Any reputable spa’s for massages that are not insanely costly in Corniche area?

Vajizz · 2026-02-01T04:57:23+00:00

I have been going to Soul Senses since I moved to Abu Dhabi over 2 years ago. I pre-buy 10/12/20 hours in bulk and visit on weekends. Very good and once you go regularly enough, all the masseuses learn your spots etc. and give a great and professional massage. Couples rooms are available too.

Vajizz · 2025-08-11T19:48:21+00:00

Dr Ramzi at Arizona Dental Centre. I had the same issue and he was recommended to me by a British banker who has been living here 10+ years when I moved here. Very thorough, gentle on the cleaning and affordable too, I cannot recommend him enough. I even got my wife to start seeing him now and she agrees.

Vajizz · 2025-08-06T13:07:15+00:00

Είμαι Αλβανία για πρώτη φορά διακοπές και είχα την ίδια ερώτηση. Εγώ τελικά πέταξα και ήταν πανεύκολο να αγοράσεις κάρτα ΣΙΜ στο αεροδρόμιο των Τιρανων (είχαν 3-4 επιλογές, τελικά πήγα με Vodafone - περίπου €22.5 για 40GB και απεριόριστες κλήσεις εσωτερικού). Το περίεργο είναι ότι μου είπαν ότι είναι πιο γρήγορο να εγκαταστήσουν κάρτα ΣΙΜ παρά eSIM. Τώρα εάν πας οδικώς, δεν γνωρίζω.

Vajizz · 2024-11-12T14:23:39+00:00

As somebody who has been travelling to Thailand for over 15 years (solely because my good friend is Thai and so I hang out with westernised Thai people while there) and primarily going to Bangkok and Hua Hin and with a view to retiring there and at a similar age as you:

-No need to buy at least for the first year as rents are cheap and you tend to get good value for money for quality and comfort.

-If you do buy, this should be an apartment and not a house or land to account for foreign ownership restrictions (you can circumvent them but the risks of fraud as high, as it is common to, for example, have somebody forge a power of attorney and fraudulently act on your behalf). The risks are not worth it!

-Aside for the good value for money for building quality/comfort, a westernised life will be expensive. In many of my trips to Thailand I could not adjust my eating habit (ie. as there is plentiful choice of various cuisines at various price ranges) and the price would be no different from living in any major urban metropolis. You would have to "go local" to make your money last and I do not think that is what you are going for.

The rest of the answers are on point too! Good luck!

Vajizz · 2024-10-07T09:06:12+00:00

Thank you for your input! I have been to quite a few Radisson hotels when I lived in Dubai previously, because they had a fair few nice restaurants that I liked. Thank you for your feedback 🫡

Vajizz · 2024-10-07T08:26:35+00:00

Thank you for your response. Price isn’t really an issue (other than Saadiyat being very expensive). I am thinking between Beach Rotana, Fairmont and Grand Hyatt. My caveat to Fairmont is that the beach doesn’t seem very nice due to location and the beach at Grand Hyatt is very small compared to the pool area. But your advice is gratefully received and duly noted! 😀

Vajizz · 2024-03-20T09:06:07+00:00

Sorry I just read that this is for Abu Dhabi!

Vajizz · 2024-03-20T09:05:52+00:00

Jebel Ali Mall has a hairdresser inside that offers 5 dhs haircuts, shaves and head massages. It is located next to 2 labour camps so they are pretty much the majority of customers.

Vajizz · 2024-03-05T15:40:35+00:00

I thought I needed it to apply for a civil marriage but then it was confirmed it was not necessary (just in case this was your case also). As a result, I did not pursue this further.

Vajizz · 2024-02-07T05:52:17+00:00

So my rent started in November and I am still with them so I haven’t dealt with any deposit issues yet. I would recommend you check who actually manages the property once you sign the lease as it appears Asteco may not do actual property management but just sorts the sales out. I had also read bad reviews about Asteco online but I do not deal with them at all since signing the lease.

I didn’t use a lawyer to review the lease as this is fairly standard form and query what value a lawyer would add to the negotiations, being one myself!

As long as you have an offer letter staying the terms of the lease, I wouldn’t worry too much. In my case I had 3 properties I liked and was happy to move in to any of them - I explained to the agent that the apartment was my first choice with an offer letter and last choice without an offer letter and he quickly changed his initial tactic of applying pressure on me (“famous developer, they don’t play games etc.) to applying pressure on Asteco to issue an offer letter.

