Good spots to live in HK

[krankin]

Hey All,

Hoping to get a HK based job and am wonderibg where the good places to stay are near the Airport.

Wouldnt be made of money but would be comfortable. Would be myself and my Girlfriend so no family to worry about.....

Have been looking at Disco Bay, Kowloon, and some others. What do you guys reckon?

Cheers!!

K.

[superfrozo]

DBay - swing our way!

You gotta come to DiscoBay - I'm tired of seeing the same mingers (not suggesting your gf is a minger mind you!) at the "swap meets".

Definitely need some new talent here, so come on over & bring your keys.

"Disco Bay, where all your troubles can be golf-carted away!"

[AAIGUY]

you know, for all the swapping I'm aware of in HK, relatively little of it goes on in DB.. would love to know how that rumour got started.. Way more in Sai Kung.

Now, if you want your Mrs. poached WITHOUT your consent, then DB is perfect.
Lots of gent's happy to mow your lawn whilst your away..

[broadband circuit]

Now, if you want your Mrs. poached WITHOUT your consent, then DB is perfect.

Just hang on a minute AAIGUY, he didn't say he'd be working for CX as an SO!

However, krankin, if you are about to join CX, then steer clear of the DB marina. There's a CX pilot-manager there that you don't want your wife to meet.

[iMad]

krankin, all jokes aside (well actually they arent jokes...sad), based on the limited info you're giving, the only advice i can give u is if you're joining CX as an international cadet, you would want to take a long hard look at what you'll be living in. At what they're paying C-Scales (no housing), you'll be looking at a 1-2 bedroom shoebox in Tung Chung - the only residential area next to the airport, and if its decent-sized you'll be paying at least half your salary for rent.....and thats in Tung Chung!!

[Ghost_Rider737]

If you're working in Hong Kong or the Middle East then there is a strong possibility that your GF/wife will BAIL !!! (well very strong possibility if ure an expat) Stay away if u can......

Expat lifestyle is crap if u have a GF or Wife (thats not local). If u really need the job and there is no wher else to go then i suppose u got no option.

I know the money may be good but there is a reason for it !

Goodluck

Personally I think there are better spots in the world than HKG !

[krankin]

Thanks for the variety of views guys!

I wasnt too keen on using the Mrs as a trading tool and was quite happy to keep her to myself so i might give disco a miss (this isnt the only place i have heard of these shenanigans).

Seriously, wtf is going on over there? Is it THAT boring?

Anyway, not coming as a CX cadet so i have that on my side i guess. The money woudnt be great but would be enough to live on. What about mixing with the locals? Anyone lived in the non expat parts of town?

[AAIGUY]

I live in Kowloon in a reasonably local area dude, rent is still 40K for about a 1000sq feet. Unless you're moving to Shatin or something, ANYTHING you'd consider living in would start @ about 12-14K in Tung Chung, and go up from there.

[N1 Vibes]

You could live in the office - that's free.

Or you could move to Tung Chung and get the annual "Hong Kong Cough", the season for which is starting just about now, judging by the number of furballs baing hacked up around here at the moment...

If you want the cleanest air in HK and an expensive expat life, then Sai Kung is the place, but it can take 45 mins to 1.5 hrs to get to the airport.

Good Luck,

N1 Vibes

[hongkongfooey]

Krankin, I am guessing HKA/HKE or corporate ? either way, unless you are a DEC, you will not be putting too much into the savings account my friend.

Hope you did'nt fall into the popular traps up here :

1) If working for HKA/HKE they would have quoted you the max amount you can earn per month, and promised you a command in 6 months

2) converting the pay to Aussie dollars, this is not Oz !! and almost everything except phone, electricity and beer, cost significantly more ( yes, I realise they are really the only 3 things you need to live )

3) you can make a fortune in property, well now you need a fortune to get into a 1000sqft flat

4) the pollution is not as bad as the greenies make out. ( ask the 1500 people a year that die of it, on second thoughts, ask the people that visit the doctor 6,000,000 times anually because of it, And no, that is not one person )

The 1000sqft mentioned for 12-14K in Tungers ( Tung Chung ) is about 1/2 the size of a small house in Oz, on the plus side you can look out the window and stare at work all day, on the days that the viz permits .
Disco Bay you need to spend closer to 25-30K for that size, but the missus is likely to take a lot longer to go around the twist in DB. There is that other problem tho.............

