A British family who moved to Dubai chasing sunshine, success and a dream lifestyle are now preparing to leave it all behind. The Croydon couple say the glittering city began to feel “plastic and not real” — and missile strikes near the region proved the final straw.

Jason Kwao, 29, and his wife Sumekka Selliah-Kwao, 28, relocated to Dubai in December 2023 hoping to build a business and raise their children in a warmer climate. But less than three years later, the dream has faded.

Now the pair are seriously considering a dramatic new move to Ghana instead. The family had settled in the Dubailand area of the Emirati city, living what many would consider the expat dream. Their home was a three-bedroom villa with a private pool close to a sandy bay. For a time, life appeared to be exactly what they had imagined.

But behind the luxury surroundings, Jason says something crucial was missing. “The city we imagined our family’s future in started to feel plastic and not real,” he explained. The couple have now placed their belongings in storage and temporarily returned to the UK.

Their trip back was initially prompted by tragedy — the death of Jason’s brother, Joshua Kwao, who died aged 30. But their return has also forced them to reconsider whether Dubai is really the place they want to call home. Jason admits they may never book those return flights.

“When the missile strikes started, we could hear a few loud bangs and there was a quiet tension in the city,” he said.

While his brother’s death was the main reason they left, the sense of unease combined with deeper doubts about life in Dubai pushed the family toward a possible permanent change.

Jason said the city places heavy emphasis on money, business and transactions. “There is a lot of focus on business, money and ‘what can you do for me?’,” he explained. “That’s not how I want to raise my children.”

Before moving abroad, Jason had built a successful career in the UK. After leaving university he began buying homeware products directly from warehouses and reselling them on Amazon. He later joined an agency managing higher-value accounts and earned about £8,000 per month before tax.

Because his work was remote, he and Sumekka — who was pregnant at the time — decided to relocate to Dubai for the lifestyle and business opportunities. Soon after arriving, the couple launched their own venture.

In January 2024 they co-founded a company called Intermast, investing all their savings to get the business off the ground. As the firm grew, they recruited staff and worked relentlessly to expand it.

“It was hard at first,” Jason said. “As soon as money came in it would be going out.” Expenses quickly piled up — hospital appointments, residency applications and equipment for their business. Eventually their efforts paid off.

The couple secured the luxurious villa where they raised their children, Sofia Amari, now five, and one-year-old Amias.

Yet despite their success, Jason increasingly questioned whether Dubai was the right environment for family life.

“In Dubai, it’s all about work and very transactional,” he said.

Earlier this year the family embarked on an extended trip to explore other cultures and rethink their future. They travelled through Tanzania, Ghana, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. During that journey, Jason admits he already felt uncertain about returning to Dubai.

His wife still loved the city, but he was beginning to feel differently. “We said if we were supposed to move, we’d get a sign,” he recalled. Then two major events followed: his brother’s death and the outbreak of war that brought missile strikes close enough to hear in the city.

Those moments deepened their doubts. For now, the family is staying in Croydon while Jason arranges his brother’s funeral and considers what comes next. One destination, however, has captured their hearts.

After spending a week in Ghana during their travels, the couple say they fell in love with the country’s sense of community and outlook on life. Jason believes the experience changed how he thinks about raising his children.

“In Africa, you see people with nothing who can still be happy and celebrate life,” he said.

For him, the contrast with Dubai’s relentless focus on work was striking. He says he wants his children to grow up learning kindness and love regardless of wealth. “It takes a village to raise a child,” he said.

And now he hopes to find that village. Jason insists he does not hate Dubai and still sees it as a beautiful place. But returning after months of travelling made the differences impossible to ignore.

“Dubai is almost perfect,” he said. “But there are cracks.” Coming back, he added, the city simply felt different. “It felt almost plastic and not real.”

To Jason, Dubai now feels more like a place to build wealth than build lifelong friendships. And for his family, that realization may mean the end of their expat chapter there.

British expats ditch living in Dubai because it feels 'plastic and not real'

My two sons and families work in Dubai as musicians/entertainers, the eldest having been there over 10 years and has two girls 6 & 4. (I know, silly names! 555).

They struggled financially during Covid, and they say it is the same, venues closed, gigs cancelled.

I have visited them 5 times and HATE THE PLACE. 8 lane motorways flanked by so many skyscrapers, much too effing hot, and ridiculous prices for food & drink although that's what pays their wages. I shall not be returning, they can come here instead.

I've never been interested in Dubai, a fake place built on sand, no thanks