DB travel convenience?

[donnaclews]

Hi, we are relocating to HK in July and my husband will be working in Kowloon ICC but will be travelling extensively using HK Airport. We are looking at DB due to all the positive feedback we have seen and read.

Is there a direct ferry from DB to Kowloon ICC?
If so how long does it take? Is the service any good?
If not how long does it take on the MTR?
How long does it take on the MTR from DB to the airport?

Given the above information is there a preferred area of DB that we should be looking at?

I will be a stay at home Mum with a 5 year old and a 2 year old.

Any help or information will be greatly appreciated.

[jimbo]

DB does not have an MTR station, you'll need to get the ferry which drops you off by IFC at HK station then walk to the MTR underneath then get the MTR to Kowloon station where ICC is based.

Why DB? It's very Stepford Wives.
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[MovingIn07]

You clearly don't know much about DB!

If going to Kowloon Station (ICC) then you take the bus from DB to Sunny bay (some 15 mins) then the MTR from Sunny Bay to Kowloon (some 15 mins again) - so a total of around 30 mins perhaps with a bit extra for connections etc.

If going from DB to the airport, you take the DB airport bus - about 20-25 mins if I recall correctly (only having done it once).

Both of the above vary depending on exactly where you live in DB, how close to the bus stop/how far along the route etc.

The airport bus goes quite frequently - every 20 mins or so? Try googling, I have found it online before. The sunny bay bus is not quite so frequent - maybe every 30 mins - again the timetable is online. The MTR goes every 8 mins or so once you connect to it (maybe more in peak; more like every 10 on Sundays).

The ferry goes to Central - very frequent (every 20 mins) and takes 25-30 mins.

DB is a good place for mothers with children who like a more open, green environment and other mothers to connect with.

Another place that is somewhat similar (and surprisingly just as easy to get to the airport) is Gold Coast. The bus to airport from GC takes 30 mins (many pilots and stewardesses live here). Getting to Kowloon requires a bus to Tsing Yi (140M, 15 mins, comes every 7 mins) and then the same MTR as before (15 mins, Tsing Yi is one stop closer to Kowloon than Sunny Bay).

Hope this helps. You might also consider Tung Chung - which is on the MTR line and only 5 minutes from the airport, 25 mins from ICC, it has an expat community but not quite as many facilities (and no beach) but would be worth a look. I didn't like Tung Chung (I chose between DB and GC) but some people do.

Here is the link to the DB bus timetables: http://db.tdw.hk/

[gary_keene]

Hi Donna - I live on Seahorse Lane DB and have been working at ICC for almost 18 months.

My door-to-desk journey takes about 50-55 minutes most days.

If you take the ferry to Central you have a choice of the MTR to Kowloon (ICC is built over the MTR station), or the landlord's minibus service that leaves from outside IFC (a 3-min walk from the ferry). They take roughly the same amount of time, but the first minibus leaves IFC at 8.00am.

On the bus - if your husband has an early start, he may find that the first bus to Sunny Bay is too late, which would mean the 6.00am bus to Tung Chung is the only option. Both Sunny Bay and Tung Chung are on the same MTR line as Kowloon.

Buses are much more frequent than ferries, and the longest you'd wait for an MTR train is 10 minutes, but the buses do tend to get fuller during peak hours, as do the MTR trains.

Overall, the transportation is good enough and flexible enough, so it may only play a small part in deciding where you choose to live in DB.

[donnaclews]

Thank you for the above replies. No I clearly don't know anything about DB, hence my questions on the forum.

Yes I have heard it is very Stepford Wives but I have also heard that is very good for the children. Surely you can live somewhere without buying into the "my handbag is bigger than your handbag" ?!

Could you possibly suggest somewhere that is better?

[Cantsmile84]

Hey, we're thinking of moving there for family friendliness and my wife only has a small handbag as it's all my teaching salary permits!

I don't see how it can be that cliquey?

[carang]

i've been in hk for almost 15 years. i lived for over 6 of them in DB. i've been in sai kung for the past 2.5 and i miss DB terribly. it is FANTASTIC for kids and THAT is what i miss. sai kung is great, but i prefer db.

i NEVER found it "cliquey", but i'm not a cliquey type person. i had friends from about 40 nationalities and ranging in age from 18-70. with young kids it is an awesome place. everything is convenient to you, town is only a short, comfortable ferry ride away if you need your fix.

if $ wasn't an issue for us, we'd be back there in a heartbeat. don't let people put you off. most of hte people that "hate" db have never lived there.

[Dreadnought]

The airport bus runs twice every hour - on the hour and at half past the hour - and takes approximately 25 minutes to reach the airport.

Frankly, I am surprised that it takes gary_keene that long to get from door-to-desk as it takes me roughly that much time (and sometimes less time) to get from door-to-desk (Tsim Sha Tsui East), which requires switching MTR lines and a good walk from the station to the office.

[Mat]

Another place that is somewhat similar (and surprisingly just as easy to get to the airport) is Gold Coast. The bus to airport from GC takes 30 mins (many pilots and stewardesses live here). Getting to Kowloon requires a bus to Tsing Yi (140M, 15 mins, comes every 7 mins) and then the same MTR as before (15 mins, Tsing Yi is one stop closer to Kowloon than Sunny Bay).

Small addition here. another option by bus from the GC is bus 962. it stops at ICC.

[MovingIn07]

Small addition here. another option by bus from the GC is bus 962. it stops at ICC.

Good point.