iv) Repulse Bay
Repulse Bay, located in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, is the most spectacular bay in the region. Its name comes from a 19th century battle in which the British army repulsed attacking pirates. In the 1910s, Repulse Bay was developed into a beach, and the Repulse Bay Hotel was built in 1920. To attract swimmers, a bus route from Central to Repulse Bay was created, and now stands as one of Hong Kong's oldest bus routes.
Today, the place is a luxurious residential area for dining, relaxation, and aquatic activities.
How to get there
There is no MTR service to the Southern Part of the Island, however getting there by bus is quite easy.
From MTR Central Station Exit A or MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D to Exchange Square Bus Terminus.
Take bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 and alight at Repulse Bay Beach Stop, approximate 35mins (14 stops)
Fare
Bus 6 : HK$7.90 Bus 6X : HK$8.40
Continued from last post from HKECC, we took MTR from Wan Chai and finally arrived at Central Station.
Central previously known as Victoria, is a district of Hong Kong Island. It is the political, administrative and financial hub and home to some fantastic skyscrapers. Also as a transportation hub, the central station is very big and very busy, congested with people. This station is connected with shopping mall.
The Exchange Bus Terminus is located below a shopping mall. There are signboards indicated which bus stop at which platform. So remember to find bus 6, 6A or 6X to repulse bay :)
Here were the views of Hong Kong Central area I took from inside the bus.
First glimpse of the bay.
The surrounding along the way is part of the fun as it is very scenic when you wind around the little bays around the hilly coastline with magnificent views of the South China Sea, the beaches and the nearby islands.
You can get ready to alight from the bus once you see this area. But most of buses in HK are equipped with the monitor which displayed the bus route and informed which stop they're stopping and also what is the next stop. So not to worry :D
Once reached our destination, we get off from the bus at this station.
This building at my back is landmark to Repulse Bay.
Here is the residential for the elites.
From the bus station, we crossed the road towards the Repulse Bay Gardens to the beach.
Feel weird about the square hole at the building? This building is one of the famous building in Repulse Bay, name The Repulse Bay. The hole are added for feng shui purpose. It received a silver medal from Hong Kong Institute of Architects Annual Award at 1989.
Walked through the garden.
Come follow me and get down the stairs... Lets me bring you to the beach.
Approaching....
The beach stretches long with clear azure blue water gently lapping the seashore. Its sand is golden and soft. With water temperatures ranging from 16ºC - 26ºC year round, it is a mecca for locals and visitors alike to escape the heat.
This crescent-shaped stretch of sand is one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong.
Swimming is obviously popular and the bay is outfitted for safety with shark prevention nets and floating platforms. During the summer, lifeguards are on duty. It was nearly 11am and the weather was extremely hot that time, but still there were people swimming and sun-bathing especially the Caucasian.
Until the early 1960s, residential buildings were quite restricted. Three blocks of six storey apartments were developed, part way up the mountain overlooking Repulse Bay. For a long time, these were the only apartments allowed on the mountain. Later a boutique shopping malls, restaurants and luxury apartments were constructed.
The Repulse Bay area is one of the most expensive housing areas in Hong Kong. According to people, famous international star Jackie Chan house is at top of the hill. Kalu kita visit agak2 dia nak layan tak?
The former Repulse Bay Hotel was demolished in 2 stages during the 1970s and 1980s. Later a boutique shopping mall was constructed on part of the old hotel site to mimic some of the lost colonial architecture.
To be frank, it's not much here unless you really looking for beach and water activities which definitely something we didn't prepare in this trip, some more we couldn't stand the heat (amboi berlagak mcm ko dari Europe plak kan...) so we didn't spent much time here.
In my opinion, although it is a popular site which has been listed in many local tours, the beach is far from being an excellent one. In my country, we have many beautiful beaches, such as those located in Langkawi, Pangkor, Sabah, Sarawak, and Terengganu, which are much nicer than Repulse Bay. Regretted? Definitely no! At least I had seen the place. Afterall Repulse Bay is the area where many rich and famous in Hong Kong reside!!
I took last photo before walked back to the bus stand for our next destination.
v) Stanley Village
Stanley is a town and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is located on a peninsula of Hong Kong Island. This quaint village of Stanley is a huge hit with locals, expats and tourists. Far away from the bustling and hustling downtown area, Stanley shows a totally different aspect of Hong Kong.
How to get there
1) Bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 from Exchange Square bus terminus.
2) MTR Causeway Bay Station, Exit F1. Walk to Jardine‘s Bazaar and then take minibus 40.
3) Bus 973 from Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui outside Silvercord Centre.
Fare :
HK$5 buses and HK$5.60 minibus (From Repulse Bay to Stanley)
From Repulse Bay to Stanley only takes about 15mins. As most of the bus will pass by Repulse Bay to Stanley, we just waited for any of this bus which came first.
Note : Watch the bus stop name displayed on the screen at the front of the bus, you need to get off at Stanley Village, which is about 12 stops. Don't get off at any earlier "Stanley" stops such as "Stanley Gap", "Stanley Mound" etc.
It was just a short ride and finally we arrived at Stanley Village Bus Station. We started to walk a bit from here.
One good thing about Hong Kong is the signboards are always available and adequate for visitors.
Walking down the road a bit to the Stanley Village.
