[Robx]

Any one got experience of moving to South Lantau ?

I have been looking at places to rent along South Lantau Road, (Mui Wo, Pui O, Tong Fuk etc) and was wondering how easy it is to get furniture delivered or TV / Internet services in some of the village areas.

any help much appreciated

[Miss P]

my boyfriend has recently moved in to Cheung Sha Sth Lantau. Re broadband connection, phone number and Now cable tv was no problem to simply move his account from Centraland the technicians were really reliable re appointments etc( ph.not available to' calls in' for a few days ,though ,stupid system,PCCW)However ,you need a car !!!!although the bus system is quite ok ,the taxi service is very unreliable ( and booking service rude) and often unavailable /overbooked at peak times...the buses go over the hill to Tung Chung and to the ferry at Mui Wo so travelling time is an issue ...quite slow over the hill to TC.no local shops to speak of so you have to plan ahead to eat out /shop.Rents lower than Central of course,and its blessedly quiet.Usual accommodation problems with poor/incompetent engineering,design ,plumbing endemic in HK but its beautiful out there...good luck
MissP

[Miss P]

ps no probs with movers but not cheap think he used Jumbopand if if you get a car you need a permit to go over the hill to TC and only allowed before 8 and after 6 ..dangerous road ..
MissP

[TJ_Lantau]

Choose Mui Wo unless you plan to get a car. Choose Pui O, Tung Fuk, Cheung Sha etc. if you want a car or don’t mind taking the bus and living a bit isolated.

Miss P already wrote about the problems with the Lantau Permit(s) for cars, but just so that is it clear: You have to get your normal car license, then you have to get a Lantau permit which will allow you to drive on South Lantau Road (24 hours/7 days) and on Tung Chung Road (mon-sat: 6pm -> 8am; sun: all day). If you want to drive on Tung Chung Road anytime you can apply for a company (if you have a company) license and even that can be hard to get.

Phone & Internet service: I use PCCW broadband internet & tv and installation, upgrades etc have worked to my full satisfaction.

Delivery of stuff from the city: Not a problem if you are willing to pay and/or work a little for it.

You can hire some of the local truck-guys to pick up your stuff from the city and deliver it on Lantau.

You can also have your stuff delivered to the central pier and either hire some of the guys by the ferry to put your stuff on the boat or do it yourself. The price to sail it over is fixed per item (talk to first ferry about this). In Mui Wo you can then have a truck pick it all up or do it yourself. If you do take this option, it helps to have somebody local help you with the planning and arrangements.

You can have your stuff delivered to Tung Chung from where another truck (local Lantau truck) then picks it up and delivers it to you.

Shopping: In Mui Wo “city” and village you can buy most things you need for daily use, but don’t expect them to have everything.

Transport to and from HK city: Ferry time and fare table can be seen here There is a monthly ticket system, and you very fast get used to taking the ferry. The biggest problems are during typhoons when the ferry stops sailing. Remember to follow public announcements as the ferries will stop earlier that other form of public transport.

Local transport, Taxi: As Miss P already said taxi’s can be a bit of a problem to get, but there is a trick to it: After we moved here, my wife talked to one of the taxi-drivers and he gave her his mobile-number. Now when we need a taxi we call him and either he drives us or calls one of the other drivers to pick us up. We have had one guy get up at 4.30 just to take us to the airport – if we had called the taxi-company we could have waited for hours and missed our plane.

Local transport, Bus: Time and fare table can be seen here

Renting an apartment: Rents are a lot cheaper than in the city. To give you an idea of the prices I can tell you that our apartment is 700 sqf with 700 sqf of roof, 5 min. bike ride from the ferry/supermarkets etc., and the rent is 3700 HKD/Month. Go for a walk around the villages you would like to live in and look out for “for rent” signs or empty flats. Away from Mui Wo rents tend to be cheaper.

Mui Wo and other villages are small and most local people will quickly know who you are, what you do for work, who your girlfriend/wife is, if your dogs are dangerous etc. Rumors among the local “expats” travel fast and there are a lot of very stupid drunken foreigners around, so choose who you hang out with carefully. The locals very fast judge you on your behavior and who you are seen with, and trust me when I say that life is a lot easier if the locals think you are a nice guy.

When living on Lantau it is harder to go to the cinema, buy special foods etc., but personally I find these drawbacks minor compared to the peace and nice green views I enjoy every day.

One more thing: The government is currently expanding the Tung Chung road to two lanes so maybe when they are done we can drive over to Tung Chung without restrictions.

You could also consider moving to Lamma Island….

If you need more information, I’ll help out the best I can.

[tammyjc97]

FGor moving i recommend getting a quote from Hoi Yu 2987 4488 ask for cindy. They are excellent, trustworthy, cheap and the best price. XX

[Robx]

Many thanks for all the help guys
really appreciate it

cheers
Rob

[anant]

Hi - I am planning to move from Pokfulam to Mui Wo. I have a 3 year old son who currently goes to the Sheung Wan Kindergarten. Ideally I would like to get him into a good kindy in Lantau. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.
Anant