Moving to Khubar

Al Khobar is a fantastic place to live for any expat from any corner of the planet, compound or no compound.

Zamil is a good compound. So is Rezayat.

See this link for more info: hasher.net/Khobar/Khobar.htm

extract
quote
Accommodation:
Renting is the only way an expat can get a house in Saudi Arabia and as with other towns, Khobar has its fair share of compounds. This is not to say you can’t find accommodation outside compounds; far from it – there are many apartments available at reasonable rates, furnished or otherwise, some even have a pool. These however are really only to be considered by dedicated bachelors, as your family will not thank you for the wrong decision. They can be sought mostly in the Arabic press, so get a translator at work to find one for you and can be had for as little as 15,000SR per year unfurnished. Compounds range in size and facilities, but as a rough guide a 1 bedroom apartment goes for around 40 - 60,000SR per year and a 3 bed villa can be rented for 100 – 150,000SR on a decent western but cheaper ones can be found if you don't mind who your neighbour is but can become more expensive depending on location and facilities. Also check how your accommodation allowance will be paid, as many compounds expect a year’s rent paid in advance, whilst some will accept 6 monthly payments, and only a few will take monthly payments, often at a premium i.e. 55,000 will quickly become 70,000 if paid monthly.

There appear to be two distinct types of accommodation available; prefab buildings with window type a/c units, and concrete built with central a/c – obviously this reflects on the price, as does the amount of “furnishings” that go to make a furnished flat – some offer only basic furniture while others include a “soft pack” i.e. bedding, crockery, cutlery, etc.
Most rental prices appear to be all inclusive but check before you sign and be sure to take a reader of Arabic with you if your rental agreement is not in English. A phone call will normally see any repairs carried out reasonably quickly on a compound; however, if you are outside it helps if you are keen on DIY. One point to look for when choosing your accommodation is covered parking; as the inside of a car can reach 70ºC making touching the steering impossible without first removing your socks to use as gloves. Another point to note is that of noise pollution - Check the vicinity of the nearest mosque as the sound of earlier morning prayer call can be quite alarming, and the sound of locals collecting friends by honking their horn at all hours is annoying.

As you will probably notice when you arrive, Khobar is a big building site, with the city constantly expanding and evolving, and as such, all rent prices outside compounds are negotiable. Most of the accommodation is however light and modern and once settled into they can be made to look quite attractive however there is no getting away from whitewashed walls.
unquote

For villa selection:
1) wats ur range?
2) what schools your kids would like to go, e.g. british, american etc
3) what sort of gatherning you would like to have in your compound.
I am living in canary village and I am satisfied with the compound. google it to get more details...

- at times it gets cold in winters. Temperartures can be around 4-6 deg C in Dec to Jan

- Kids usually stick arond with their school mates, usually residing in near by compounds

- Most emabssies are in Riyadh, but few activities are offered in khobar, but not very often. If you can get multiple entry exit visiting Bahrain over the weekends can be a good option.

We don't have a range as my husband's company has specific amount of villas rented out at different compounds, i know that they rent villas in Al Zamil, Oasis and 3 different compounds i am not sure about the names though, depending on availabilities, they'll offer us different villas at couple or so compounds and we'll pick. I don't want to to pick based only on the villa and felicities (though they are important) i am wondering about the general atmosphere of the different compounds...etc.

As for the schools, i've already made contact with DEMS, my understanding is that they are the American school in Khobar?

I am currently living in Abu Dhabi, compounds are not a big thing here but they do exist, so we have formed coffee mornings and play dates...things like that, that's pretty much what i was wondering about.

I live in Canary too & I think is the best, for new rental it cost SR 175,000 a year. They started a new school on sit for 2.5 years to 5 years old, nice pool & activities for the kids, movie night & diner parties. & nice neighbors.

