Housing-in an 'expat area,' but relatively close to Sentosa

[Incassable]

Wow, this forum has been a great source of information for me over the past week as I have been trying to make a decision on whether to take a job in Singapore or not. I have gone through much of the forum and have been able to get a lot of information from it. However, I still have a couple of questions specific to my situation.

My questions relate to housing; most of the time, I will be working near Sentosa, but may also be spending some time working near Penang Rd. So I would like to find a place that is relatively close to Sentosa.

I like to eat out very often (4-5 nights per week), so being pretty close (preferably walking distance) to hawker centers/food courts is important. I am also in my early 30’s and have no kiddies, so being in a relatively lively area (definitely not ‘party central’, but lively area) would be great.

While maybe unrealistic, I would love to spend somewhere around $2000/month (well, “love”

[micknlea]

There is a good area around the Pasir Panjang area which is not far from Sentosa really. Depends what sort of housing you are looking for...but lots of expats around there too...and a little shopping "village" with some nice places to eat as well.

[Nicman]

You could check out Caribbean Residences a large 900 unit condo complex opposite Sentosa. You have Vivocity shopping centre within walking distance for all your eating requirements. We have lived here for the past year and have been really happy, but not sure if it would suit a singleton. Traffic depending Holland Village to Sentosa would be about 20 mins by car.

[Incassable]

Mic and Nick,

Thanks for your responses. I saw the ad for Caribbean at Keppel Bay and some of those do look really nice. But on Google Earth, it looked like there was absolutely NOTHING around that area other than the really nicely located condos on the waterfront (which that in itself may be enough to convince me). It also looked like the subway station was a good couple of miles from Keppel Drive. It is good to hear that Google's photos of that area may be outdated and that there really are things to do and eat close-by.

Any other recommendations for other specific areas that I should be focusing on?
Thanks,
cd

[pinkcow]

Holland village to sentosa everyday without a car is a nightmare. don't bother trying that out! Unless you are willing to take a cab to work everyday, that is fine! Cab here is affordable, and S$15 should get you 3/4 across the island.

With your budget you can pretty much get all the nicer apartments along the coast, anything from the new to older ones. Another place you could try is the east coast stretch, which has a dozen or so condos lining up. Eating out there wouldn't be a problem, theres a whole bunch of eateries along the coast that range from fast food, hawker fare, to seafood.

Nothing like giving your lungs to a little treat of seabreeze!

Does your S$4000/month budget point at purchase installments or rental? Do you mind older condos or insist on brand new settings?

[Incassable]

Pinkcow,

Thanks for the info. To answer your question; for now, I am planning to stick to renting so I can spend a little time (probably a year as that will hopefully be how long the lease is) figuring out which part of the island I really want to call home.

That is good to know about Holland Village to Sentosa not being reasonable by public transportation. I have gotten used to using cabs here in Beijing, so I am not opposed to taking one to work everyday if that means I am living in a place I am really comfortable in. I have a feeling that if I can just get it out of my head that Holland Village is the only place I will be happy, then I would imagine I can find somewhere else that is probably actually nicer and more convenient.

I will definitely check-out the East Coast; any specific complexes you would recommend for me to focus on? Regarding old vs. new; I tend to lean pretty heavily towards modern. However, not necessarily 'built in the last two years' new, but relatively modern in design.

Regarding taxis; when I was there for a few months about 12 years ago staying near Pasir Panjang area, there were quite a few times that I remember standing on the road for 10-20 minutes waiting for an available taxi (and even giving up a few times and riding the bus). Is that still the status on taxis or can you generally catch one within a minute or so (like Beijing)?

I have a short scouting trip scheduled for the third week of July, so I am hoping to have the general areas of focus narrowed down by that time as I want to leave Singapore from that trip with a specific condo (or at least complex) nailed down.

Thanks again for the information.
Regards,
cd

[pinkcow]

Hey there,

1 year rent is about the maximum time owners lease their property now in this red hot market. prices are creeping up everyday, no one wants to lose out by leasing 2-3 years at yesterday's rate. But it would sufficient time to sort out what you really want!

