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Where to live near Dover Court Prep School

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Moving east
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Where to live near Dover Court Prep School

Post by Moving east » Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:46 pm

Hi, me and my family will shortly be moving to Singapore (end of Jan) and I need some advice re where would be a good place to live. We have two children aged 2 and 3. We have signed the eldest up for Dover Court and she will be starting at the nursery upon arrival and at school next September. The youngest will start next at the nursery next January. My husband will be working in the CBD. We don't plan to have a car so where we live needs to be convenient for getting the kids to school (particularly as when the youngest is at nursery and the eldest at school i will be picking them up at different times - and I don't think they are old enough to get the school bus just yet) and hubbie to work.

I've been looking at Mount Sinai area and Holland Village, as well as Pasir Panjang, but would be grateful for anyone with advice about these areas, and the transport links, esp for the school journey etc. We are after a cluster house or a condo in a low rise development with good amenities.

Many thanks in advance!

:)

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Makingthemove
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Post by Makingthemove » Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:22 am

Nowhere in Singapore is insurmountable in terms of travel but Dover Court people tend to live out west and central-ish-west, and condos include:

Holland Residences on Taman Warna (right on the MRT for CBD, short school bus route)
Marbella, Fontana Heights etc in Mt Sinai (as above)
Houses up behind Farrer Road & Botanic Gdns (as above),
Heritage View and Dover Park condos (retro but big and walkable to school)
Island View (big and pricey but lovely, and transport & school bus = good)
Oh, lots more: Glentrees, Duchess Crest, then places off down River V Road - all over Central line and some down East/West line.

Hopefully some starters there. Do a search on Dover Court and you'll find lots of chatter about this. Good luck.

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Post by Makingthemove » Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:25 am

Oops, sorry, just noticed you said you wouldn't be on school bus just yet. You can still get there from most places OK-ish without school transport or car but if you're going without either I'd suggest being walkable, like HV or Dover Parkview (not Dover Park as I stated ealier - dozy tonight).

You might end up just getting a car anyway, most people with more than one child on the school run seem to give in to this after a few months - but see how you get on. I think proximity will be your watchword and the two condos above are the nearest.

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Post by Moving east » Fri, 02 Nov 2012 9:46 pm

Hi

Thanks very much for your prompt and helpful response. Yes, the car decision ...... We were hoping we could manage without.

Out of interest what age do kids start going on the school bus? Also what do you think about going a stop or two on the mrt for the school trip? Is it manic like the tube? What do most people do? Surely not everyone walks or has a car?? Or school bus...... Mmmmmm so difficult to work this out remotely, I might have to join hubbie on a reckie!

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Post by Makingthemove » Fri, 02 Nov 2012 10:02 pm

Hi again! Yes it's tricky to work out remotely - but not impossible.

From what I've seen (only been here three months), most children start on the school bus at about four or five. Lots of younger ones travel this way as well but perhaps the 'norm' would be when they start 'Reception'. At least this is from what I have seen.

I don't drive - here or in UK - so the thought of using the MRT/tube has never been a foreign concept to me and I've found all forms of transport here very comfortable. But yes, the MRT is busy in the morning and there is no space, a lot like the tube, and there's the usual lack of leeway given to any kind of object (pram, suitcase, big shopping bag, small child) that might be in the way. Plus a slight surge, I might say, in the old pushing-on-first habit that you see sometimes (I never forget projecting my voice down the entire tube + platform, once, when trying to get off with my small toddler. The crowd parted, biblically. I'm not sure I'd try it here, though).

So I am not sure there is really an answer for you. I really do see a lot of people caving in and getting cars if they have more than one child, esp small children. The school run with lots of kids just does people's heads in.

We are fortunate enough to have just one (taken us seven years to realise this but with topics like this the fact is a plus point) - life is very uncomplicated and we can live where we want and travel in how we like. I am a bus ride away and then a 15-minute stroll (you can't rush in the heat, that's another point that I'd heard about but didn't actually absorb til I got here). So the other thing about Dover is that sometimes it's not on a direct bus route. That's made me recall another condo, Varsity Park, that's on a direct public bus route...

If I were you I would make x5 posts on here so that you enable yourself to receive direct messages, and then I can go into whatever detail you want. I am all for posting things in public so that everyone gets the info, but I reckon you need close pinpointing as to where to live and I can help with some finer points WRT all the people I know who go to the school with small children and do - or don't do - the bus.

Anyway, rambling now! Let me know if you need more info, or more on a particular point.

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