[bwc]

Well, I just arrived on Saturday and while my husband has been here and taken care of a lot of things, I have a few questions.

1. We are living in mid-levels west, and while I love the location, I fell in love with Stanley and Repulse Bay after a trip there on Sunday. Do you get more for your money out there? We are wanting to move to something a bit less hectic, and were considering some places is mid level central too, simply because you get nice views of the mountains. How much typically are landlords willing to negotiate off the listed price (renting)?

2. Where would I find information about driving licenses, buying a car, etc? Are they typically cheaper in Hong Kong than in the States? This is what I have heard.

3. I have a few appliances I need to get, one of which is a dehumidifier. This may sound crazy or very common, but our towels barely dry by the morning time, and our toilet paper is always damp. Is this from the humidity, or do we just take really long showers? ;-) Do de-humidifiers really work? Where can I get one?

4. I have looked at both the YWCA and AWA websites for getting my bearings in Hong Kong and for some socializing ideas. Would you recommend one over the other?

5. Where is the best place to buy neat furniture? (no IKEA..been there) Is the stuff along Hollywood Road and downtown really overpriced or can you find good deals there?

I think that is it for now, but expect more later! Thanks for your responses, you guys and gals are always so helpful.

Barb

[elle]

Let me try to answer a few of your questions:
1. I don't think you'll get more for your money in Stanley or repulse Bay - both areas are very expensive. However, you can do a little search on www.gohome.com.hk that'll give you a clearer picture.
3. A dehumidifier should be a good idea in your case. You can get the at Fortress or as you live in Western Mid-levels try to get one at the Wing On department store in Sheung Wan. They might have other appliences you need as well.
5. The "stuff" on Hollywood road (if you mean traditional Chinese furnitures) is definitely over priced. Try Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau (a bit cheaper) instead or opt for a trip to Macau (a lot cheaper). The GOD stores have very nice stuff as well - look at their website for locations (their is a new outlet in Harbour City and a big store in Causeway Bay).
Hope that helps a bit....

[GraemeK]

I got my dehumidifier in Fortress for about $3,500 - the most powerful one they had and it works well - but we also take the wet towels and stuff to local laundry service for same day wash/dry/fold which is really really cheap and less effort.

I recommend a trip to Horizons Plaza in Ap Lei Chau, it is a 29 floor building of wholesalers, about half of which are furniture. The big stores there advertise in HK Magazine (a free paper you can pick up around bars/restaurants) and they have directions in Chinese to the place itself for showing your taxi driver.

There are also good stores along Queen's Road East in Wan Chai who can make sofas/soft furnishings to order - I recommend 'Bricks and Stones'.

Good luck !

[KnowItAll]

Driving: Driving in Hong Kong is a good start of an FAQ that I never did finish.

AWA v/s YWCA: The AWA tends to be... well .. for obvious reasons, a bit more American and has more of a housewife crowd. They're not exclusively American, but the influence is undeniable. I'd recommend attending one of the AWA CHAT sessions at the very least if you're new to town. ( www.awa.org.hk )

Dehumidifiers: Depending on where you're staying... you may need one per room.

Hollywood Road: Overpriced and even more overpriced. Horizon plaza is a good start. We have a bunch of stuff from Shambala. We've also got a fair amount of stuff custom made from Macau .. would definately recommend a day trip over to Macau once you've figured out where you want to stay and have measured your flat / figured out what you want to buy.

Sofas are overpriced in HK... you can knock of 50% of the price by getting them done in China.

Curtains: Go over to Shenzhen for a day and get them made. We got quoted $4000 for our living room curtains in Wanchai and managed to get 4 rooms worth done in Shenzhen for that price (assume you're not shy about negotiating).

[bwc]

Everyone...this is so helpful. Thank you very much for taking the time. And thank you for not giving me grief about the wet toilet paper question ;-)

[rani]

BWC - You don't need to be a member to attend the AWA Chats.
They meet every Thurs morning at the Marriott Lobby Lounge.

[FallingStar]

you think this is humid? wait until summer hiihihihih
try GOD www.god.com.hk you can find alot of household stuff, cost more then Ikea tho. If you don't mind getting secondhand stuff like myself here, try <snip><snip><snip><snip> for a list of all the second hand stuff from moving expat. BTW, try to leave the bathroom fan on, i find it quite helpful

Me and my bf living in Nothpoint, the Island Place Building, We get great ocean view from 35th floor, but i'm assuming u can get ocean view at lower floor also, Not hetic and not crowed here at all. Pretty peacful. I have pretty big bookmark list of all the useful link in HK, email me Ann_pham@hotmail.com if u want it.

[FallingStar]

me again....

not sure what kind of funiture u loooking for, in Northpoint, Java road, the funiture street have at least more then 20 little funiture stores and alot of shop that make custom made funiture and curtains, sofa... blal blal blal....

anyone know if there any other street like that? let me know

[bwc]

Thanks. I wrote all these down. BTW, where is Northpoint? I cant fnd it on my map.

[KnowItAll]

http://www.ypmap.com/en/viewer.asp?m...ce=LocationMap

Learn to use it .. it will become your friend.