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Top Attractions | Worth Noting
For all the unrelenting urbanity of Hong Kong Island’s north coast, the south coast is a rolling landscape of green hills dropping down to picturesque bays and sandy beaches. With beautiful sea views, Southside is a breath of fresh air—literally and figuratively—and coveted turf for some of Hong Kong’s wealthiest residents. The pace is slower than it is in more congested parts of the city, and there are lots of sea breezes and opportunities to take sampan rides, play a round of golf, swim, or simply enjoy the scenery.
Transportation from Central to
Aberdeen: 30 minutes via Bus 70 or 91. (Ap Lei Chau is 15 minutes from Aberdeen on Bus 90B or 91; 10 minutes by sampan).
Deep Water Bay: 20 minutes via Bus 6, 64, 260, or 6A.
Ocean Park: 30 minutes via Bus 6A, 6X, 70, 75, 90, 97, or 260.
Repulse Bay: 30 minutes via Bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66, 64, or 260.
Shek O: 50 minutes via MTR to Shau Kei Wan and then Bus 9 to the last stop.
Stanley: 40 minutes via Bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66, 64, or 260.
Note that express buses skip Aberdeen and Deep Water Bay, heading directly to Repulse Bay and Stanley. Buses run less frequently in the evening, so it’s more convenient to grab a taxi (they’re everywhere, unless it is 4 pm, when taxi drivers change shifts).
Golfers Take Note
Deep Water Bay Golf Club.
Deep Water Bay is flanked to the north by the Deep Water Bay Golf Club, which is owned by the Hong Kong Golf Club. The most convenient course to play if you’re staying on Hong Kong Island has nine challenging holes. It’s a members’ club (some of Hong Kong’s richest businessmen play here), but it’s casual, and visitors with handicap certificates are admitted on weekdays from 9 to 2 (walk-in only).
Greens fees are HK$550 for 18 holes. Club rental will cost you another HK$200; a caddy, still another HK$180. The club also has two restaurants (one serving Chinese fare, the other western dishes), plus a members-only fitness center and swimming pool. | 19 Island Rd., Deep Water Bay | 2812–7070 | www.hkgolfclub.org.
Taking It In
It’s best to pick one hub out here, and explore in and around it: Aberdeen with its junks and sampans on the southwest coast; Stanley and its market on the south central coast; or Shek O with its beaches and parkland far to the southeast.
Gray Line Tours.
Gray Line Tours has day trips of Hong Kong Island including Man Mo Temple, the Peak, Aberdeen, Repulse Bay, Stanley Market, and dim sum lunch at Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant in Aberdeen for HK$590 per adult. | 2368–7111 | www.grayline.com.hk.
Quick Bites
In Stanley Market there are dozens of cheap local and international eateries. For more upscale yet still casual joints, head to Stanley Main Road.
The Verandah at the Repulse Bay.
Treat yourself to British high tea at the Verandah. Tea is served Wednesday to Saturday from 3 to 5:30 and Sunday from 3:30 to 5:30. | 109 Repulse Bay Rd., Southside | 2292–2822 | www.therepulsebay.com.
Black Sheep Restaurant.
A favorite place for lunch, drinks, or just alfresco lounging is this pleasantly small place that offers an eclectic menu and a relaxed vibe. | Ground fl., 330, Southside | Shek O | 2809–2021.
Top Attractions
Ocean Park.
Most Hong Kongers have fond childhood memories of this aquatic theme park. It was built by the omnipresent Hong Kong Jockey Club on 170 hilly acres overlooking the sea just east of Aberdeen. Highlights include the four resident giant pandas; Marine World’s enormous aquarium; Ocean Theatre, where dolphins and seals perform; and such thrill rides as the gravity-defying Abyss Turbo. The park is accessible by a number of buses including the 72, 72A, 260, and 629; get off at the stop after the Aberdeen tunnel. TIP If you have kids, plan to spend the whole day here. | Ocean Park Rd., Aberdeen, Southside | 3923–2323 | www.oceanpark.com.hk | HK$280 adults; HK$140 kids | Daily 10–7.
Stanley.
This peninsula town lies south of Deep Water and Repulse bays. There’s great shopping in the renowned Stanley Market, whether you want casual clothes, sneakers, cheap souvenirs, cheerful bric-a-brac—even snow gear. Stanley’s popular beach is the site of the Dragon Boat Races every June. To get here from Exchange Square Bus Terminus in Central, take Bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66, 64, or 260. | Southside.
Worth Noting
Aberdeen.
On side streets you’ll find outdoor barbers at work and any number of dim sum restaurants. You’ll also see traditional sights like the Aberdeen Cemetery, with its enormous gravestones, and yet another shrine to the goddess of the sea: the Tin Hau Temple. During the Tin Hau Festival in April and May, hundreds of boats converge along the shore here.
Aberdeen’s harbor contains about 3,000 junks and sampans. Several generations of one family can live on each junk (you may recall when Angelina Jolie’s character, Lara Croft, stepped aboard such a boat in Tomb Raider 2). | Southside.
Ap Lei Chau Island.
A bridge connects Aberdeen with this island (Duck’s Tongue Island in English), where boat-builders work in the old way. Unspoiled just a decade and a half ago, Ap Lei Chau is now covered with public housing, private estates, and shopping malls. | Southside.
Deep Water Bay.
Just east of Ocean Park is this lovely beach. It’s a good place to have a barbecue or swim under the watchful eye of a lifeguard. To get here, take Bus 6, 64, 260, or 6A from Exchange Square Bus Terminus in Central. | Southside | 2812–0228.
Repulse Bay.
The tranquil area is home to a landmark apartment building with a hole in it. Following the principles of feng shui, the opening was incorporated into the design so the dragon that lives in the mountains behind can readily drink from the bay. The popular restaurant The Verandah is a great place for a meal with majestic bay views. The beach is large and wide, but be warned: it’s the first stop for most Southside visitors. Huge statues of Tin Hau—Goddess of the Sea and Goddess of Mercy—at the east end of the beach border on gaudy. In the 1970s, when worshippers were planning to erect just one statue, they worried she’d be lonely, so an additional statue was created to keep her company. To get here, take Bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66, 64, or 260 from Exchange Square Bus Terminus in Central. | Beach Rd. at Seaview Promenade, Repulse Bay, Southside | 2812–2483.
Did You Know?: The Chinese name for Stanley translates as “Red Pole.” Depending on to whom you’re talking, it refers to the red flowers on two silk-cotton trees here or to a nearby hill that turns red at sunset, acting as a beacon for sailors. The English name comes from Lord Stanley, a 19th-century British official.
Shek O. The seaside locale is Southside’s easternmost village. Weekend beachgoers and hikers crowd the Thai restaurant on the left as you enter town. Every shop here sells the same inflatable beach toys—the bigger the better, it seems. Cut through town to a windy road that takes you to the “island” of Tai Tau Chau, really a large rock with a lookout over the South China Sea. Just over a century ago, this open water was ruled by pirates. You can hike through nearby Shek O Country Park, where the bird-watching is great, in less than two hours. To get here from Central, take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan, then take Bus 9 to the last stop (about 30 min). | Southside.
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