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Where to Live? Stanley, Repulse, DB?

  1. #1
    cathryn is offline Registered User
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    Where to Live? Stanley, Repulse, DB?

    Hi all
    We are moving to Hong Kong at the end of February and am trawling through the internet trying to work out which is the best area to live in Hong Kong with young children, best places to meet other mums, things to do etc. I have a 2 1/2 year old and my 2nd is due in August. I will have a good look around once I am there as we will be in a serviced apartment to begin with but if anyone can recommend a particular area any advice would be greatly appreciated. Places I am thinking about at the moment are - Discovery Bay, Stanley & Repulse Bay....I think I am swaying towards stanley or repulse just because I am not sure I want to be somewhere you have to get a ferry to the mainland.
    Thanks
    Cathryn


  2. #2
    carang's Avatar
    carang is offline Registered User
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    the MAINLAND is china.... you take a ferry to get to hk island, which only takes 25 minutes. you can take a bus from DB to tung chun or to sunny bay, both of which are serviced by the MTR.

    driving from stanley to central would take at least that long, possibly longer depending on traffic. repulse bay has a VERY small shopping centre with a supermarket and a few other things and a beach. that's about it.

    stanley has a lot more shops, a slightly larger shopping centre, a beach and the market.

    db has all of the above as well.

    i will admit that i'm partial to DB as we lived there pre-kids, and through the birth of my two childrne. i found it a GREAT place to meet other mums and i consider myself lucky that even though we moved to sai kung over 3 years ago, some of them are still friends.

    sai kung would be another place to add to your list.

    the problem though is this: you have given absolutely no idea of budget or requirements... without that information, it is extremely difficult to recommend any place


  3. #3
    AmyH is offline Registered User
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    When we arrived here, we spent 6 months in a serviced apartment, just so I could get my barings and have time to decide what I liked and didn't like about areas we wanted to live in.
    When we first went to DB I loved it there, but by the third visit, I hated it and knew I would never like to live there. I really liked Stanley but the bus journey was too much for my husband with commuting to central every day (the time wasn't too bad, but the windey, bendy roads can sometimes make you feel sick!)
    We then decided to look around the new territories as I wanted to live a bit away from "the island" because it was just too crowded for me, with the buggy and a four year old (6 now!) to manouver.
    we eventually settled in Gold Coast which is out near Tuen Mun. It can be a trek on the 962 to get to central but they have shuttle buses on in the morning and it takes my husband about 30 - 40 minutes to get to work and also to get home in the evenings. They also have the shuttle to the MTR quite regularly.

    Another thing to take in to consideration is schools - I have heard (but no experience) that DB schools are nearly impossible to get in to, so it might be worth checking the forums about schools in the area you are interested in.
    Good luck.


  4. #4
    cathryn is offline Registered User
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    Thanks for all the info.

    Carang - our budget is going to be around 50-60,000 hkd per month for rental and we will need a 3 bed apartment. About Sai Kung - can you tell me a little bit about it? Are there many expats there? Many young families etc? What are the positives about this area?

    Amy - Can you tell me about the gold coast aswell? I presume there are several places within the gold coast? Is there any particular area you recommend and what do you like about it?

    Thanks alot


  5. #5
    AmyH is offline Registered User
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    Cathryn,

    I have sent you a PM.


  6. #6
    banane76 is offline Registered User
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    Hi Cathryn,
    It's definitely challenging on trying to decide on a place to live. It's great that you'll get a chance to see each place before you actually decide. Right now, we're living in the Belcher's which is considered Pokfulam, but it's very close to Central. However, we are moving because we need more space and the prices have gone up 20% in this area. I have a one year old and expecting our second in April. I haven't lived in either place, but I can tell you if you choose Stanley or Repulse bay, it's a more difficult commute unless you have a car, and even then you're fighting traffic because it's only one lane in and one lane out. DB is very family friendly...no car traffic (they rent out golf buggies for a very high price) and yes, you do need to take a ferry, but you can take the bus to the nearest MTR. We've actually chosen to live in Tung Chung because there is an MTR, lots of shops and a huge clubhouse with lots of facilities. It's also close to DB and different beaches. They also have a direct shuttle service in the am going into Central or TST and in the pm going back to the complex we've chosen. Your budget is higher so you can probably find a VERY nice place there with lots of space. In Saikung, you need a car because it's quite far out but you could probably get a village house on your budget. Just some food for thought. Good luck!


  7. #7
    rani's Avatar
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    Cathryn,

    I would recommend staying in a serviced apartment for the 1st month as well and exploring all the areas when you get here.

    Good luck!


  8. #8
    TNT
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    We live in Repulse Bay and love it; we have a 4 and 1 year old. There is enough here that you can get all the essentials (which was a huge bonus for the first 3 months when I didn't have a helper and had to take both kids everywhere - I was used to this at home but it was harder work here), the beach to play on (given the lack of grass and open space on HK island), great hikes/runs in the area and it only takes my husband 30min door to door commute on the shuttle bus. I know it depends on what you are used to but it does make me smile when people talk about the commute from here as that is so short in Australia or the UK. It is 10mins to Stanley on the bus or by car, same to Aberdeen where there are lots of shops, including a Toyrsus.

    It is really easy to meet other mums, there are so many families here and 3 preschools in RB itself. I am sure the same could be said about DB and Stanley, plus Sai Kung and GC, but just thought i'd add my comments as we looked at a lot of different areas and have been very happy with our choice. It is easy to get to Central and Kowloon for going out etc. However i do know that prices have gone up a lot since we moved here, but think that is the same everywhere. I had read that it was v expensive here and while there are some very expensive places, the ones we looked at were better value that the same budget (similiar to yours) in Pokfulam, Stanley, Tai Tam and also Midlevels - we didn't view any places in DB because our research showed similar value for money and we preferred to be on the island. But agree it makes sense to take some time to suss out once you are here as my views have changed on a number of places since being here and everyone has their own preferences and priorities.

    Last edited by TNT; 01-20-2011 at 01:47 PM. Reason: spelling

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