Your Essential Guide to Moving to Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, and Reem Island in Abu Dhabi

There is something about islands that makes them seem exotic, with a sort of mystique, purely because they are separate. That may be why Yas Island was created, because originally it wasn’t an island at all. But what the developers did was not put a load of solid material in the sea; they took the unusual step of digging out a canal to separate Yas from the main part of Abu Dhabi. So, when Yas Island is described as manmade, that is not quite true in the conventional sense.

In many ways this is a typical example of UAE thinking. The United Arab Emirates was once a hot, sandy place full of history and living in the past. But when the oil boom happened, forward-thinking innovators conceived a brave new world that took advantage of the sun and the sea, and they set about building it. Yas Island is one of the jewels in the crown of Abu Dhabi.

Yas was built for fun, with attractions including Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld and Warner Brothers World. It hosts a Formula One grand prix and has a superb golf course. And all of this is 20 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and 50 minutes from Dubai.

Saadiyat Island is natural and has more of a feeling of nature about it, which is not necessarily what the country is known for. Be that as it may, the whole of the region has a rich and eventful history, and you can learn about it by visiting Saadiyat’s Louvre Abu Dhabi, an art museum showcasing the Arab World. If it needed a prestigious name from the art world to alter the public perception of this area, there is no finer name than the Louvre in Paris. This link with France is no coincidence, but a PR idea that really works.

Also on Saadiyat Island there are beautiful beaches lapped by the peaceful Persian Gulf, where marine life has not been forgotten in the frenzy to bring the country into the 21st century.

Reem Island for Real Life

While much of the appeal of Abu Dhabi and more particularly Dubai is the glitzy lifestyle that seems to ignore many of the fundamental aspects of daily and especially family life, Reem Island combines the hedonistic approach with more mundane but essential amenities such as schools, nurseries, hospitals, clinics and supermarkets.

In amongst all this there are the more typical luxury-destination items such as quality high-rise accommodation – superb apartments with maybe a sea view – and beaches fringed with waterfront restaurants to retreat to when the heat gets too much or the light fades in the evening.

Choose Your Island

The only way to choose a place to live is to spend some time there first and see how it feels, so if island living with a thoroughly contemporary feel is what appeals to you, check out one of these options and see if it would make a good home for you.

Once you’ve picked an island, get in touch with our team at Easytruck so we can help you have a smooth move.