Where to live...?? Advice needed please

[Birdy]

Hi ? I?m moving to HK in the New Year with my husband and 2.5 year old son and would really value some advice on where to live.

Ideally we want to be based in a family friendly community, somewhere with ?cleanish? air, good facilities and 2-3 bedrooms for around 35k per month.

I?m particularly interested to hear anyone?s opinion on Jardine?s Lookout, Kowloon Tong and Clearwater Bay. Is Clearwater Bay a haven for mosquitoes?

Thanks

 

[rani]

Welcome to HK!

Have you been here before? Would suggest staying in a Serviced Apt for the 1st month while you explore different areas. Where will you/hubby be working? How far/long do you mind commuting?

You should be able to find something in DB within your budget. Clearwater Bay is also quite nice, but a bit more remote.

 

[Birdy]

Thank you. We are staying in a serviced apartment to begin with (in Happy Valley) so I will be able to check out some of the areas before we decide where to settle.

My hubby will be working in Causeway Bay so we do need to factor in his commute. However, currently we are both used to a 30-45 min commute each way into work due to London's over-stretched and quite rubbish public transport system!

Do you think we are being unrealistic considering Jardine's Lookout or Kowloon Tong with our budget?

Thanks

 

[Sleuth]

I don't think Kowloon Tong passes your "cleanish" air requirement.

 

[pip]

Hi Birdy,
We too are moving, with our 14 month old daughter, to HK in January.
We are renting a serviced apartment in Happy Valley for the first month and I will welcome any advice given by members who have been in Hong Kong for a while.

I'd also like to know if there a noticable difference in the air quality in Happy Valley vs. Causeway Bay and Mid-levels. Sorry to intrude on your thread!

 

[stacy]

Birdy,

I live in Jardine's Lookout and love the area. It is far enough away from CWB that you don't have the crowds, yet close enough that a mini bus gets you there door to door in 10 minutes. Not sure if you can find something within your budget in this area. If you want any more info or want to meet up after you get here to have a look around just PM me.

 

[southside8521]

There are tons of threads on geobaby.com about various places to live in HK/Kowloon - even specific bldings so do a search on it. Everyone will give you the pros and cons of each area so the best way to find out is to check them out when you are here and living in the serviced apt. The larger bldings in all areas tend to be more family friendly b/c of the facilities - playgrounds, tennis courts, gym etc....some even have shuttles into Central. Another bonus is that if you don't have a car, many of the international schools have buses that do pickups and drop offs.

We of course love the southside. The air quality is a bit better than Mid-levels and you're still on HK Island. it's about a 20 min commute into Central and about 15 into Causeway Bay. There's no MTR on the southside though so you'll have to either taxi it in or bus it.

We also moved from London too.