We live here with DC 10 & 6.
You have both negative absolutelyspot on and add housing costs to that.
"The city is very densely populated. Green / suburban doesn't really exist"
This is the biggest misconception about Hong Kong. It is one giant country park under very strict conservation rules. 3/4 of the territory is countryside. Everyone hikes here and the scenery is shockingly beautiful with huge reservoirs and incredible skylines nudged between sea and mountain.
In between, lots of very densely populated areas of course for those who prefer starbucks on their doorstep. The public transport system is far reaching and runs very efficiently.
Most kids are on school buses so that's not an issue either.
So that's out of the way. Its a fabulous place. None of us would ever want to leave if it wasn't for the pollution. Certainly those with severe allergies/asthma would need to be under the management of a Doctor. It is not constant but the peaks which last up to a week are pretty bad and bring on headaches, nausea. You get used to it.
We suffered much more in Singapore with the constant onslaught of heat and humidity and mold spores developing in the air conditioning system.
- Where would be good places to live? I'd want to live in as green or suburban an area as you can get.
Depends on the schools. You have to start there. For easy access to Kowloon I would recommend Pok Fu Lam in HK island (covers lots of school possibilities)
Or the Gold coast (covers Harrow and a few new campuses) as well as Sai Kung/Clearwater bay (many school and pre-school options there too)
On HK island you'd expect to be in a flat. Most building have great facilities such as pool/gym/playrooms/playground/tennis etc....) They will be expat enclaves for sure.
In the otehr areas you can find communities of townhouses (essentially expats) but also lots of village houses.
- Can you recommend any schools I can look at and what are their waiting lists like? DD1 is 6.
You need to log on to Facebook and find 2 groups: hong kong mums & hong Kong Schools. Every school has a waitlist. You will hear lots of drama stories but you will find a place, everyone does.
Expect pre-school fees to be similar to primary school fees.
I'll come back a bit later for this.
Can you tell me what sort of school? UK system only to slot back into school when you return? would you send her to an independent school at home? how competitive?
- I know nothing about preschools there, structure, availability and cost. DD2 is 3. Would she be able to go to a local English speaking one?
Yes english speaking no problem. Start by having a look at woodlands pre-schools hong kong. its kind of a benchmark There are also waldorf and montessori options if that matters to you
- Is it easy having a car there?
Yes. very easy to convert licence and all pretty straightforward appart from the crazy taxis.
- Is it realistic to expect to drive my kids to school every day or is the traffic a nightmare? Would it be better to find a place within walking distance?
It is but most of the older kids love being on the bus with their friends.
- Is it easy to drive across the border at weekends or for shopping?
You are not allowed to drive ( but can hire a chauffeur with special permit for the day). Easy on the train. 25mn from kowloon station. visa is stamped into your passport (british I assume) in 10mn at the tube station.
- Is the expat community quite spread out or only in certain areas? Not too keen on living in an exclusive expat bubble (or certainly not just with other Brits).
Yes. all over the island & New territories as there are english medium schools all over. The expat community is VERY diverse.
- How do supermarket prices compare to the UK?
Food is NOT cheap. A night out in town can be but supermarket bills are horrendous as we all shy away from local (china) produce and root for organic labels etc.....
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