Granada Compound Review

Hi ,
The compound's new administration team is revolutionary evolving, butting the residents the core of its new strategy. The new executives endeavor to do whatever possible to ensure the resident's best interest in an environment of comfort, calm, relaxation and freedom this introduce some of the compound's features and services :
Entirely new facilities:
 The Gym.
 The Restaurant.
 The Waves Café.
 The Nursery.
 The Laundry.
 The Beauty Salon.
 The Cinema.
 The Celebration Hall.
 The Lobby Lounge.
 The Library Café.
 The Bill yard Lounge.
 Outdoor Barbeque Grills.
 Housekeeping.
 School Bus.
Existing facilities & services:
 Waves swimming pool (1,600 m2).
 Water slide.
 4 Corner swimming pools.
 6 Sunbathing terraces.
 1 winter swimming pool.
 Outdoor toilets & showers.
 Parking.
 Hotel.
 Volleyball court.
 3 tennis courts.
 Basketball court.
 5 children play grounds.
 2 squash courts.
 Bowling lounge.
 Yoga hall.
 2 Bill yard tables.
 Tennis table.
 Steam & Sauna.
 Jacuzzi.
 Supermarket.
 Laundry.
 Gardens.
 Privet chauffeur service.
 Car washing zone.
 High security standards (Official Saudi Armed Force) & security guards.
 Fire alarm system.
 Full furniture.
 CCTV.
Any help please feel free to contact me at any time

Thanks Mohammed 123 for the info,

In some old posts, some people had described the place as ghost town with many empty units!
The facilities are great and we can get a good sense from the pictures on their site.
Do you have any info on the current status of the compound? is it truly mostly empty as others have claimed? (if it is, any insight on why?)
Is it dominated by one nationality more than others?

Your help in providing some info would be much appreciated by me and other expats

Yes there are empty units the management of the compound is seeking for the new tenants , the reason it is old some people want to live in the new place , the tenants inside the compound from different nationalities , i think you can come to visit it

Thanks Mohammed 123
I did visit the compound, but based on a 15-20 minutes tour I couldn't make a full judgment. This is why I am hoping some of the expats who live there or someone who is familiar with the compound can add in some information.
I did notice that the units are a bit old (specially kitchens), but they where in good condition. Also I have seen some other places (similar pricing as Granada) that felt soo much older.
Anything that was newer in style had a huge difference in pricing compared to Granada. So this is why I am wondering about the general compound atmosphere. Honestly, people leaving just because they want something newer doesn't seem to be a good enough reason to create "ghost town" as some people have referred to it.
I really did like the compound, relative to its pricing. But, I am hoping some of the people living there or familiar with it can provide some more insight (e.g. things they like, hate, good facilities, facilities that should improve, Admin and Maintenance response to issues and problems, does it have alot visitors on weekends, is it more of a quite family atmosphere....etc) ... these kind of feedbacks and reviews you see about other compounds on this forum.

You can visit Yamami or Green City or Waha compound. **

How much is the rental rate at here?

They range from 100K to 300K depending on what you are looking for. During my search in the past few months, I noticed that compared to some of the new big compounds Granada is very well priced, but the facilities and units are older (ofcourse). I did find other places (compounds) that were cheaper, but the unit conditions were very bad. The units I saw in Granada were actually well maintained. Old, but well maintained. Other Complexes (not compounds) are cheaper and unit conditions are ok, but they almost offer no facilities or just very basic ones.
The list of things Granada provides, like Mohammed 123 mentioned above, is very long and it looks like a very well equipped compound.
Try reaching them via phone or e-mail, I found they are pretty responsive and handle customer service better than some of the other ones.


Still hoping someone who is living there or were there recently can provide some feedback

i am also looking for Granada, it seems nice with all facilities and spacey houses....a bit old though but value at this pricing...the only thing that concerns me is that i have heard and read in many forums that its like a ghost town...i asked the compound and they told me that the occupancy have gone up in the last 6 months...i am still skeptical

I tried to put this in one post, but it was too long so I will split it over multiple posts.

Ok. After spending a few months now in Granada. I am posting our review (as a family) of the place from our point of view. Hopefully someone might find it useful and not have to go through the digging for info and the guessing we had to go through.

First of all, I will start by the "ghost town" thing. We read a few comments about it being a ghost town. It is not a ghost town. The compound is quite and have a majority of its units being 2-3 bedroom villas. That leads to families being there more than singles. This is why some people thought it was a ghost town I guess or may be it was, but not any more. It is just quite. so if you are looking for a compound with a quite atmosphere, this is the place.

As for the units themselves, the buildings are a bit old, and the furniture is average, but when we first entered the unit everything was very clean. Yes the night-stand might have had a small scratch or a small scrape, but it was is a very good working condition, washrooms are super clean, but again the units feel a bit dated, but that was not a negative unless you are looking for something built yesterday. Its a furnished place so we were not expecting brand new furniture and the unit worked very well for us, specially considering the size of the units, living area, dining, bedrooms, and even washrooms are very spacious.

