Commute (non office hours) from Gold Coast/Kowloon Station...

Posted by RachRobin (212 days ago)

We currently live in a great 1 bdrm flat in Wan Chai, but we are now having a baby mid next year and I feel the need to move to something with more space and facilities (i.e. swimming pool and garden areas). I have been looking at the Gold Coast marketing, which seems almost too good to be true. Our ideal budget is 10,000 - 13,000k, as I will no longer be working.
My husband works in Kowloon (above Kowloon MTR station) on the Tung Chung MTR line. Can anyone tell me how long it would take him to commute? He is a chef, so the hours are not standard - he would need to be at work around 10.30am and would not be coming home until 11pm - 12am. So I amnot sure if the Gold Coast cshuttle would cater for that. He sometimes has a break from 3pm - 6pm - would it be feasible for him to come home in this space of time?
Are there any similar areas we should consider? My main concern is to be somewhere I can enjoy having a baby, easy to get around with a pram and a generally friendly environment - which is not what I experience in Wan Chai!

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Posted by Billyboy2 (212 days ago)

Live on the Kowloon side. This will be easier and cheaper.

Posted by RachRobin (212 days ago)

Is there anywhere you would reccommend?

Posted by 190k (212 days ago)

have a look at Fairview Park good transport facilities and great club house with gym and pool. all houses come with a garden

Posted by Jalous Uranus (211 days ago)

There are several places on the Olympic Station. Should be something available at your price range.

Posted by Kingswood Country (211 days ago)

190K, I don't think Fairview park is a particularly logical offering if RachRobin are yearning a bay side view location.

We live a couple of streets away from the Gold Coast Residences, which is actually the Sham Tseng - Siu Lam area of Tuen Mun. Most of the sparsely scattered apartment towers follow the contour of the Castle Peak Bay, all backing onto a mountain range, and one of the quietest/cleanest neighbourhoods you'll find in the NT. Theres also a large Aussie population that lives in the Gold Coast area, mainly airline families, the odd FC and quiet a few NET teachers.

Rents are roughly around:
$7000 - $9000 will get you a 800 - 950FT2 seaview apartment
$16000 get you a 1386 ft2 right on the bay full seaview inc car park in Siu Lam
$23,500 will get you a 1456ft double storey duplex with Marina view.
If you need a professional high standard of English Real Estate agent, I can offer one we found reccently, who is fantastic, PM me via Aisaxpat email, and I will pass her number on.


The Gold Coast Mall offers a pleasant weekend marina view environment to hang out under the brella's for a coffee or a carlsberg with mates, very laid back and relaxed, absolutely no rat race lifestyle mantra out here. Those who live here would also consider places like Sai Kung or Clear Water bay, Hebe Haven or Discovery Bay, as they all share topographical similarities.

Westerners mostly want a cafe strip, a place their friends can hang out in the sun, a nice view to enjoy a red wine or a latte. Fairview park offers nothing like that, just 100's of white town houses that all look the same jam packed hard up against one another in the middle of nowhere... Hmm not my cup of tea I am sorry to say.

Now as to getting to Kowloon MTR...

Hard to say how long it would take to get to Kowloon MTR, you most likely would have to get a bus to Tsuen Wan which takes about 20 minutes from the GCR, and then continue on from Tsuen Wan, so maybe allow 50 minutes to an hour all up door to door until you refine the commute time.

Sorry that I cant be more helpful re the commute to Kowloon MTR, but we travel to the Airport, which is a very simple 20 minute commute by Taxi or private car.

Try and get an apartment that has a supplied car space already included, there are a number of complex's besides the Gold Coast Residences, which are also in in the immediate area, you will likely get a car in the future, just like 95% of the rest of us lol.

As you can tell, I love where we live, and personally, short of moving to the south side of the island or Hebe Haven in Sai Kung, I wouldnt live anywhere else, and its a massive sea change compared to living in the inner city concrete jungle with all the noise, packed in tight with nothing but the neighbours laundry for a view...

Once you're out here you'll love having a view and nice relaxed area's to walk and shop, crowd free.

Posted by Big Pete (203 days ago)

I live in Gold Coast and here is my opinion for what it is worth.

