As most of you know, I grew up here in Hong Kong.  I have been lucky enough in this transient city to make lots of friends, I have seen them leave and I have even seen some come back from a second tour!  Chu San and Callum often joke that one of the reasons I love being in real estate is that I get to meet all the new people coming in to Hong Kong.  This will be the 4th summer that they are having to deal with the sadness of our really good friends leaving.

This is the final week of living in this awesome place for a really good friend of ours……..and we have been ticking off the bucket list……….the packers came yesterday and last night was her first night in her serviced apartment……it is starting to hit home…..for all of us.

So why are serviced apartments a right of passage in and out of Hong Kong?

• Flexible: You can pay as you go so if on the way in you still haven’t found a property you can extend the room easily and if your friends kidnap you and whisk you away to Macau for a night then you will have a bed to sleep in when you return!
• Good value: If you need that short-term stay it often works out cheaper than a hotel
• Kitchen: As much as I love eating out, I must say that sometimes I want to be able to make my own ‘gong zai mien‘!
• More space: Separate rooms for the kids?  Yes please.  There are serviced apartments that have more than one room.  Not a lot but there are some.
• Home comforts: The apartments are completely furnished, sofas to sink into and all the other mod-cons you’d find at home (and for some maybe more?!)  You just need to bring your suitcases (or boxes!)
• Added luxury: 24 hour concierge and a room cleaning service (no more washing of the sheets – joy!).

Some of my favourites are:

For Seaside Luxury: The Lily, Repulse Bay, Hong Kong Island

Certainly an iconic building in Repulse Bay – you cannot miss it!  Surrounded by lush greenery, uninterrupted sea views, the apartments are beautifully furnished with all the mod-cons.  If it’s too hot to walk down to the beach, you can take a dip in the indoor pool, workout at the gym or take the kids to the play area.  A building that offers both Serviced Apartments and long term apartments.

Cosmopolitan Lifestyle:  Yin, Central, Hong Kong Island

This is the perfect choice for young professionals who want to be close to the bars and restaurants in SoHo.  After a typical crazy night out on the town you can get away from the chaos to the tranquil ambience of these very aptly named, Yin Serviced Apartments.

Urban Lifestyle:  Yi, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Having grown up on the darkside and around this area, I love the fact that you can walk out of your door and be in the heart of local life.  Some of the best Korean food is on your doorstep and the Kowloon Park is just a quick walk.  You will never believe that you’re in the middle whilst walking through there!

That’s just three options – this is by no means an exhaustive list!  There are plenty of other properties available too.  If you’d like to find out more about renting a serviced apartment in Hong Kong, get in touch with me or the team.

If you have any advice on how to deal with friends leaving then please let me know……it is always so hard.

Cheers