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Park Island

Thu, 2008-07-17 18:50 — Fiona

Although a long-time Mid-Levels resident, I am shortly going to take ownership of a mid-size dog and this has caused me to re-examine where I live, mainly because he's used to being taken on good walks (and if runs off his leash and a dip in the ocean are a possibility, he'd be in seventh heaven).

 I've heard that Park Island is a good choice as it's very dog friendly and the island offers many walks and even a small ungazetted beach around the back.  It also looks like you can get more bang for your buck space-wise, which is going to be a real boon to me when my American-sized American husband arrives to stay in a couple of months.  He's also looking to teach English while here and would prefer to earn an income from private classes from home, but that will really depend on where we end up living as it will be a 'come to me' type arrangement.

 I'm a little concerned about being that far from work (my office is in Central) and about the seeming isolation of the complex (ferries to Central, buses to Tsing Yi MTR, taxis aren't even allowed in). 

 Does anyone have any experience of living on Park Island, know of anyone who does, or have any thoughts on the whole thing?  I also thought of DiscoBay but it appears to be pretty similar and apartments seem to be less value for money.

 Thanks guys :)

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Thu, 2008-07-17 21:19 — mrb

re: Park Island

Hi Fiona,

I'll ask some friends who live there. Let me make sure I've got the questions right:

 - What's Park Island like as a place to live if you have a dog?
 - How inconvenient is it if you work in Central?
 - How about when not working, is getting to and from the island at odd hours a pain?

Anything else you want to know, like where abouts on the island to live (there are several phases now), or whether it's better to buy or rent?

Not sure what questions would help your husband decide if he'll get much business there?

Regards, MrB

PS Park Island was mentioned before as a good place to live if you have a dog.

Fri, 2008-07-18 07:24 — Fiona

Thank you

Hi Mr. B - thanks for that.  Any advice or info would be terrific as to what's it like to live there.  I keep getting visions of 'The Village' - if you're familiar with that very old English tv series!!

I've seen comments here and there reflecting both good (great environment, good facilities) and bad (cockroach city, noisy from the airport) so am eager to get as much info as possible before I make any decisions.

Absolutely would like to know which would be the best blocks, I know it has grown tremendously since first concept.

For teaching, I was wondering about the demographics - are there a lot of non-English speaking families living there (something I always search for anyway when looking at where I'll live) which would provide a business base for him as noone would be wanting to make the schlep over there, I'm sure.

Thanks again, most appreciated!

Take care

Fri, 2008-07-18 10:14 — isdl

Ma Wan

Probably you have surfed these sites. 

Traffic between Park Island & the City is limited to the bus & ferry services provided by the developer.  The occuptants have some say about the services & charges of the transport.  Taxis are allowed to operate after hours (11pm - 7am) since 3 July, 2008. 

There are villagers living on the other side of the island.  Most of them are fishermen & have been living & working there over generations.

isdl

Fri, 2008-07-18 12:13 — mrb

re: Park Island

Here's a reply from a friend who bought when it was first on sale, and has lived there since. He works in Central, and doesn't own any dogs:

Park Island is great place to live in if you can accept the transportation arrangements. Compared to when first moved there the population has tripled due to the number of new blocks. Means more people using the facilities and more people going to work at the same time although it never gets as crowded as the MTR.

I don't see cockroaches at home but have seen them around on the grounds but guess this is pretty unavoidable. There is noise from the planes especially if you open windows a lot but I have seem to have got used to it by now.

Dogs are welcome on the island and there are quite a lot of dogs seen about. Even seen large groups of dog owners who congregate during the evenings when taking the dogs out. They are allowed to swim in the sea but I don't think
they are allowed on the public beach side.

Working in Central is not a problem but you do need to be on schedule for the ferrys. Especially late at night when the frequency drops.

Odd hours, again, depends how you can schedule yourself to get the transport.
After midnight, ferry is 1 per hour after midnight. Buses from kwai fong and tsing yi every half hour.
They have allowed taxis to enter too after midnight but not sure of cost since there is an additional toll charge for the bridge.

Don't really know which phases are best but you need to decide how far you are from pier, bus stops and where you are facing etc etc. There is also a difference in the layouts of the different phases so really need to see for yourself.

There is a monster of a Noah's Ark in the finishing stages there but that's another story...

