In Qatar for expatriates there are 4 main options. (1). A villa on a compound; which is a walled and gated group of villas, anywhere from 15 to 300 villas. The larger the compound, the better the facilities, there could be a Club House, shared pool, Gym, restauant, shop, tennis courts, squash courts, pool room etc. They are good for people with children because you can let the kids go where they want, knowing it is secure. (2) West Bay Lagoon. This is a series of Streets surrounding a man-made lagoon, The villas are in groups, you might live next door to your landlord, if you like water activities then it is a good choice but more expensive. The whole lagoon is fenced and gated, but not as secure as a compound. (3). Stand-Alone villa. A freestanding villa with a wall and its own gate, not so good for meeting people. (4) an Appartment in a high rise, for instance in The Pearl. These also have shared facilities like pool, gym,etc. Look on wikimapia.com and enter "Al Fardan Gardens II Compound" in the search. You will see a good example of a Compound, next door is Al Fardan Gardens 5 and Y Village. Then enter "Tower 31 Qatar" for The Pearl and "West Bay Lagoon Qatar" http://wikimapia.org/#lat=25.2351709&lon=51.4136821&z=17&l=0&m=b&search=... http://wikimapia.org/#lat=25.3638617&lon=51.5432274&z=19&l=0&m=b&search=... http://wikimapia.org/#lat=25.3677188&lon=51.5034047&z=15&l=0&m=b&search=...
In Qatar for expatriates there are 4 main options. (1). A villa on a compound; which is a walled and gated group of villas, anywhere from 15 to 300 villas. The larger the compound, the better the facilities, there could be a Club House, shared pool, Gym, restauant, shop, tennis courts, squash courts, pool room etc. They are good for people with children because you can let the kids go where they want, knowing it is secure. (2) West Bay Lagoon. This is a series of Streets surrounding a man-made lagoon, The villas are in groups, you might live next door to your landlord, if you like water activities then it is a good choice but more expensive. The whole lagoon is fenced and gated, but not as secure as a compound. (3). Stand-Alone villa. A freestanding villa with a wall and its own gate, not so good for meeting people. (4) an Appartment in a high rise, for instance in The Pearl. These also have shared facilities like pool, gym,etc. Look on wikimapia.com and enter "Al Fardan Gardens II Compound" in the search. You will see a good example of a Compound, next door is Al Fardan Gardens 5 and Y Village. Then enter "Tower 31 Qatar" for The Pearl and "West Bay Lagoon Qatar"
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=25.2351709&lon=51.4136821&z=17&l=0&m=b&search=...
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=25.3638617&lon=51.5432274&z=19&l=0&m=b&search=...
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=25.3677188&lon=51.5034047&z=15&l=0&m=b&search=...