House-sitting in Dubai

I suppose I should tell you how I came to be here in Dubai.

Each year, I like to leave New Zealand for a few months to avoid the cold and the rains of the winter. But leaving takes planning, as I have no intention of staying in hotels for months, nor could I afford that! I belong to several home exchange and house-sitting websites and have done so for years. They are easily found when called up on Google or any other search engine. There are hundreds of these sites and thousands of people belong to them, usually having holidays with FREE accommodation and the use of a FREE car. Really!

If you have never experienced this way of holidaying, it is about time you try it. It will save you tens of thousands of dollars if you stay away for the whole winter. Just work out the cost of staying in a hotel, having meals there or in a restaurant and leasing a car long-term and it will show you the advantages of using these free facilities very quickly. There are many other advantages, such as not having to abide by any hotel rules. No need to get out of your room for cleaning.

There are many other advantages, such as not having to abide by any hotel rules. No need to get out of your room for cleaning. No need to eat at dictated times. Living amongst the locals, like a local. The money saved could be used to stay longer, or see some more sights, go to local ballets or concerts or be put towards a trip next year. And the fantastic friendships that you will develop with the owners of your temporary home! It is like a home away from home as you usually have all the facilities available that they have, their car, their bicycles, their canoe, their books, videos, CDs etc. People also swap golf memberships, library cards etc for the duration.

The money saved could be used to stay longer, or see some more sights, go to local ballets or concerts or be put towards a trip next year. And the fantastic friendships that you will develop with the owners of your temporary home! It is like a home away from home as you usually have all the facilities available that they have, their car, their bicycles, their canoe, their books, videos, CDs etc. People also swap golf memberships, library cards etc. for the duration.

The disadvantages? I have not yet discovered them. Yes, you have to plan ahead, but you have to do that, no matter where you stay. Do you have to cook your own meals? No, you don’t HAVE to, but you are mad if you don’t go to the local markets, buy their different foods and enjoy them, as well as saving loads of money!

There are sites for young families to exchange houses, sites for Seniors, for people who have disabilities, sites for the super rich, who exchange castles, islands, yachts and planes. Sites where you can stay at ranches and sometimes get paid for providing a few hours of your time, and sites where you can exchange your home for a boat or a caravan or motor home. With house-sitting you do not exchange anything, you just take care of someone’s home, while they are away.

Destination? That is up to you, the world is your oyster. Go to the French Mediterranean, or the Austrian Alps, to an island in the Bahamas, or a home in an ancient village in China or Japan. Get an apartment in Paris, London or New York. Yes, I have done all those things, both with home exchanging and house-sitting.

Last New Zealand winter, I spent 3.5 months gallivanting around France, Italy and Germany. This year, I wanted to go back to Dubai, where I had been ten years ago. I wanted to see how the city had grown and stand in awe of their incredible architecture again. I wanted to go to the top of the tallest building in the world and have another look at the local markets or souks.

Usually, I start surfing the websites at least six months before I go, sometimes even twelve months ahead. This time I only decided on Dubai four months before I left. I would also go on my own this time, without a companion. Usually, I don’t decide where I will go, I am flexible and just let fate decide. Surfing the websites opens up numerous choices and it is an adventure in itself to spend hours looking at homes and areas that are available. When I spotted an available home in Dubai for six weeks, I immediately looked at the photos and contacted the owners, through the website’s secure facilities. An answer arrived within two days and we were off…  Getting to know each other through emails and photos. The owners wanted to have a break in America and did not want to place their four pets in kennels. The two Saluki dogs and two cats had been rescued and adopted from the Dubai pet rescue centre.

I am always happy to look after pets. It provides loving company when you are on your own and exercise, having to walk them. They also provide you with many funny episodes! With home exchanging you do not usually look after pets, although they may ask you to look after a pet, the garden or the pool. In all the years that I have been home exchanging and house-sitting, I have not yet looked after any gardens or pools. Pets, yes, but I do not want to be spending time gardening or cleaning pools. I am in their country to see it, to get to know it and the locals. I suppose I have been lucky, as in many countries where I have been home exchanging or house-sitting, I have had the benefit of people who were employed by the house owners to clean, garden and even cook. Here in Dubai too, there is a cleaner who cleans the house, does the garden, makes my bed (if I forget) and washes the car I use, three times a week! In Tuscany, I had a full-time cook and a maid! Sheer luxury! I am waiting for someone to throw in a handsome millionaire!

No, you do not have to pay the house staff. The owners do that, although they usually ask if you are happy to have these people continue, seeing they have to pay them anyway while they are away themselves. If you are not – and who would not be? – they will give them paid leave.

I had asked the owners, as I always do, to ensure that they had full instructions for the care of the pets, emergency numbers and addresses for all eventualities, such as fire, damage etc and also clear instructions about the use of all electronic or technical equipment. I also requested a couple of maps of the area and a list of sight-seeing suggestions. Apart from the instructions for the electronics, everything was fine. And of course, I totally messed-up the different TV remotes and had to ask a friendly neighbour for help.

This house is typical of an expat’s home. Built of thick concrete walls, they are all stuck together to form streets. Most are two stories and large, with high ceilings, large rooms and all floors and stairways dressed with marble or ceramic tiles. Because of that, they are very cool and easy to clean and I discovered that if I placed my iPad in the stairway and let it play music, that the acoustics were superb and I could hear the music right through the house. The gardens are all walled and you cannot see over them, but many houses face the canals that encircle the ex-pat suburbs. When I was in Dubai ten years ago, none of these suburbs existed, nor the islands, such as the Palms and The World. Now, new buildings shoot up every day. Apparently, a thousand new people arrive to live and work here each DAY! It is tax-free.

The use of the whole house is available to me, but I always only use the rooms I absolutely need. It saves cleaning or touching things that I do not need during my stay. I never, ever go through private cupboards or papers. It is essential that you respect their trust in you and that you remember how you would feel if this was your house.

I have had so many fantastic experiences over the years, that I am totally addicted to this manner of holidaying. How can you not be, when you have free accommodation and a free car? What hotel lets you walk away without paying a hefty bill?

By Margaretha Western,

Read more from Margaretha here