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Kowloon: Where abouts should I look for accommodation?

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  1. #11

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    Nov 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mat:
    Hunghom is on the MTR (ex KCR) and there is a direct train to Kowloon Tong with only one stop in between HungHom and Kowloon Tong ~ 15mn trip.
    I lived for 9 months in serviced apartments in Hung Hom, and it was very convenient to get to Kowloon Tong on the KCR/MTR train. Just two stops and you're there. But my rental was HK$18,000 and would be more now.

    The closest you can get to the Hung Hom KCR terminal is The Metropolis Residence, which is just above the Metropolis Mall next to the terminal. But rentals there appear to be above your budget:

    Hung Hom HK$10,000 - $15,000 pm

    Cheaper flats are available in Whampoa Garden, which is a decent though doable walk away. This is a popular area for local families but may not have the buzz or facilities a young man requires:

    Hung Hom HK$5,000 - $10,000 pm

    Balancing your need to be close to work and your after-work lifestyle, it may be that a small place on Hong Kong Island still makes sense. On the other hand, Shatin remains arguably the best value proposition, if you think the area suits you.
    Last edited by John Doe Jr; 25-11-2010 at 08:37 AM.

  2. #12

    Hung Hom is on the MTR these days. 1 stop from TST East on the purple line and 2 from Kowloon Tong on the light blue line. Your choices are Metropolis (5 min walk from MTR), Harbourview Horizon (10 min walk to Hung Hom MTR or 2 min free shuttlebus) or Harbourfront Horizon (10 min walk to Hung Hom MTR or 2 min free shuttlebus). They should also have free shuttlebuses to TST. At least that's the sales pitch I was given. Rents are at least 13k.

    Your other choice would be Whampoa Gardens which is very local and one of the biggest estates in the whole territory. Expect noisy neighbours and smelling other people's cooking, but hey this is HK you get that in many places. Not very convenient to MTR unless you are really into walking, including the 6mths of the year when it's boiling.


  3. #13

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    First of all there are very various stages of development within the Whampoa Garden (you have Whampoa estate, Whampoa garden....), second of all it is local but you will find a fair amount of foreigners living there and finally not all locals are noisy and cook smelly food....the stereotypes on this forum are really really annoying sometimes.

    From Whampoa you do not take the MTR to Kowloon Tong but Minibus nbre 2 to Festival Walk.

    That being said, the prices in Hunghom have gone up in recent years (like most of HK). You can still find accomodation below 10K for sure but some cheaper and / or well located area to consider within 30 mn of Kowloon Tong could be To Ka Wan (next to HungHom and a lot more local), Olympic (10K will be hard but doable), ShamShuiPo/MongKok/Prince Edward (rather old buildings in poor conditions BUT a few properties are quite nice), Diamon Hill (a few nice estates), Tseun Kwan O, Tseun Wan as also a few good buildings, Shatin...the list is basically endless.


  4. #14

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    since you are looking at a budget of $9k exclusive, that puts your actual budget at around $10k when management fees etc are paid by the landlord.


  5. #15

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    Apr 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mat:
    Tseun Kwan O
    Come on Mat, no April Fools yet, don't point this guy in that direction.

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Mat:
    First of all there are very various stages of development within the Whampoa Garden (you have Whampoa estate, Whampoa garden....), second of all it is local but you will find a fair amount of foreigners living there and finally not all locals are noisy and cook smelly food....the stereotypes on this forum are really really annoying sometimes.
    .
    You are totally right but a bit sensitive. Chances of noise pollution and that lovely wok grease are much higher in local estates than places like Harbourview/front/Metropolis. Much of it has to do with the way the buildings are constructed and how many people live in a flat e.g. you can easily have a local family of 4 living in a flat the same size in Whampoa as in 1 expat guy living in Metropolis. One will produce much more noise and go crazy with the cooking more and one will only use his flat for sleeping and eat out most meals.

  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Char Siu King:
    You are totally right but a bit sensitive. Chances of noise pollution and that lovely wok grease are much higher in local estates than places like Harbourview/front/Metropolis. Much of it has to do with the way the buildings are constructed and how many people live in a flat e.g. you can easily have a local family of 4 living in a flat the same size in Whampoa as in 1 expat guy living in Metropolis. One will produce much more noise and go crazy with the cooking more and one will only use his flat for sleeping and eat out most meals.
    Put that way, I agree.
    Char Siu King likes this.

  8. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by bookblogger:
    Come on Mat, no April Fools yet, don't point this guy in that direction.
    Well I do not like the place but it is 30 mn from KT and you can get 10K flats
    Skyhook likes this.

  9. #19

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    I'd want a landlord to pay me 10k to live in TKO.


  10. #20

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    Mongkok

    very convenient, 24 hour transport to pretty much everywhere in HK, shops open til late, shops that sell anything u could possibly want, loads of restaurants selling almost every type of food.

    the only problem is alot of people - this is usually at weekends, but then you can always go explore other places at weekends!

    for a budget of about 10k, you can probably get a decent flat on a high floor, so you're away from all the crowds, smells and noise