Moving to HK with New born twins - Need advice where to live!

[MommyTo3]

I am a mother of twins and moved to HK nearly 3 years ago from the States. We decided on Tai Tam. Our budget was little higher, and we were looking for a 4-bedroom since I have an older child as well. But in the $50-$62k range you definitely have options in Tai Tam and Stanley. The minibus to Chai Wan takes about 10 minutes and from there you hop on the MTR to wherever you want to go on the east side of Hong Kong. The Manhattan has a shuttle bus to Quarry Bay for people who work there in the morning and afternoon. You should be able to get a 3-bedroom there though they usually have a waiting list. Plenty of facilities including playground, indoor playroom, plenty of kids (plenty of twins!) and close to Stanley which is just nice and easy. Traffic is not great but certainly not bad, especially if you go eastbound via Chai Wan. Yes, minibusses at certain times of day (morning and late afternoon rush hour + weekends can be bad, but the rest is definitely NO problem). Shouldn't take you more than 25-30 minutes to Quarry Bay.

However, quite a few nice buildings on the eastside as well. Overall, smaller possibly than what you can get on the southside and not necessarily cheaper per sqft. A few buildings were mentioned. Northpoint Midlevels (like Pacific Palisades) has some nice buildings too, but everybody is living "closer together". From my experience, most twin mothers live in Midlevels (start in Midlevels) then move on to South Side, Clear Water Bay area, etc. Also quite a few in DB.

Check out the Mothers of Multiples in Hong Kong website: www.moms-hongkong.com. The new membership year starts in September and it's been great especially in the early months / years when we got here and they were still little (20 months when we arrived).

HTH.

 

[Gracey]

@ Phil -- If you're coming from London, HK's commutes will be way faster, cheaper and easier than what you're probably used to. We've very spoiled here.
People who live in Central / Midlevels talk about Quarry Bay or Kowloon as if they are on the other sides of the earth, but they're usually no more than 15-20 min by taxi, and 30 min by MTR. I work near QB and live in Kowloon -- on the OTHER side of town -- and I can cab it home in 20-25 minutes barring horrific traffic.
Much of HK is within a half-hour of QB -- just about all of the downtown areas of HK Island, as well as much of the South Side.
Your budget will go a long way in Quarry Bay / North Point -- you can probably get a 1,500-sq-ft flat in one of the nicer towers, like Grand Promenade, which has a seaview and clubhouse. (Not sure about pool, but you can ask).
Quarry Bay is not quite downtown, but there are certainly enough restaurants / shops in the Tai Koo complex. (Plus, as I said, it's not like Central is very far by London standards.) North Point is a bit more local, with fewer Westernized shops / restaurants.
The South Side is on the beach and more suburban / residential -- more expat-y, more green space, etc. Though you'll probably get a little less space for the same price.
Have you considered moving into a serviced apartment for the 1st month to take a look around? Some of my colleagues have stayed at the Harbour Grand complex, which is fully furnished. You can then do a better flat search from there.

 

[balletangel]

Rental is rocket high these days in Hong Kong. Not sure how big of a place you are looking for? For suggested budget and requirements, you can consider the following:

- Taikoo Shing (very convenient - MTR, bus, any public transportation you can name of). Only 10 mins from Quarry Bay. A large shopping mall to shop your everyday needs. Swimming pool accessible.

- North Point Hill (residential area, no close by shopping but nice and quiet neighborhood). About 15 - 20 mins taxi ride to and from Quarry Bay. International nearby