Moving in 1wk from US- Live in Happy Valley or Causeway Bay?

C

chelle_law

Registered User
We are getting ready to move to HK for my husband's job. His job is providing us with a serviced apartment for our 12mo assignment and luckily, we do get to pick our apartment from a short list once we arrive (we'll be in a hotel for a week or so). My husband's office is in Causeway Bay which I know is close to Happy Valley. We have a 1.5yo little boy. Do people prefer to live in Causeway Bay or Happy Valley? Are there any particular apartment buildings people love/hate? I will be looking to meet up with other moms and children for playgroups and would like to find something convenient. Also, do most serviced apartments come with a washer/dryer? This is important to me as I don't want to be carrying laundry and my son around. Any other tips you can provide before we arrive? I have read other posts to stock up on OTC meds so I will be sure to do so.
Thank you in advance for your advice!
 
dryers are very uncommon in hong kong. most locals hang their clothes out to dry, which in the rainy season can take a very long time.

most places will come with at least a washing machine.

laundries, though, are plentiful and cheap. they do all the work, you just drop off the clothes and then pick them up later or the next day.

i would prefer happy valley to right in the middle of causeway bay. it only takes a few minutes to walk from H valley to causeway bay anyway...

shouldn't have any trouble meeting people in happy valley.

bring cold/flu/allergy meds for sure. also deoderant.
 
Hi - we lived in a serviced apartment in Causeway Bay when we first arrived in HK and it was not a good experience. Causeway Bay is exceedingly busy and polluted. You'd be much better off in Happy Valley I think.
 
if you chose a high-rise catered to mostly ex-pats, then finding a drier is usually not a problem. yes, would agree with Dink - Happy Valley is less busy than Causeway Bay. Of course, bring enough meds that are by prescription only etc...as you might have to take into consideration figuring out doctors etc...we brought over Children's Benadryl, children's tylenol and advil and tylenol for us.
 
Hi Chelle,

Agree with Dink. HV is a better place to live, also very convenient. Within walking distance, you can find large supermarket for groceries, western grocery shop, laundry, playgroup for kids and different kind of dining places. In terms of serviced apartment choices, see below link:
http://www.thev.hk/hv_map.html
http://www.eatonhousehk.com/bp.html
V ser. apart is quite new while Eaton House is quite old but price is cheaper.
The size of apartments in HV is generally quite small. If you want a bigger place, perhaps you may also consider Tai Hang at Jardine's Lookout located uphill of HV. More expensive prices but more quiet place to live.
 
I wouldn't live in either place if I had a choice. I found it hard to breathe literally with so many people and cars around. However, we stayed in Happy Valley 88(serviced apartments) for a month when we first arrived. It was quite a pleasant experience(for one month!). The building is pretty new with new kitchen and bathroom etc and only couple of minutes walk to the race course...They have maid doing the cleaning and washing up dishes every other day. Also breakfast is served as part of the rent which was very convenient for us. However I was never able to walk to Causeway Bay as I have two kids. It costs around 20 HKD by cab, but your hubby can easily take a bus to work.
 
I've never lived in Happy Valley but for a summer my husband and I lived in the middle of Causeway Bay and I made trips to peoples' houses who lived in Happy Valley--I would go with Happy Valley. Causeway Bay is a mess of people--if you walk down the street there you're going to get bumped into, smoke blown in your face and they really never shut off the lights that make night as bright as day. There are some nice apartments in Happy Valley. Sorry, I can't provide you with specifics but I would go with HV if I had a choice.
 
You can walk to Causeway Bay from Happy Valley. We stayed there when we first arrived, and I did it repeatedly. However, you can also take the tram, or a bus, or even a minibus.
The downside to Causeway Bay is that you would effectively be living IN the middle of a business district. If you intend to buy a car at some point, it will be hard to find an apartment with parking in Causeway Bay. Having said that, if you want to be above the action of cars and people then it is the place to be.
I like Happy Valley because it has a nice mix of western/chinese shops and people. You can get 'larger' apartments in Happy Valley... but unless you are willing to spend $$ or move out to somewhere like new territories, remember that space is at a premium on HK Island.
There are also a couple of good outdoor playgrounds plus the (free) indoor playground in Happy Valley. Everyone I've met who lives in Happy Valley seem to enjoy their location (unless they are in a steep area).
One thing to keep in mind when apartment hunting is kitchens can be quite different here. If the numerous places we looked at, only two had an oven... so if you like cooking, you may want to keep than in mind.
I live up in Jardine's Lookout, and while it is green, I feel somewhat isolated because to do something trivial like go to the grocery store I have to either climb a steep hill (which would be fine if i didn't have 2 kids, a stroller, and in summer you had to contend with the heat and humidity), catch a minibus to Causeway Bay (again an interesting challenge with a stroller) or drive.
Your serviced apartment SHOULD come with a washing machine, but dryer is not as common. As was said, most people hang their washing. When you get your apartment, if it has no washer, you can get a washer/dryer combined machine, but do your research as not all of them work well. We have a whirlpool one which is pretty good.
Good luck with your move, and once you're ready, feel free to join us for a mothers group meeting in Happy Valley sometime. :)
 
happy valley is definitely more livable. CWB will just drive you nuts after a while.

aren't medication cheaper in hk compared to the states? (reading other posts)... i know vitamins are definitely cheaper in the states though, we always get people to bring them over from there.
 
the thing about medicines is that you can't always find what you are looking for.

i, personally, find the cold & flu medicines here to be useless. but stuff from overseas seem to help my stuffy nose etc.
 
