Popular Districts For Expats on Hong Kong Island – Part 3

A long-established favourite with expatriate families living in Hong Kong is Pokfulam. This district offers easy access to Central (it’s a fifteen-minute taxi drive), plenty of outdoor space and beautiful views of the South China Sea. It’s considered a very good place for families to live, being closely connected to some of the best schools, the university campus, and the hospital and medical facilities on the island.

The area is steeped in history and has many artifacts and ruins left over from fishing village and early settler days to gunning emplacements and wartime buildings and outposts. The area was the site for several of Hong Kong’s first colonial institutions including the city’s first dairy farm. Being surrounded by lush green vegetation, there are plenty of nature tracks and hiking trails in and around the hills to The Peak or passing through historic reservoirs and waterways. There are enough outdoor opportunities to keep even the most physical athlete happy.

Cyberport, which is considered a micro suburb of Pok Fu Lam, provides a cinema complex, shops, restaurants, a hotel and a dog park. There is a good mix of accommodation, from older style colonial apartments and houses, to ultra-modern high rises complexes and developments that have all the facilities and amenities for family living.

Repulse Bay

The south side of Hong Kong Island is among the city’s most desirable places to live, combining a great location close to the city with a more relaxed, beach-front lifestyle and some sensational accommodations. And the most desirable of all addresses on the south side is Repulse Bay. The small town lies on the south side waterfront, about 6 km from Central, and was first developed for tourism in the 1910s, with bathing pavilions and beach cabanas for the wealthy.

High-rise luxury apartment and townhouse complexes such as The Repulse Bay, and The Lily offer premium accommodation and are extremely suitable for families. Generally, the luxury homes and apartments have 3 to 4 bedrooms and maid quarters for live-in help, although you can find smaller 2-bedrooms apartments here and there. Most have outstanding beach and oceanfront views that one would expect of luxury holiday resorts. The area is well serviced being close to a number of International schools from junior to senior level.

The Repulse Bay area also includes Middle Bay and South Bay, which run into it along the coast to the south and are equally exclusive. The other notable feature near Repulse Bay is Middle Island, a tiny island just off the coast that is owned and privately operated by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and reached via a private boat service. For those interested in sailing and all forms of water sports this club has excellent facilities with restaurants and bars under private membership. There is also the Hong Kong Country Club at your doorstep and the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club, both also require private membership.

Shek O

This small fishing village had very humble beginnings. Most of the original houses built were to house the local fishermen’s families and were of a very basic design with single or double stories. There was little town planning and instead of neat rows, the houses were jumbled together with small laneways for pedestrians in-between. Today, these houses have been bought up, renovated, extended and redesigned and are hugely popular with expat families.

There is a holiday atmosphere all year round, and the two beaches are always packed in the summer months. There are some famous casual restaurants and a handful of little stores selling food and wares, surf and swimming gear, towels, drinks and not too much else.

The only accommodations are the fishing houses, however, there have been a few recent small apartment developments that have been built on the cliffside overlooking Shek O beach. The hills hide some very elaborate luxury mansions that blend into the environment affording their owner absolute privacy and tranquility.

The fortunate people who live here tend to stay here, which makes it quite difficult to actually find a place to rent. Word of mouth keeps it in the community, so you need to befriend some locals, rather than the best real estate agent, and tell them you are on the lookout. The fact that this small town is further out to travel and has only one road in and out, keeps Shek O a quaint beachside village and a perfectly safe environment for children of all ages and family pets of all sizes.

On entering Shek O there is one of the most beautiful golf courses of Hong Kong that overlooks Back Beach, and for the thrill-seekers, you can paraglide off the rocky hills behind to land on the beach. Big Wave Bay is 5 minutes away and is considered the best surfing beach on the Island. There is a regular bus and minibus service, and taxis are frequent to and from.

If you are an expat and would like more information about the various residential districts to live in Hong Kong, contact our real estate agents in Hong Kong at Engel & Volkers for more information and viewings of the luxury homes for sale and rental. Engel & Volkers’ product portfolio ranges from elite homes, luxury mansions, premium residential properties, and other real estate for sale in Hong Kong.

Visit our website at https://www.hongkongev.com