Community Guide – Emirates Living – Emirates Hills, The Springs, Meadows and The Lakes

Community Overview
Emirates Hills is the most exclusive part of what is originally termed as Emirates Living, although often people just say ‘we live in Emirates Hills’ to describe where they are located and when they are referring to the other three areas bordering Emirates Hills – The Lakes,  Meadows and The Springs.

Emirates Hills is the only freehold area where some plots were sold for buyers to build their own choice of house in Dubai, most of them mansion style, overlooking the Montgomerie Championship Golf Course and several lakes. The Emirates Golf Club sits on the periphery close to Sheikh Zayed Road. The Lakes (between the two golf courses),  Meadows and The Springs all benefit from being right next door to Emirates Hills. All of the individual areas offer a tranquil villa life in a secure self-contained gated community, ideal for family life.

Each area in Emirates Living has a dedicated community centre with convenience shopping facilities. Thanks to this being the largest freehold villa development in Dubai and one of the first, its mature lush green landscape dotted with lakes creates a pretty uniform picture.

Location
Emirates Living is conveniently located between two of Dubai’s main arteries, Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, opposite Dubai Marina. Access is easy from both sides and on to Emirates Road. However, there is no metro station nearby.

Who lives here?
Emirates Hills is home to the rich and sometimes, famous, also politicians, artists and the likes from the region and further afield.  Meadows, The Lakes and The Springs attract well-off and middle class families. In the case of the latter, also singles, due to it being the cheapest of the three. For those commuting to Abu Dhabi it’s one of the best-located communities offering houses and gardens.

Amenities & facilities
All mentioned developments have parks, playgrounds and sports facilities like tennis and basketball courts and gyms, as well as open air pools, one for every sub-community in each of the areas and, of course, the lakes. Each area within Emirates Living also has its own community centre with convenience stores, such as grocery, pharmacies, doctors, gyms, cafés and restaurants. All areas benefit from the golf clubs and several schools, including Dubai International Academy, Regent International School, Emirates International School and Dubai British School. The Lakes also boasts air-conditioned squash courts and volleyball courts and one of the few indoor pools in Dubai.

Property choices
Those looking for large mansion-like homes would go to Emirates Hills. Large properties can also be found in the Meadows with three – to seven-bedroom properties coming in different designs. The Lakes offers three- and four-beds, whilst The Springs is the only one which also has two-bedroom townhouses as well as bigger three bedroom villas. Designs in The Lakes and The Springs are pretty much identical.

Pros
Quiet garden life close to nature with all facilities in the neighborhood, including schools

Not far from the beach

Good community feel and safe

Cons
In The Springs construction of a new multi-lane highway cutting right through the community has disturbed the tranquil life and landscaping, there are complaints about people driving too fast and fewer u-turns mean longer driving distances to individual sub-community entrances

Traffic congestion entering the area from Sheikh Zayed Road during rush hour and around schools between The Springs and Meadows in the mornings

Some homes are tired looking and in need of maintenance