I agree with carang. The allergy medicine is also pretty useless here and I regret not bringing more of my normal stuff from Australia with us.

It isn't about cost, it is about the choice available here. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find equivalents (and not for lack of trying).
 
Hi. Can't disagree with anyone about preference of HV over CWB. We have stayed in both areas short term, and we find HV is much nicer for mums and kids, and you will meet plenty of lovely people at the park/indoor play centre.

We are currently in The Ellipsis serviced apartments (only temporarily) which is right across from the racecourse and very convenient to play centre, park, shops, and downtown HV. They do have washers and dryers downstairs, and there is a laundry service across the road too! There is also a pool which is open over the warmer months http://www.ellipsis.com.hk

We have two kids and find its a good spot for them. The only downside is that the kitchen is pretty small, and yep no oven, if that's what you are looking for. Good luck!
 
like someone said - I would not live in either if i had a choice - is there any way you could ask for another location? Also, if you have a serviced appartment i would be pretty surprised if it did not come with an oven and a dryer - i would not worry about that... but if you have to choose between the two areas only - NOT Causeway bay - does not strike me as a nice place to live at all! Happy Valley is much more residential...
 
Where would you suggest to live? I have two youngsters.

twinsmum said:
like someone said - I would not live in either if i had a choice - is there any way you could ask for another location? Also, if you have a serviced appartment i would be pretty surprised if it did not come with an oven and a dryer - i would not worry about that... but if you have to choose between the two areas only - NOT Causeway bay - does not strike me as a nice place to live at all! Happy Valley is much more residential...
Click to expand...

twinsmum: Where would you suggest to live? I have two youngsters.
 
budget?
requirements?
ages of the kids?
size?
amenities?
schools?

we need a little more information before anyone can recommend a place to live.
 
playgrounds near happy valley 88?

kiwiinoz said:
You can walk to Causeway Bay from Happy Valley. We stayed there when we first arrived, and I did it repeatedly. However, you can also take the tram, or a bus, or even a minibus.
The downside to Causeway Bay is that you would effectively be living IN the middle of a business district. If you intend to buy a car at some point, it will be hard to find an apartment with parking in Causeway Bay. Having said that, if you want to be above the action of cars and people then it is the place to be.
I like Happy Valley because it has a nice mix of western/chinese shops and people. You can get 'larger' apartments in Happy Valley... but unless you are willing to spend $$ or move out to somewhere like new territories, remember that space is at a premium on HK Island.
There are also a couple of good outdoor playgrounds plus the (free) indoor playground in Happy Valley. Everyone I've met who lives in Happy Valley seem to enjoy their location (unless they are in a steep area).
One thing to keep in mind when apartment hunting is kitchens can be quite different here. If the numerous places we looked at, only two had an oven... so if you like cooking, you may want to keep than in mind.
I live up in Jardine's Lookout, and while it is green, I feel somewhat isolated because to do something trivial like go to the grocery store I have to either climb a steep hill (which would be fine if i didn't have 2 kids, a stroller, and in summer you had to contend with the heat and humidity), catch a minibus to Causeway Bay (again an interesting challenge with a stroller) or drive.
Your serviced apartment SHOULD come with a washing machine, but dryer is not as common. As was said, most people hang their washing. When you get your apartment, if it has no washer, you can get a washer/dryer combined machine, but do your research as not all of them work well. We have a whirlpool one which is pretty good.
Good luck with your move, and once you're ready, feel free to join us for a mothers group meeting in Happy Valley sometime. :)
Click to expand...

hi! we are coming to hk in march , with our 2 year old toddler, and we are either looking at kornhill or happy valley 88. it is interesting to read that there is a couple of good outdoor playground and free indoor one in HV. May I know where is it located from HV 88? Easy walk?

I have another question I am bursting to ask. I heard it is rainy season from apr-may. anyone knows how bad / frequent the rains are?

any advice or comments will be gratefully received! :)
 
Hi mommabear

The outdoor playground and indoor play centre are both within a couple of mins walk from the HV 88 apartments. You'd be fairly centrally located there to everything in HV.

As for the rainy season, I've only lived through one summer here, but my impression is the rainy season is longer than apr-may, more like apr-aug, with sept being a possibility for typhoons. Rains can be very heavy but don't seem to go on for long periods, just be prepared for heavy humidity!

Good luck with your move.
 
i would say the rainy season is not too bad, but the humidity (jun-sept) can be quite bad...with that also being typhoon season...otherwise the winters and springs are quite nice. rain is never overly bad I think....we did have a couple days of rain these past two days, where my friends described it as London or Vancouver weather, but it is not c common.

Good luck with everything!
 
The indoor playground at Happy Valley is located at:
Wong Nai Chung Sports Centre
(2 Yuk Sau Street, Happy Valley, Hong Kong)

It is a part of the main hustle and bustle area of Happy Valley so will probably not be far from HV 88.

I haven't found the rain here bad at that time of year, but I have to qualify this by saying I am from New Zealand... (where it rains a bit). The typhoon season is more interesting as it can disrupt some services.

Good luck with your move
 
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