[Franek]

Hi

I am moving to HK and am looking for somewhere to live that is relatively green and crucially has some outdoor space. From my research so far, it seems that Lamma, DB, Pokfulam or Tai Tam are the likeliest candidates. Does anyone have any views on this in particlar about Lamma island? All thoughts are very welcome especially comments regarding the practicality of commuting to and from Central bearing in mind that I will be travelling during rush hour and sometimes also very late at night. I am having particular difficulty getting info on living in Lamma and Tai Tam, but if anyone can provide any info that's great.

Thanks in advance for all those who take the trouble to get back to me. You are really helping me out.

Franek

[PDLM]

http://www.lamma.com.hk for Lamma. You can always get home very late at night, but it is a bit convoluted after the last ferry from Central: you have to get a taxi to Aberdeen and then rent a sampan to take you across to Lamma. I have always found this a scary concept: bobbing along in a little boat in the middle of the night after a few beers directly across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world

But many people do it.

[Franek]

thanks for the info PDLM.

[fonix]

If you're still looking for information on Lamma, I've got a few comments.

Ferries: people who don't live on the islands tend to make a big deal out of the inconvenience of the ferries. I think it's overstated, but I was long used to commuting years before I lived in Lamma. As commuting goes, it beats every other form I've tried. Time to read, unwind, and you can have a coffee or a beer while you're at it. Can't do that on a bus or train. The downside for Lamma is that the ferries are the worst in Hong Kong. Some of the boats are unnecessarily cramped, they're poorly lit, and indifferently cleaned. The piers are likewise pretty horrible places to hang out.

As you say you might have to work late, you'll need to be aware that the evening service once rush hour's over is one ferry an hour only. Now that IFC is open for business, it's not quite as bad as it was, but it's still no fun just missing a ferry - after a long flight, for example. You'll learn to time your arrival at the pier pretty well.

On green space and the outdoors, Lamma's got that, comparatively speaking. On the other hand, it's not exactly the Cotswolds: Lamma housing consists of shoddily planned 700 foot plots jumbled together. There's generally not much space between houses, and you have to search hard to find one in an attractive location. Lamma's advantage over urban Hong Kong is that it's less crowded, less high rise, cheaper, and you get a balcony, and even a rooftop or a garden, depending on which floor you rent. The houses inside are pleasant enough, and Lamma is a nice island to live on. But you'll have to put up with noise, especially from dogs.

Away from the houses, the island itself is great, lots of nice walks you can do, because despite the visitors, few get further than Hung Shing Ye beach along the concrete path. Go into the hills, and you've got Lamma to yourself. A second attraction is that the restaurants, while not really world class, can be very good, and there's excellent variety for such a small place. Far better to my mind that DB or Silvermine Bay on Lantau.

For your commute, I think you can manage it, but it will partly depend on where your office is, too. I wouldn't want to live in Lamma and work in Kowloon. Coming back late will be a drag sometimes, but that's the tradeoff for choosing a nice, less urban place to live.

If you have the chance, take a look at all the places on your list after you get here, and see which suits you. They're each very different in atmosphere, and you can only get a handle on that by going there. A last thing I'd say about Lamma, which probably applies to the others, is that estate agents are pretty good at manipulating you into seeing only around three places while assuring you that they'll show you as many as you like. They lose interest quite fast if you don't take one of those, so if you really want to see a lot of different flats, push hard. They're taking your money after all.