...is available frequently throughout 2013 as it is our second main home and we are often traveling or in our main villa in Oman. We prefer non-simultaneous as it is easier with our hectic work and travel schedule. We could come to yours in autumn or winter 2013 or in 2014. Dubai is fabulous all year round and there is always something going on, even in the hot months.

We are open to all suggestions and to all places: we miss galleries, museums, culture, mountains and greenery.... I'm looking for inspiration somewhere in Europe for 7-8 nights between 30 August-7 September 2013: culture or history are a must and weather is a plus. We are heading to Canada in summer 2014 and are still seeking ideas to fit between our two, already arranged, exchanges. We are sorted for Toronto area and for Vancouver Island, but we would also like to stay in Seattle.

New York (especially Manhattan) and Italy are always on out list. Even although we have lived for many years in The Netherlands and in Germany, we love both places so if you have somewhere unusual there, do let us know. We have an apartment in Istanbul but it is rented out all year round so we are open to staying in a Home Exchange apartment there, and we are thinking of both Malta and Malaysia as possible early-retirement locations, so we are keen to exchange in both.

Our place:

Our Dubai Marina home is a beautiful modern, new apartment in one of the most exclusive and sought-after towers in DUBAI MARINA in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. Dubai Marina is an upmarket canal residential area and one of the largest man-made marinas in the world. The apartment is on a high floor and is full-marina facing, with incredible views of the marina and sea from the lounge, balcony, kitchen, and master bedroom. The apartment is full of sunlight all day long. The study looks across Dubai to two of the best golf courses (the Montgomery and Emirates Hills, both of which are less than 5 minutes away by car). Immediately below the apartment is Dubai Marina, with its boats, shops, cafes, and the famous Marina Walk.

... is light and spacious (around 1700 square feet/150 sq m), with tiled floors and huge windows to make the most of the view. Decorated in modern style, with lots of paintings and many plants, the apartment is restful, comfortable and very light.

Features:

* Large lounge with comfortable sofa, coffee tables, feature chair, plants and pictures. Bose Ipod sound-dock, and wireless internet throughout the apartment
* Long balcony with table & chairs & plants; right above the marina and off the lounge
* Open dining area, with 6-seater table and chairs
* Separate (enclosed) kitchen with microwave, hob & oven, Nespresso coffee machine, and washing machine/tumble drier
* Compact master bedroom with king size bed and private/en-suite bathroom/shower-room; 3 fitted wardrobes
* Separate study; 4 fitted wardrobes
* Another full guest bathroom/shower-room
* and a hallway toilet.

While the apartment is actually 2 bedrooms, we have turned the second bedroom into a study so the apartment is really only suitable for a couple or perhaps with one teenage child. There is a white leather double-bed size sofa-bed in the study which can be used and there is a second full bathroom. There is a security/intercom system to the concierge and swipe entry cards to the whole building making it super secure (Dubai is safe anyway). Of course we have A/C throughout the apartment.

You can sit on the balcony and watch the sun set at around 7pm each night or (if you are an early riser..) watch it rise over the ocean at around 5am.. Our views are some of the best in Dubai, straight across the marina and over the beach out to sea.

Immediately below the apartment is the famous Dubai Marina, full of yachts, pleasure craft and super-luxury vessels. You can take a boat tour around the marina, have dinner while you go, or travel all the way down the coast, round the Palm, to Dubai Creek, the old heart of Dubai. All the boat stops are right on our doorstep. You can walk to the beach in 15 minutes or you can take the water taxi from our doorstep and then cross a bridge.

If you want to relax you can go down to the private pool deck in the building and swim in one of the two outdoor pools, or sunbathe on the deck. Or you could go into the very-well equipped gym on the same level and use a wide range of aerobic and cardio equipment.

If you want to hire a car we have an allocated car parking space in the secure underground car park under our building (we can't offer one as we don't have a car in Dubai just now - we use taxis and the metro..) .

The building has multiple lifts, and there is a 24 hour reception/concierge/security service at the front desk.

We have a weekly maid service to clean the apartment and we can arrange for it more often or even daily if you wish by arrangement.

We've now done five home exchanges so far through this site and have met wonderful couples. We still have "credit" to go and stay at theirs in Canada and in Hong Kong.

We are also fortunate enough to have a very different, fabulous house in Oman. Oman is as different from Dubai as it is possible to get and it truly is the real Arabia, a land beyond your imagination.

