Their love blossomed at The Montgomerie golf course. So it was only fitting that Mercedes Sheen and Mark Siddorn, now doting parents to Elliot, five, and Oliver, four, aspired to live in a villa abutting a fairway in Dubai. A property tailor-made for their budget and offering a golfing lifestyle eventually came up for grabs at the Ernie Els-designed golf course in Victory Heights.
Since then, there's been no looking back for this British couple. Dubai has made it possible for them to live their dream life.
After deciding to take the plunge into the Dubai freehold market, Mercedes and Mark, however, had a fairly long wait before they identified a reasonably priced villa that fitted their bill. "We wanted to get into the housing market in 2007 during the boom. We put in offers at the asking rate at Arabian Ranches, but the prices were going up by Dh100,000 per week! So, we looked to Victory Heights as we wanted to be on a golf course and it was great timing as houses were available at much more reasonable prices," recalls Mark, a managing director of a waste management company in Abu Dhabi.
A great place to make friends
Attributing her love of golf to that fortuitous meeting at The Montgomerie in 2005, Mercedes, a professor of psychology, has now honed her teeing skills at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in Victory Heights. "The meeting at The Montgomerie made me fall in love with the game and the whole atmosphere of a golf club. I played a bit at The Montgomerie, but really started when we moved here. I played in the inaugural Els Club competition when I was eight months pregnant, and still beat Mark," she jokes.
In fact, the two of them have widened their circle of friends over golf practice sessions at The Els Club. "We have met many friends through the golf club and socialise with them regularly, although we do have a fierce weekly competition with two fellow owners at Victory Heights, both of whom own houses two doors away. So far, we are pretty even!" adds Mercedes.
The tiki bar and infinity pool in the couple's five-bedroom villa in Estella Village is another favourite social haunt. "The tiki bar was inspired by our favourite place in Thailand. It is meant to have a very relaxed feel where you can put your feet up at the end of the day," says Mercedes. Overlooking the pool, the tiki bar is where the family both entertains and unwinds — it's fitted with bamboo plants and a pull-down television screen. "When we finally finished our pool, we sent invitations to all our neighbours, ten houses each way, and had a welcome and sorry-for-the-disruption party. We are still friends with many people we met that night. The Victory Heights management had organised family events in the communal parks about the same time we all moved in and that was a great opportunity to meet lots of families," says Mark.
When the family moved to their Dh3.73 million villa in Victory Heights in 2009, they had to contend with a few teething problems. Some of those still persist. A small shop stocked with essentials continues to be the sole source of retail and residents still have to make do with facilities in the temporary clubhouse.
"The Els Club clubhouse looks finished from the outside, but is still a long way from completed. There is a lot of frustration about this. But the temporary clubhouse has done a great job accommodating us. We are well looked after by all the Els Club staff," says Mercedes. The two of them make frequent visits to the temporary clubhouse — either to relax after a round of golf or to socialise.
In pursuit of an active lifestyle
Making the most of the facilities in Sports City, the family enjoys an active lifestyle. "I have taken up running as there are so many running tracks and it is entertaining to watch all the development that new tenants undertake as they move in. With most homes undergoing landscaping at the same time, the development changes and matures on a weekly basis," Mercedes says.
Elliot will soon attend the Bradenton Preparatory Academy, which makes use of Sports City amenities such as the ICC Cricket Academy grounds and swimming pools. "There was supposed to be a Manchester United soccer school, but it has been shelved," Mark says. Elliot's younger brother, Oliver, goes to a nursery in Umm Suqeim.
Enjoying their immediate pristine surroundings, the couple recommends the Victory Heights lifestyle to ardent golf enthusiasts and families seeking some peace and quiet. "We absolutely love living here. It is quiet with only 900 houses as compared to Arabian Ranches, with over 6,000! It only takes about 15 minutes to get to Shaikh Zayed Road or the Mall of the Emirates and we have all the conveniences of MotorCity, which has a full array of services, restaurants and two Spinneys," Mercedes says.
But she does warn that there is ongoing construction in certain areas of the community. "There are some bottlenecks during cricket matches, but they have a separate entrance for residents. So, as long as you don't forget, you are fine," she says.
