Moving from Chicago to HK; help with area??

J

jens-babes

Registered User
We are moving to HK from the US (Chicago) in June. We had originally thought about the Midlevels, but I'm not so sure anymore. I really like the sound of Repulse Bay and Tai Tam, but I think it will be too far of a commute for DH.

My husband just looked at apartments with an agent yesterday and he was quite impressed with Residences Bel-Air, Cyberport. It is further out than I thought we would be, but it might be best for our family.

My husband's office is somewhere between the Gold Coast and Kowloon. I don?t know exactly. He will be traveling to Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and the Airport; leaving from the Kowloon and/or Central ferry term. But, most important, we want to be near available preschool/playgroups and other international/expat popular areas.

Is it difficult to travel into Central from Cyberport? We are an active family and I will have my two kids in preschool and in play-groups. It seems like the only international preschool and playgroup in Pokfulam is Woodlands. I wonder if this is hard to find a placement?

Of course, I want to make sure there is some fun for ME, too! I would like to be around other expat moms to enjoy a coffee and maybe a day at the shops! Also, we will only be in HK for 1 year and would like to maximize the HK experience. Nights out in Central need to be attainable! Is it possible to live out of the Center (in greener area) but still feel like a stone's throw away?

Sorry about all the questions! I have been an expat before (4 years in Europe), and I know that the right location is KEY. Any comments and/or advice would be greatly appreciated! :thanks
 
you could also try discovery bay. it is only 30 minutes from central (via very comfortable ferry), 30 minutes from the airport (via special dedicated bus) and about 40-60 minutes from areas in kowloon(depends on the area).

it is relatively easy to get to central from bel-air but your hubby might have quite a commute to work if he isn't driving. (i think that you would HAVE to have a car if you lived here and he was commuting everyday. this is an unnecessary expense in hk as public transport is VERY cheap, clean, safe and efficient. you cannot compare the public transport here to anywhere else in the world, i don't think.~i'm comparing it to canadian cities.)

discovery bay is FULL of expats from about 50 different countries. there are lots of americans and canadians as well as australians, germans, spanish, french, etc.... the great thing about DB is that it is FANTASTIC for children. every little area in DB has a playground. there are two large clubhouses with pools (great kids' pools!) as well as bowling, tennis, ping pong and more!

you really need to have a look at places not just on HK island...it opens up a lot of possibilities. the other thing is that rent is relatively cheaper in DB so you get more bang for your buck, rentwise.
 
We have just moved here from the Midwest US as well! :) After quite alot of searching, we've settled in DBay and so far are loving it.
 
Thanks for the replies!

I looked at Discovery Bay online...looks very nice! Wow! I wonder why we didn't hear about this before now?

The only thing I worry about is the ferry schedule and the distance to HK Island?

Do you find that you really don't travel to Central all that much? Is DBay inclusive enough (ie. social outings, group meetings, etc...)? Maybe the need to travel to Central is not there! My husband was the only one to do the relocation tour. I had to stay at home with the kids! So, he is trying his best to explain everything to me. He didn't see Discovery Bay, but he'll be back in 2 weeks and can check it out then.

I just picture my days filled with taking the kids to playgroup and preschool, meeting with other moms, maybe taking a class or two at the YWCA (music, dance or drama for the kids), meeting up at the AWA, and possibly volunteering at a church youth organization. All I know is my experiences from my past expat deals, and that's how it went. :)

I just wish we were there already...I'm tired of the anxiety and anticipation of it all!

Hope to hear from you soon and meet you in the future!
 
Mommyof3,

Where did you move from? So nice to know there will be some "familiarity" there! (There were no Americans in Poland). Actually, there were hardly any expats in Poland...I would welcome any friends from ANYWHERE, haha! If you don't mind me asking, were did you look before deciding on DBay?
 
Db is very convenient and has all the necessities for young kids: ballet, drawing, tae kwon do, swimming, language classes etc. it also has playgrounds galore.

there are TONS of SAHMs so meeting people is very, very easy.

central is only 25 minutes by ferry, so that's not a huge deal. almost everyone in hk has that kind of commute and most people in db work either on hk island or at the airport.

the ferry runs every 12 minutes during rush hour and you are always guaranteed a seat in a comfortable air-conditioned ferry. most people use the time to read the paper, eat their breakfast, catch a few more zzzzz's or chat to friends. if you must work, they are all connected with free wifi.

we lived there for over 6 years and recently moved to sai kung. we like sai kung, but we loved db. we just couldn't afford the rent anymore.
 
DB sounds so nice! However, I just talked to my husband and we do not see ferry service to mainland China? That means he would have to go from DB to Kowloon or Central via Ferry then carry on via 2nd ferry to the mainland (Shenzhen & Zhuhai). Are we missing something, or is this correct? If correct, unfortunately DB cannot be an option :(. I truely appreciate you letting me know about DB and I am secretly hoping that there is direct ferry service to the mainland ;)!

