Park Island, Ma Wan, Hong Kong

On the ferry coming from Park Island to Central, I got speaking to a man next to me, and quickly discovered he was Japanese. Of course the first thing we spoke about was the terrible earthquake, and the nuclear crisis. He was from Kobe, so had experienced a huge earthquake in the past. We got talking about why he moved to HK etc, and also that it seems that more people from Japan are moving to Park Island. He told me that some of the Japanese people on Park Island have been there since the very first phases were launched, and that gradually other Japanese had also decided they like to live there. He said that apart from a developing presence of Japanese on Park Island, many Japanese also like to live on HK island, in Tai Koo Shing (which is near Causeway Bay). As to why Japanese came to Park Island, he said that the biggest attraction is the cleanliness, the air quality, and the high quality living style, all of which Japanese like. He also said Japanese like the community feeling on

OK, well the last few post have been food related. Maybe its because I am working out in the Park Island fitness center more which is making me more hungry, hence all the food related posts lately. Anyhow, today's post is about where to buy pizza on Park Island. My favorite pizza is Mug Pizza. They are in the local Ma Wan Village, but many people in the Park Island apartments order from them. Once again, like other places in Park Island, these guys seem to make an effort to use a natural preparation style, fresh vegies (not sure if organic) and they make a really nice, reasonably priced pizza. Whilst I also like going to Romas for pizza, I also like getting a Mug Pizza takeaway, grabbing a can or to of Tsing Tao beer, and then heading down to the beach for a relaxing snack. I am not sure the exact street they are on, but if you walk towards the middle of the Ma Wan Village you will see a signpost advertising them. Pizza on Park Island

Park Island has a number of Chinese Food restaurants. You can get Chinese food in the Park Island main resort area, and in the private club houses, and at the restaurants along the beach. But for dim sum, my favourite place is a locally owned Dim Sum restaurant in the village area of Ma Wan, opposite Blocks 19-23 of Park Island, called Honey Heart. Dim Sum on Park Island The restaurant is owned by a local Ma Wan villager, who has a philosophy of using ononly the best food ingrediants, and minimizing any additives, artificial flavourings, MSG, etc. She came up with the idea of doing this as she was always a healthy eater herself, and because she wanted a restaurant that fitted the Park Island theme of good healthy and where possible organic food. The restaurant is not flash, but the food is without doubt excellent. People sit inside and out on the sidewalk in the sunshine. Ma Wan Dim Sum Singapore noodles (only they are not fried, but rather steamed). Chinese food on Pa

Below is a graph which shows the performance of Park Island property transaction prices over the last year, March 2010 to March 2011. Property Prices on Park Island Based on this graph, from Centerline Property, one can see that transaction volume for Park Island apartment is around 10-20 sales a week. One can see that almost all buyers are "long term", holding the property for more than a year, rather than speculative "flip sellers". One can see a clear trend of prices rising over the last year, with a spike in prices particularly in the last month. The average price for a Park Island apartment, according to Centerline Property Data, is HKD $5800 per square foot. My casual observation is that sellers are asking around HKD $5900 to $6500 per square foot, depending on view etc, and that sellers of the "super apartments" (ie those with extra large balconies or rooftops) are asking around $10,000 per square foot. I have heard, that the new phase of v

To get to Park Island from Central, the easiest way is to use the ferry. Go to the Central Ferry Pier No. 2. You will see a big sign that says "Park Island". It costs around HKD $20 (approx USD $3) to board the ferry. The ferrys go at least every half hour, on the half hour (eg 10am, 10.30am, 11am, etc, and during busy periods they go every 15 minutes). Right now you can also get a cab to and from Park Island during certain times, which will shortly change to 24 hours. Here is a YouTube clip that shows you how to walk from Central Station to Park Island, Ma Wan.

I was at Cafe Roma on Park Island last night, and over a meat lovers pizza and a glass of red wine I decided to write this restaurant review. Cafe Roma is a bar/cafe/reataurant right across from the main beach on Park Island. Photo of Cafe Roma. Cafe Roma lunch menu. Park Island residents and visitors enjoying a drink at Cafe Roma, Ma Wan Cafe Roma viewed from Park Island Beach. The staff at Cafe Roma are extremely friendly, with a relaxed and casual yet professional service. I usually go there a few times a week for lunch, and also sometimes for dinner or a beer, or two. If I have guests visiting from overseas, I always enjoy going to Cafe Roma for a meal and a bottle of wine overlooking the ocean. In many ways, when you are there, it really feels like you are somewhere on a beach holiday, like Phuket. Its hard to imagine you are in HK, as its so relaxed. The menu at Cafe Roma is pretty casual. Pizza, chicken wings, burgers, pasta, salads, etc. An OK selection of w

I was recently sent a request to provide some useful websites for people moving to Hong Kong. Here are my suggestions: For ex-pats moving to Asia, or expats moving to Hong Kong, I reccomend: www.AsiaExpat.com and Asia classifieds site www.Admart.Asia . GeoExpat.com is also quite useful. These sites contain classifieds and also a chat forum. For property information on Park Island for rent or for sale, try: www.centadata.com/pih09/pih09/estate.aspx?type=3&code=WDPPWPPEPB&lang=eng&source=data or www.admart.asia/en/HK/Property . For a bank loan to buy property on Park Island try www.HSBC.com.hk or www.whbhk.com For Hong Kong news in English try www.SCMP.com For Hong Kong weather try www.weather.gov.hk For a spa on Park Island try www.spa-parkislandhk@angsana.com For Park Island restaurant reviews try www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr1.htm?district_id=3022 For blogs on Park Island try: www.hktour.blogspot.com/2008/10/park-island-ma-wan-island.h