Mid levels w/ toddlers?

[BeaMae]

Hi,

We are moving to HK with our 2 year old and are considering both Pok Fu Lam and Mid Levels. Any thoughts on Mid Levels with a 2 year old? Is it difficult to navigate with all the steps and hills, or is it worth it for the location and not that big a deal? The buildings we are looking at do not have good indoor space, so we would need to find that elsewhere. We are also looking at Pok Fu Lam, is there good outdoor space there? Someone recommended the Belchers, any thoughts on that complex? Any feedback would be great, thanks so much in advance.

[sherwes]

Hi, I live in Mid-Levels with a toddler. You have asked whether it is "worth it" and I think that the answer to your question comes down to where your/your husbands offices are located, how close you want to be to the restaurant/bar scene and where you chose to live in your home country (i.e. inner city or more suburban).

For us the upsides of living in Mid-Levels are:
- we can take the escalator to and from work (we work in central near the bottom of the escalator),
- when I am home with our toddler (I work part time only) I can get around easily on the escalator with the pram so we can visit differrent playgrounds without needing to use the car. Note though that the escalator goes down only until about 10am and then goes up for the rest of the day so you have to plan your outings!
- we can pop out for dinner very quickly and easily once our little one is in bed for the evening,
- it is close to the amenities we regularly use - i.e. our toddler goes to Panda Junction and Gymboree in Central and it is not too far from the HK Cricket Club which we are members of. We're also not far from the Peak which has lovely grassy areas for toddlers to run around on.

The possible downsides are:
- it is more crowded and noisy than Pokfulam. However, we like to feel like we are in the centre of things/quick taxi ride to anywhere and chose to live in an "inner city" area in our home country for this reason too,
- you should find a larger apartment for your budget in Pokfulam (particularly if you go into a big development),
- Pokfulam does have more grassy areas. In fact I often take my toddler to Pokfulam.

I hope this helps you with your decision.

[MilkMonster]

I too, really like living in midlevels. I love how the dr., dentist, grocery stores, hairdressers, dinner out with friends and family is literally just out the front door. No need to take a taxi for a lot of our outings. We also spend time in pokfulam, which is a short taxi ride away from central.

Things to consider, the air is definitely better in pokfulam, lots of green trees and open space. Midlevels does have a lot of stairs and you will need some time to get used to this as well as work out the routes that are most manageable for you with the stroller. But in general you will need time to get used to HK.

Is your 2yr old walking? I have 2 kids, (2yrs and one 9mths) I find the easiest way for me to go out to play groups is to wear the younger one and let the older one walk. I use a single stroller for longer outings and a double stroller if hubby and i are going out together for the day. mostly because we live in a 1st floor walk-up but if we lived in a place with an elevator I think I would use the strollers more often.

good luck on your move!

[sherwes]

One point of clarification that I should add is that when I refer to a "playground" I am not talking about a "park". There are lots of playgrounds in Mid-Levels with play equipment, slides, swings etc but I haven't come across any with actual grass. Just thought I'd mention this in case grass was important to you as opposed to just playgrounds. Fir my toddler to play on grass we hop in the car to the Peak or Pokfulam.

[LeahH]

We moved from midlevels to Pokfulam once our daughter was walking for more space, into a building that has lots of kids and an outdoor space so she has easy interaction and proximity to grassy areas where she can run around (there is grass at Cyberport and a big nearby park). We loved the mid-levels but are truly happy with our move now she's more mobile.

The mid-levels are undoubtedly quicker into town/up to the peak. I have to get a taxi to work (15/20 mins) from here, however my husband gets the minibus which is handy. How you feel about the commute will depend on where you are coming from. We came from London so 15 mins is a dream!

We live walking distance into Cyberport which I find great - the Belchers is a bit closer into town. We weren't keen to live in a really huge multi-story development, parts of Pokfulam closer to Cyberport had older buildlings that suited us better. I'm sure others who love the Belchers will respond though.

I agree with Shewes re. ups and downsides of both areas, however we have developed our use of local facilities a bit more to compensate on that front (local playgroups and the preschool next door over activities in the centre of town). I like the fact I can go straight out in the stroller and walk to the sea, shops or playground.

Good luck!

[BeaMae]

Thank you all so much for responding. LeahH, I am not very familiar with Pok Fu Lam, are most of the buildings within walking distance to Cyberport? I generally do not like the big complexes either, so I am not sure The Belcher's would be right for us, although it is very nice. And is the air noticeably better in Pok Fu Lam? If so, that is a definite consideration. My husband works in Quarry Bay so the commute time is also an issue. Ideally it could be under 45 minutes, but that may not be possible. Lots to sort through, I appreciate all the input.

[MilkMonster]

My husband also works in quarry bay. from central he is door to door in 35mins.

[twinsmum]

if your husband works in Quarry bay, i think you should seriously consider South Side - he would spend 15-20 min on commute - Stanely, Tai Tam and Red Hill. Stanley and Tai Tam are just great - totally different feel to the rest of the island, more like being on holidays! Air is much better than even in Pok Fu Lam. Very expaty, a LOT of kids and schools.. Really do look into it.