Holland village is indeed the little expats town - no question about that! There are a few condos launching around the nearest MRT (buona vista) soon but it wont be ready till a few years - which puts it out of the question. Those that are further up have only access to public buses - efficient as they are, i do not think you are planning to map out a circuit of buses each time you visit a new place.

The Bayshore, mandarin gardens are some reasonable beachfront condos you might want to look at. The Bayshore which launched only a few years ago won some grand international design award. The Mandarin Gardens is older but with a full sized olympic sized swimming pool, minimart, restaurant and is more or less self sufficient if you like that kind of environment. Both have seaviews, giant seabreezes and is a 5min walk from the only other real stretch of sand that i count as a beach. The reason why im pointing them out is that they are still reasonably priced yet still in a expat-friendly environment. The reason why they are cheaper lies in their greater proximity from the city compared to the spanking new ones along kallang river. However they still lie beside the highway that takes u straight to sentosa.

Taxi's remain as they are: elusive when you need them. Here's a little trick: dial 6552-1111 or 6552-2222 and pay the $2-4 booking fee if you have waited longer then 5mins or just book them before you go down. This saves me a lot of headache and heartache.

Classifieds are not available through the online versions. But heres a handy tool for you to get around with www. streetdirectory .com sorry for the weird spacings but it seems not to be appearing right due to some script.

[Nicman]

Just to let you know, Harbourfront MRT is 5 mins walk away from the Caribbean with buses that go to most parts of the island outside the complex (including Holland V!). FYI there are Serviced Apartments also in the complex if you need somewhere close to Sentosa whilst hunting for your accomodation.

[Incassable]

Awesome info Pinkcow and Nicman. I believe I am at least pointed in the right direction now, so thanks so much for the tips.
cd

[huggybear]

Thanks for the info. To answer your question; for now, I am planning to stick to renting so I can spend a little time (probably a year as that will hopefully be how long the lease is) figuring out which part of the island I really want to call home.

I have a short scouting trip scheduled for the third week of July, so I am hoping to have the general areas of focus narrowed down by that time as I want to leave Singapore from that trip with a specific condo (or at least complex) nailed down.

You'll be able to figure out which part of the city you want to call home during your scouting trip. should take you no longer then 5 days to figure out what areas you like.

[Addadude]

Incassable, I actually live right smack in the area you are talking about.
I love the area because it really is close to town yet nice and green. I live in Telok Blangah and I can get to work in Tanjong Pagar (Chinatown) in less than 15 minutes by bus.

The nearest MRT is Harbourfront (almost next to The Carribean) and it will get you to Orchard Road in about 10 minutes. There is the colossal new Vivocity shopping mall which has all the shops could possibly need, lots of restaurants and a BIG cinema complex.

The Carribean is a nice condo and pretty new but very expensive for what it offers. 2-bedroom units (around 800+sq feet) go for around $5k per month.

Opposite Vivocity is a condo called Harbourlights. It's got 2/3 bed apartments for around $3k a month but some will overlook a big ugly flyover.

On Sentosa itself, you can get a 2 bedroom at The Berth - which is brand new - for around $6k.

Far more reasonably priced would be Harbourview Towers (about 5 minutes west from Harbourfront), where a 2 bedroom apartment will set you back about $2.5k. A word of warning - the old condo, Fairways, right next to it has just been successfully enbloced so it may soon become a building site.

Further west still, you will find lots of choices around Pasir Panjang.

If you really want to work inside your budget, you can consider HDB flast in the Telok Blangah area. Prices there will be at most $1800 a month for a 3 bed apartment. No facilities though.

[Incassable]

Addadude,

Thanks for all of the specific information; I really appreciate the rundown of each place, the price and the pros/cons. That definitely gives me a good idea of what my 'nearby Sentosa' options are and will save me a good bit of time when I arrive in a couple of weeks for the short scouting visit.

Thanks again!!!
cd