Where to live in HK for 1 year? Sheung Wan?

[laterhenrik]

I am moving in November on a 1 year assignment. I am a single man, 44, and my company is paying up to 28,000 HKD/month for a flat, I will be working in Central. Looking for a 2 bed (one small guestroom for friends visiting will do), ideally furnished (which I am told is not very common). I am supported by a relocation agency but would like the expat perspective.

I like occasionally going out etc, but also cherish peace and quiet (which I understand can be a challenge in HK!) occasionally, especially on a Sunday (showing my age, no doubt!). Big question is where to live for a year: mid levels, Wan Chai and Sheung Wan have been suggested. Sheung Wan sounds like it might be what I am looking for? If there are gay-friendly bars in the area that'd be a bonus. Anyone any suggestions, thoughts or alternatives?


Any advice will be most gratefully received.

[scrambler]

yeah shueng wan has a lot of gay bars - I have a friend who calls bingo in drag there on a sunday night...

HK is tiny tho.. so walkin to Central from shueng wan is easy..

U could maybe try lookin around Square Street - or maybe the lower part of Aberdeen street.. turn left an the area around gough street may suit a Gentleman of your persuasion

[Claire ex-ax]

Sheung Wan has its good points and its bad ones. It is densely populated. Older part of Hong Kong undergoing development with construction works along with some gentrification creeping in. To give you an idea of the density...

[laterhenrik]

Many thanks, scrambler, much appreciate the response. I tend to have a very mixed group of friends, and hope to replicate that in HK, so definitely not looking for an 'exclusively gay scene' but different ways of meeting different people in a friendly environment. Thanks again.

[laterhenrik]

Thanks, Claire. My reading suggested it was a bit more authentic than Mid Levels, and good access to Central and Soho etc., so sounded like a good base to experience HK for a year. Twickenham it certainly ain't! :-) Thank you for your reply.

[MovingIn07]

How far are you willing to commute? Your relocation agency will probably not even mention to you that there are, shock horror, loads of places to live off the island! They will also not show you anything low cost (not that you may want this). However, if you want peace and quiet, you will need to travel. But it CAN be achieved in Hong Kong. Could you convert your housing allowance into a mix of housing plus a car allowance? Because if yes, then plenty of places within 30 mins drive of Central are then opened up. If you don't have a car, those places are perhaps 10-30 mins further away (depending on exact location and choice of transport). I live in Gold Coast, which is quiet and where 28k would get you a huge place, but it's 30 mins (by car) or more like 45 mins by public transport (shuttle bus plus MTR). I have no clue if we have a gay scene here. Closer are places like Sham Tseng which has a direct bus to Central taking around 30 minutes. That also has a nice ambiance, beaches, restaurants and an international supermarket. You might also consider Park Island, which has a direct Ferry to Central taking about 25 minutes. It's a car-free place and many who are looking for a more relaxed weekend swear by it (other says it's lacking facilities - one man's peace is another man's hell!).

You could also look in the other direction - on the South of HK island. Places like Stanley for example may suit (note that Stanley fills up with tourists every weekend though). Or even Sai Kung area - another lovely place to live well within your budget, and with it's own vibe and many expats - but not particularly conveient for Central depending on the exact spot and route. That also gets touristy at weekends, but in a manageable way mainly.

Best bet is to get a serviced appartment for a couple of weeks and travel around here and look at the districts. Don't make any decisions before you arrive. If your relocation consultant is the "typical" type, I would ditch them soon as. But if they appear to be actually helpful and capable of thinking outside the box, at least they might be able to drive you around! (Having said that, using public transport gives you a better feel for how far out places are in practice).

Good luck.

This post is not to say ignore HK island, but just to highlight that if you ARE really looking for quieter weekends there are options, and actually, you pay less for peace and quiet, but you do pay for it in commute. Your choice.

[TrailingWife]

Our relocation agent was pretty good - drove us around and only showed us places that met our size/rooms/budget criteria (although 1 place was way under budget and dire). She showed us different areas of interest, gave us a real feel for the place and told us all the public transport options. So they can be good if you give them parameters to work within. We might have just been lucky though!

[Elegiaque]

Jervois Street in Sheung Wan evidently has some gay bars which open up at night. I'd recommend looking at the places on Tai Ping Shan Street from Central towards Sheung Wan. Very quiet, almost exclusively pedestrian street. You can walk straight to Central in less than 10 minutes along it. Nice atmosphere and generally a relaxing place in HK.

[RobRoy]

Just because the gay scene hangs out in a certain place, doesn't really mean you need to live on top of it though?

If you rent something for 25 and kick in another 3k the landlord usually will help you furnish it for you. Your budget is a bit tight for good location and nice apartment in the size you are looking for. Either sacrifice a bit on size/standard/location and you should be fine finding something in the areas mentioned. Or you can find a really nice place in a cheaper area.

[Beanieskis]

Use the relocation agent to show you around, but then go on your own to flat hunt. Do not tell the agents you have a housing allowance - you will get more for your money.

28k will easily get you what you want in a good location, though it won't be huge.