View Poll Results: Where should we live!

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4 days to experience HK!

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    38

    4 days to experience HK!

    Hi everyone,

    My company are paying for my wife and I (we don't have kids) to visit HK for 4 days at the start of November and we want to make the most of looking around. Would like to roughly split our time between 'experiencing' HK and checking out potential areas to live. Any suggestions on places to visit and/or experience?!?

    Part of the trip is going to be about convincing my trailing spouse about what HK has to offer as she is going to be giving up her job over here to make the move into the unknown.

    Housing wise our budget is HKD 50k per month and we are looking (perhaps unrealistically!) for a place to live with the following characteristics:

    - journey time <1hr (door to desk) to central and/or TST
    - proximity to places where we could go for weekend bike rides
    - ground floor living and/or terrace/small garden (partly because we have a very outdoor cat so an apartment isn't going to work, partly because we are used to a house in the UK).
    - near to a gym
    - not toooo quiet

    Thanks in advance!


  2. #2

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    8,561

    be warned about your "outdoor" cat.... snakes abound in hk, especially in the greener areas (although they have been known to be found in the midst of the hustle and bustle of hk)

    i would look at sai kung.

    there is:
    ~lifestyle fitness for a gym, small and personal (not a huge chain, it's family run)
    ~you will get an entire house (2100'+) with a garden and rooftop garden as well
    ~country parks at your doorstep, lots of hiking, although bike riding is not leisurely, there are lots of hills
    ~there are pubs in Sai kung, but even if you want more exciting, LKF and wanchai are just a cabride away
    ~ you may decide on buying a second-hand car so that you can explore the rest of hk on the weekends(don't think i would drive it to town everyday, would get expensive. if you are on the "town-side" of sai kung, then there are plenty of mini-buses to take you to the MTR station)


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    50

    Hey Matt,

    Have a great trip! 4 days is really cramming it but you'll have a great time (if you like HK! It's a love-it-or-hate-it kind of city, very little in between).

    I'd recommend spending one day going through Hong Kong Island - Central and Causeway Bay at least.
    One day exploring Kowloon... (if your wife is into fabrics, check out Sham Shui Po).
    One day in Cheung Chau with some rental bikes (ride along the island to the windsurfing cafe near the helicopter pad).
    And the other day... doing whatever!
    www.DiscoverHongKong.com has some cool activities that can be very interesting, and also has loads of info on HK.

    Housing : 50K a month should get you a place in Central, or close to where you work, and afford you a decent size with patio/balcony in close proximity to everything.
    50k out a little further (near to Sai Kung) and I've got friends who have, (at exactly 50k a month), a five storey house with a big patio, spacious living, four bedrooms three bathrooms (including rooftop bedroom with private patio and ensuite) right on the seafront by the quay.
    Also, for 10K a month they have a helper and driver (husband/wife couple).
    But you may like Happy Valley - which is close to Causeway Bay but not right in the throe of things.
    Living also depends on whether you will have or want a car.

    HK is so convenient, anywhere you are, because it's so small and public transport is a dream.

    Catching a ferry over to Cheung Chau or other outlying islands is a nice way to spend the weekend - Cheung Chau is a fave for renting bikes and relaxing along the paved beachfront path.

    Have a look - I'm sure you'll find everything quite close by compared to the UK.

    Best of luck.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    124

    you could live on one of the islands like lamma or chung chau and get a village house with an open roof for your cat. but there are lots of snakes in hk, so roofs and terraces are better than gardens.


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    38

    Thanks to everyone who has replied so far, very helpful!

    Love HK or hate it, the people sure seem friendly and we haven't even been there yet


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    23,205

    As the others have said, either your cat becomes an indoor cat or its life expectancy is probably days rather than weeks.

    Otherwise I wouldn't try to make any decisions in 4 days - it's good for a first look round, but you really need at least a couple of weeks to decide on the area you want to live and to find a place. Get a serviced apartment or hotel for 2-3 weeks when you move over (try to negotiate this with your employer) and do the serious hunting then.


  8. #8

    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    38

    One question, with Sai Kung or CWB how easy is it to get into Kowloon or Central? Is it a case of getting the MTR or some combination of buses and the MTR?


  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    23,205

    Buses/minibuses and MTR generally. But it depends where in Kowloon (that's a big area).


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Ex Sai Kunger Sunny Qld for now
    Posts
    8,318

    Hey Matt, great little community website >> Explore Sai Kung handled by one of its long term western residents.

    For your intended budget you could get a pretty fab 2100 ft2 house in MARINA Cove, inc roof top terrace, 2 private car spaces at your entrance door, balcony and a rear court yard overlooking the pontoons.

    Hang Hau MTR is relatively close to Marina cove, and you are close to Sai Kung Town for expat socialising.

    Costa Bello (1400ft2) is another fab complex, around 38K for a ground floor, Sai Kung harbour view, patio / private court yard included and parking included. A short walk from SK town 5 minutes from seafood restaurants.

    There are a whole stack of real estate agents right by the Starbucks also, but if you only have 4 days, you are going to need a very proactive agent, as Sai Kung is quite a big area in itself.

    Sai Kung is a pretty laid back community, a pretty sociable bunch of people,just like one big seaside village back home. It doesn't have that anonymous feeling that the city area's do....You'll feel welcome .

    Last edited by Skyhook; 04-10-2009 at 05:57 PM.

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