Where to live? Stanley, Discovery Bay?...

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  1. #1

    Where to live? Stanley, Discovery Bay?...

    My family and I are moving to Hong Kong in February as my husband is being transferred from London. So I am just trying to research which areas are best. My husband will be working but I will not unless I manage to find babies to teach swimming to. So as a stay at home mum with my 2 1/2 year old son, I'm wondering where would be the best areas to meet other mums in similar situations.

    Any ideas, recommendations would be greatly appreciated. All I know is I want a place that has a swimming pool and is a friendly neighbourhood with pre-schools nearby!
    x


  2. #2

    Join Date
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    How much are you budgeting for rent and where is your husband's office (or more importantly, what is his tolerance level for a commute?


  3. #3

    Our rent will be between 50-60,000 HKD a month. My husband will be working in the business district. I'm sure he would commute up to about 45 mins or so, but really we have decided its up to me where we live as its me who will be there all day with just my 2yo trying to meet new people, and me who is giving up my much loved job here!


  4. #4

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    There are several "business districts", so something more precise would be helpful. The standard advice is really to get a serviced apartment (or hotel) for the first 2-3 weeks here while you have a look around and get a feel for the different areas. There are mothers with kids, and expats, in pretty much every area of Hong Kong.


  5. #5

    He will be working in the IFC building, not sure if that means anything to you? Yes we are going to be in a serviced apartment for a month or so and then I'll have a look at different areas, I just wasn't sure if there were particular areas people would recommend, thanks for the info.


  6. #6

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    Yes - IFC is clear (there are in fact two office buildings - IFC1 and IFC2, but they are adjacent). Possible areas to look at include Discovery Bay (served by ferry from just outside IFC), (western) Mid-Levels (direct escalator connection to IFC), Stanley/Repulse Bay (direct bus connection to IFC), ...

    Really there are many choices - IFC sits on top of an MTR station and a major bus station, so commuting to it is possible from many areas.


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Feb 2010
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    Happy Valley is nice there are a few club houses (jockey club, south china sports association...) where they have pools, tennis courts etc
    Stanley is beautiful but if something happens to either of the roads then you can get stuck in the traffic for ages

    discovery bay is great if you want to stay close to the expat community. happy valley i think has a better mix of expats / local and is much easier to go to different places in hk than DB


  8. #8

    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    I am in the same situation, but lucky for me I have travelled to HK every 6 weeks. I finally decided on DB. I have a 4yo and the 30min ferry commute to Central (ie IFC) wasnt that bad. The community @ DB was quite nice. I liked the fact there was 2 lifestyle clubs one with a big 50m swimming pool and being an aussie the beachside location suits us.

    As for your rental allowance - you would get a very nice villa on DB for that amount per month. I am not so lucky only have 20k to spend but i found a great apartment 2bedrooms 900sq ft with open kitchen in DB. There are some pre-schools/kindy in DB as well as 2 schools. The vibe was nice when I was there ( a week ago) after school all of the children get together depending on what apartment block they reside at and they play out the front (there are play structures in front of most blocks). I really liked the fact that my daughter may have more friends then I!
    Otherwise you may like the mid-levels of HK. I just didn't want to be on a bus from Stanley. But i guess if the weather is bad, I can always work from home in DB if the ferries are not working.

    Good Luck, PM me if you need anymore info.

    Last edited by xoxodt; 24-11-2010 at 08:15 AM.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    Regarding DB, just bear in mind the only building that has its own swimming pool that is free for residents is Chianti (on the north side near the tunnel). All other buildings dont have a clubhouse and you will need to join the residents club (one in Plaza and one on north side). This is $400 per person per month ($800 for you and husband).


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    Quote Originally Posted by xoxodt:
    ...2 lifestyle clubs one with a big 50m swimming pool...
    Hi, are these the Marina and Golf Clubs?

    Quote Originally Posted by bdw:
    This is $400 per person per month ($800 for you and husband).
    Not anymore, I'm afraid. When I joined the club a year ago it cost me HKD 471/person/month. They have since further raised it to HKD 490/person/month.
    Posted via Mobile Device