As for the management and maintenance, excellent. Whenever we call for something to be fixed or we need help with anything, the maintenance was there the same day. The Main office/ Maintenance office seems to be manned 24/7 which is a good thing, but the none-emergency maintenance work is only during the regular shifts 9-5.

... to be continued

Facilities, Very Good. Multiple outdoor pools, indoor pool, wave pool, gym, squash and bowling lanes These were the things we have used and they are all in very good working condition and very well maintained. Yes the locker rooms and sauna may look a bit old, but they work very well. The wave pool is only operable (waves running) during specific hours on the weekend. Now for anyone who says the compound is ghost town, they should be at the wave pool area during wave times, packed with people (residents) and there is room for alot more.
The mini movie theater is a great plus in the facilities area. My wife took my daughter there and my daughter had a blast. The movie selection is very wide (adults and kids will enjoy it) and the fact you can request a movie to be played on demand is a huge plus.

Restaurant and Cafe, both have just opened recently, and both are good. I wouldn't say excellent yet, because (as advertised by them) their full menu is not in effect yet and it will take a few weeks to have the full menu available, but the service is good and the food is good too. The cafee overlooking the main wave pool is a major plus for the feel of the place as you sit there.

General Atmosphere, The compound is a families compound, it is generally quite and you see alot of adults taking walks around the inner streets of the compound. You also see kids (various ages) in groups walking around trying to kill sometime chatting. Even at the cafe and restaurant, they play music at low levels. It is not a dance party, it more like a relaxing place.

.... to be continued

Nationality Mix, The compound is very diverse. I have seen people from the far-east, europe, middle east, north america. We have yet to see people from south america, Central Africa, but maybe we just didn't see them yet. Overall, it does not seem to be taken over by one community or nationality.

Super Market, It is more like a convenience store than a supermarket. It has the basics that you might need during the day. Or if you have kids that can walk around on their own, a good place to have a bike ride or walk and get a snack. If you forgot to buy milk or need some butter because you ran out, the mini-market is good, but do not expect to do the week' groceries from there. It is not open 24/7. I think they close by 9pm, so after that time you are stuck with having to go out of compound. They also offer dry cleaning and laundry, but their turnover is about 2 days, which is something I personally did not like and I still do my dry cleaning out of compound, but that personal thing (I don't like waiting for my drycleaning for two days).

Technology, One thing to note is that the compound does not provide internet or TV. There are a couple of channels on the TV by default, but not a wide selection and mostly local channels. You need to get internet and TV on your own, but the maintenance team in the compound will work with the TV/Internet provider installer when they arrive to make sure your connection at home works correctly.

Over all (as you can probably tell), our experience is good, but keep in mind that we are a family with multiple young children, so this review is based on a family experience.

Hopefully, this review, will encourage others to share their experiences too, or help out someone in search of information.

Thanks for the update.

Do you have any idea on the price range?

I am not sure about the pricing after they opened the new facilities, but it varies based on the availability and the unit size. I think they have some studios under 100 and some 4br around 250 or 300 ( going by 6 months old memory here).

Granada is a ghost town.

I'm sure Mr. Mohammad replying earlier is part of the management there. It's on a great location and The facilities are good but life is not even close to any of the other compounds.

The restaurant is as good as empty with very limited option and all of this comes with a very very hefty price tag on residential units. Everything combined, I think the price is not justified.

My friend used to own the restaurant there and I used to visit the compound biweekly or more. We tried to revive but the residents are also very non-Social. At the end he was ripped of bad by the Granada management and couldn't even sell his belongings.

Hi thanks for your reply,

My budget is around 100-120 do you think I can find a nice 3 bedroom accommodation in Granda compound ? if not then where do you recommend that I should search.

Hi~
Is the volleyball court open for outsiders/non residents?

Hello to all,

i am intrested in knowing about the situation in Granada as we are a familly of 4 moving to Riyadh very soon, our first choice for the moment is Granada but we need to have some more infos about the social part & facilities + .... whatever infos we can get to cofnrim or not our choice.

appreciat your help
Best regards

Any updates please

I figured since I made the initial review about 3 years ago, it might be a good time to provide an update

I have been living in the compound for 3 years now.
Honestly, I have no regrets; it was a very good choice for the family.
I will start with family life cuz I think it is the main thing families look for. Atleast it was for my case.
My daughter 7 is having a very good time with lots of kids and friends to play with and most of them are from the same school she is in; it is very safe for her to go out play with her friends in the football court or one of the play areas.
Going to school and coming back is very easy with the free buses the compound offers to the main international schools (american , british, multinational). It is offered by the compound so it is very convenient. I have seen other buses offered by the schools like forsan and one of the french schools, but I cannot really comment on it as I have not used that service.
My 2 three year olds are having a good time as well, the Growing Minds nursery has excellent teachers and there is alot of other kids their age so finding a play date for the little ones is never an issue.
The Growning Minds nursury (same as other nurseries in other compounds) had an issue with operating licence a few months back, same as other nursuries, they had to shut down for a few months till they get their papers in order. It was a tough couple of months, but they got it done and now they are fully operational.

