Posted by
dips1973
17 yrs ago
I will be moving to HK by end July/beginning Aug with wife and a 3.5yr kid. My office is in Wanchai. Can anyone suggest a good place to stay in HK island which will be an easy commute to office(less than 30mins by public transport) and also should have a good pre-primary international school. Rent can be upto 35K for a 2-3BHK apartment.
Thanks for all the help.
Please support our advertisers:
Happy Valley...lovely area, should get a decent flat for that amount, and there is a school called Bradbury in the area too
Please support our advertisers:
Bradbury Junior School is on Stubbs Road, though not much travel time from Happy Valley is not the same area. Its also a primary school so perhaps a 3.5 year old may not be quite ready for it just yet. Unless there is a nursery school in Happy Valley also named Bradbury??
Please support our advertisers:
thanks scotsgirlinhk, I checked Happyvalley in my last visit. Saw some apartments which were little older. Didn't quite like though. Saw some in South Horizon(ap lei chau) and Belcher's in Pok fu lam. Liked the apartments there. Do you have any idea about south horizon? are there good schools around that area? We also liked the school woodlands in the pok fu lam area. Do you have any idea how that school is?
Thanks for your quick response.
Please support our advertisers:
Gotta go with cara on South Horizons.
"you probably won't have any problem finding a kindergarten for your little one, it's primary school that you have to worry about!"
Indeed. Woodland is good across the board btw.
Please support our advertisers:
Hi Cara, I understand the concern about south horizon. However what we liked is bigger houses and lower rent (can get a 3BHK at 30K) apartments seafacing and lots of open space. I know happy valley is more upmarket and close to town. Someone told me on wednesday's its a nightmare as it is the racing day.
Please support our advertisers:
BTW how is south horizon for commuting to wanchai? any feedback on pokfulam?
Please support our advertisers:
dips1973, Woodland schools are good across the board. So no issues there. As for South Horizon, the commute to Wan Chai should be no biggie. Of course in rush hour things are always a bit congested.
And yes, Happy Valley is crowded on race day but if you work in Wan Chai the distance to be covered is very short.
I think few expats choose South Horizons because there are few expats there. You will find fewer "expat products" in the grocery stores and stuff like that. While there is nothing wrong living in a Chinese area, the culture shock is not to be trifled with.
Please support our advertisers:
Getting a cab can be a nightmare in Happy Valley though, your other option is the tram, which is really really slow and I think one or two minibuses. South Horzions is far better connected in terms of transportation, buses go at source to almost everywhere with the exception of perhaps NT. The other thing is South Horizons comes with swimming pools etc etc which you are unlikely to get on your budget in Happy Valley, if at all. Personally I prefer Happy Valley, South Horizons feels to urban and far to much concrete.
Please support our advertisers:
Getting to Wanchai from South Horizons and home will take much more than 30 mins during peak times. The tunnnel is terrible during the peak. Easily just 30 mins inside/surrounds of the tunnel. Race days are even worse.
Happy Valley is a better choice. Don't judge the outside of the buildings, they are just okay. The insides are nornally much better presented.
But if you are going to send your child to Pok Fu Lam, I suggest looking at flats in and around this area. Kennedy Town is okay.
Please support our advertisers:
"Don't judge the outside of the buildings, they are just okay. The insides are nornally much better presented. "
This is so true in HK. Sometimes buildings look really shabby on the outside and are very very nice on the inside.
Please support our advertisers:
You don't have to take a bus through the tunnel during rush hour or any other time to get to central and back from South Horizons there is a bus that goes round the other side of the island 91 I think is the number of the bus, Its quite relaxing during non peak times but you run into gridlock in the mornings on Connaught Road when you hit Sheung Wan which probably increases the length of the journey by a half. So not so convenient for Wanchai. That should clear up though when the new express way is built whenever that is. But definitely agree with property in Hong Kong you really can't judge a book by its cover and there are some lovely properties in Happy Valley.
Please support our advertisers:
Kennedy Road if you ask me is one of the most convenient places to live in Hong Kong.
Please support our advertisers:
Ap Lei Chau is just not very nice - I think everyone is trying to say it nicely... Happy Valley is indeed much better choice, so is Pokfulam... your choice of course - but i would not rush into it - wait and see what your family says maybe? Pokfulam has tons of good schools/pre-schools from what i understand (I dont live there - we are on South Side) and easy commute..
Please support our advertisers:
"Ap Lei Chau is just not very nice - I think everyone is trying to say it nicely."
I second that. ;)
As for the school location, HK Island is deceptively small so school commutes tend not to be an issue for most people.
Please support our advertisers:
oh come on now, its not that bad and it does have some plus points, they really should have thought about greening up the place a little when they first built it, there is far too much concrete. Its Li Ka Shing project, and that place didn't just spring up as part of urban sprawl, It was a planned development after all. What it lacks in charachter and charm though is made up by facilities, There are not that may places where you can rent a 500 square foot apartment for under 20K rent, have access to multiple swimming pools and gyms etc (though the gym is not great) and have transport links to virtually any place on the island and Kowloon as well. It is a flawed place not where I would want to live, but have done so in the past and there are a few benefits, particularly if you look at the budget aspect and quality of apartments themselves. It is value for money if you ask me.
Please support our advertisers:
I am really overwhelmed with the response from all members. These are very critical piece of information and I have asked my relocation consultant to take into consideration before suggesting a place. When I saw apartments in happy valley, I saw some old buildings slightly up the hill with not much public transport and no conveience stores nearby. Also the view from the flats weren't that great. Same happened in case of midlevel. I did check out lot of places in mid level as well. I also liked pok fu lam. I haven't got any feedback about pok fu lam. The place and the commute to wanchai. Would really appreciate feedback on the same.
Thanks everyone for the help. This forum rocks.
Please support our advertisers:
sxc
17 yrs ago
Have you checked around Tai Hang area? More convenient than Happy Valley, not sure about budget.
Also, Wanchai on Kennedy Road would be convenient, again not sure the current prices.
Please support our advertisers:
sxc
17 yrs ago
Also the problem with Belchers / Pok Fu Lam is that you get stuck in the traffic after 8am. There are lots of buses/mini buses, just that it will get a bit choked up.
You may want to consider mid levels. Apartments in Goldwin Heights are renting for around $30k for a good sized 3 bedroom - price depends on view etc.
Please support our advertisers:
You must be logged in to be able to reply.
Login now
Copy Link
Facebook
Gmail
Mail