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Showing posts from May, 2011

Working from the beach on Park Island

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I was sent this link from the ex-pat website www.hongkong.geoexpat.com which I thought was pretty funny, but actually is quite representative of how some people work on Park Island! hongkong.geoexpat.com/forum/82/thread191409.html Below is the pic I captured of the post, from a guy who posted up "a picture of my office": I am not sure what work this guy does, but if drinking on the job is prohibited by his employer, he better watch out! It looks like a German beer he is drinking at the German bar, so is he German perhaps? For me, whilst I do work from the beach cafes on occasion, I try to save my consumption of beer to the evenings, perhaps with a sunny afternoon on the weekends being an exception.

Is private parking coming to Park Island?

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The Chinese Park Island chat-site www.parkisland.no-ip.org has had Park Island residents speculating as to whether the new phase of luxury villas will come with private parking. The rumor and speculation is that Sun Hung Kai is holding off selling the villas until its application for car parks is approved. And that process in turn is apparently being held up by a powerful former Ma Wan village chief, who still has influence over such matters. Below is a picture of the new villas, and one can quite clearly see how car parking would be feasible, with direct road access to the villas. The discussion on the abovementioned Park Island chat site is speculating that prices for the villas would be significantly higher if/when parking is granted, and that Sun Hung Kai stands to make significantly more if they can sell the villas with such facilities, hence the delay in starting sales. In the Chinese website, there seems to be overwhelming support for limited parking, with most residents re

Where to get good coffee on Park Island

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As more expats, who appreciate (and crave) good coffee move to Park Island, the question as to where to get good coffee on Park Island is becoming more common. I am a very fussy coffee drinker, and somewhat of a coffee connoisseur, so I struggle to find good coffee anywhere in HK. To put things into perspective, I would rank a Starbucks coffee at around 2/10, Pacific Coffee at 3/10, Café O and McCafe at around 4/10, and Press Room and Classifieds at 7/10. I tried a coffee at Café Roma on Park Island and would rate it at 4/10 (although for many people the coffee there would be considered entirely fine). Anyhow, a number of people recommended me a café in the Ma Wan village, called Rosanna Tea Room, so I thought I would check it out. See below some pictures of the café. First pic shows a yellow table where you can sit it you want to drink outside. Coffee on Park Island Second pic shows some of the homemade cakes and biscuits for sale. Rosanna Tearoom in Ma Wan village Pics

HSBC raises Park Island valuations by 10%

I am not sure how exactly HSBC calculates what it will loan on a property, but I woudl think a big part of it is that they look at recent sales transactions and then set their values on what they will loan on a property from there. It is commonly said that in a "rising market" you typically need to pay 10-15% above bank valuations to secure the purchase of a property. I have been closely following HSBC valuations of apartments on Park Island using this link: What I noticed in the past, by trackng bank valuations of a range of apartments on Park Island, is that HSBC will usually raise or lower prices by a percent or 2 each month, depending on whether prices are rising or falling. So, it came as a suprise to me that HSBC today raised Park Island valuations by almost exactly 10% for all the apartments I have been tracking. Its obviously nice news for owners, but he concern for buyers is that owners who are selling might now increase their asking prices accordingly. If I was

Green Green Club on Park Island

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Park Island has a number of club houses across the Estate. All residents can use any of the club facilities. Normally I hang out at the Blue Blue club, as I like the outdoor pool with the infinity effect overlooking the ocean, but I recently went to the Green Green club for a change, and took a look around. Here are my pics, in no particular order: -The club house has lots of activities for kids (and adults posted). Here is a snapshot of one of several pages of current activities. Park Island Activities for Residents Childrens' activities on Park Island -The Green Green club has a number of insulated music rooms, some with pianos and others empty. This is a GREAT idea for people (and children) who wish to practice music without disturbing neighbours. Its also a good idea for anyone who likes to play the piano, but does not want one taking up space in their apartment! Park Island Music Room -At the center of the club house there is a nice open roof "zoo". See

Pool facilities on Park Island

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My favorite pool on Park Island is the outdoor pool at the Blue Blue Club. Blue Blue Club Outdoor Pool Right now, as things warm up, one thing I enjoy is eating a meal overlooking the pool, and then having a relaxing swim, followed by relaxation the jacuzzie. I usually swim 2 to 3 times a week, and I find it a great form of exercise. One thing I really like about Park Island is that apart being surrounded by ocean (where you can swim if you wish) there are a large number of resort-style pools to chose from on the island. The Blue Blue club has the outdoor pool (pictured above) and an excellent Olympic style indoor pool (pictured below), also with 3 jacuzzie (one large mixed-sex one, and then one each in the mens and ladies rooms, along with steam saunas, dry saunas, etc). Blue Blue Club Indoor Pool The other pools are located at the Green Green Club house, in the middle of the Park Island (again with communal jacizzie), and also a huge outdoor pool near the Phase 5 apartments