Butterfly79 wrote:

Hello everyone,

Hubby's company , most likely, is moving us to Khubar so i have few questions

Al-Khobar, or just Khobar is a very nice little corner of Saudi Arabia (as Saudi Arabia goes).  It's not the Emirates, but it's not bad, either with good shopping, restaurants, parks and close proximity to Bahrain when they just start to drive you mad.

Butterfly79 wrote:

His company rents out villas at most compounds, if we given the choice to pick, which compound should we consider? Keep in my mind that i have 3 young kids. I was told Al Zamil is nice? And getting mixed reviews about Oasis, they rent in other compounds too...any suggestions?

I would ask hubby's employer for a short list of folks with kids that are in different compounds, get on the Skype and call them.  Get a "boots on the ground" appraisal.

Butterfly79 wrote:

i know that this sounds stupid but does it get cold enough in the "winter" to bring jackets with us?

No.  A light jacket is all that is required through the Khobar winter.

Butterfly79 wrote:

Are there play date groups that i can join so the kids can meet and play with other kids their age?

Each compound has kids and playground equipment, swimming pools, etc.  Some have more for kids than others...the above Skype suggestion works well for this, too.

Butterfly79 wrote:

Are the embassies there active as far as parties/social gathering is concerned? Thank you

You sound like you are American or Canadian.  The USA consulate in Dammam does absolutely nothing for Americans.  Forget it.  Embassies are in Riyadh.  Don't depend on them for socializing.  Find people from work, in your compound, folks you meet in the produce section of Tamimi's (affiliated with USA's Safeway grocery stores).  You'll have better luck.

Good luck...and have FUN!

Khobar is a beautiful city, clean beaches and
You can go to Resorts Gulf

Hi Butterfly79 and welcome to saudi arabia

and have a nice pleasant

abdu

Alarabb1 wrote:

I live in Canary too & I think is the best, for new rental it cost SR 175,000 a year.

SR175,000!! How can you people afford this, you must be on mega fat salaries. I guess base salary of SR50k/month with 3 x housing allowance? I need to get out of English teaching quick (We get SR15k base salary at best)! Anyone get me a job please, i'll give you my first months salary

LOL....you are so funny, I will make a deal with you if you could make an Indian say yes with out shaking his head NO I will double your salary.

Alarabb1 wrote:

LOL....you are so funny, I will make a deal with you if you could make an Indian say yes with out shaking his head NO I will double your salary.

looooooooooooooooool
about indians saying yes without shaking thier heads!..hahaha
i take the deal...what if i can give you one or more,you will triple my salary then?...or just a bonus will do!..fun!

I am welling to take the deal. How much is your salary. By the way my main office & villa is in Al-Khoubar but my new project is in Riyadh. I will be coming to Riyadh this Saturday for one night.

.saturday was over,missed the opportunity about our deal!

The Indian style head shaking when saying "YES" or "NO" seems to stem from the basic culture that involves quite a lot of physical gestures while speaking in a somewhat kind of musical melodious manner.

Even if you watch an Indian speaking at a podium or simply reading the news on TV you will notice this phenomenon very clearly.

It may have its roots in ancient Hindu culture.

musicman wrote:

The Indian style head shaking when saying "YES" or "NO" seems to stem from the basic culture that involves quite a lot of physical gestures while speaking in a somewhat kind of musical melodious manner.

Even if you watch an Indian speaking at a podium or simply reading the news on TV you will notice this phenomenon very clearly.

It may have its roots in ancient Hindu culture.

Hi Mr, Musicman,
I agree with you,i worked with a lot of indians actually,and i have lots of indian friends,it caught my attention only,since it is a fact and to have a deal about it seems challenging!peace.merry christmas and a prosperous new year to all!
  I apologized for making fun bout it!Godbless!

Indians shake heads, Arabs use a lot gestures.
Personal space means different to different cultures, giving a man hug is alright here,but else where it would be deemed not so.

Its all these different things that distinguish us, give us the sense of culture, individuality etc. and its not just between countries, even within countries, languages differ, dialects differ and customs and traditions differ.