[ayyar]

hi,
i am shifting to hk next mth. my husband has a got posting there in shatin..philips.
i hv a 1 yr old son and am currently not working.
will kowloon tong be a nice place to live ?we r looking for a 2br apt furnished...800-900sq ft( 12000-15000HKd).

what we rlooking at:

1) open space
2) close by garden/park for baby
3) shopping close by----groceries and other utilities
4) nice apt with lot of air and sunshine...apt can be on the smaller side

any body with any suggestions...it will be very helpful

at the same time any other housing suggestion is also welcome

looking forward to your replies and thanking you well in advance


r.ayyar

[timklip]

Have you considered Tai Po, on the north side of Shatin? Lots of green space, bike paths along the river, definitely cheaper than Kowloon Tong, and MUCH cleaner air. There is a large shopping mall at town centre, and easy KCR access to Shatin and Kowloon, not to mention quick trips to Shenzhen. There are also bike trails all the way to Shatin along the harbour I believe. I've only been there a few times, but from what I've heard from other xpats and seen myself, its a very relaxed, clean and healthy place to live.

[ayyar]

thanks timklip... a lot of perople are suggesting kowloon tong tough,in my husbands office since commuting is easy frm here.i guess we need to see the place once we get there and chk if it suits the budget.

secondly how is HK island as a place to live with a 1 yr baby..there are mixed views in his office. i will be thankful if some of the expats in this group could share their views.

thanks
r.ayyar

[timklip]

No prob. ayyar.

Don't get me wrong, if you want to be closer to the 'action' in HK, Kowloon Tong is great. Its really central to alot of interesting things to see in Kowloon, and much closer to HK Island than Tai Po. If i could afford the rent there, it would be on my short list as well! Definitely not the forest of towers that HK Island Northside is, and even some fully detached houses (I can't imagine the rent on those though!).

HK Island north, west and east are not really baby friendly. TONS of diesel buses and cars, very polluted, and what isn't concrete is vertical slopes of jungle. The south side (Aberdeen, Soushon, Stanley etc, is greener, possibly quieter (My friends with a 2 yr old and 3mth old twins are moving to Soushon in August). But the tradeoff for your husband would be a nightmare commute to Shatin every day! Bus/taxi to MTR/ferry to KCR to???? Also remember that the MTR is not very stroller friendly. You have to search for the lifts to get underground sometimes, and the crowded trains can be a challenge! Maybe you can teach your little one to walk real soon! lol!

So I would go with your gut and try Kowloon Tong first. If you don't like it, you can always move!

[ayyar]

hey thanks timklip..that was in detail on the commute..but realistic and useful info.
i think we need to chk on places near ma on shan too as suggested by john.since it will be very close to husbands work place.
but i believe getting these mini shuttle busses fromt he complx to the kcr's are not very baby friendly...thats my concern.
i am trying to gather as much info before i land there.
thanks again.