What's better in DB: Live near Ferry Pier or Siena Club/North Plaza?

S

SarahHK

Registered User
I'm wondering what DB residents can share about the pros/cons of living near ferry Pier vs. Siena club outside the obvious that it is very convenient to live by the ferry for commuting and that there are more shops and services?

Basically, I'm wondering if it's worth it to pay the premium for geography/access when my husband says he doesn't mind a longer commute (to IFC or Exchange Square so walk from ferry in HK) for more space/newer apt/beauty. I typically like to be close to shops/people-watching but I probably will not be working so may have more time to plan a commute within DB and to HK? I don't know those insider things like how frequent and efficient the buses are and if grocery delivery is good, whether there are more playgroups/kindergartens on north side, etc, etc. Any advice?

We are going go look at places in DB on Wednesday along with mid-levels on the opposite end of spectrum. Cannot decide if we want to be in the heart of HK or in DB which is more reminiscent of our California lifestyle now. I appreciated the comparison of DB to Poughkeepsie in a response to a post I wrote earlier asking for moving advice. I can't decide if we want to be somewhere totally different from HK. We've been in Central (near Caine and Upper Albert) for 3 weeks now and I already feel "over" it in the sense I've seen/done it all - is that normal?
 
i lived in db for 6+ years. i lived down near sienna (in the greens) and up in La Vista (on the hill behind the plaza) and in hillgrove village directly behind the plaza.

for us, i preferred either directly behind the plaza or up in la vista (could walk down to the plaza in about 5 minutes, but always got the bus home..... steep hill!)

la vista/la serene are newer, too, thought not quite as new as sienna, so you may want to look at them, too!
 
hi, i'm also curious about the answers as we're considering moving from central area to db. we looked when we first moved to hk and decided to try the "city" life first. but now that we've got a little one on the way we need more room and are considering moving to db.

just in case you don't get enough responses from people here (not sure how many are in db...), there is a db forum, too. you might want to post your question there, too.
 
ps. we really liked "Create" from century 21 in db if you need an agent. she's been working in db for a long time and is good at understanding what people want quickly and showing you those type of homes.
 
We live in the North of DB and it is convenient for the Plaza/ferry. Buses run frequently and its about a 6-8 min bus from Siena Drive to the Plaza. I catch an 8am bus for an 8.15am ferry and I get to the Ferry Pier at about 8.08am. I can catch the next bus at 8.08am and most of the time, I'll have no trouble getting the 8.15am ferry.

There are clubs in Siena and in the Plaza and both have pools so either end of DB is handy to club facilities. We like the pools at Siena more for kids. There is a gym, indoor playroom and tennis courts at the Siena Club.

There are also playgroups at both ends of DB - Montessori and Sunshine House in DB North (and Discovery College for primary and high school although note other posts about availability of places), and DMK Playcentre, Sunshine House, Midget Gems at the Plaza (plus others in between). DBIS is about half way between the two "Plazas" and has a kindergarten, primary and high school (again, places are a premium and long waitlists generally). People seem to like the apartments near the beach as well (5 mins from the Plaza). They would be worth a look too. Not sure about prices but the beach is ok (water a bit dirty - I wouldn't swim there - but sand generally ok) and the playground on the beach is nice. Also have friends in Coastline by the Marina (5 mins on the bus from the Plaza) and it is very pretty looking out over the sea and boats plus sea breezes (and Coastline is near DMK kindergarten which is popular).

DB North has its own supermarket (Wellcome) and a few restaurants now (Indian, pizza and an "everything" restaurant - Roccos). There is a Fusion (Park n Shop) supermarket, lots more restaurants, toy shop, pharmacies, 2 medical centres, vet, sports store and small department store (as well as other shops) at the Plaza. Both supermarkets do free delivery if you spend over a certain amount (not that high an amount).

I'd go with an open mind and look at a couple of apartments all over DB. DB is not that big and the buses are excellent (and there are hire cars - vans - which you can book or flag down to take you anywhere in DB for $15, although they pick up and drop off along the way). So really, either end if convenient to things in the opposite end.

PS totally normal to be "over" Caine Rd - although it took me 5 years to get to that stage!
 
We've recently moved to DB. We viewed about 15 apartments (Siena, Chianti, Coastline, Capridge, Crestmont and Seabee)over 3 days and decided on Seabee Lane (just behind DB International School). It is a 10 min walk to the plaza or 2 bus stops away (a min on the bus), almost every bus stops right at the top of our street including those going to Tung Chung, Sunny Bay and Airport.

We decided against Siena because there is no other option beyond catching the bus to the Plaza. We like the fact that if we should miss the bus, we can always walk to catch the ferry rather than having to wait. We saw a place within a 3 min walk to Club Siena, though I like Club Siena better than the Residents Club it's not like we are heading there everyday. Oh and Chianti is a bomb site right now, with the construction just right in front of the estate!
 