I wouldn't kennel a dog here. The buildings are badly designed and cheaply made, the noise will drive you insane. The people upstairs from us spend all evening and often most of the morning stamping around, slamming doors and scraping furnature back and forth. We can usually tell what TV channel they are watching.

To put the trash in the trash chute, something the other residents of my floor seem unable or unwilling to do - resulting in a stinking room full of garbage, you have to go through 3 doors as well as your own front door. We can tell when our neighbours are doing their chores by counting the slams.

We are stuck here for another 6 months until the lease runs out but we are considering moving anyway and paying two rents, just to live somewhere that doesn't put my blood pressure through the roof.

As for the commute - 45 mins to the island is fairly optimistic, traffic usually stretches this to well over an hour, and the shuttles don't run all that often outside of the morning and evening rush hours.

In short - I wouldn't recomend Gold Coast to anybody, and I would actively try to talk any of my friends who mentioned moving here out of it.

Posted by Christian_Moore (200 days ago)

The area surrounding Gold Coast is actually very nice, I stayed at the GC residences for all of 5 days (although I had to pay for 1 month) while I was waiting for the ex-owners of my house move out. I agree that the regular towers are pretty grim, although can have very nice views, but I was still glad to get out. The large units that look like beach houses are much nicer but of course cost much more, but in relative terms offer better value.

Have a look at some of the other managed complexes in area.

In regards to commute time, I take the 962 bus and it gets to the Shun Tak centre in about 35 mins during morning rush hour, slightly quicker on a weekend.

Posted by allynz (200 days ago)

RachRobin - I currently live in Sham Tseng (previously living in SoHo) and I second much of what Kingswood Country had to say but I also agree with some of what Big Pete had to say about the actual Gold Coast. I would never want to live in the Gold Coast complex but alot of people live in that area but not the actual Gold Coast complex but no differentiation is made You should come and take a look at Sham Tseng. Do a search on this and other sites for 'Bellagio' - that is the name of the biggest complex and you will find lots of info about living here.

For your husband the 962b bus comes through regularly and stops just before the Western Tunnel which is at Kowloon Station I think so you could consider that - at his hours traffic would not be a problem.http://www.citybus.com.hk/eng/RouSer/RouteSearch/busroute_info.asp?route=962B++&routetype=D&company=5&routenumber=

Posted by Tash3 (195 days ago)

I live in Gold Coast but haven't had as bad experience as Big Pete but still won't recommend it. We moved here a year ago with our baby for the same reasons that you are thinking RachRobin but the unreliable transport and pathetic service from the leasing office is driving us to think of other options as soon as our lease is up. My husband works near Kowloon station in hospitality too (so crazy hours) and always finds the transport options provided at GC not sufficient and reliable. The hotel buses to TST which some people keep talking about are a first come first served basis with priority for hotel guests so it's never guaranteed. We also know of other people who have had similar experiences.

Posted by RachRobin (194 days ago)

Thanks Tash3 - nice to hear from someone in a similar situation!

Do you have an idea of where you will be looking next....interested to see what your next choice would be? Apart from the Gold Coast surrounding areas, we are thinking maybe the high rises around Olympic Station.

Cheers.

Posted by Tash3 (193 days ago)

I've looked at a few apartments in Tung Chung recently - mostly for the convenience of an MTR, great supermarket (well stocked Taste), an international preschool within walking distance and cheap rent. Haven't had much opportunity to check out club houses because the agent who showed us around was a bit useless. I have to say I didn't find "the" right apartment for me.

I also looked at places right above the Kowloon station - Sorrento and Waterfront. Sorrento had better facilities for children I thought but it's not exactly the spacious Gold Coast. I guess it really matters what is most important to you.

Posted by frenchfries (164 days ago)

RachRobin,

In the Gold Coast area, there are other clean and well-maintained apartment complexes other than the Gold Coast Residences. I have a close friend who lives in Aegean Coast that is directly opposite the Gold Coast shopping mall, and they love it there. The apartments offer a great view of the sea and the greens, depending on the unit you are in. There are also well-maintained pools (indoor & outdoor), a gym, children's playground, etc..

As for transportation to Kowloon station, you can take the 962 double decker bus that stops just outside the Aegean Coast that runs every 15-20 minutes, and once you figure out the routine, you can time yourself to get to the bus stop for when the next bus will arrive. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Kowloon station, which is the first stop off the highway.