[rnrgaloops]

I may have a job opportunity where I will work at Hong Kong International Airport. My family (inc a baby and a 4 year old) would be moving from Perth Australia. We have a country background and therefore would like to find an area with a bit of a country feel and yet also be easily accessible to get to and from work any time of day.

Sai Kung looks like the way to go!?? Can anyone please give us an idea on transport reliability, should we have a car to commute some of the way to and from the airport? Prices of renting / buying a house? Rent / buying price higher or lower than other areas? What is it like in Sai Kung and if there are any other suggestions on areas that may suit us, :confuseit would be much appreciated if you could help. We really do have no idea!!
Cheers

[Skyhook]

If you are going to be commuting to and from the airport ( like we do ), and if you don't mind a 45 minute to an hour drive to Cathay City/HKBAC or the main terminal for example, Sai Kung will more than make up for it during the time you spend at home.

Another location that has a large percentage of airline families living is Discovery Bay, a nice quick 15 minute taxi ride to the Airport.

Siu Lam / Sham Tseng bay side area's ( Gold Coast neighbours this area) which are 20 minutes from Terminal 1, 24 minutes from the HKBAC, using your own car, or taxi.

And yes, a car will be a necessary part of life unless you move to Discovery Bay ( private cars are banned in DB), which has dedicated buses / taxi's etc that can take you to the airport direct.

We lived in Sai Kung, now live in Siu Lam, and often visit Discovery Bay to visit friends, and they all offer many similarities, and cost roughly the same space for space.

[XI_YAN]

can I tag onto this thread - Sai Kung looks great to me too - anywhere to find more info about the area? I'm more into living 'off the beaten track' valueing quiet and privacy over convenience - any suggests in surrounding areas in Sai Kung

[hkjudy]

Hi all,
I'm a little biased I guess (having lived in Sai Kung for 11yrs and also publishing a community magazine) but, IMHO, Sai Kung is most definitely THE place to live if you want an "off the beaten track" country-like setting in HK.

It has a wonderful community feel that many other parts of HK lack. It's quite a diversified community - on average probably a little older than the community you'd find in Disco Bay (where the majority are young families). There are still lots of young families here but there are also a lot of people beyond that stage as well as singles.

Friends who are pilots don't mind the drive back and forth - they feel that the benefits outweigh that one disadvantage.

Check out our website for lots of information on the community. We'll be relaunching a new site that will be easier to navigate and also have opportunity to comment and ask questions in a few weeks - please come back then (our 'forum" has been deactivated due to spam).

In the meantime, don't hesitate to send me an email if you have any specific questions about SK.

Judy at exploresaikung dot com
www.exploresaikung.com

[Expatriate]

Airport - Sai Kung?

Well, the Airport is just on the South-West Side of Hong Kong and Sai Kung on the North-East Side.

The only way to travel it daily is by private car.

You can access Sai Kung only via a two lane coastal street.

There is a new housing development just near Sai Kung Town, with more cars to come.


May I suggest South Lantau as another location "Off the beaten track"?

It is sufficiently near the airport, has lots of greenery, mountains, waterfalls, beaches.

And village houses, that might even be cheaper than Sai Kung.


And for newcomers with small kids, Discovery Bay might be just another option. Lots of kids around.

[carang]

skyhook wrote...."Another location that has a large percentage of airline families living is Discovery Bay, a nice quick 15 minute taxi ride to the Airport."

except taxis are not allowed into DB either....it is a 30 minute bus ride. bus stops at cathay city, dragon air (i believe) and main terminal

[carang]

when i drive to the air port from sai kung, i do not go through "town" ie) through kowloon. i go through sha tin and it is much faster. almost never any traffic (i drive to tsing yi an awful lot, starting next week, i'll be doing it 6X per week). it takes me 45 minutes door-to-door. to the airport, i'd add another 15-20 or so.

[carang]

umm... prices for Db vs Sai kung are VASTLY different, when you compare the space.

we are paying 1/3 less in SK than we did in DB and we have roughly 2.5X the space.

[Skyhook]

Originally Posted by carang

umm... prices for Db vs Sai kung are VASTLY different, when you compare the space.

we are paying 1/3 less in SK than we did in DB and we have roughly 2.5X the space.

Thats a little unfair Carang, you live 20 minutes car drive from Sai Kung Town, so rents of course are considerably cheaper.

Compare your village house to Costa Bello Waterfront Apartment for rent in Clearwater Bay – Sai Kung which are the luxury villa's at the very end of Hong Kin Road, turn right at the round about,( refer photo below ) adjacent side of the Sai Kung water front, and you'll be paying close to 40K per month for ground floor 1150FT2 3 bedroom villa. 75K per month for the the above stairs 2300 duplex.

Infact I cant think of any Villa's ( gated housing inc manned security ) that are less than 40K a month in Sai Kung that are within 10 minutes drive from the heart of Sai Kung Town.

Most people when they think of Sai Kung, they think of close to the township, not 20 minutes drive to the very end of Tai Mong Tsai road, and then into the Pak Tam Sai Kung Country Park. Which I agree is cheap as chips out there, and quiet a nice spacious urban area. Discovery Bay isn't on a price parity with Sai Kung Country park, but it is line ball with any Villa complex from Yan Yee road all the way down to Marina Cove on a cost per sq ft per month ratio.


As per this photo you can see the distance between Sai Kung town and Pak Tam ( Sai Kung ) Country park

[carang]

i realise that not everywhere in SK is as cheap as where i live.

i am comparing what i had in db...
we paid $21K (they are now asking $30K for the same place). it was 960' with a very small garden.

i would think that for the same price in SK you can get a bigger place, easily 1400' for a village house. (and it doesn't have to be out in the sticks where we are)

also, i wasn't thinking "gated facility". i was thinking "village house." two very different things. obviously the former will be much more than the latter.