[Piperboy]

Hi. I've been advised to move onto this forum to ask about
where to live in Hong Kong. I'm taking an assignment from my company and i'll be comming with my wife, who's pregnant! Consequently, we won't be out every night but we'd still like to be in a position that's a little bit funky with good entertainment and restaurants. I think we'd steer for somewhere a little out of Central or somewhere as busy and look for an area with views of the sea and good leisure facilities.
I will be working in Central so transport links are important.
Any suggestions?

[KnowItAll]

http://www.geoexpat.com/forum/tags/pokfulam/ -- great alternative to Central.

[PC_Man]

Sai Kung, Discovery bay.

[wtbhotia]

It all depends on your budget.

Discovery bay is full of expats and its got lots of restaurents and facilities, the boat is 24 hours and takes around 1/2 to get to central. They have a nice beach.

Clearwater bay (Sai Kung) has lots of nice house (not flats) with gardens and their are lots of beaches close by. from here it will take you around a hour to get to central, the mtr is close.

[hello_there]

Depending on your budget, and how long of a commute you are willing to tolerate, check out Repulse Bay and Stanley. Both are close to the ocean. Stanley is further out, but has a lot of nice restaurants, and good grocery store, etc. Repulse Bay has everything you need, but is a smaller community.

[CalgaryGirl]

Discovery Bay. It isn’t for everyone but definitely worth having a look.

As a previous poster said it is about 30 min by ferry to central, which runs 24 hrs. Unless you are traveling in the middle of the night (when service slows down to every hour or so) the ferry is very dependable, comfortable, has free Wi-Fi. There are buses which link to the MTR but ferry would be the best choice for central. DB can seem a little “watered down” as it is a bit insular, has a lot of ex-pats and is fairly quiet. But it does have a handful of decent restaurants, plus a couple of good residents clubs (a particularly nice pool at Siena Club). Parents can feel comfortable going out for dinner and drinks, bringing their kids/babies along, as it is a very child friendly neighborhood.

It can be a quiet, relaxing break from Central while still offering some entertainment.

http://www.discoverybay.com.hk/index.htm

[Piperboy]

Thanks for all your responses.

If i have to do it myself, i'll be looking to spend around the 25k mark. 30 minutes commute seems fine to me.

I think we'd definitely look to give up a bit of the 'scene' for a bit more relaxation, facilities and perhaps a view.

Just on another matter. Does anybody have any advice about getting medical service for my wife for her ante-natal check-ups? She'll be back in toronto for the birth but i want to make sure we have good cover for the period she's there.

[siumai]

Sounds that East HK Island could fit you as well: Kornhill, Taikoo Shing, Sai Wan Ho etc.

[PC_Man]

For ante-natal - we used goverment clinics and were happy with the service but wife wasn't a first time mum, so perhaps didn't need as much support or info as some people might.

Also know a good private western company ran by an Icelandic midwife that can do the full ante-natal, natal and post-natal services if required.

Place will probably depend partly on where you choose to live from advice above...