Living with children in HK, working in Central

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  1. #1

    Living with children in HK, working in Central

    Hello,

    We've been looking for places to live with children in HK, while both of us will work in Central area.

    Discovery Bay was the first place that was suggested to us, as it has nice beaches and is perfect for children to grow up.
    However, we found that although there's plenty of transportation means, the commute to Central is quite tedious. First you need to take the bus to the ferry if you do not live in a place near the plaza (most units near the plaza are too small and very expensive - we need 4 bedrooms).
    Then the ferry ride, which is advertised to last 25min only, we found posts that say this is only true under optimal conditions. After arriving at Central Pier, you need to take MTR or busses to the workplace. So door-to-door the commute could turn out to be more than 1 hour - too long for a working couple who wants to have dinner with their kids in the evening. Moreover, the ferry goes back to DB only every 30min in the evening, so quite unfortunate if you miss it. Therefore, we'd appreciate if you could answer us 2 questions:

    1) Does anyone have better suggestions where to live with kids in HK as an alternative to Discovery Bay? Kids should have a nice place to play outside with other kids, area should have schools, but commute to Central should be possible in 30-40min door-to-door. Any ideas?

    2) Moreover, we have a question about transportation fees. After calculating what it would cost us only to commute from DB-Central, we wondered if there is anything like annual general transportation tickets, which you pay for once, but can use any transportation for a full year. Such tickets exist in Switzerland, and for the cost of DB-Central for a full year, you could almost buy a first-class 1-year general transportation ticket in Switzerland!

    Many thanks for any of your inputs!

    Oh, and btw, we do not mind living in a more "local" area since I speak Cantonese.

    Last edited by swissabroad; 16-07-2009 at 04:56 PM.

  2. #2

    Join Date
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    Options for districts depends on one thing for most people - budget. What's yours?


  3. #3

    HKD 30'000 - 40'000
    Thanks.


  4. #4

    I have been living in DB for around 6 months and love it...

    Perfect for the wife and daughter, great lifestyle at weekends. Good sense of community

    The commute doesn't bother me at all and I work in Wanchai. Takes approx 75 minutes door to door. My old job in the UK I used to have a 260 mile round trip each day (Derby to Heathrow), so sitting on a airconditioned ferry for 30 minutes plus a couple of buses / MTR is no hardship at all...

    I manage my time well and am easily at home to spend time with the family each evening. I am the boss though, so I can go when ever I please.

    Hope this helps rethink about DB.

    Last edited by Christickler; 16-07-2009 at 05:33 PM.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    For your budget, as long as you dont mind a 1100sqft, 3 bedroom apartment, I would suggest Celeste Court in Happy Valley.

    Nice facilities, minutes from indoor and outdoor playgrounds lots of kids around.

    Here are couple of links:
    Property Search - Square Foot
    Celeste Court , High rise building, rent, 12 Fung Fai Terrace, Happy Valley | Fortune Express Property Agency

    HC


  6. #6

    Thank you for your inputs!

    We also considered Kennedy Town, although properties there seem a little above our budget, but due to the depressed real estate market some negotiation is certainly possible when leasing for longer term.

    What is your opinion about Kennedy Town and about negotiating on the price?


  7. #7

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    i lived in db for 6 years and LOVED it... didn't find the commute too long at all. it is a 5 minute bus ride to the ferry, then you get straight onto the ferry and it departs (usually). i only had the ferry take longer than 25 minutes on a handful of occasions. if you are working in central, then you wouldn't need another bus, you would just walk from the ferry. the ferry was great because it was "wind-down" time built into the day. as for only every 30 minutes... you KNOW what time the ferry leaves, you just make sure you are on it. not a big deal. thousands of people do it everyday. (i am also a parent of 2, so i know about wanting to spend time with my kids.)

    i have found, generally speaking, that other commutes in hk can be just as long because you are stuck in traffic. at least with the ferry, you are NEVER stuck in traffic.

    as for a 'YEARLY PASS', they don't exist. for the ferry to/fro db, you can buy a 50-trip pass. for most other forms of transport you use an OCTOPUS CARD that can be topped up at various locations around hk. there is often a small discount for using the card.


  8. #8

    Thumbs up

    Hi Carang,

    Thank you for your valued advice. May I ask in which DB village you live?

    I will work near HSBC main building/Bank of China Tower, so it's either a 10 - 15min. walk from the Central Pier or a bus ride, not sure how frequent busses would run from there.

    DB is still an option that hasn't died for us, it seems like people who live there love it despite the commute. And yes, you are right that there is no traffic jam on the ferry. However, we would have to find out how long our working hours will be and if our bosses tolerate leaving home early. As we both work, it is important that at least one parent comes home earlier in the evening to be with the kids, otherwise...

    In terms of getting housing in DB, what would you recommend? Contact the real estate agents that advertise on the internet such as gohome.com.hk, or is there a better way?


  9. #9

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    you could look at:
    la vista (up a hill, but easy walk down to the ferry)
    onda court (3 minute walk to ferry ~ high rise)
    seahorse/seabird etc, easy walk to the ferry, too


    walking to HSBC would probably be the best as it is covered walk-way most of the way and again, you won't be stuck in traffic


    if you really don't like db, then i'd say try happy valley, but again you'll easily spend 30 minutes stuck in traffic trying to get home. commuting via taxi would cost jsut as much as using the ferry to db.

    personally, as someone who drives, i would HATE to have to work in central every morning and have to get there via public transport(including taxis) or even driving myself. it can be a real nightmare. what normally would take 5 minutes can easily take 30+ minutes.

    in which case, it wouldn't be much different than catching the ferry.


  10. #10

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    For your budget and your desires, you are pretty stuck to be honest. I'll put a plug in for the Gold Coast - it's great for greenery and places to play, but it's not that much quicker and I have no idea about schools here. The bus ride in the morning is circa 35 minutes, less than 5 min to get to the bus and it stops about a 5 minute walk from the HSBC main building (I work twice as far away as that and it would never occur to me to get in a bus or taxi, walking is MUCH easier!). But as others have stated, there is a risk of traffic and a slower commute (mine was 50 mins door to door this morning but it can take over an hour).

    You might find something in Sham Tseng - it's got beaches and lovely outdoor restaurants but I really don't know if you can find large places or again anything about schools.

    To be honest, when I hear what you want and knowing other places in HK, I don't think you will do better than DB, at least for the first year until you get settled.


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