Posted by
nicca
16 yrs ago
I am moving to Hong Kong in two months and would like some advice on the best areas to locate to. We are used to living in the inner city in Australia and enjoy that lifestyle.
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while i'm sure you will get a wide variety of responses to this question, it's that variety itself that will be of little use to you....if you can give more info like, budget, any kids, budget, workplace and commuting time requirements, budget, etc, you'll get a much better handle of a suitable place for you to live...HK is really a cluster of inner city areas, some very western oriented, some very local, many with VERY different costs of living...
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50k gets you a lot these days compared to last year. As cara says if you enjoy "inner city" look no further than midlevels.
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There's also TST very vibrant
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nicca
16 yrs ago
I am visiting Hong Kong (for the first time) in two weeks to secure an apartment. We will be looking at all suggested areas. We are looking for an interesting vibrant and arty area. Reasonable commuting distance to the Australian School and central would be desirable.
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Ed
16 yrs ago
FYI: The Number One Property Site in Hong Kong http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/
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nicca,
You are welcomed to stay in HK, Kowloon Tong is the centre of Kowloon which is very convenient in Transportation and with education facilities around which is considered to be not so expensive as the Mid-Level on HK Island, you are welcomed to pm me for further info.
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Ed
16 yrs ago
Hong kong serviced apartments http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/serviced.asp
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mob
16 yrs ago
Nicca, nearly everywhere is close to the Australian School because there are many buses that service the school. Ask the school for a map of where the bus routes are that way you can work out what suits you. You may not want your precious ones standing on the side of a road in the wet season waiting for the bus. I think the majority of the Aus School live on the Clearwater Bay peninsular or Sai Kung. But it is far from arty - think suburban boaty. For arty maybe mid levels is your best bet.
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cd
16 yrs ago
If you would be sending your child to AIS by school bus, maybe the Island wouldn't be best, the tunnel traffic could make their journeys very long.
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nicca
16 yrs ago
Thank you for your advice. Our budget is around 50000hk and at this stage are looking at a two year contract,
because of the short time frame, I am trying to find out as much information as possible from other westerners living in Hong Kong rather than real estate agents. The mid levels is definitely an area we are looking at but are concerned with the commuting distance to the AIS. we would prefer to be in an area that is western orientated but not 'suburban'. I have not visited Hong Kong before and will be there 1st week of June to secure an apartment so Im sure there will be a culture shock. I will definitely be doing language classes, so thank you for the tip
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I would suggest Kowloon Tong. It is nearest to Australian International and very convenient to get to Central - 20 minutes train ride?
You can do a lot in festival walk. There is a cinema and there's ice skating. They have a huge international bookshop there "Page one" and they have a supermarket which sells "international" food so it's great.
If you live in Kowloon Tong, not only are you accessible to HK island via a short train ride, you are also near Kowloon and the New Territories. Tai Po in the New Territories has Kadoorie Farm for the kids and the Railway Museum. Shatin is a huge shopping area and it has Snoopy World for the kids as well as the Cultural Museum? These two places are only about 10-15 minutes train ride from Kowloon Tong. If you fancy cheap shopping and massage in China, Shenzhen is only 50 minutes from Kowloon Tong.
For me, I think midlevels is too far if my kid was going to Australian International.
Kowloon Tong is also known as a "rich" area.
Good luck.
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knowing now your budget and preferences, yes, Kowloon Tong sounds like a great place to start...walking distance to AIS, great connections to eveywhere by MTR, upscale but easily affordable on 50K,
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cd
16 yrs ago
Out of everywhere in HK I would say Midlevels is the least family friendly.
Definitely look at kowloon Tong. There is actually a lot to do Kowloon side, good shopping, lots of good restaurants and bars. Parks, football pitches, cinemas, pools, ice skating, bowling, markets etc.
YOu should look at Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay, (the nicest parts of HK to live), many expats, including lots of Aussies, but maybe a bit too laid back for what you're looking for. Although for your budget you could easily get a 4 bedroomed house, with garden and pool.
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Nicca, do consider SK/CWB, many Australian families do live there because it offers all the creature comforts you look for, without being an expat getto ! You should definately contact Julie King @ "The Property Shop' . Julie has been a real estate agent in SK/CWB for more than 20Years, knows every house & Landlord in the area and together with her colleagues are Sai Kung's "Expat Agents" who really understand what Expats need and won't waste your time showing you rubbish. I looked for weeks with other agts there with no success. Julie listened to my needs and told me honestly she only had 1 property she thought suited my families needs - hey presto - she was totally right !
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ldavy
16 yrs ago
Hi Nicca, I sent you a personal message yesterday.
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nicca
16 yrs ago
Thank you all, we are taking everything on board. Looking forward to visiting next week and seeing whats available. Is it worth joing the Australian Association?
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Hi Nicca, I am lindalaau@gmail.com 67503781. I have lived in Melbourne and the Gold Coast for the last 20 years. After you arrived, why don't you drop me a line or call me to have a chat, don't think too far ahead. you have to be in the water first before start swimming...speak with you soon.
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vak
16 yrs ago
I suggest you join the Aussie assn or atleast visit their events as a visitor and get a few copies of their monthly newsletter kanganews. They have a broad spectrum of members a lot of whom are family people. They hold family events and coffee mornings to help new comers settle and get the lay of the land. a lot of Aussies have moved to CWB / saikung to give their kids a better ENVIRONMENT as compared to MIDLEVELS due to pollution . Its a good idea to look around while you are in a serviced appt and et a feel for what you REALLY want and DO NOT want. For saikung/CWB you really need a car to pickup/drop off kids etc which is not the cae in mid levels. But again mid levels does not have the beaches and parks that are usually walking distances in SAikung.
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nicca
16 yrs ago
We have just returned from a week long orientation tour of Hong Kong and the Australian School. In this time we realised we only wanted to live on Hong Kong Island and particularly liked the mid levels area for the convenience to everything. We are currently considering three properties, Bamboo Grove, Birchwood Place both in Mid-Levels and one in Happy Valley. The facilities are swaying us toward Bamboo Grove, I know our 15 year old twin daughters would love it. Thank you everyone for all the advice, it definitely helped. I am very much looking forward to settling into the lifestyle and culture of Hong Kong.
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