Description
Our house is located in Clearwater Bay in the Sai Kung district of Hong Kong. It is set over three levels of interior living (2100 sq feet in all), and has a paved terrace on the ground level where there is a barbeque and outdoor dining furniture. It also has a flat rooftop as an additional outdoor area.
It was fully renovated 2 years ago and is in very nice condition. The two main bedrooms have a King and a Queen size bed respectively, and there is also a baby's room which can be rearranged to become another bedroom if necessary (it's a large room and would not be a squeeze).
The house has a modern fully equipped kitchen, a comfortable sitting room with flatscreen LCD and cable TV, and a study with a laptop computer connected to broadband. It is fully airconditioned, and also heated for the cooler months. Of course there is a laundry area with a washer and dryer.
There is a full-time live-in housekeeper. She would be able to assist you with your grocery shopping, and she will help to keep the house in order. If you're nice to her she might treat you to some of her tasty Asian cooking.
The property has lovely views of the sea and hills from all levels, and it is set in bushland. There are extensive walking trails in the hills that surround the house, and beaches nearby for swimming.
A car can be included in the exchange if desired. We have an old (but good condition) 2.5 litre BMW525 and a 2.0 litre Honda CRV, both with automatic transmission.
To travel into the city district you can either drive our car or take a taxi to the nearest MTR (train) station and then it's less than US$3 for the train fare into Central Hong Kong, or else to go all the way by taxi which will cost around US$22. Car/taxi + train travelling time to the city is around 40 minutes. Taxi direct takes around 25 minutes outside peak hour traffic. Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui takes around 20 minutes to drive or will cost around US$12 for a taxi.
With driving directions from us you could also drive to the south side of Hong Kong island to see Stanley, Deepwater Bay and Repulse Bay.
Neighborhood
We live in a quiet village which is about 25 minutes drive (40 minutes by public transport) from the hustle and bustle of downtown Hong Kong. The village is in a beautiful bay known locally as Lobster Bay, and it's inhabitants are a mixture of local Hong Kongers and expatriates from all over the world.
Apart from the extensive walking trails in the hills, there are three lovely beaches located nearby where there is good swimming in the warmer months, and the rocky headland of Lobster Bay is a great place to explore. 20 minutes away by car is the town of Sai Kung. All of this is very different to the downtown Hong Kong, so you can see two contrasting sides of this interesting city during your stay.
A good supermarket is located 5 minutes away by car, and while there isn't a huge range of restaurants in this quieter part of the city, there are 3 or 4 within 5 minutes drive of the house - a chinese seafood restauant and a western steak restaurant included. We're also served by pizza delivery etc. A large shopping area about 8 minutes easy drive from the house has a wide range of the usual shopping mall shops, including coffee shops and electronics stores.
The village town of Sai Kung - about 20 minutes drive away - has many good restaurants and bars. Hong Kong Disneyland is also a straightforward trip by car + train.
Hong Kong is very hot and humid in the Summer months, from about June to late August/early September. That's not the best time to visit here, but it IS do-able if you're tough. Temperatures reach the mid 30's (Celsius) and the humidity is very high.
It's also a city that can suffer from poor air quality at times. Generally the cooler months are better for air quality, but there is no GUARANTEE at any time of the year that the air will be great. Having said that, it is a great city with many contrasts and much to offer a curious and adventurous traveller.
If you want to see the famous bustling downtown part of Hong Kong, but at the same time enjoy the quieter more relaxed aspect of the city then you might like to try Clearwater Bay.
About Us
am Andrew, 44, an airline pilot, Australian.
My wife is Sarah, 42, a mother, English.
Our daughter is Marnie, 2, an angel, Hong Konger.
ADDITIONALLY: Minnie, 13, a dog, Singaporean.
We are very responsible and careful people who would take as much care with your home as we do with our own. Marnie is a terrific little girl who is very well behaved and she would be as careful with your belongings as we would.
Our old dog is a lovely old thing, but she doesn't relate at all well to young children (apart from Marnie). If you are travelling with kids between 2 and 14 years of age, or if you don't like dogs, we would have her looked after by friends. Small babies are fine as she is only uncomfortable when she is approached by mobile kids (the result of a bad experience we think). She's great with adults and babies, and would love to go for a walk with you if you want her to.
We are non-smokers and it is a non-smoking house, however you're welcome of course to enjoy a puff outside on the terrace.
We are reasonably flexible with regard to dates if given plenty of notice.
We have 10 weeks of holidays each year but need to organise the dates well in advance, so if you have a swap suggestion for us, the earlier we make contact the better.
Destination
We can do non-simultaneous exchanges.