Recreational activities:
Plenty of classes for the kids with various age range. I think its the same case with other compounds. The plus I see in granada is that most residents are families so not alot of outsiders joining the acitvities and instructors usually can fill their classes from within the compound.

Facilities:
Same as the initial review. I dont think it has changed in the past 3 years. For basic family needs the facilities are good

Tv, internet:
Same as initial review. Each resident is responsible for their own tv and internet.

Cafe:
This part has been a bit of a rollercoaster; this is also applicable to all compounds based on what I hear from friends.  The cafe that was there closed due to raids from "baladya" around the end of 2018 beginning of 2019, which happened on all cafes in most compounds in riyadh. Currently the compound does not have a cafe, but the management had said they are very close to opening a new cafe which should be fully liceinced, but we do not have a specific date for it.
Our current alternative now is get togethers in the backyard, booking the resturant area and having catered food delivered, or for a normal meal in the middle of the day or late night "hunger station" delivery.

General atmosphere :
Still the same as original review. It is a very family friendly place. This is not a party place; it is a quite residential area.
Over all the number of residents over the past three years have grown alot. I think now they have reached a point were there is a waiting list on some type of units. Whats is still good is with the growing number of residents, it is still a quite relaxing place with a family atmosphere.

Nationality mix:
Still the same as initial review. A good mix of different cultures,  african, middle eastern, european, asian (east and far east), north american...etc

Units:
Still the same as initial review. The units range from 2br apt to 3 and 4br villas. The compound is older; so advatage bigger units with lots of space and green areas and front porches and back yards; disadvatage is the furniture is a bit old and styles are a bit outdated.
I personally did not care for the styles as long as things are in working condition. One thing I really enjoy and like is the maintenance services in the compound, very quick (same day), very professional; I never had a problem with anything from burnt light bulb to an AC or fridge repair that wasn't taken care of in less that a day.


I hope someone find this review helpful and eases or answers some of the questions we were wondering about when moving to riyadh.
When I posted the initial review a few years back many people had sent me private messages asking for advice or whether to move to granada or not. I am not recommending granada to everyone. I am only posting a review based on my personal experience and personal and family needs. For example, I have small kids under 14 years, my experience might not be relevant to someone with teenagers or newly married couples.
I highly recommend reading the review and looking for reviews on other compounds and making your call based on your personal needs.

Hello and thank you for the helpful review.
I have visited the compound recently and I like it. I am Egyptian and my wife is Russian and we have two kids, and I have couple of questions if you can help me with.


1st, as mentioned above I have two kids (2 and 4 years old), do they provide in the compound some professional sports training? or they only provide fun activities? My girl is 4 years old but she is very good in gymnastics. So I want to make sure that there is a place to help her maintain her level and develop her skills more.

2nd, do you have any idea regarding the nursery's working hours?

3rd, do you know how much is the rate for 2 bedroom ground floor apartment there?

Thanks ahead for your help and I will be waiting for your reply.

Hello and thank you for the helpful review.
I have visited the compound recently and I like it. I am Egyptian and my wife is Russian and we have two kids, and I have couple of questions if you can help me with.


1st, as mentioned above I have two kids (2 and 4 years old), do they provide in the compound some professional sports training? or they only provide fun activities? My girl is 4 years old but she is very good in gymnastics. So I want to make sure that there is a place to help her maintain her level and develop her skills more.

2nd, do you have any idea regarding the nursery's working hours?

3rd, do you know how much is the rate for 2 bedroom ground floor apartment there?

Thanks ahead for your help and I will be waiting for your reply.

Sports:
Yes there are multiple sports activity (paid) offered by freelance coaches like football, basketball, tennis, gymnastics, karate, swimming ...etc
Keep in mind that these are very active in the school period, but during the summer, honestly, I am not sure as most people leave for summer vacation including my kids so I am not sure how active they are during the summer.

Rental Rates:
I am not sure, rates fluctuate and same with other compounds, negotiate as  rate usually vary based on time of the year and availability.

Preschool:
I think the hours are something around 8-12:30 ; depending on the age group it might be half an hour more or less and also their fees might vary based on the age. It is called growing minds. I think they have a website but I am sure if you asked the management for their contact they will provide it or maybe google "growing minds riyadh" they will show up in the first few results.

The pre school url
http://www.growingmindsriyadh.com/