Still, I guess there is no talking you out of it, so, good luck

[Ex Cathedra]

Thanks for the variety of views guys!

Wait. What else did you expect on PPrune? At least you know to avoid DB like the bubonic plague now.

But if you roughly told us your budget and lifestyle expectations we might, just might, be able to help.

Or try the HK expat forums if you want to exchange with normal human beings.

[krankin]

Sorry guys, i have an interview for AHK and just want to get a feel for what is going on.

The budget would probably not exceed 30,000 for accomodation per month. Would i be right in saying that this amount would probably not include rats??

Thanks guys.

[fire wall]

Krankin, 15-20 k coin will get you a nice place in Db, people are way cool if you get in the right scene and the BS you have heard (especially the golf cart key chain farytale is based on noise and previous indiscretions which in their singularity cannot possibly be considered the norm, except for the bent few who continually post their sewage on an anon site ). I have lived here for 9 years and, ignoring the loud mouth variety of canuks and wallabies ( which I would have done where ever I lived, given that i am an Australian married to a girl from Saskatchewan) you can have a great life if you don't live you life based on the company's latest missive, or the bent out of shape crap posted by the previous respondents. They all have one think in common, big mouth = little brain. Enjoy.

[Ex Cathedra]

That budget gets you a really nice place above Kowloon station, in one of the residences there. It's got an Airport Expres station and easy and quick connection to the rest of the city.

There's also Tsing Yi. Also convenient with MTR, Airport Express and a nice mall. Bigger place for the same money.

You can probably a nice rooftop duplex in tung Chung for that money, if you don't mind the constant reminder of the misery that your new career with a Hong Kong airline promises to be...

I see FireWall has definitely put the nail on DB's coffin, but if you enjoy that kind of lifestyle, you can try Park Island. It relatively close to the airport, well connected, has a beach and good clubhouses, with no annoying gossip or MILFs driving golf carts like maniacs menacing to run you over between dropping off the kids to school and visiting their boyfriends.

...

[seventy-seven]

Simple, if your single then its livable. If you are married or have a girlfriend stay away, its that bad! The air quality alone will kill you.

[CrazyStuntPilot]

I recently went to Hong Kong for an interview and I really liked the city in the 2 days that I visited after the interview. Now from what I've experienced and seen I would have no problem taking my wife to live there. Why are you guys saying having a wife or a gf is a problem when moving there? My guess is that it depends on the girl.

[Dan Winterland]

You're correct, it has to be the right woman to get on here. This place puts a lot of strain on any relationship. I'm lucky, as my wife likes living in HK. But beware, the divorce rate is high.

I would strongly suggest you do as I did, bring her on a trip first. Look at the areas you may want to live (in your price range!) and get her to talk to some people in similar circumstances.

[hongkongfooey]

) you can have a great life if you don't live you life based on the company's latest missive, or the bent out of shape crap posted by the previous respondents. They all have one think in common, big mouth = little brain. Enjoy.

A scaler ? ( and not very fluent in English, " think " " live you life " (sic) )

A good life style on 8K USD/month ( 62000HKD ) ? 15-20K gets you a shoebox in any decent area, thats not " bent outta shape " thats the real estate market, bright spark.

Krankin, your girlfriend will not be able to work here ( legally ) unless she has a profession that will prompt someone to sponsor her. HK does not recognise defacto, in fact she will have to leave every 3 months as she will only get a tourist visa ( that will get old with immigration real quick ).

Feel free to PM me if you want any more " bent out of shape crap "
or just put on your rose ( grey ? ) coloured glasses and join old mate above.

[an3_bolt]

in fact she will have to leave every 3 months as she will only get a tourist visa ( that will get old with immigration real quick ).

Are the unmarried and not working other halves still propping up the Macau ferry services?

[AAIGUY]

After the second time (6months) my friends GF was pulled aside and told 'no more'. They flagged her and said they knew what she was up to and wouldn't be allowed in a 3rd consecutive time. They got married @ City Hall a few weeks later. Whole ceremony took under 2 minutes...

I'd HIGHLY recommend you marry her in HK, give the paperwork to the government for the visa and then throw it away. Don't tell anyone in your families. She'll be a 100K tax deduction for you, and won't have to leave.. in fact she can legally work easily (friends wife got on with telecom company as she was skilled in area back home and now makes 40k a month).