Neighbourhood Guide: The Springs and Emirates Living

One of Dubai’s greenest neighbourhoods, Emirates Living is made up of 4 communities all close to Emirates Golf Course. The Greens – mainly low-rise apartment blocks with shared gardens, pools and a whole heap of restaurants and shops, The Springs – gated villa development  and The Lakes and The Meadows which boast some of Dubai’s most snazzy homes and gardens. All 4 areas are green, leafy and fab for families and kids with plenty of space for bike riding, buggy pushing and playing at awesome shared facilities.

With the help of Springs Resident and Sassy mama of 2, Chirin Khawatmi, founder of the very brilliant ‘Mamas Box‘, we’ve put together a mini guide to life in her hood – read below for Chirin’s fave spots plus a few of our own suggestions mamas!

What do you love best about your neighborhood?
The Springs/Meadows and Emirates Hills area is great in the sense that it is perfectly serviced, while still providing the calm and peace that we as a family of four sometimes need! It sometimes feel like I’ve left Dubai when I head home to the Springs (event though we are still super close to the Marina and JLT). There are two community centers, one gas station (with Zoom and 8 fast food restaurants inside), a clinic and The Address Montgomerie Hotel in the neighborhood. Yet each community has the use of wonderful pools, parks, lakes and is surrounded by beautiful greenery, so you really have the best of both worlds.

Is there anything you don’t like?
I just wish they wouldn’t do pool maintenance end of April! And traffic can be quite bad.

Eat

Where do you like to eat out in your area and why?

I think the friendliest family place to eat in our area must be McDonald’s – yes it’s not exactly the healthiest but the individual TV screens and small tables are a big hit with the kids. Besides they offer free face painting and other entertainment on certain days of the week. If you are looking for a healthier alternative, Links in the Address Montgomerie Dubai or Shakespeare & Co in the Springs Town Center are good options.

Sassy Mama loves The Reform Social & Grill at The Lakes Club – the closest thing you’ll get to a good old British pub but with all of the things we love about Dubai (fairy lit palm trees, a fab kids play area and outdoor space for balmy evenings out). Reform Social opens at 7am, so it’s the perfect spot for early risers – and if you’re craving a bacon butty then you’re in luck as Reform has a pork license!

If you’re eating out en famille then Wagamamas in The Greens is mega child friendly and great for slurpy fun – the kids menu offers mini-sized versions of their katsu, ramen and yaki soba dishes plus easy to use chopsticks, high-chairs, colouring-in and all that jazz. And you can’t beat the kids menu at Organic Foods & Cafe, also in The Greens, has a cute selection of homemade organic food including chicken nuggets, pasta with spinach sauce and fish sticks with steamed veg – plus delish adult versions too!

Are there any good date night options?

Our favorite is Nineteen in the Address Montgomerie Dubai – both the view and the food are amazing. With two young kids there are often nights when my husband and I feel like going out but need to stay close, so whether we feel like having a shisha at Shakespeare, a drink in the Address Montgomerie hotel or grabbing Shawarma or Subway from the gas station nearby, we usually always find something to do in the neighborhood.

The Sassy Mamas are quite partial to a curry night at Copper Chimney – a Mumbai favourite with a sister branch in Emirates Hills. We also love the outdoor movies at Reform Social & Grill during the cooler months – comfy sofas, bbq food and the big screen – perfect!

Early morning coffee spot?

I normally head to Costa. It overlooks a lake and the staff are very friendly. I often go there to work when my baby is sleeping. For something a little fancier there is Monty’s (above) overlooking the Montgomerie golf course. I usually feel like I am on vacation when I go there.
Sassy Mama loves breakfast at Berts Cafe in The Greens – latte and tartine with French jam – yum! And the ‘borrow a book’ scheme is perfect for grabbing a good read.

Best place to go for sweet treats?

When the kids and I need a little change and a sweet treat we have both Pinkberry and Coldstone nearby – we usually all walk out smiling after having either!
Mamas if you want seriously scrummy treats then the patisserie selection at Shakespeare & Co in Springs Town Centre includes macarons, traditional French pastries and viennoiserie that is worth a visit alone!

Shop

Do you shop for clothes/home accessories in your neighborhood and if so where?

The two community centers cover the basic needs of any home I think – they have Tavola, Mothercare, two pharmacies, dry cleaner’s, pets store and more.

What grocery stores do you have and do you use?

There are two Spinneys in the neighborhood, plus a Choithrams as well as a Geant really close by. Organic Foods & Cafe is great for picking up organic meat and fish and on every 3rd Saturday of the month, and now on the Friday before it as well, you can get a 20% discount off your grocery bill.

What good shopping areas are in close proximity?

I just discovered a new mall, which opened, called Pavilion mall. It is technically part of Jumeirah Park, but is exactly 1 minute drive from us. It is packed with Cafés, restaurants, shops and has Geant for those who prefer an alternative Grocery store.

Ibn Battuta Mall is only a 10 min drive from The Springs and has everything from an enormous Geant to Gap, Cotton On Kids and H&M. And then Mall of The Emirates is 10 mins in the other direction and has every store you could possibly want!

Play

Do you have any parks/outdoor playgrounds in your hood and can you tell us about them?

Each community has at least two parks, two pools and one lake – so when the weather permits the kids and I spend plenty of time there. It’s the perfect place to meet neighbors and friends for your kids. The best part is that you can walk between the different gated communities and access each other’s parks without any problem.

Are there any soft play areas or kids clubs/classes you can recommend or that you know of?

There are also three Fitness Firsts in the area that offer swimming classes for babies and toddlers and plenty of fitness and swimming classes for us. For the older kids, there is also the Music Center. In terms of indoor play areas – the only one I can think of is ELC as they have a small play area in the middle of the store. Overall, the community is packed with kids!

Learn

Which school do you send your child to?

My 2 year old goes to the Raffles Nursery in Springs 7 – I couldn’t be happier with it.

What schools and nursery schools do you have in your area/neighborhood?

Raffles has two other branches in the area – one near Emirates Hills and one in the Springs Town Center. Jebel Ali Village Nursery also has a branch in the Meadows Community Town Center and a new British Nursery just opened. So you really are spoilt for choice. Other schools in the area are Emirates International School, Dubai British School and the nearby Dubai International Academy.

Treat

Is there anywhere for mama to get pampered?

Yes! Otherwise I would have moved, there are tons of places. My favorite is Tips and Toes in the Meadows Village Community for nails, waxing and massage, but there is also Glow Bar and Shima Beauty Lounge and opening soon Hairworks! For the men there is Bare’s Gents Salon.