... is situated right in the heart of the best end of an area called Marina Walk, the original upscale 'lifestyle' part of the Dubai. There are multiple shops and over 50 cafes and restaurants within a few minutes walk; there is a high-quality supermarket, pharmacies, hair and nail salons, craft fair stands, coffee shops (yes, Starbucks too..), and restaurants to suit every taste right beside us. Apart from all the independent restaurants, there are the famous ones in the major hotels within 5 minutes of our apartment (Grosvenor House with its famous Buddah Bar, the Address, the Ritz Carlton, the One & Only Royal Mirage; all on our doorstep).

.. has all the convenience items you will need, with dry cleaners in the building who deliver/collect, cash machines, to taxis on the doorstep (taxis in Dubai are clean, safe, cheap and metered - you are unlikely to spend more than AED 15-30 on a trip).

.. is now on the brand new Dubai metro line! Only opened last year, the new metro (over-ground) is clean, efficient and even has women-only and families’ only carriages. If you want to spend a little more on your metro ticket (say, £3 as opposed to £2), you can travel in the Gold Carriage, with leather seats and a fantastic picture window. Make sure to stand against it to get the best elevated views of Dubai... It will take you about 5-10 minutes to walk to the metro station from our apartment (you can see it easily). The metro connects our apartment to the major shopping malls of Ibn Battuta, Mall of the Emirates (with its indoor ski slope), the Dubai Mall (with the famous Dubai Fountains and of course the Burj Khalifa and Armani Hotel), and the metro also leads straight into the Dubai Airport terminals. We are about 30 minutes from the airport.

Car hire is easy and cheap in Dubai. You can easily get around the whole city by taxi and/or metro but if you want to hire a car we have underground parking in the building. It would be a shame to come to Dubai and not to go to Sharjah (with the old fishing harbour and an incredible Islamic museum) or down to Abu Dhabi (an hour away); for these you really need a hire car. Abu Dhabi has Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the Emirates Palace hotel, Yas Island (with its Formula 1 track under the futuristic hotel...), Ferrari World, and much more. If you want to go a little further afield you can drive into Oman within 2 hours and you can be in its capital, Muscat, within 4 hours (or on a 40 minute flight, if you prefer). Your Dubai entry visa (which you get at the airport, if your nationality needs one) also covers you for a visit to Oman.




You will never be short of things to do in Dubai. See below for some ideas:

January-February: Dubai Shopping Festival with discounts and events at all the major malls
www.dubaishoppingfestival.com

January - PGA European Tour Desert Swing

February - Dubai Jazz Festival. 10 days of some of the world's leading jazz and soul singers in an intimate setting
www.dubaijazzfest.com

February - 6 days of amazing, accessible and largely free golf as the greats play for the Desert Classic www.dubaidesertclassic.com

March - the world's richest horserace as Nad al Sheba/Meydan racecourse; riders compete for US $6 million in prizes
www.dubaiworldcup.com

May - Taste of Dubai Food Festival

14 June - 14 July: Dubai Summer Surprises: a major shopping festival

November: Formula 1 Grand Prix at Yas.
www.yasmarinacircuit.com

November - European Golf Tour - watch the golf greats and legends play in Dubai - FOR FREE!
www.dpwtc.com

November- December - Dubai Rugby Sevens
www.dubairugby7s.com

December - Dubai International Film Festival
www.dubaifilmfest.com

See www.timeoutdubai.com and www.visitabudhabi.ae for inspiration

* Art - Abu Dhabi will soon be home to the brand new Guggenheim and the Louvre. In the run up to it many of the paintings and exhibits are on show in Abu Dhabi

* Concerts - increasingly a concert hub with accessible shows at far below UK or European ticket prices.

* Golf - the Montgomery and Emirates Hill Golf courses are both 5 minutes from our apartment and both accept day guests. The new Fire & Earth course at the Els Club is 20 minutes away and great to play, plus there are at least 5 other courses. Yas Island and Saadiyat Island courses are in Abu Dhabi (one hour drive).

* Beaches - you can see one of the longest, best public beaches in Dubai from our apartment and you can walk to it within 15 minutes. It runs along JBR 'Jumeirah Beach Residences', an area of multiple towers, 100s of restaurants, cafes and shops, which really comes alive in the evenings. The beach is 2 km long and is free. Quieter beaches are 10-15 minutes along Jumeirah Beach Road.

