And the winner is...

Apartment number 3! It seems our friends and family know us well as most of you predicted that as the winner. In the end, it was closer to work for Matthew and provided amenities that would make our transition to living in Shanghai a bit more seamless. So what does our apartment include?

Daily maid service (excluding Sundays and public holidays)

Towel and linen change twice a week

Daily breakfast

On sight laundry and dry-cleaning service

24-hour security and concierge services

DVD library

Fitness Center

Basic pots/pans, dishes, and silverware

We were also able to negotiate a membership to the local gym which has a pool as well as my beloved cycling and yoga classes.

We will post more photos of our new home when we move in on February 8th, but for now, here is a sneak peak of the layout of our apartment.

House Hunters Shanghai

Since we were too late to actually audition for the HGTV show, we will instead show you our top three apartments and allow you to guess which one we went with.

Apartment One - Nanyang Seasons Court

This apartment was a two bedroom, two bathroom boutique apartment in the French Concession section of Shanghai. It was located about an hour from Matt's office and 15 minutes from the metro. It featured an updated interior, indoor laundry (unusual for Shanghai), and a wrap around balcony. Included in the rent was twice weekly maid service. 

 

 

 

 

Apartment Two - Park View Court

The second apartment was a three bedroom, two bathroom unit. It had a beautiful view of Longhua Temple as well as the surrounding Longhua park. This apartment had a great kitchen, was about 50 minutes to work for Matthew, and was 5-10 minutes from the metro line. Park View also offers twice a week maid service. 

Apartment Three - Shama

The final apartment was a three bedroom, two bathroom unit located on the 27th floor of a high rise. It is located in Xujiahui, about 45 minutes from Matthew's office. It is 5 minutes walk to the metro as well as the international grocery store and local gym. This apartment is the most like a hotel, with daily breakfast and daily maid service. 

 

Which did we go with?

Apartment 1-Smaller but stylish
Apartment 2-Updated but inconvenient
Apartment 3-Hotel-like high rise

Ni hao from Shanghai

Matthew and I just returned from a week of house hunting in Shanghai. We found a great apartment, which I cannot wait to share with you! This blog should be a little more active in the coming weeks as we finally make the transition to ex-pats.