Compound or Diplomatic Quarters

DQ is a large walled suburb where all the Embassy's are located, it has nice walking & cycling paths & some cafe's, restaurants & shops.

Most people I know who live in DQ love it.

Issues:
1.  You don't get free access to the same shared facilities you would get in a compound -  If you want gym/swimming pool access you'll have to join a private one.
2.  Compounds generally run bus services to take children to school & also shopping buses for ladies.  I don't believe those sorts of services exist for DQ.

Compounds:
Are small to medium sized walled communities with security.  They general will have a shop, a restaurant and pool & gym facilities.  As mentioned above they generally provide bus services plus they often have a range of organised activities that women and children can get involved in.

Which is better depends a lot on the standard of the compound involved & the suitability (sizewise) of the housing they find for you within it.

Rental places within DQ & Compounds are extremely scarce at present, so if your husbands employer can get you a good spot in either DQ or compound in a reasonable time period they are doing well.

Hi Alethe
Thanks for your reply! I think because we are only going in September they might have the housing organized by that time. The school were my husband is going to work is within the DQ, so I believe I could walk my boy to school if we live there. Looking at the google map it doesn't look far, but it's a satelite map anyway
May I just ask another thing in the same post while I'm here: Do I need to bring a Abaya with me already or could I ask my husband to buy me one when he arrives and bring to the airport with him? I've read the thread about buying abayas there and thought it would be a good idea. I just don't know if I'll need it as soon as I leave the aeroplane.
Uff... That's me, I always talk and ask too much! Will keep to next post!

hi papa
my suggestion is to buy one a cheap 1 infact cs here you can bargain for a very nice an cheap 1 so meanwhile just buy a cheap 1 just to cover yourself you may never knw to be safe just have 1 otherwise you will look so out of place between every1 wearing 1 an u nt

papa, more than likely your husband's employer is going to arrange for someone to meet your airplane when you arrive.  Just ask them to bring a simple abaya for you.

Just arriving, having an abaya shouldn't be much of an issue, provided you are dressed "properly" (according to Saudi standards), which would mean a long skirt, a blouse that covers the shoulders and arms and is not too "form fitting".

Once you get here, you can go out and find one that is more suitable to your style.

I think, if school was close in the DQ and you had a driver, or access to one on a regular basis, the DQ would seem to be more "normal" for a family lifestyle.

And no such thing as asking too much (provided we haven't answered the question hundreds of times before ).

On arrival here, I saw a lot of Indian women in traditional Indian dress just off the plane, going through the luggage and immigration lines.

Again, wear long clothes, loose fitting.  To have somebody meet you with an abaya as you step into the baggage claim area is not a big deal. 

I don't think I'd feel comfortable walking through the general terminal without an abaya but on the other hand, doing it once while accompanied by hubby on the way to the car wouldn't be such a big deal, either.

I myself was wearing a Moroccan abaya when I arrived.  It was long and brown, loose, with a hood, that a friend from home had lent me.  I looked like a Jedi warrior (but I had to tell my Mom a Franciscan monk LOL).  Nobody paid any attention to me.

I dont see any reason for an Abhaya just to come through the airport into a vehicle and go to your residence. Just make sre you are not wearing a micro mini, thats all...

As for accomodation, the DQ is more public and a compound provdes more private facilities for its residents, in a nutshell.

Thank you for your replies. Yesterday I met a South African Nurse who worked in Riyadh for 2 years and she was surprised on how much information I had already gathered and when I mentioned I've learnt all that mostly through this forum she said she wished she had heard of it before Looking forward to it now!

When me and my daughter arrived in Khobar in 2000, we didn't have an abaya but were dressed "modestly" : long skirt and long sleeves!

My husband didn't know that we had taken a plane earlier from Bahrain so we had to wait for him in the airport and I must say we were not stared or didn't hear any remarks at while we were waiting!

But it was Khobar... don't know if it would have been the same in Riyadh!

Hi, I am an English, single guy, will shortly be arriving in Riyadh and I was wondering if I live outside a compound can I join a club with an outside swimming pool ? Thanks

Also, would it be ill advised to have male or female guests staying over in an offcompound flat ?

This would be somewhat questionable even in some compounds.  My understanding is lists of overnight guests have to be submitted to a government department.

How strictly that is adhered to probably varies from compound to compound.

I know a woman who stays with her BF at his very Western compound almost every weekend--checks in on Wednesday evening and out on Friday evening.  She's been doing this for almost four years and there's never been a problem.

Johnny English wrote:

Hi, I am an English, single guy, will shortly be arriving in Riyadh and I was wondering if I live outside a compound can I join a club with an outside swimming pool ? Thanks

Methinks you should be starting your own thread with this hijack.

methinks,
where theres a will theres always a way!