[HKMoving]

Hi, my family (2adults / 2-preschool kids) will be moving to HK sometime in the next few months and would appreciate any advice on where to live. Will be working in Central but want a peaceful and green (oceanview if possible) local to live. Essentially, something good for the kids. Currently we live right next to a big park so would like to replicate our situation. Also, don't really want to buy a car.

Might have up to 74K HKD to spend per month...so any suggestions would be helpful.

[hello_there]

Take a look at the 'Repulse Bay & Parkview' post a litte further down this forum. Both of those properties might be a good place for you to start looking. Cheers.

[KnowItAll]

http://www.geoexpat.com/forum/repuls...ew-t18613.html

[ontheroad]

Here are a few "suburbs" you can look at. All are family orientated, with an ocean view, and about a 30 minute commute to Central. All have supermarkets and shops near by:

Repulse Bay, South Bay, Chung Hom Kok, Stanley, Tai Tam.

Repulse Bay and Tai Tam have big high rises with many facilities, Chung Hom Kok and Stanley tend to have low-rises with swimming pool only.

Popular high rises with good facilities are The Repulse Bay, The Manhattan, The Pacific View. Parkview has great facilities but is huge, and tends to be in the "clouds" a lot, so it's a question of taste.

Also, another nice neighbourhood around that area: Shouson Hill, closer to Central, not so much of a seaview though.
Pokfulam has a great view but it's not peaceful and quiet like some parts of the southside are.

Commuting to school is no problem from those areas because there are school buses.

There are no big parks on the side side but it's very green, lots of "unbuilt" mountainside- there is a great kids playground at Chung Hom Kok beach, there are the beaches and many places where you can take walks (Tai Tam Reservoir) for example. There are some parks in the city like Hong Kong Park but for that you would need to live around midlevels or the Peak and that's not peaceful at all + no ocean views.

Have you had a look at the Hong Kong Homes website for a general idea? Proway and Landmark Asia also give you a good idea of what's out there.

A small car is quite useful (cheap second hand market) to take kids to their playdates and activities and to go to the beach on weekends. But you can do without if you don't mind paying for cabs (cheap compared to overseas) all the time. The minibus and bus service is excellent.

If you can, try to stay at a serviced appartment like the Parkview or De Ricou at Repulse Bay when you arrive. It'll give you a feel for the place and more time to make your choice re: neighbourhood.

Good luck!

[HKMoving]

Thanks for the replies. Will check them all out with the wife (who makes all the really big decisions).

[Harrowgirl]

We are moving to HK in July with 2 kids and visited HK for the first time in March. We looked around alot and finally decided on Pacific View in Tai Tam which seems to tick all the boxes. Good facilities for the kids, not far from the beaches, beautiful views of the sea and also not far from nature trails and greenery. Good luck in your search!