* Shopping malls - are a Dubai institution and I think there is (really) one for each week of the year. The big ones are Mall of the Emirates (10 minutes from our apartment), with its indoor ski slope, Ibn Batutta (incredible style with a walk though museum in the middle of the mall celebrating this Arab explorer), and of course the huge new Dubai Mall, right beside the Burj Khalifa. You can reach all 3 of them by metro from our apartment. Check out www.malloftheemirates.com and www.thedubaimall.com

* Iconic attractions - Burj Al Arab (the 'sail' hotel) is worth at least a photo shot if not brunch or cocktails in the sky tower; Burj Khalifa viewing deck (tallest building in the world but make sure its a clear day when you go up it or all you will see is clouds), Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountains, historic Bastikia and the gold, spice, and textile souks, plus the more modern Madinat Jumeirah (recreated and very stylish souk) are all worth visiting. Dubai Creek, the Dubai museum, and Jumeirah mosque (the only mosque to allow non-muslims to visit) all show the visitor a more local flavour.

* Water parks - at Wild Wadi and at Atlantis, on the Palm Jumeirah (both 10 minutes away)

* Theme Parks - Ferrari World - the largest indoor theme park in the world

* Desert safaris - various good ones that you can do in a day.

* Kayaking - in the mangroves or take a dhow (old boat) cruise

* Camel polo

* Dubai from the air - take a desert balloon ride or a helicopter tour of Dubai

* Watch falconry, go to see the rare white tigers in Al Ain, go to the camel market

* Friday brunch - at one of Dubai's 5* or 7* hotels is an experience of luxury and gluttony and sheer style not to be missed (once)

Our Dubai apartment is used by us when my husband is working in Dubai and not traveling, and occasionally by me at weekends when I get back there so we can be reasonably flexible on dates and durations with a bit of planning. We are happy to consider people who would like to stay 5-6 days in Dubai as that suits our travel plans and tends to be the period we can guarantee we won't be in Dubai.

Dubai is very safe and it hasn't been affected by the situation in the Middle East. It is purpose-built, brand new, full of high rise towers and shopping malls but it is also one of those places everyone should see once. For exotic yet familiar, super luxurious, European-friendly, great service and iconic buildings it can't be beaten. It's also the perfect stop-over location if you are travelling to the Far East or Australia. It makes a great city break for 5-6 nights.

Open to any dates.

Non-simultaneous is fine as Dubai is one of our homes and we travel frequently so we can be flexible on the dates you wish to come.

Please note: we have NO AVAILABILITY for exchanges from 12 December 2013 until 16 January 2014.

Open to any dates

We only joined Home Exchange in 2012 but already we have had the opportunity to have three exchanges from Italy, two from Canada, one from Hong Kong, and we have Bali, Thailand and The Netherlands all scheduled for this summer. Without exception, all of our guests have been lovely and one of the nicest aspects of travelling in this way is the chance to meet new people who then become friends.

Our exchangers have been kind enough to leave us good feedback so do take a look at it below. Our experiences of home exchange so far have been overwhelmingly positive.

We are open to all destinations and all swaps that we could visit later in 2013, or more likely in 2014.

We are beginning to consider where we would like to live when we eventually retire, and we are keen to see countries that may inspire us. Hopefully we can also make friends with our exchange partners and can benefit from local knowledge of what it is like living in our exchange area.

We miss art galleries, museums, culture, mountains and greenery so if you live somewhere with any or all of these, do email us.

View Feedback About My Exchanges

We are a Scottish-English expat couple in our late 40's/early 50's who have lived abroad most of our lives. We've spent the last 8 years living and working in Dubai and in Oman, so we can give you lots of ideas on what to do. We've lived on many continents and in multiple countries (including the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, the Caribbean, southern Africa, and much of the Middle East), and we've travelled to most of the world. We joined HomeExchange in 2012 and it's been a great experience: we are now experienced exchangers and hosts and we have had wonderful feedback from our home swaps so far.

My husband is the linguist and speaks a number of languages fluently (English, German, Arabic, Russian, Greek), and we can get by in some others (Dutch, Spanish...).

We are both busy professionals with demanding jobs and lots of worldwide travel for work. We are fortunate enough to own various properties in the UK and around the world. We currently commute between our family home in Oman and our Dubai apartment.

We don't have any children and our cat Max lives with us in Oman, although he does visit Dubai sometimes so our apartment will not be suitable if you have cat allergies.

We don't smoke at all (& we would prefer it if you don't) and we will treat your home as carefully as we treat our own. We are neat and tidy and would appreciate it if you can leave our house that way too. We have a regular maid in Dubai so you won't have to do any cleaning before you leave.

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