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  1. #41

    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Grüne Hölle (CWB)
    Posts
    1,463

    Living in CWB, my wife definitely needs the car more than I do. Maybe living close-in to Sai Kung it would have been different, bus she generally drives to Hang Hau every day for the grocery shopping and for going into "town" on the MTR (Park & Ride), and doing that from Sai Kung would have been more difficult, given the greater distance from the MTR and the traffic problems.

    Some people find CWB very isolating, especially if you're not working every day. It is just a residential area, after all, so you would need to find your "community" somewhere else. Creating a new network takes months and months...

    If you're the kind of person who likes your greenery and your open space, the Mid-levels are never going to do it for you. There are no parks like the ones in London. (Yes, there are a few parks--they're just not at all like the ones in London!) We lived well out of Central London so that we could have a nice garden, etc., and I'd never live in NYC for the same reason I had no interest in living in most places in Hong Kong. (DB was a non-starter for me, but mainly due to my being a petrolhead...)

    Definitely don't decide before you get here, though.


  2. #42

    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Lancashire, UK
    Posts
    25
    Quote Originally Posted by Lootoo:
    Living in CWB, my wife definitely needs the car more than I do. Maybe living close-in to Sai Kung it would have been different, bus she generally drives to Hang Hau every day for the grocery shopping and for going into "town" on the MTR (Park & Ride), and doing that from Sai Kung would have been more difficult, given the greater distance from the MTR and the traffic problems.

    Some people find CWB very isolating, especially if you're not working every day. It is just a residential area, after all, so you would need to find your "community" somewhere else. Creating a new network takes months and months...

    If you're the kind of person who likes your greenery and your open space, the Mid-levels are never going to do it for you. There are no parks like the ones in London. (Yes, there are a few parks--they're just not at all like the ones in London!) We lived well out of Central London so that we could have a nice garden, etc., and I'd never live in NYC for the same reason I had no interest in living in most places in Hong Kong. (DB was a non-starter for me, but mainly due to my being a petrolhead...)

    Definitely don't decide before you get here, though.
    Ok thanks for the info, I know I won't like high rise already and defo wanna be near shops/restaurants/community and village house with greenery!
    The plan is my husband to take the car to work so that's why I'd need to be near shops etc!!
    Been looking into DB keep reading it has a large ex pat community and shops etc close by!
    The only thing is the commute to TST seems like a right ball ache!
    Do u know how long it would take roughly?

  3. #43

    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Lancashire, UK
    Posts
    25

    [QUOTE=MovingIn07;1990597][QUOTE=dumbdonkey;1990333] i think its one of the dumbest thing ever to have lived in hong kong but not in a city apartment..


    I completely disagree. I would have refused to move to HK if apartments were all that were on offer. I've lived in apartments before (in Australia, near the city centre) and HATED it. I hated having neighbours on all sides, listening to their noise, the size of the place - that that was a LARGE duplex apartment (circa 1500sq ft).

    When I came here, I had to find somewhere that was large and affordable. So my solution was a boat in the Gold Coast marina. We have circa 2000 sq ft (net - since we include the whole thing). Lots of storage space. Fabulous community (much friendlier when you see people outside on the jetty and on the decks of their boats so often). Great clubhouse with excellent facilities. Access to the Sino GC resident buses for direct (no stop) access to Central, Airport, Tsuen Wan MTR and TST.

    OP - consider a boat if the village houses do not suit. YOu can find them in Discovery Bay, Gold Coast and Clearwater Bay. Don't worry if you are "not boat people" - you don't need to be. (we weren't). They
    are "floating houses" with lots of space, good community, good facilities (for example, lovely open-plan kitchens which are almost non-existant in many GC apartments).
    I'm with you on the high rise can't be doing with noisy neighbors and being so high up!
    Both not really practical with a toddler
    Boat sounds really interesting
    Can u recommend any websites advertising to rent boats?

  4. #44

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast Marina
    Posts
    17,934
    Quote Originally Posted by Poopoolala79:
    The only thing is the commute to TST seems like a right ball ache!
    Do u know how long it would take roughly?
    From DB - Central by ferry: 25 mins
    Walk from DB pier to star ferry pier - 2 minutes
    Ferry from Central to TST: 8 mins

    So - around 35 plus whatever time you need at each end to connect up. No worse than having to drive from Sai Kung - at least the ferries are reasonably relaxing and you don't have to deal with traffic.

  5. #45

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    14,624
    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    Ou can find them in Discovery Bay, Gold Coast and Clearwater Bay..
    Aberdeen too for example.

  6. #46

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast Marina
    Posts
    17,934
    Quote Originally Posted by Mat:
    Aberdeen too for example.
    I was told Aberdeen only had moorings rather than marina-based houseboats, but I could be wrong. Never been there to check it out.

  7. #47

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    14,624
    Original Post Deleted
    I think the major cause of congestion in HK is buses,minibuses, trucks, taxi...not private car (unless mistaken the % of the population who owns a car is relatively low).

    + increasing the prices will hurt who? the rich? nah bollocks they will still drive their Ferrari, Porsche, BMW...it will hurt the lower/middle class who need a car because they have 2 kids, live in the NT and work in Central as office clerk or something.
    Satay Sue likes this.

  8. #48

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    8,561

    i've got friends who did the commute to tst and it was NEVER as little as 35 minutes. 45-60 was more like it...


  9. #49

    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Lancashire, UK
    Posts
    25

    Ok thanks 35-45 mins fine but longer is starting to hurt a bit!!!!


  10. #50

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    8,561

    don't forget, you have to count getting to the ferry in db as well... so, more like:
    wait for bus to ferry: 5 minutes
    bus ride& walk to ferry: 5 minutes
    ferry to central: 30 minutes
    walk to star ferry 5 minutes (includes waiting to disembark from the ferry like cattle)
    wait for star ferry 5 minutes
    star ferry to tst: 8 minutes
    walk to work:?

    so, really it does work out closer to 1 hour from db to tst.... (i used to live in db....)

    whereas: driving from our house to TST is: country park to highway (sai sha road) 20 minutes. highway via eagle nest tunnel 20 minutes max.


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