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Serviced Apartments near Shatin or Kowloon Tong?

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  1. #1

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    Serviced Apartments near Shatin or Kowloon Tong?

    Hello Everyone!
    My husband and I will be moving to HK in a few months for a couple of years due to his career and we wanna be prepared for this big move. We are thinking of renting a furnished apartment, preferably in the Shatin area or a bit further south around Kowloon Tong (as long as the place is near an MTR station, we're good).
    We would like to get a 2 bedroom apartment in a newer building, not too outdated furniture, and most importantly - no cockroaches or any other bugs. The budget we have in mind is not more than $20-25k per month. Is that realistic?

    We are not familiar with renting apartments in HK, but we've been to HK for holidays many times (my husband is HK Chinese, so, communication with the landlords won't be a problem). I did a lot of google searches and it doesn't seem that there are many serviced apartments in the area we're looking at... looks like most serviced apartments are near TST or on HK Island. We wouldn't mind living further south if the place is only 5-10 mins walking distance from the MTR, but we're concerned about the bad air pollution the further south we go (near TST and Hong Hum...).

    We know that there's the Horizon Suite Hotel in Ma On Shan, but that's a bit too far north and east for our liking, but we have not completed taken this building off our list. Does anybody live there and can tell us what it's like and how the Management of that building is? I read all these negative stories in this forum about its sister buildings in Hong Hum and I'm not sure if the Horizon properties are any good...?

    Thanks so much in advance for reading my long thread and for your replies.


  2. #2

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    I stayed in the HarbourHorizon before and it was the most competitive priced serviced apartment around. Its not for everyone but they are clean, cookie cutter type apartments. The extra facilities were great tough and the pool huge. Don't believe how cheap they are, they are generally 17-20k a month. The second bedroom is very small too.

    After 6 months I moved out to something alot cheaper.


  3. #3

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    You won't find a noticeable change in pollution anywhere - only the direct roadside pollution is slightly different, the main (often invisible) pollution is everywhere. Where will you be working? If near Shatin, the Ma on Shan is extremely convenient. Otherwise, limiting yourself to serviced appts (unless just for a month while looking for a proper place) is REALLY limiting your choice. Cheaper and easier to get a proper appt and just rent furniture or buy some cheap stuff.


  4. #4

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    Thanks everyone for your replies.
    My husband will be working in the Shatin area and we need to be close to an MTR station.
    Guess the pollution comes with life in HK... :-(
    Thanks MovingIn07 for the tip. We also thought about renting a regular unfurnished apartment and buy Ikea furniture. Those furnished apartments are probably equipped with the same Ikea furniture anyway, and we'd pay much more in monthly rent.
    Does anybody have any recommendation of any well maintained, newer apartment buildings, that we could consider? Any help is greatly appreciated.:-)


  5. #5

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    There IS an MTR at Ma On Shan although why you are limiting yourself to being close to one is quite odd. The bus system in HK is at least as good (and for some locations better) than the MTR and usually more comfortable. That area is peppered with minibus services running around the towns and connecting to the MTR so pretty much any estate would be well connected. I'll leave others to comment on the specific buildings as I'm over the other side of the NT (nowherwe near an MTR). Best bet is to get a serviced appt or hotel for a couple of weeks and look around in person when you arrive. Property is neither well represented nor accurate on the internet - ignore ALL photos as they are probably doctored or only "artist impressions".


  6. #6

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    cockroaches here are not a sign of filth... this is a subtropical climate... cockroaches are everywhere...

    the 299 bus runs from sai kung, through ma on shan to shatin. i can get from sai kung to shatin in about 30-40 minutes on the bus. to drive it only takes me 30 minutes.


  7. #7

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    Just to back up what Cara said about cockroaches - they are not a sign of filth, but of the climate. And many of the larger ones can fly. They are also excellent compost making machines, so you will often get them if you are living close to a country park or other area with lots of leaves, bark & bugs to chomp through.


  8. #8

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    Ok, I'm completely terrified now by those comments that say that cockroaches are "everywhere"... I have been to HK several times and stayed with relatives for quite some time and I have never seen a single cockroach in their homes... So, I don't believe that I will have to get used to living with roaches once I move to HK. I am sure that there are apartments out there that are not infested with roaches or other bugs...
    Currently living in a big city in Canada where mice are in every corner of downtown (yes, I do live in the middle of downtown) and even in some houses, I have never seen a mouse in my home, nor in my family's/ friends'. All I'm trying to say is that just because bugs/pests are on the streets, I do not believe that I will have to live with them in my home...
    We're not looking for a place at Ma On Shan, but anywhere in Shatin or Kowloon that is near an MTR. I only mentioned Ma On Shan as the Horizon hotel is there and that was the only serviced apartment building that I was able to find near Shatin while researching the internet.
    If somebody who lives in a cockroach-free building near an MTR station in Shatin or Kowloon and can recommend an apartment building, that is greatly appreciated. Thx!


  9. #9

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    You do know that ma on shan IS "near Shatin on an MTR line" don't you? I give up. Actually COME HERE and look around. Perhaps you might figure some stuff out for yourself and then rephrase your questions accordingly.


  10. #10

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    M07, I'm confused. You tell OP to rent a serviced apartment for a while and she asked about renting a serviced apartment! You can see where this is going.

    As the OP has discovered there is only one set of serviced apartment in the area. Ma On Shan is actually a part of Shatin. The Horizon Suite is around a 5 to 10 min walk from MTR station, which is on the MOS line. So how you'd husband would travel would depend on where his work
    location actually is in Shatin.


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