French family planning to move to HK

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  1. #1

    French family planning to move to HK

    Hi everyone,

    We are a french family planning to move to HK in May-June 2011.
    My husband will be working in Quarry Bay.

    We have a 2,5 year old son and I'm up to give birth to a 2nd child.

    I would need some advice for the following :
    - where is it nice to live in Hong Kong, especially with Kids ? My husband do not really like high rise buildings...
    - what school for our 3 year old son who is not speaking english at the moment ? French School which is located in Sheung Wan ? Lou Pichoun in Stanley ? Woodlands schools... ? Others ? In fact the school location will also determine our accomodation location. But I also need to know where it is pleasant to live in order to book the school !

    Any advice are welcome !
    Many thanks in advance


  2. #2

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    Roughly what is your budget for accommodation? If you want to avoid high rise buildings then you will generally need either a long commute or a LOT of money for rent (meaning 10,000 Euros a month or more).


  3. #3

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    You could consider Sai Kung / Clear Water Bay. Most are village houses and it's close to Quarry Bay! If you live Silverstrand in Clear Water Bay. It only takes you less than 10 mins to the MTR and then it's few stops away from Quarry Bay. Ther are few international schools here too!


  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by milinehk:
    Hi everyone,

    We are a french family planning to move to HK in May-June 2011.
    My husband will be working in Quarry Bay.

    We have a 2,5 year old son and I'm up to give birth to a 2nd child.

    I would need some advice for the following :
    - where is it nice to live in Hong Kong, especially with Kids ? My husband do not really like high rise buildings...
    - what school for our 3 year old son who is not speaking english at the moment ? French School which is located in Sheung Wan ? Lou Pichoun in Stanley ? Woodlands schools... ? Others ? In fact the school location will also determine our accomodation location. But I also need to know where it is pleasant to live in order to book the school !

    Any advice are welcome !
    Many thanks in advance
    Depending on your budget (and based on the fact that a lot of French live in Stanley / Happy Valley - due to proximity of the French IS), I would recommend those 2 areas.

    Stanley has a village feel and is ideally located on the south side of the island (if your husband go to work early he will avoid all traffic congestion) and Happy Valley is where (for now at least) the FIS is (altough you are right the Kindergarden is in Sheung Wan) but you have good schools near by, Woodland being one of them.

    I would NOT recommend as a first time comer places like Sai Kung....they are very nice indeed but it requires some getting used to it (in terms of commute....).

    But then again Stanley / Happy Valley, will really depends a lot on your budget for accomodation. a 1100 sqf flat in a Mid/low rise building in HV is around 30 K a month (and 1100 sqf is GROSS not NET area)

  5. #5

    Thanks!

    Thanks for your answers !
    Regarding the budget, I don't know how much yet, I guess my husband's company will pay for it but I don't know the amount... So wait and see.

    I also heard of Discovery Bay, Pokfufam, Repulse bay... what do you think of these areas in comparison to Happy Valley and Stanley ?

    Thanks !


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by milinehk:
    Thanks for your answers !
    Regarding the budget, I don't know how much yet, I guess my husband's company will pay for it but I don't know the amount... So wait and see.

    I also heard of Discovery Bay, Pokfufam, Repulse bay... what do you think of these areas in comparison to Happy Valley and Stanley ?

    Thanks !
    If your husband works in Taikoo, I would not suggest Pokfulam and Discovery Bay - they are nice area (greenery, many foreigners....) but a bit far for him to commute.

    Repulse Bay is great (if you have the money). it's right next to Stanley and an even easier drive to the more central areas.

  7. #7

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    Mat - the commute to Taikoo / Quarry Bay is not too bad from Pokfulam. As long as you can avoid the peak hour commute (8:30 to 9:30 and 5:45 to 6:45), you can get there in about 25 mins from Belair on the 69 mini bus.


  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    Mat - the commute to Taikoo / Quarry Bay is not too bad from Pokfulam. As long as you can avoid the peak hour commute (8:30 to 9:30 and 5:45 to 6:45), you can get there in about 25 mins from Belair on the 69 mini bus.
    Ok, I trust you since you are living there unless mistaken

  9. #9

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    Yeah the timing is the issue, on clear roads it's a quick whizz down the expressway on an express bus or minibus but if you're going across Central in traffic it's a killer. In my experience the traffic's bad for a rather longer period of time than Shri suggests.

    That said there doesn't seem to be much reason to reccomend Pokfulam as it sounds like they'd be the wrong side of Central for both school and work. Why not look at the Tin Hau/Tai Hang/Fortress Hill/Quarry Bay end of town as it sound like it would be easier for both work and school. If you go up the hill a little way away from King's Road it's similar to Pokfulam (Tai Hang Road, Cloudview Road area etc.) and more convenient. Or even Sai Kung if you want more rural/village housey stuff.

    Of course Discovery Bay is another thing. If you like that kind of thing there's nothing down the Eastern side (or perhaps anywhere on this planet) that's quite like that. It's errr....unique.


  10. #10

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    Sep 2009
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    My former Sunday school students who attended FIS lived in Happy Valley, but the apartments there do tend to be a bit smaller and the buildings taller. Shiu Fai Terrace in Wanchai is up on the hill off Stubbs Road, which is also within an easy distance to FIS by public transport. The buildings there are older, and therefore the units tend to be larger, but also the buildings are not as tall - ~ 12 stories. From there, you can walk up to Bowen Road, which is a nice paved road with great views of the northern side of the island. There's also a children's playground just down the hill. You would also be within walking distance of the nearest Maternal and Child Health Clinic, from which pregnant women and pre-school children can get all their ante-natal visits, scans, tests, vaccinations, etc. for free. It is also close to shops, supermarkets and wet markets along Queen's Road East and you can take minibus 24M back directly in front of your doorstep!

    For schools, if you're pretty confident that the children will eventually be going to the french stream at the French International School, you might want to try some local schools. Just up the hill on Stubbs Road is Ling Nam Kindergarten, a lovely child-centered school which teaches in both Cantonese and English. Or if you're keen to immerse the child in learning Mandarin, I would recommend Kiangsu Chekiang School, a local independent school, which teaches all their subjects in Mandarin except for their English class. There are quite a few child of western/mixed culture backgrounds there.

    The Alliance Francaise is now in Wanchai.

    Welcome to Hong Kong and enjoy!