Saudi by Frankie & Lily: Unpacking the Saudi Life
Frankie Hilton and Lily Moffatt are hosts of Saudi Life: Unpacked, a podcast that takes you inside the Riyadh expat experience to give you a POV on why so many people are making the move to Saudi. We joined the two for a candid conversation about life in Riyadh — and what really makes a life in the Kingdom Truly Saudi.
Let’s start with a popular question, what can you wear?
Frankie: That’s a question I even had earlier this morning! I was, like, wow! Ok, we’ll show you because it’s simple: as long as your elbows are covered and your knees are covered, you’re good to go.
Lily: I’d say that you don’t have to necessarily cover all the way down to your elbows, I go around in my jeans and T-shirt. So, cover your shoulders at least.
Frankie: Modest is best.
Ok, so you’re dressed and ready. Where would you visit as a tourist or where would you send tourists to visit?
Frankie: So, my dad came to visit, and we went with my son up to the Kingdom Tower Sky Bridge and did the walk across – it was so cute. My son loved it, pointing out “see that?” and my dad loved it too.
Lily: But don’t be scared of heights!
Frankie: No, it’s actually OK – and I’m quite scared of heights! And it’s a really amazing view of the city. It’s only really there and the Globe that you can get that full 360° city view.
Lily: We like to take ours to Diriyah. I’m slightly biased because my husband works there, but it is just gorgeous. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but there are beautiful places to go and have lunch or brunch too. So, it’s a beautiful Old Town to experience and one that’s only getting bigger.
Top tips! Now, life as parents. Talk us through it
Frankie: That’s an interesting one, isn’t it? So, our kids have only ever known living in the Middle East, and they are the luckiest kids in the world. They literally are by the pool every day, playing with who we call their “compound cousins,” who are their neighborhood best friends and all the kids playing together.
Lily: My kids are eight, five, and three. And it’s just so safe. My eight-year-old can run out and spend time with her friends without me having to worry too much, while my three-year-old loves it because he has access to pools, playrooms, and all the different cultures that they’re being introduced to. He’s got friends from Spain, Lebanon, the UK, and obviously Saudis too. It’s just a really wonderful way to be brought up in such a global community.
So, I think you kind of touched on it, but can you tell us more about compound life?
Frankie: It’s amazing. So, we love it. Of course, there’s pros and cons to living on and off compound – and as expats you can do both. But for us, we love it for the community. It’s just easy and accessible – we’ve got the gym, the cinema, the restaurant, all our friends…
Lily: The bowling alley, the café…
Frankie: It’s like a little tiny town within a complex. So, we love it – it’s very green and we’ve got a lovely wadi running through the middle too.
Lily: It is like an instant community. There’s always going to be people that you can ask for advice. And, especially if you’re moving to Riyadh, you’ve got this lovely neighborhood of like-minded people that have all come from different corners of the world. It’s a really interesting social experiment!
Frankie: Yeah! Just the other day, my children came home speaking Spanish!
Nice! And what about getting out for a treat – Recommend us a good breakfast spot.
Frankie: OK, a great breakfast spot for me is the Lunch Room.
Lily: I love the Lunch Room!
Frankie: It’s such a good breakfast spot. They do amazing eggs and just really wholesome chunky breakfasts.
Lily: And there’s a slight Asian fusion to a lot of their dishes usually. Frankie: Another good one is the Chestnut Bakery, which is just next door.
Lily: Amazing sourdough from there. I also love Flour and Firewood. It’s amazing before you even touch the food, just walking in there with the high ceilings and beautiful interiors is a really nice way to start your weekend.
So, speaking of coffee…Is it coffee or matcha for you?
Frankie: I’m a matcha girly.
Lily: I am definitely a coffee girl! I’m lucky because in this part of the world, with Arabic coffee, they really know how to do their coffee. And I’ve lived in other countries where they don’t know how to do their coffee and I really suffered. So, I’m thrilled to be here!
Frankie: You’re definitely in the right country.
Finally, it’s time to escape for the weekend. Where do you take the kids?
Frankie: Mine’s easy. Every weekend me and my daughter go to Medhal Stables, which is only about 15 minutes from where we live but feels like you’re out in the middle of nowhere. It’s our happy place because I’m the horse girly and – luckily – my daughter’s a horse girly too. We go out there, spend some time, and have a really wholesome family time, that I think is a real part of the Saudi experience, and we always meet such amazing people there and integrate with all the Saudi community as well.
Lily: What we usually do is go to the Flour and Firewood breakfast or some of the other cafes in the area like Parker’s. Then you can also go to Khuzama Park nearby where there are these natural rock formations the kids can run and jump and play on, but also some really beautiful play equipment and an area with ball games. It really ticks all the boxes for a weekend and it’s not far away.
Perfect! Thank you to Frankie and Lily for letting us join the conversation. We’ll be sure to tune in for more on Saudi Life Unpacked!
Frankie and Lily: Thank you Truly Saudi!
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