Sun, 2008-07-20 10:52 — mrb

re: Park Island

Another friend's reply. They have also lived there since shortly after it opened, and don't have dogs either:

Population of Mawan : About 15,000
Dog Population of Park Island : About 700 ~ 800

Dogs are allowed to swim on the small beach but not on the public beach
side.

Park Island Transport Company Limited.
http://www.pitcl.com.hk/eng/html/facilities.htm

The following website might be very helpful if the batgung reader reads
Chinese as well:
http://parkisland.no-ip.org/

Looks like there should be plenty of prospects for your husband's language classes.

Mon, 2008-07-21 07:20 — Fiona

Thank you

Hi isdl - thank you for the info and yes, I had surfed geo-expat and even posted there too :)

 

I'm not TOO worried about transport as they do seem to have it covered by the ferry and shuttle to the MTR nearby. 

 

I think I'll take a trip over one weekend and see what it's like - that's really interesting about the fishermen and they must really add something special to living there.

 

I lived in Ting Kau which had a bit of a view of Ma Wan, way back in the early 80s.

 

Thanks again

Mon, 2008-07-21 07:23 — Fiona

BIG Thank You

Mrb - thank you and your friend for this and the other post, it has been most informative and helpful - as always on this forum :)

 

I've seen pictures of the 'Ark' and it looks like such a monstrosity but I suppose someone in their infinite wisdom thought it 'fits' there!!

 

I'll take a wander over there some weekend, and maybe fit in DiscoBay too, as I thought that is another option but what puts me off that a little is its rather large expat population - even living in Mid-Levels, I've always sought out more 'local' buildings ;) 

 

Thanks again for all the help, it really is starting to swing me seriously in that direction!

 

Fiona

Mon, 2008-07-21 11:23 — mrb

re: thank you

You're very welcome - and I'll pass on your thanks.

I think a visit is well worthwhile. The times I've been there, it's had a much more local feel than DB.

We've got three sets of friends that live there. Two are BBC, and one is Taiwanese, so maybe that's a sign it's a good place for finding the right mix of expat/local atmosphere.

Thu, 2008-08-28 14:51 — Anonymous (not verified)

Dogs and Arks

I live in PI have lived here 4 years have a large dog.

It is easy and convenient to all HK, unless there is a high signal typhoon. It is more dog friendly than Disco Bay.

The Roaches are the type that are native to Hong Kong woods and forests. Believe me these are prevalent even in the midlevels. While they are large and scary looking, and native to the gardens, I have not seen a single one inside any building in these 4 years.

The whole estate has really flourished, and there is more up market things to come, even the Park & Shop has undergone significant improvements, selling such things as decent parma ham now that you had to go to central for a few months ago.

The park and later the ark are starting to draw a lot of tour groups on weekends. That makes for some disturbance especially in the parknshop and common areas on weekends.

The transportation company has been a bit of an ogre in trying to raise fees and/or cut services, but then they did start out significantly lower priced than Disco Bay, so they may have some fair points. It is their method and lack of service standard that has caused some reasonable complaint from residents. I think they would be better off if they focused on service and PR.

As to the Ark that is actually a Born Again Christian "creation science" museum, where they will teach that the bible is factually exact and the pure word of their god. It is supported by several wealthy HK Christians and by the Institute for Creation Research in USA, which has a similar park, I think in Alabama.

Thu, 2008-08-28 18:13 — Fiona

Dogs and Arks at PI

Dear Anonymous

Thank you for your informative post!  I'm still dilly-dallying a bit, I've bought some time in the fact my dog is going to join a household there for six months, after which he come into Hong Kong quarantine-free.  Large (mainland?) tour groups concern me a little, as do the cockroaches somewhat.  But at the risk of being flamed, to be quite honest the true purpose of the Ark is what bothers me the most now. 

 OK, let the barbs fly ;)

 Thanks again Anonymous, that last comment of mine aside, your comments are very valuable in helping me with my decision-making.

 

Fiona

Sat, 2008-12-06 23:29 — Fairlady (not verified)

Hey there (I hope my reply

Hey there (I hope my reply is not too late),

I had the same concerns as you do but eventually I made up my mind and in to PI I shifted. I am already staying here for 1 yr now and still staying on.

Yes, transport might be a bit of a hassle as compared to other place esp those on HK Island. BTW, My office is in north point and, on average, I take slightly more than 1 hr to get to work. For your case, you might need just 40mins or less(ferry=25mins) (depends on which part of central). I read on my way to work most of the day (Shuttle bus to tsing yi->MTR to central then north pt), so i am making my travel time more useful. You will be amazed how much one can read in a month. Also they have allow taxis to come in after 11pm everyday, so that will be a plus point for you.