Club fees just went up a month or so ago. Now $490 per adult if I remember correctly. That only includes the pools! If you want to use anything else (gym, tennis, etc...) you pay extra. And you can't just join for the summer, quit for a while and then rejoin. Not sure of all the ins and outs as we are not members.
 
The monthly fee also covers the indoor playroom at Siena Club which is a saviour in this hot summer heat if you have small children to entertain.
 
back when i lived in db, you COULD purchase a "temporary membership".... but you had to be sponsored by a member to get it. it was more expensive, but we did it for a couple of months in the summer. back then, the regular monthly fee was only $400/adult and the temporary membership was something like $500-550/month. for us, it was worth it, as i only wanted access to the pools.
 
Jzlyn said:
We've recently moved to DB. We viewed about 15 apartments (Siena, Chianti, Coastline, Capridge, Crestmont and Seabee)over 3 days and decided on Seabee Lane (just behind DB International School). It is a 10 min walk to the plaza or 2 bus stops away (a min on the bus), almost every bus stops right at the top of our street including those going to Tung Chung, Sunny Bay and Airport.
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So you mean that there are buses that can take you directly to and from the airport?

Jzlyn, how are you finding it in DB? If you need to commute to Central for work, is it really as troublesome, time-consuming and tiring as it seems?
 
Yes there s a bus direct to the aiport.It takes 25min.It stops at cathay pacific office then airport.Direct to DB from the airport
 
I am currently on maternity leave.

The ferry ride to head into town is convenient and less stressful than taking the bus and MTR (tube). It's 25 mins, there's free wifi on board, drops you at IFC (where I work). It takes me 35-40 min from my door to Central. It's not that much of a commute. I used to live on Bonham, the morning traffic to work in Central probably takes me as long (all the damn minibuses stop every 2 feet on Caine Road!). We considered moving to Conduit when we had our little girl but the husband was dead against it. He didn't want to have to fight traffic all the time and trying to catch a taxi in bad weather would be horrendous.

There are buses that take you straight to the airport the runs every 30 min. Buses also take you to Tung Chung and Sunny Bay where you can catch the MTR. My husband works above Kowloon Station, he catches the bus/ MTR in the morning but prefers to take the ferry at night (as he says, I can have a beer on the ferry on my way home).
 
i didn't mind the ferry trip at all when i lived in db, and in fact miss it now. it was a guaranteed "wind down" time built into the day.
 
Riley - the time it takes depends on where you live in DB and where you work in Central. My commute is 50 mins from door to door, DB to my office in Central. If you work in IFC and live close to the Plaza then that does cut down the commute time. I tried the MTR/Sunny Bay route the other day to check if it was quicker as had just missed a ferry and was 20 mins to the next one. Took me about 20 mins longer. About the time time as if I had waited for the next ferry. Plus I had to stand most of the way (whereas always get a seat on the ferry). So won't be doing that again.
 
^ Thanks for all your responses. Can anyone tell me their honest opinion about the Peninsula Village development? What is it like living there? What facilities does it have? Are they free to use or is there a charge? Is there a shuttle bus to the ferry pier and DB Plaza or only "public" buses? What buses How far away is it from all the major shops, the pier etc., and is it within walking distance? I've never been to DB before, so any information you can volunteer would really help! :)

I can only find very limited information on the Internet, and as I'm quite heavily pregnant now, I don't want to go all the way to DB to view an apartment unless I 'm
 
riley, the only "shuttle" buses go from the golf club and the marina club. all of the rest are "public buses". each "village" has it's own bus route servicing it.

no village has "facilities" on it's own, except for playgrounds.

you really have to go and experience it in order to understand it.

it never took me 50 minutes to get to work in central. i could be in mid-levels (ferry & taxi) in 45 minutes. but i was walking downhill 3-5 minutes to get to the ferry. if the ferry left at 8:18, i left the house at 8:10 with lots of time to spare.
 
SarahHK said:
I'm wondering what DB residents can share about the pros/cons of living near ferry Pier vs. Siena club outside the obvious that it is very convenient to live by the ferry for commuting and that there are more shops and services?

Basically, I'm wondering if it's worth it to pay the premium for geography/access when my husband says he doesn't mind a longer commute (to IFC or Exchange Square so walk from ferry in HK) for more space/newer apt/beauty. I typically like to be close to shops/people-watching but I probably will not be working so may have more time to plan a commute within DB and to HK? I don't know those insider things like how frequent and efficient the buses are and if grocery delivery is good, whether there are more playgroups/kindergartens on north side, etc, etc. Any advice?

We are going go look at places in DB on Wednesday along with mid-levels on the opposite end of spectrum. Cannot decide if we want to be in the heart of HK or in DB which is more reminiscent of our California lifestyle now. I appreciated the comparison of DB to Poughkeepsie in a response to a post I wrote earlier asking for moving advice. I can't decide if we want to be somewhere totally different from HK. We've been in Central (near Caine and Upper Albert) for 3 weeks now and I already feel "over" it in the sense I've seen/done it all - is that normal?
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have you actually considered park island? it looks as if you can get the best of your both worlds there.
 
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