So you all know where you actually live:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-LevelsThe Mid-levels is bound by Bonham Road, Caine Road, Upper Albert Road, Kennedy Road to the north, and Conduit Road to the south. In the west it extends as far as Hong Kong University, and in the east to the south of Wan Chai. It is mainly divided into East Mid-levels above Admiralty, Central Mid-levels above Central and Sheung Wan, and West Mid-levels above Sai Ying Pun.
You asked a few pages back about non-livable space. YES, it is normal to include it in listings. Pretty much everything is listed gross, and the non livable space can include anything - from lift lobbies to entire clubhouses.
As with every other comment - I'd suggest moving away from Mid-levels. If you can indicate your reason for looking at that location we can advise places with similar attributes.
Mid Levels is packed with expats so there are clearly many who think it's a great place to live and are prepared to pay the premium to live there. It's not everyone's cup of tea and there are other options but I can certainly see the appeal if you can walk to your work. Public transport is efficient but very crowded and if I can avoid being stuck in buses/taxis/trains at rush hour, it is worth quite a bit of money. Fortunately, that can still be done away from Midlevels...
If that's what you want and you're happy to compromise on the size/age of your flat then you certainly won't be alone there. Go and see for yourself and make up your own mind about it.
Yes, Mr SS had to be in work at 6.30am so for us Mid-levels was a no brainer - 9 mins walk from front door to office desk.
I used to work in The Center and it took me 9 minutes just to get from the base of the building to my office!! (2 sets of escalators, then an express elevator, then a local elevator)
Sent from my LT15i using GeoClicks Mobile