Despite being a sleepy seaside village, Stanley Village has lot of interesting places to offer. The most popular and Stanley is best known for is definitely a Stanley Market.
a) Stanley Market
It is on the itinerary of many travel agencies. Not only because the shops and stalls are offering a wide variety of products such as apparel, shoes, antiques, artworks and toys, but also it covers the style from both West and East. For many shopping hunters, it’s a great place to pick up some special souvenirs in a picturesque warren of lane.
Stanley Market opens daily from 10:00am – 6:30pm.
You will first see the market when you first approach the town
Make some time to browse through the little alleys, the market is a daytime one and is covered, many shops are air-conditioned and the atmosphere is certainly less chaotic than the city counterparts like the Ladies Market. Just for your info, Ladies Market is one of famous shopping area in Hong Kong. I will post about it later as it was also in our itinerary.
And Stanley Market Hong Kong is also a great place to get a few Chinese Souvenirs, they have a very wide variety of items...
b) Stanley Waterfront and Boardwalk
As an alternative, you can walk down to the waterfront which is lined with small pubs and cafes, great to relax, grab a pizza and enjoy the beautiful views.
c) Murray House
If you look towards the west along the seaside, you will see a three-stories Victorian building, this is Murray House.
Murray House is a Victorian era building in Stanley Hong Kong. Built in the present-day business district Central in 1844 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks, the building was moved to the south of Hong Kong Island during the 2000s. It is currently houses several restaurants and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.
d) Blake Pier
The Blake Pier can be found just adjacent to the Murray House at Stanley and was originally known as Pedder Warf. In 1900, Pedder Warf was renamed after the 12th Governor of Hong Kong (1898 – 1903) Sir Henry Arthur Blake.
Interesting facts about the Blake Pier, it was originally situated at the end of Pedder Street (hence the original name Pedder Wharf), facing the waterfront where the Des Voeux Road in Central is today. Taking a look at the streets and area around Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road in Central it is hard to imagine that there once was only water. Keeping these facts in mind one can imagine how the different land reclamations changed Hong Kong’s harbor front in the past decades.
I will show you the "present" Pedder Street in my next post!
The Blake Pier’s role was to serve as a landing place for new Governors, British royal dignitaries and other VIPs visiting Hong Kong at this time. For this reason the Blake Pier was also known as the Royal Pier. Yachts, barges, sampans and traditional Chinese Junks could easily dock at the Blake Pier and it was basically the connecting and landing point between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon side of Hong Kong.
e) Stanley Beach
The Stanley Main Beach is to the north-east of town and only a five to ten minute walk from the market. There are public facilities, showers, changing rooms and toilets available. This beach is popular with windsurfers and is also where the most important Dragon Boat Races are held during Tuen Ng or Dragon Boat Festival in May/June.
We didn't go to the beach since it required more walking and with this hot weather, we wanted to save some energy and time for other places in HK city. You can see the beach from far behind my back. Ke tak nampak?? :-D
f) Stanley Street
If you need a break from the shopping, get a snack at one of the many local eateries in the Stanley Street.
We spent about 40mins here until 12pm where we started to feel hungry. We walked back to the bus station to get a bus back to city centre.
Information of the busses to the city.
To our next destination, We waited for minibus no 40 to Causeway Bay.
Talking about Causeway Bay, long before J-Pop and K-Pop become internationally hits, Canto-pop was once the house-hold sensation. We all knew Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Nicholas Tse and many more. My sister is a die hard fan of HK actor, Ekin Cheng and Young & Dangerous is one of her favourite movie. If you watched that film, you should know that Chan Ho Nam (played by Ekin Cheng) is a triad leader of Causeway Bay territory. That area become famous because of that movie and now I am happy to show to my sister that I was already stepping my foot there, and which where this photo came from. Heheheheh...
Young and Dangerous was a hit during the 90s until early 2000. It got few series and still been played on TV until now!
So till here, we continue on my next destination in my next post ok. Bye.
Preparation
Day 0 – Departure to Hong Kong and First Night at Chungking Mansion
Day 1 – Star Ferry Ride from Kowloon to HK Island
Day 1 – HKCEC and Golden Bauhinia Square
Day 1 – Lunch at Islamic Muslim Centre, Ammar Mosque and Tram Ride
Day 1 – The Mid Level Escalator
Day 1 – The Peak Tram and Night at Victoria Peak (Sky Terrace 428)
Day 1 – End of Day 1
MACAU Day Trip
Day 2 – Journey to Macau by TurboJET Ferry
Day 2 – The Venetian, Macao
Day 2 – City Of Dreams and Hard Rock Hotel
Day 2 – The Galaxy Macau
Day 2 – Grand Lisboa and Senado Square
Day 2 – The Ruins of St. Paul’s
Day 2 – Macau back to Hong Kong
Shenzhen Day Trip
Day 3 – Starting Journey to Shenzhen, China from Hong Kong
Day 3 – Window of The World
Day 3 – Shopping at Shenzhen and back to Hong Kong
Hong Kong Trip Continues
Day 4 – Ngong Ping 360, Lantau Island
Day 4 – Aberdeen Floating Village and Jumbo Kingdom
Day 5 – Disneyland Part 1
Day 5 – Disneyland Part 2
Day 5 – Disneyland Part 3
Day 5 – Shopping at Ladies Market, Mongkok
Last Day – Avenue of Star
Last Day – HK Museums, 1881 Heritage and Back to Malaysia
Total Expenses
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