Moving from UK to HK ands very excited!!!!!

K

Kiwiloo

Registered User
Hello lovely Mothers and Father of HK!!! I am currently loving in the UK (London, Clapham) to HK at the end of July. My hubby has a job lined up already but as all new comers we have no where to live, no car, no preschool (for my 22month old boy) and no idea of where to start. I've been doing loads of research and feel I have nailed a few area down that could be the places for us but I just need a bit of help with which one. Happy Valley, Stanley, Repulse bay, and maybe Mid Levels (just a little put off *by Mid levels with the amount of pollution) We would love somewhere with activity for kids eg Music, football, swimming. A choice of a few good preschool. Green space for our dog and somewhere that isn't far from restaurant and bars oh and lastly not too polluted. So not asking much. Hahahaha. Also our budget for rent is between $50/65 HKD. *Any advice would be great and maybe we will see around. Take care and thank u.*
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It depends how much space you want/need. Of the areas you list you will get more for your money in Happy Valley and have a really nice lifestyle in a very nice family friendly neighbourhood (Ventris Place is a great block). I would prefer to be there than mid-levels which I find a bit cramped and hectic. But some people love Mid Levels it is so personal. Happy Valley has great shops, restaurants and is near a lot of great classes and activities for your toddler. Pre-schools - look up Woodlands, Busy Bees (at Hong Kong Football Club very near Happy Valley) and City Kids (in mid levels but not far away). Good luck with the move!
 
Discovery Bay sounds perfect for you! Its not on your original list but PM me if you want my pros and cons of the place. I lived in Midlevels for 5 years before moving to Discovery Bay 2 years ago.
 
I imagine someone coming to from Clapham is the type of person that wants to experience the real Hong Kong. Be in with the hustle and bustle, experience the smells, sounds, sights and foods of Hong Kong. Discovery Bay is pretty much completely opposite of that.

Telling someone coming from Clapham to live in DB is like telling someone from CausewayBay to go live in Milton Keynes when they are considering London.

OP : Where will you guys work? Happy Valley is very convenient and green. Mid Levels is a bit of a concrete jungle. Southside is wonderful but can be a pain to transport in and out of during rush hour.
 
I also recommend Pok Fu Lum. Lots of expats live there, close proximity to the city, but with much less pollution and traffic than Mid-levels.
 
Happy valley would be the best choice from what you are looking for...only thing that would be missing that you'd find in the other places (except mid-levels) is open space for kids...but having said that there is one park on the top of happy valley you can go to but it's just open space. Have you considered bel air? Baguio is also good... for kids it's great, down fall is no restaurants or bars...
 
Yes to Pokfulam. Check out Bel air and the Belchers. Belchers v convenient to town and loads of facilities around. Bel air less convenient and a little more rural!
 
Thankyou all for ur helpful advice. Now have an good few areas to check out. All becoming so real. Can't wait!!!! Thanks again.
 
We live very close to Stanley on the Southside and we've been very happy here. Stanley is nice to have as it has lots of different stores and restaurants so there isn't always a need to go to town. I didn't like Pokfulam, found it too crowded. Here it's greener, close to the beaches, lots of preschools and other kids, the trade off is that it's a little further from Central, but there are good connections and Causeway Bay can be reached within 30 minutes, even 20 minutes at quiet times in minibus 40. I often go the other way around to Taikoo as well, as it has a lot of options and it's easier than Central. Tai Tam Country Park is around the corner and at least 7-8 beaches within 20 minutes. You should be able to get something in your price range in either Stanley or Tai Tam. Some 3-bedroom older walk ups or some apartments. Manhattan should be within your price range for a 3-bedroom although long waiting lists.
 
Hi Kiwiloo, not sure if you are still in the decision process but I stand by my recommendation for DB as a good option for you. There are a few DB haters on this forum so would suggest you take a look for yourself and decide. In my opinion, DB meets all your listed wants "we would love somewhere with activity for kids eg Music, football, swimming. A choice of a few good preschool. Green space for our dog and somewhere that isn't far from restaurant and bars oh and lastly not too polluted. "

I've lived and worked in London so know Clapham well. Obviously the feel of London is different to the feel of HK but PM me if you want my take on the differences having lived and worked in both. Can also give my thoughts on differences between living in Midlevels, DB and New Territoriesbas well. The is a 25 min ferry to Central from DB and I work in Central so know the commute from experience well. Not sure where your husband's job is based. Also important to consider if you want a high rise apartment block style living or lower rise maybe with a garden. In DB with your budget, you'd probably be able to get a low rise apartment block with a garden. We decided we preferred more space and went without a garden but there are so many parks and playgrounds close by that a garden accessibke from our apartment was not as much of a priority for us as having more space inside. Good luck!
 
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Hi,

I just moved to HK from Australia. I absolutely LOVE it here. I think we'll live here for a long time.

I needed the same sorts of facilities as you. I don't have a dog but I do have 4 kids! I also wanted kids activities, space to run, close to an MTR and close to the great markets and shopping in Mong Kok.

We found an apartment in Tai Kok Tsui right near Olympic MTR. We can walk or train anywhere really fast and conveniently. We live in a beautiful new building called The Hermitage. The club facilities are 'luxury-resort' like. The children's indoor play space is superb. Our apartment is big enough for 3 adults, 4 children for $40 000HKD per month.

Good Luck!
 
PS. We made the decision not to live like expats with expats. We love all our expat friends but we kind of follow the whole notion 'when in Rome' or when in Hong Kong live like Hong Kongers. And Hong Kongets certainly know how to live.
 
Hi Kiwiloo - we also moved from Clapham to HK last month so we were in your position of figuring out where to live a couple of months ago! I have a 6 month old and was really worried about the pollution before I arrived based on everything I read on-line - it hasn't been as bad as I expected and no worse, really, than the pollution I faced walking up Clapham High Street every day!! You shouldn't worry about that at all. Despite being brought up on a farm I'm now a real city girl and love being part of things rather than out in the 'burbs - my hubby and I both work (I'll be returning to work after mat leave in October) so we wanted to live between Central and Quarry Bay based on our work locations. We settled on Bamboo Grove (80 Kennedy Rd) in mid-levels east and really love it here. I hadn't expected to be able to walk anywhere with my pram but I'm finding it really easy to get around Wanchai and into Happy Valley - that kind of accessibility was really important to me as I didn't want to have to get a taxi everywhere (though the summer heat may put a stop to my walking adventures!). If you want anymore nformation let me know - I'd be happy to chat to you or email separately as I did a huge amount of research before coming here. Good luck!
 
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