Still wondering how Cyberport is? It looks like it might be Residences Bel-Air/Cyberport or somewhere in the Midlevels for us (my husband liked Dynasty Court on Old Peak Rd).

Anyone know about these communities?
Thanks!!! :)
 
I don't have any advice for you since I'm trying to decide on neighborhoods myself. But I did want to say Hi and hope we can meet sometime. We're hopefully moving to HK in August from Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Good luck to you.
 
Momto5,

Thanks and good luck to you, too! Have you started working with a relo company yet? There is so much to look at. I think HK will be an easy move compared to other places we have looked at (or lived in)! We should keep in touch and it would be nice to meet you in HK.

Have a great week!
 
Given the picture you have in your head of what you see yourself doing I'm not sure Cyberport is for you. There are lots of moms there with kids so finding friends wouldn't be a problem but it is pretty isolated. It's not far from Central but you have to drive or take transport to go anywhere or do anything. The shopping is bad and there is not a lot to do. I'm sure lots of people are happy there it just wasn't for us when we looked. We like to be able to walk places, to grab a coffee, eat out etc.

We live Southside in Tai Tam. It's a great area, lots of moms, 5 minute walk to Stanley. Given however that your husband will travel a lot I would suggest Repulse Bay as your best option. It's only 5 minutes closer to central than Tai Tam but as there is only one road between Tai Tam and RB if there is an accident or road works you can be held up a lot. It doesn't happen often but it does happen. (you can go another way however)

Repulse Bay, as is the case for most of Southside is really expensive so I hope you have a big wallet! I really recommend that you spend time thinking about not only where you want to live but how you want to live. We made that mistake and would now give anything to not live in an apartment despite the fact that I've made a lot of good friends in our building. I would prefer to live in Stanley in a villa for our kids sake. Two boys (under 2 and a half) in an apartment is stressful.
 
yes, you would have to take 2 ferries to get to china.
however, you would still have a 20-30 minutes drive from south side hk island (i do this drive almost everyday so know how long it takes) to get to the ferry to china anyway... as someone above said, you could get caught in traffic quite easily. from db, no traffic. guaranteed.
 
Hi - We recently moved from the UK to HK and have settled in Bel-Air Cyberport. We LOVE it!! I have an 8mth old and it is perfect for her here and lots of other ex-pat Mummies too - There is a cinema, supermarket and shopping mall all in walking distance. Taxi's come to your tower block and there is a shuttle bus that runs in to Central and various buses stop outside. My hubby works in Quarry Bay and it takes him 30 minutes to get to work. I head in to Central with the baby (and without in the evenings!) and Bel-Air to Central is 20 mins in a taxi. I recently visited DB and although a lovely place I felt like I was in a holiday resort and miles from anywhere! Above all, it is your choice though - good luck!!
 
We moved from Chicago back to Europe last December and early August we'll move to Hong Kong. We found an apartment in Tai Tam (4 bedroom). We have 3 kids, an almost 4 yo and the twins just turned 17 months. My husband will be working in Central. We did our househunting via househunters.com.hk and have been really satisfied (and we got a little lucky too!).

It has been a lot the past months ... 2 international moves within 9 months with 3 little children is a lot to handle, but I am looking forward to Hong Kong. I really really miss Chicago, my life and my friends there. I haven't been able to settle in my home country and are more than happy to leave again!
 
Hi. I've been at the Bel-Air for a year now and I really like it here. There is a huge expat community here and great play areas/playgrounds for kids. There's a weekly mom's group that meets at the Starbucks at Cyberport and a very nice playgroup at the WiseKids toy store at Cyberport (entrance fee is about US$10). The Bel-Air is nice because you have access to the facilities at both of the Bel-Air buildings -- including gyms, playgrounds, swimming pools, salons, restaurants.

As for access into Central, I've been able to get around rather easily without a car. Taxis are readily available. Depending on where you go, a taxi into Central is about HK$70 (roughly US$8). There is also a bus stop right outside the buildings. Additionally, the Bel-Air has a free shuttle for its residents that goes to both Bel-Air buildings and drops you off at the Shun Tak Center in Sheung Wan. There are a limited number of ferries from Shun Tak into Shenzhen (http://www.turbojet.com.hk/eng/schedule/prd_2.html), but the Central Ferry Terminal is only about a 10 minute walk from Shun Tak. The Bel Air shuttle goes into Central every 30 minutes, but it comes much more frequently during rush hour in the mornings and evenings.

And as for playgroups, my 2-year-old currently goes to the Woodlands Playgroup in Repulse Bay (http://www.woodlandschools.com/Landing.php). The Pokfulam school is closer, but we chose Repulse Bay because it's a Montessori school (about a 20 minute, US$8 cab ride from Bel Air). I didn't have any trouble getting my son placed and didn't have to deal with waiting lists. The Repulse Bay location is also nice because there are other stores/services in that same building -- a grocery store, cafe, spa, and pediatrician. One of my neighbors also takes her son to Sunshine House in Pokfulam (http://www.sunshinehouse.com.hk/pok-fu-lam.html) and I know she likes it quite a lot. Also, depending on how old your kids are, a lot of schools offer bus service that picks up/drops off right at Bel Air.

