South Hong Kong

One of the easiest and quickest escapes from the metropolitan mayhem is to take a short bus ride across to the south side of Hong Kong Island where you’ll find beaches, markets, restaurants and temples set amidst pretty coastal scenery. The unhurried pace of life can come as something of a culture shock after the bustle of downtown, but it highlights the amazing contrasts even Hong Kong Island has to offer. Added to the aforementioned attractions, the south of the island also includes the dramatically located theme park of Ocean Park.

Aberdeen

With a population of over 60,000 Aberdeen is not the quiet fishing village it once was, but it still offers an interesting glimpse into a fishing community, albeit one now surrounded by high-rises and shops. Formerly a pirate haven, these days Aberdeen is renowned for its floating restaurants, particularly Jumbo. Far more interesting are Aberdeen’s floating communities. These communities include Tanka boat people and once numbered in the hundreds, but today only a few families live on the water. While you’re here it’s also worth checking out the lively wholesale fish market on the western side of the harbor. If you want to get a closer look at the harbor you can take a sampan trip for around HK$60, or the trip out to one of the floating restaurants will give you a glimpse on the way to your lunch or dinner.

Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay

Of the many beaches dotted along the island’s coastline, Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay are two of the most accessible, attractive and expansive and can make the perfect antidote to an overdose of downtown smog. Both golden sand beaches were extensively cleaned up in the 1990s and today provide clean and safe swimming. They offer barbecue facilities and are backed by trees and a number of cafés and restaurants. However, the good transport links to downtown make both very popular with locals, particularly on weekends when they are packed with Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers enjoying their day off.

Stanley

Less than half an hour from Central, Stanley feels a world away from downtown and has all the ingredients for a great day-trip. There are beaches, markets, temples, a few historic buildings, and a smattering of cafés and restaurants. Although modern developments have eroded some of its former charm and it swarms with tourists on weekends, Stanley’s relaxed seaside ambience still prevails and it makes for a thoroughly worthwhile trip.

Buses drop you opposite the entrance to the market from where you can wander through its motley range of shops and stalls selling everything from mock Terracotta Warriors to designer sunglasses. At the end of the market you’ll emerge onto Stanley Main Street which fronts the ocean and includes a number of restaurants, cafés and bars, the best-known of which is the Smugglers Inn. As always in Hong Kong, there’s a shopping mall, the Stanley Plaza, at the far end of the street, but for once it is fairly discreet. Continuing around the bay you’ll see the grand colonial building of Murray House, which was originally constructed as army quarters in Central in 1846 and stood there until 1982, after which it was placed in storage until 1998 when it was moved here. On the ground floor there are a few photographs and exhibits tracing the building’s history. Murray House also now contains a selection of restaurants, some of which offer great ocean breezes and views. If you carry on past Murray House there’s a trail that runs a few minutes along the coast to the tiny Pak Tai temple, where incense sticks burn against the backdrop of the South China Sea. Back in town the atmospheric Tin Hau Temple was originally built in 1767 and, amidst the usual incense coils and statuary, it also has the skin of a prowling tiger which was shot by local police in 1942!

On the eastern side of the peninsula, Stanley Bay has a reasonable stretch of beach and more bars and cafés. But if you want a swim and some sunbathing, the pretty cove of St. Stephen’s Beach is a nicer spot. It’s a 10- or 15- minute walk south of the market to St. Stephen’s and there are changing facilities, a watersports center and a small kiosk that sells drinks and basic snacks.

Above the beach, Stanley Military Cemetery is a moving place, set on the hillside overlooking the bay. In the early days of colonial rule many British stationed in Hong Kong were buried here, but the cemetery was then closed for 70 years before re-opening in 1942 to bury those who lost their lives in World War II. Over 4,500 British, Canadians, Chinese and Indians died in Hong Kong during World War II, many of them during the fighting of December 1941, and 691 of them are buried here. There’s a central memorial cross and plaque detailing the Allied resistance as well as a register of those interred here. Beyond the cross, the grassy slopes are lined with gravestones, many of them hewn in rough stone, and there are several tombs for unknown soldiers.

Shek O and Big Wave Bay

At the southernmost point of Hong Kong Island, this sleepy, quaint fishing village is as far removed as you can get from city life and offers excellent beaches and a stunningly rugged coastline. Most of the houses you’ll find here are made of stone, which gives Shek O a decidedly Mediterranean feel. To get to the beach, just walk east over the roundabout from the bus stop for about five minutes and you’ll also find a number of shops and restaurants in the same area. From the promontory, there’s also a small footbridge leading out to Tai Tau Chau Island, providing excellent views of the New Territories. A little farther north will bring you to one of Hong Kong’s few surfing spots at Big Wave Bay, where it’s possible to rent body boards and surf boards.