The attraction of Mid-Levels is twofold. It's away from the maelstrom of the commercial areas on Hong Kong's shoreline, and so can rely on rather better air quality, yet it's close enough to ensure a short commute or journey home from a shopping trip or night out.
Quite apart from the wealth of accommodation options - from new serviced apartments to more modest buildings whose main communal facility is the lift - Mid-Levels also enjoys a strong sense of community.
It's a prime choice for families, with schools such as Island School, St Paul's Co-educational College and St Margaret's Girls' College, plus the campus of the University of Hong Kong. Hong Kong Park and the Zoological and Botanical Gardens provide two of the area's main lungs for walkers and joggers.
And, while SoHo, Central, Admiralty and Wan Chai offer a vast array of shopping, dining and entertainment only a short hop away, Mid-Levels itself is dotted with small supermarkets, restaurants, dry cleaners and other sorts of useful shops that mean residents can stock up, eat out and take care of immediate requirements without having to make a major expedition.
There are also clubs tucked away in various parts of the Mid-Levels, which act as social centres, and exclusive dining and recreation venues. The Ladies' Recreation Club - which, incidentally, also admits men - is highly prized.
Guide books have recommended a stroll along Bowen Road, which has had little traffic since before the second world war. Built on a Victorian aqueduct, it runs from Magazine Gap Road to Stubbs Road, affording striking views over the city and harbour up to Kowloon's peaks.