“I believe in manifesting and I’ve visualized this life of mine,” says Caroline Stanbury, The Real Housewives of Dubai cast member, about living in her glass-lined Dubai villa with her husband, Sergio Carrallo. “I always wanted to live with Sergio on this side of Al Barari, by the lake, and here we are!”
It also helped that the reality TV star has real estate mogul Nadia Zaal (who, with her family had masterminded the tropical district in the heart of Dubai) on speed dial. So, a few years ago when she saw Instagram stories about the latest phase of Al Barari being snapped up, Stanbury knew straight away that this was her chance. And just like that, a property materialized backing onto the lake that runs through the neighborhood.
Stanbury and Carrallo started dating in 2019, and their December 2021 wedding was a key story arc in the first season of The Real Housewives of Dubai. In the series’ second season, after many construction hold-ups and frayed nerves, the couple finally moved into their their new home. For the first few nights, they slept on a mattress on the floor—not the glamour Stanbury was accustomed to, but waking up to birdsong and the sound of water trickling by made it all worthwhile. “We wanted everything to be perfect before we moved in, but there were delays that were out of our hands, and we wanted to be by ourselves, get on with our lives, and let our friends get on with theirs,” recalls Carrallo.