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SCMP Reporter

Do you have your passports ready? Then let's go. Today we are going into the unknown wilderness, a dark and savage land on which the sun rarely shines.

 Sometimes the attitudes of people living on Hong Kong Island towards the 'other side' can be a bit like that.

 Isabella Michie, senior director of residential leasing at property consultants FPD Savills, says one of the difficulties in disposing of Kowloon side units is this very mental block.

 Any Islander who turns his nose up at Ms Michie's latest serviced apartments, however, would be very foolish indeed.

 Wharf's Gateway development is sitting in one of the most strategic sites in Hong Kong.

 Smack bang in the middle of Tsim Sha Tsui, the site offers almost instantaneous access to the areas shops, restaurants and bars.

 A five-minute walk deposits the busy commuter at either Star Ferry or MTR station, while the jet-setting executive is moments away from the Airport Express.

 The finishing is good. Very good by Hong Kong standards - though for perfectionists there would be room for improvement.

  Ms Michie said that the past few years had seen the serviced apartments sector take off, driven by the changing nature of employment in Hong Kong.

 Gone are the days when most expats were fully provided for by their companies - from their children's school expenses to the family home.

 Ms Michie said that more and more packages today were more restricted and contained a rent allowance, which employees could use at their discretion.

 There was also more uncertainty in how long employees would be posted to Hong Kong. More and more expats are on shorter-term contracts - they might be here for six months or two years.

  Serviced apartments like Gateway offer people in this situation a very attractive option.

 'They can come along with a suitcase and walk right in,' Ms Michie said.

 It is true. Walking into one of the flats is a bit voyeurish - like walking into someone else's home when they are out. In every kitchen there are glasses and plates, cutlery and even a cruet set.

 There are cooking knives, pots and pans. There is a blender and coffee filter. In the living room, new tenants will find a television, video, video compact disc player and stereo.

 Being a Wharf property there is, of course, Cable TV. There is also satellite.

 The telephone line is connected and there are fresh towels hanging in each well-appointed bathroom.

 Ms Michie said the aim was to combine hotel-style luxury with the feel of a home.

 For the busy executive grown accustomed to hotel life, this may well prove a selling - or, rather, leasing - point.

 The towels are changed daily and bed linen every three days. A maid cleans up the room, there is a concierge and hotel-type services.

 There is another big bonus: tenants are given membership of the exclusive and extremely swanky Pacific Club.

  This club is probably one of the best situated in Hong Kong. The view from the pool across Victoria Harbour is stunning.

 Let us move swiftly from poolside to bathside. The two-bed corner apartment has, put simply, the best view from a bath I have ever seen.

 Windows run around it facing out on to the Harbour, with full view of the Peak and the skyscrapers of Central.

 All of the apartments have good views - the Harbour ones being spectacular. At the rear of the building, the view is of Kowloon Park.

Apartments range from studios of 889 square feet to three-bed penthouses of 2,973 sq ft.

Prices are inclusive of all household bills bar IDD calls, management fees and air-conditioning. Tenants also get free membership of the Pacific Club, with swimming pool, gym, tennis courts and other facilities over five floors.

Minimum rental period is three months. Tenants are also not allowed to make any alterations to their flats.



Kowloon alternative with a view to leasing