For me, the 20 minute ride into Central does get a bit old sometimes and we have considered looking for a place in the Mid-Levels to cut the commute time, but one thing that we REALLY love about Bel-Air (and living on the south side of the island in general) is the apartments here are much larger than what we were seeing in the Mid-levels. For what we're paying for a 3 bedroom, 1600 sq. ft. apartment, we would've gotten a significantly smaller and older apartment in the Mid-levels.

We've gone to Discovery Bay a few times to go to the beach there. It's a great expat community with a lot of great restaurants and the ferry does come pretty frequently (http://www.discoverybay.com.hk/en/transport/tran_central.htm) but I still prefer the Cyberport area. If only because I find it's much easier to get around when it rains (which it does quite often here). Hopping into a cab during a downpour is more convenient than walking to the ferry terminal and taking a ferry during a storm.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck with your decision!
 
DB and Hong Kong Gold Coast

You do not need to rely on the ferry from DB - there is a really convenient bus service to the MTR too.

Catching the China Ferry from DB is as convenient as if you are staying in Cyberport - DB Ferry then China Ferry as opposed to bus/taxi from Cyberport then China Ferry.

There is also a really easy bus service from the airport to S.China - I prefer the bus to the ferry and have been traveling into China for 12 years.

The other place you could consider is Hong Kong Gold Coast - it is lovely there.

I have lived everywhere in Hong Kong in the years I have been here and Cyberport is OK, but I think you perhaps might need a community around you. Everywhere in HK is convenient, it is just levels of convenience.

You may find schools a bit of an issue and you should start your research now - it is easier to find an apartment than a school place and you should try to apply to several schools before settling on any apartment or place to live.
 
Hi There - We live in Pok Fu Lam (near Cyperport) and love it. The road on which we live is called Bisney Road. We have a daughter who is 11 months old. We find that the area is very family friendly. We used to live in mid-levels and needed a bit more fresh air and space for a family! My husband commutes to central each day. It takes an average of 15 minutes. If you are in the taxi by 8am, it takes 15 minutes. During rush hour it can take up to 30 minutes. There are very few green spaces in Hong Kong and Cyberport has a huge lawn where many mums and babies congregate. It is also the host of the Pok Fu Lam market one sunday per month - see http://www.openairhk.com/. As for Bel-Air, you will be very comfortable there. It is an easy option for newcomers to Hong Kong. However, for a near PR (permanent resident) like myself, I see it as all flash and no value. As our current lease is expiring, we are moving up the road to a government flat - They are bigger, less expensive, but sometimes need a bit of work. See http://www.gpa.gov.hk/english/let/agencylist.html. Before going straight to Bel-Air, check out www.hongkonghomes.com or landandhomes.com for other options in Pok Fu Lam. That said, from Pok Fu Lam to Gold Coast by taxi is one hour. Whether you live in Mid-Levels or Pok Fu Lam, your husband would have to compete with the tunnel traffic each day, which can be very difficult. You are better off living on Eastern cost by Clearwater Bay or Sai Kung - better value and don't have to deal with the tunnel traffic. If you need more help let me know offline, I can give you my mobile number and we can chat. Best of luck!
 
hk has few green spaces? did you know that about 70% of hk is country park?

also, the western tunnel is VERY fast and rarely has traffic. (i've never seen any traffic, and i use it almost daily.) i think that your taxi driver is taking you the wrong way if it takes an hour to get to gold coast. i've regularly done cyberport to tsing yi in 22 minutes. i think that gold coast would be about 15-20 minutes beyond that. thing is that the western tunnel is hardly used because it costs $25 more than the cross-harbour tunnel so taxi drivers will only take it if you ask them to.

ps> i've also thought that the gov't quarters are great deals! they are some of the largest flats i've ever seen in hk. (gov't quarters not gov't housing... two very different kettles of fish!)
 
I think Ginahertel is refering to grass or lawns that kids can actually play on when she says there is not much green space. You'd have to agree that lawn is not something they're big on here and even when there is a bit, there is often a sign telling you to keep off. Either that or it is in such bad shape it barely resembles grass :( I find the lack of grass for kids to play on one of HK's greatest downfalls.
 
i agree that grass can sometimes be hard to find... but again, it depends on where you choose to live. if you choose to live out of the urban areas, it is quite possible that you could find a place with a nice garden and then have it all to yourself.

we have a garden and we've just planted grass....

one of the things i missed the most about "home" when i first got here was the smell of freshly cut grass... that's got to be one of the nicest smells there is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top