Details count when looking for your ideal serviced apartment

Choosing a serviced apartment in Hong Kong is no easy task. With so many on offer, the consumer can be forgiven for being overwhelmed by the choices available.

As more operators jump on the bandwagon, attracted by rising rents and increasing demand, consumers have to work harder to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Five-star names such as Four Seasons Place or Pacific Place Apartments can usually be trusted to meet, and often exceed, clients' expectations. It is a different story with the more modestly priced serviced apartments, where attention to detail is necessary on the part of the client.

Last year we were searching for an apartment in Hong Kong to live in for a month and we had several conditions in mind. We wanted cooking facilities - in fact, we needed a whole kitchen, not just a fridge and a microwave. And we wanted to be near a supermarket, a laundry service and an MTR station. We wanted to be on Hong Kong Island, so we could get around easily and because most of our business would be centred there.

We also needed broadband service (and hoped to have access to Star World, because American Idol was down to the final 10 contestants at the time). We needed a place that could sleep four. We wanted only a reasonable amount of space and, if necessary, we would make do with less. And we had a budget that did not put us in the luxury serviced apartment category, where all the above needs would be met.

We realised that finding a suitable place would entail extensive investigation, so we turned to the biggest tool for research available - the internet. But first a cautionary word: do not be deceived by website pictures, as not all photos on the Net give an accurate picture. Rooms can be made to look bigger than they really are.

As for the size of the flat, if we are talking about a unit that is 1,500 sqft or bigger, then a difference of a few hundred sqft would not be too keenly felt. But if we are referring to a 600 sqft apartment, then a living space that actually proves to be only 450 sqft can be a bit of a let down.