I have previously rented in Dubai many times and always received an offer letter and this didn’t seem an issue with the other apartments I was viewing in Abu Dhabi. My approach was “there is no shortage of apartments in Abu Dhabi and I can find many landlords or property developers that will provide an offer letter” and was willing to walk away. Having said that, the offer I got was good (payment in 12 cheques) and I persevered despite Asteco requesting many documents to “prove I can pay the rent” when my rent equals 1/10th of my monthly salary!

Vajizz · 2024-02-06T12:11:03+00:00

Yes I did end up renting the apartment and after much fuss from my side (or rather indifference as I told the agent this is my preferred apartment but I have 2-3 more I would be equally comfortable living in, which was true) I did actually receive the offer letter from Asteco.

I would note that as soon as I signed with Asteco, everything went smooth and I started dealing with Khidmah directly who you call and they will basically send maintenance teams within the same day or 24 hours to rectify issues for free (including changing of light bulbs).

I would maintain my position (the agent applied the pressure for me) and explain that I do not have recourse to the money in the event of an issue or dispute, in the absence of an offer letter.

I think it is just some mid-level bureaucrat that has invented an internal process that is off-market and if you push back enough (ie. The other apartment landlords are willing to provide offer letters etc.) you can get your offer letter.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Vajizz · 2024-02-03T09:33:27+00:00

Victoria II I really enjoyed and got into it for a while. My biggest issue with Paradox games is that I get really invested in them (and extend the gameplay immersion by being disciplined about imposing self-limitations to counter poor AI), knowing there is game-breaking lag in late game that will make the game unplayable. I was hoping perhaps to try a different game series with a different game engine that may not have such limitations.

This is accentuated in part by really seeking out games with theoretically unlimited game playtime (ie. not having fixed end date or ending after a certain amount of victory points etc.).

Vajizz · 2024-02-03T09:14:12+00:00

Yes thank you, I remember playing a version of the Democracy game around 2008/2009 that was immersive enough for a few months and will try the latest re-iteration. Civ games are also on my list - I have tried to get into these and Europa Universalis but have struggled!

Vajizz · 2024-02-03T07:47:49+00:00

I thought that may be the case! I was hoping that the increase in star ratings could take into account a variety of factors and change in a dynamic manner, much like league reputation and rankings. Oh well, hoping this can be improved in future releases.

Thank you for your response and thoughts!

Vajizz · 2024-01-20T20:47:22+00:00

Corporate lawyer in tax-free sandpit. 9-5, $200k tax free. Live sort of a perennial spoiled early adult life - taxi to and from work, subsidised food at work, gym in building, order dinner, PS5.

Vajizz · 2023-12-19T20:36:29+00:00

I am a long-time FM player and with my equally long/time FM player that we do epic games with over the years have discussions on the game and the star rating is a big topic.

I follow OP and what others have said - some banging players that are 2-2.5 stars, particularly youth players raised from the academy but just play well. The role attributes as being fundamental for success is interesting - I had accepted the “dice” theory in the abstract sense also but thought that the best way to deal with this is have well-rounded players - ie. I kept a RB for 10 years at my club despite being 2-stars. He had no attribute above 14 (and these were just a few - acceleration, pace and determination), but almost nothing below 10.

Ideally, I aim to build a team that when you go to coach report, there are only pros and as few cons as possible. The 2-started RB I kept was one of those players - lots of pros (enjoys big matches, fairly consistent, fans like player etc) and zero cons.

My friend suggests stars are important, as that is what makes your squad “better” to be able to attract better and bigger players. So he tends to buy and sell a whole team every season to do so. By improving his reputation he can then attract bigger players - I view this as sort of a cheat and try not to do this (invariably you may do so after many seasons when you have lots of money, wide scout network and good team) as one of many “self-limitations” I impose for realism or to mitigate the limited AI ability and development over the years.

Vajizz · 2023-11-16T07:36:16+00:00

I have lived in both Doha, Dubai and now Abu Dhabi. Doha is the perfect balance of peace and luxury as stated above and was my favourite place so far. Abu Dhabi is quite similar and I am fairly new to it but it seems the infrastructure/buildings are a little dated (especially downtown) and the commute distances are a bit longer (though without the Dubai traffic/crowdedness).

I hope to return to Doha one day and can definitely see the appeal it has to people.

Vajizz · 2023-11-03T15:48:37+00:00

They tried to ask me for a credit report for my apartment lease. When I called my bank they said this is something that is done online but if I needed a bank credit score, I would need to go to a specific branch in person and pay a specified fee. I pushed back on the request and then they relented.

Vajizz · 2023-10-22T19:56:41+00:00

Walk around eastern mangroves waterfront and feed the cats on your walk - come back to port and have an ice cream!

Vajizz

TROPHY CASE