awful slaughter of US diplomatic staff in Benghazi, I can't help but thinking that, if they can get the US Ambassador to Libya, they can get anyone. And.. if there is a place where juicy targets for islamists concentrate, that is Palm City, It only lacks the SHOOT US sign in the entrance.
Anyway, it's completely booked, so don't bother. :-P