Nice environment here, more spacious as compared to many other apartments on HK island (If u take into consideration the price). Park Island is also a very nice place for doggies (I think your dog will be happy staying here too! WE have lots of beagles, Schnauzers, corgies and of course golden retrievers! many others too) I dont keep a dog but I can see this estate welcome residents to keep dogs (another plus point)

Well, I like the island (It's a lovely place!) hence I am willing to compromise on some of the less favorable conditions.

Hope we can become neighbours!

PS: Feel free to contact me if you need to ask other things abt PI..cheers

Sun, 2010-06-27 15:15 — Anonymous (not verified)

Park Island

Living condition in Park Island is pretty good.  Traffic is easy except bad weather days like very cloudy (no ferry), rainfall and typhoon.  However it is a very small island, TV reception is very poor unless you have a digital TV.  Also, in bad weather days, cable TV will totally black out and no signal at all.

Sat, 2010-10-23 12:49 — Anonymous (not verified)

Living on Park Island is wonderful

After 10 years in HK mid levels I moved to Park Island! I love it. Its the best move I ever made, and I am amazed I took so long to do it.


For what you get on park island, its excellent value. In fact I plan to buy - its surely got to be the best value property in HK and I am sure it will go up as people find out about it.


I love the beaches, cafes, and the really first class facilities and management. And I love not being woken up bar cars honking, and jackhammers, like happens in the Mid Levels.

Tue, 2010-11-23 12:06 — Anonymous (not verified)

After considering many

After considering many options in HK, we finally made the choice to move to Park Island. We are from Portland in the US, and wanted a place for our 2 small children and our dog Oscar (a large energetic lab).


My husband went over, and found the whole process of finding a property in HK quite depressing. We had a budget of HK $45,000 a month, which actually does not get you much in many parts of HK.


The place we have in Park Island we rent at 35K a month. For that we get a large apartment, 3 brms, a large balcony and a rooftop. We have ocean views. Beach is 2 minutes away. There are parks, (dogs ALLOWED!) and a great grocery store called Park and Shop. We love the bars and diners along the beachside. And best of all, the air is so much cleaner than HK in the city.


Move to Park Island. You will love it!


PS - we are not sure if we will stay in HK long term. It was 2 years, now looks like 5 years as my husbands company is growing faster in Asia. So we are considering buying on Park Island too.

Wed, 2012-02-29 10:07 — cadman

Park Island as a living option

I have found this site useful as part of my search to find an apartment to live in Hong Kong. I can only agree with the positive comments here about living on Park Island. My biggest hesitation about Park Island was actually the transport options, but having now moved there I can report back that I love living here.


Park Island apartments are high quality, nice layout, etc, and the pool and beach and gym etc are all excellent. For transport, I catch the ferry into the office each morning, and I enjoy the trip which is peaceful, and you are always assured of knowing the exact leaving time and of having a seat.


Taxi to and from Park Island I use occasionally, mainly if I have been out drinking late in Central or on HK island. Air quality is noticably better and at night is peaceful - the buzz and hum of the big city is notoceably absent, whcih makes for a calm sleep.


A good resource for I started following about Park Island is http://parkislandhongkong.blogspot.com/.


There are specific articles and advice, and you can check here if you like to see some photos of Park Island:


http://parkislandhongkong.blogspot.com/2011/06/park-island-beach-photos.html


http://parkislandhongkong.blogspot.com/2011/02/photos-of-park-island.html


For anyone who is interested please put a question here and I will try to answer it. If you are new to Hong Kong Park Island is well worth viewing.


One last point is about the internet connection. I need a fast internet connection as I work from home sometimes, and I got now a very fast 100 mbp connection here.

Thu, 2012-04-12 15:32 — cadman

Articles about Park Island, Ma Wan

Two articles by the Park Island Blogger worth looking at for anyone who wants to visit Park Island and explore a little. The first is about walking and hiking around Ma Wan http://parkislandhongkong.blogspot.com/2012/04/hike-around-ma-wan-island-part-1.html


The second is an article about the history of Ma Wan http://parkislandhongkong.blogspot.com/2012/04/history-of-ma-wan-hong-kong.html