I'm moving to HK in a few months and am looking at potential places to live.
We are a family of 4 and the kids will go to the Australian school. Both kids are in primary school.
Have a rental budget of up to HKD$60k per month.
The bus for the Aus school doesn't pick up from around Repulse bay way and would like to be in a condo with a few other expats with similar aged kids. Don't mind if we live on HK island or Kowloon but need to be near public transport into finance district.
Have a read a stack of forums and would love to hear others thoughts.
Many Thanks
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mob
15 yrs ago
Just jump on the AISHK website and see where the school bus goes.
Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung are Aussie suburbs. Public tpt to business district is about 40mins/1hour from these places.
You just need to confirm that you have positions at AISHK as there are waiting lists for most years.
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thanks for the replies.
I have looked around Kowloon Tong and there seemed to be lots of units near Beacon Hill in my price range.
When you say Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung are Aussie suburbs do you mean there are lots of aussies living there or are they similar to suburbs back home? I did see a few places there as well and it seemed greener and more spacious.
I checked with the school and they have a place for 1 child but not the other at the moment. I think if you get 1 in you get priority on the other.
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I've been looking at places in Clearwater bay and they look quite good. All look pretty new, have views and are reasonably large.
Can get a 4br 2200sqf plus pool. Do I need a car if I live out there?
Would love to hear from anyone that lives there if possible.
It seems like it is out in the boonies for HK but is this the only thing going against it?
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I've heard great things about Clearwater Bay. Large houses, nice area. However I have also heard from some people who have looked and have felt that it is "too local" and "too far out from anything" (their words, not mine). Depends on your lifestyle and personality.
You will need a car. It is in the boonies for HK as you put it. Then again the HK boonies are not as far away as any other given boonies. ;)
The important thing is not to expect, and get hung up on, having the same amount of space as "back home". We have way less space here, and way less outdoor space, but we don't really miss it. Life is simply different. We also really like having neighbors close by and not having to drive to see friends.
I'll trade space, up to a point, for location and quality. Now, what I think of as a good location is not the same as any other given person thinks, but you see my point.
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Sadly, we don't get an allowance any more. Now THAT was a painful transition... :(
cara and I have diametrically opposed views on housing. Even if we assumed equal housing budgets, I can't see myself living in Sai Kung and I doubt cara would move to Repulse Bay. Very different outlooks. I've tried living in a house with a garden. I didn't like it very much. But that's just me. My point is that it all depends on what works for your family (and what you can afford).
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Thank you for taking the time to reply.
I've lived OS before in a unit about 1800 sqf and thought a bit more room would be nice but aren't hung up on it. Having access to local parks or playgrounds for kids is more important.
It looks like it will come down to Kowloon Tong or Clearwater.
Other considerations are travel time into work and travel time for the kids.
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I've been looking at places on HK Island and have seen a few around Pokfulam that are within budget. Any thoughts about that axptguy38?
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As cara says, think about the commute. You'd have to cut north and east through the most urbanised areas to get to Kowloon Tong.
Pok Fu Lam is quite big and varied. All in all a nice place to live but it very much depends on the exact location.
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From a lifestyle perspective, I would certainly pick Clearwater Bay over Kowloon Tong, even if only for the sake of your kids. On the budget you have you could grab a whole house in a nice complex, "expat playmates" included, kids and adults. You would need a car, but nothing in HK is to far compared to Aus standards. I live 6km out past Silverstrand, can be in central in 45 mins, both via car or MTR. Goodluck.
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Used to tutor a kid who lived in Pok Fu Lam & went to American Int'l in Kowloon Tong- she was on the bus at the crack of dawn & home about 5pm some days, long day. CW Bay & Sai King will be quite a commute to the financial district by HK standards, Kowloon Tong will be much easier & def. don't need a car. There are some nice housing complexes there. You really need to visit all these places & take us lot with a pinch of salt! Not that we're opinionated!
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another thing to consider is proximity of your home to those of your children's friends. we looked at the australian school and were told that 75% of the school's population live in the clearwater bay area. playdates will be much easier if you don't have to travel across town to pick up and drop off. we actually decided against the australian school as we live on the island and were not prepared to move to the local community. for this reason as well as cost (bigger house for your housing dollar), CWB seems a better choice than hk island.
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Lantau Island is going to be the new Sai Kung (coming from somebody who has lived there since 1986) The ease of access created by the new road, excellent facilities at Tung Chung, proximity to the airport and 45minute drive into central all make it the best bang for your buck. Sai Kung is so passe and will be a nightmare once they start building the new road, and they will !!!! You can still buy on Lantau relatively cheap and for 60K you could rent 2 village houses @ 2,100 sqft each (not that you would want to) - go on dare to be different :-)
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vak
15 yrs ago
we know heaps of families whose kids are in AISHK. most of them are based in CWB area. We have been in CWB for 15 years before which we spent 14 yrs on ths island. we just love the lifestyle and the circle of cosmopolitan friends we have made here. (Incidentally the CWB school has 720 students made up of 36 nationalities) so gives you an idea of the area. The new proposed road etc will have no bearing if you were to choose to live on the CWB road or its adjoining villages/ modern villa complexes. To go to Central from our place in CWB takes 20 minutes by car as there is ONLY ONE TRAFFIC LIGHT (near LAM Tin) all the way to central.
However we recently met friends of friends who took a unit in a place near To Kwa Wan called Celestial heights. They love it. A 4 bedroom unit with 2200 sq ft is about 45k. ULTRA modern with fully fitted Meile appliances etc etc are all standard. You just need to add curtains. Security is very good and they have 2 large pools.. close access to the AISHK so good location if yr kids are doing extra stuff in the school , the building has a great sized club house and heaps of facilities for families with kids. They have opened 3 of the 5 towers for occupation and you may still find something decent if you prefer the high rise. Unless one of your kids is going to school on the island I would not recommend POKFULAM. Traffic is a nightmare and its expensive using public transport.
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Thanks again for all the feedback.
Vak - I had a look at the apartments Celestial heights and they look very nice.
Looks like it will be either CWB and somewhere between the AISHK and work.
Where ever we live I'll get public transport and would rather only a 20 min commute over a 45 min one.
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I lived there back in 1984 before there was even a vilage there !!!!
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