Harbourside, The Arch, or Sorrento

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  1. #11

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    TST
    Posts
    43

    Just moved to the Arch... and love it!


  2. #12

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Very Happy in Happy Valley
    Posts
    359

    i live at the arch too... and loving it aswell!


  3. #13

    Hi Guys,

    I am really interested to hear some more from current residents of The Arch (or Harbourside and Sorrento).I will be moving to HK in mid-May, early June (depending on when my work visa will come through) for 12 - 18 months. Work will initially be in Lai Chi Kok (likely to be moving in Sept to larger premises but not sure where yet). I have been thinking about looking at these apartment blocks when I arrive as possible places to live. I expect to be working very long hours for at least the first six months, so am looking for a convenient, comfortable place to live with shops and transport close by - nice neighbours to socialise with will be an added bonus!

    I would appreciate any advice you have on the following:

    1) Club House / Gym facilities and opening hours?
    2) Current rental prices for a 2 bedroom apartment? I am single but already friends queuing up to visit.
    3) Likelihood of finding a furnished apartment? As I am coming for a short period of time, I don't really want to send all my furniture over. Work will pay for accommodation but I am not yet sure if this extends to furniture hire - I might be able to wrangle it if furnished places are not very common.
    4) What are the kitchen facilities like? I like to cook so a decent kitchen is quite important to me.
    5) Opening hours of shops etc surrounding the apartments.

    Thanks in advance for any assistance you may be able to give. I have read tons of threads but given the age of some, I would really like some real-time feedback .


  4. #14

    [QUOTE=MissLucy;349895]Hi Guys,

    "am looking for a convenient, comfortable place to live with shops and transport close by - nice neighbours to socialise with will be an added bonus!"

    This area of Harborside-Arch-Sorrento is perfect for that. You live above the train station and from there it's just a few minutes to Central. In the mall there is a movie theater, music / video store and bookstore, in addition to the loads of high-end stores. There's also semi-organic grocery where you can buy ready made meals there as well, admittedly expensive, but it's nice to have after a long day. Plenty of resident activities as well, but I've never done any of that as I tend to meet plenty of people in the gym or at the coffee lounge in the Sorrento. You can also socialize with people at one of the bar /restaurants on the roof level of the mall.

    I would appreciate any advice you have on the following:

    1) Club House / Gym facilities and opening hours?

    Sorrento is open a bit late, 8:30 AM I think, and is open only until 9. Not ideal for people who work long hours but there is talk that this will be changed soon.

    2) Current rental prices for a 2 bedroom apartment? I am single but already friends queuing up to visit.

    This is too tough to answer, really. It depends on lots of things- the landlord, for a start. Also, while the rents have been going down a bit since the downturn, what you pay is still to some degree dependent on which type of place you choose. ex: A view of Victoria Harbor will set you back more than if you're looking at the street on the other side. I don't know what the rents are like at Harbourside or the Arch, but you can probably find a two bedroom (mind you, the second bedroom in HK is typically not much bigger than a good sized closet) for anywhere between 18 - 25 K per month.

    3) Likelihood of finding a furnished apartment? As I am coming for a short period of time, I don't really want to send all my furniture over. Work will pay for accommodation but I am not yet sure if this extends to furniture hire - I might be able to wrangle it if furnished places are not very common.

    No problem. HK is a pretty transient place for expats to live and the local market gets this. Loads of furnished places available. You can even tell your apartment broker that you need, say, another end table in your bedroom and often they will work it out with the landlord.

    4) What are the kitchen facilities like? I like to cook so a decent kitchen is quite important to me.

    This won't be good news for you. Hong Kong kitchens are typically very small and having an oven, while not entirely unheard of, is rare. I feel your pain as I too love to cook. I have turned my kitchen into a veritable gizmo expo because of it. I've got electric convection ovens and toaster ovens and George Foreman / Jackie Chan indoor grills taking up most of the cabinet space. Still, it doesn't take the place of a good, old fashioned oven.

    You're more likely to find an oven at one of the expat-centric enclaves like Discovery Bay or something like that and even then it''s still a rarity. Most of the places that I've looked at here in HK have cabinets under the stove instead. Many kitchens have a small laundry washer / dryer combination in the kitchen, so at least that's something. Of course, it takes about 3 days to properly dry a load and after a while you'll find yourself trying to find the sunniest place in the house to hang wet clothes

    5) Opening hours of shops etc surrounding the apartments.

    The shops in the shopping mall below Harbourside/Arch/Sorrento are open until anywhere from 9 - 11 PM, depending on the store. The grocery store and, I believe, 7-11 are open until 11 PM. If you need a 7-11 that's open all night, there's one that is about a 10 minute walk. Fortunately, late night walks are pretty safe here in HK. You can get food delivered by plenty of places until at least 3 AM if you have a mind to.

    Hope this helps and welcome to HK.

    Gary

    Last edited by srvblooze; 13-04-2009 at 10:51 AM.

  5. #15

    Wink

    Wow - that is great Gary, thanks very much.

    I am having a hard time trying to decide where to live but this area is looking better and better.

    Bummer about the kitchen and oven - I guess I may have to put my baking on hold for a year (I am sure my hips will be thanking HK for the lack of ovens in no time!)


  6. #16

    I will be working in ICC before long, so my girlfriend and I are strongly considering either The Arch or The HarbourSide (I had counted out The WaterFront and especially Sorrento but let me know if I should reconsider). Are any of these buildings at all expat centric? I am not looking for Soho, but don't wanna be the only young foreigners at the pool . . . If not, we may just suffer the commute to patradise at the Bel-Air No. 8 fully furnished for less money . . .

    Last edited by Linguini75; 16-11-2009 at 05:18 PM.

  7. #17

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    3

    I need an apartment for rent in either sorento, waterfront or harbourside. 2-3 bedrooms. If you have anything available, please contact me. no agents. bob+giulia 92255571. [email protected]


  8. #18

    Kowloon Station is brilliant to live, you can consider The Arch or the new one called The Cullinan, both of them look amazing and grand. However, it is difficult to look for short term apartment in the area as Hong Kong is used to have at least a year lease. If less than a year, you may have to look for the Service Apartment, there is one called Harbourview Place there and is really great and nice. Besides, transportation and shopping is brilliant at Kowloon Station.