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

[carang]

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.

 

[RileyC]

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.

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?

 

[penelope]

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

 

[Jzlyn]

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).

 

[carang]

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.

 

[starbucks2]

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.

 

[RileyC]

^ 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

 

[RileyC]

^ certain that it ticks the right boxes for me. Thanks!

 

[carang]

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.

 

[matemate]

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?

have you actually considered park island? it looks as if you can get the best of your both worlds there.