Moving from Chicago to HK; help with area??

[aussiegal]

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.

 

[carang]

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.

 

[Lucylou]

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!!

 

[MommyTo3]

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!

 

[csmunoz]

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!

 

[nikki]

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.

 

[ginahertel]

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!

 

[carang]

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!)

 

[aussiegal]

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.

 

[carang]

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.