If you think Hong Kong is just all about the hustle and bustle of the
city, then you haven’t been exploring hard enough. There are so many places
here where you can get a relaxing vibe – places where you can actually slow
down and enjoy the sights at a leisurely pace.
One of those places is Stanley Bay. Located on the south side of
Hong Kong Island, this place is likely to transport you to a side of Hong Kong
you didn’t think would exist.
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| small boats around Blake Pier |
It was fairly easy getting to this place. Just one bus ride away from
Central and you’d get here in about 30 minutes. The views you will get from the
bus ride will be nice to the eyes. You’ll start out with tall skyscrapers of
Central, head on to the low rise residential buildings of Wanchai, and onwards
be greeted by cliffs and the sea once you near the south side of Hong Kong
Island.
When we got off the bus, we took the time to explore the area. As the
main attraction here is the bay itself, we just leisurely walked along the
boardwalk. The cold breeze from the sea was really nice – a bit of fresh air to
escape the one you can normally find in cities.
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| view of Stanley Main Street |
There was also a market area (Stanley Market) that sells lots of
different stuff here. You can get your usual souvenirs – key chains, magnets,
and I love Hong Kong T-shirts among others. However, there are more unique
souvenirs that you might want to consider purchasing. Let’s say a Chinese chop.
What is it exactly? It’s actually a seal with your name on it. If you don’t
have a Chinese name, they’ll translate your English one for you. It’s a really
nice item to bring home to remember this place by.
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| Stanley Market courtesy of www.chinatravelca.com photo by “Edwin.11″ |
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| Chinese chops courtesy of www.southside.hk |
On the far side near the market, there’s a terrace where you can get
great views of the harbour.
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| rock formations at the edge of Stanley Main Street |
It’s nice to visit the Blake Pier as well. Here, you can actually
ride on some ferries to get you towards the neighbouring areas – Aberdeen and
Po Toi Island. However, we didn’t really intend to go somewhere else so we just
observed some of the ferries come and go while appreciating the good views of
the sea. I really loved feeling the cold breeze and hearing the waves at this
spot – very soothing and relaxing. One trivia about this place was that it was
originally located in Central before a modern one was built dring the 1960s.
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| entrance of Blake Pier |
Right beside the pier is the Murray House. Named after Sir George
Murray, this Victorian building dating back to 1844 was originally in Central.
It was used as the barracks of British military soldiers until the 1960s. It
ended here at Stanley Bay in 1999 after giving up its original location for the
construction of the Bank of China tower during the 1980s. Currently, there are
some restaurants that occupy the Murray House. If you decide to dine here, you
can have great views of the harbour as well as the town proper.
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| Murray House from a distance |
If you don’t fancy any of the restaurants at the Murray House, you might
want to check out those that offer alfresco dining at the Stanley Main
Street. With many of the restaurants having seafood specialities, surely
you’ll have a great dining experience at one of them. Great views of the sunset
as well if you happen to go during dinnertime.
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| restaurants lined up at Stanley Main Street |
It’s worth checking out Stanley Plaza if you have time to spare.
There are some speciality shops here that are interesting to look at. There are
also some restaurants that have good food selections.
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| Stanley Plaza |
I think I’ll never get hungry here at Stanley Bay. So many choices! It’s
a matter of how to try them all.
Anyway, there is also a good veranda area here worth checking out. You
can clearly see the whole bay area from above here. Good picture spot as well
for those who want to capture a bird’s eye view of the whole place.
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| view from the top of Stanley Plaza |
Staying at Stanley Bay for the whole afternoon proved to be worthwhile.
We were able to experience the laidback side of Hong Kong and get a break from
the busy city life. I would probably go back here again just to relax and
experience alfresco dining while feeling the cool sea breeze.
How to get here:
Bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66, 260 from
Exchange Square Bus Terminal (Hong Kong Station Exit D)
Get off at Stanley Plaza or at
Stanley Market.
What are your thoughts on Stanley Bay? Did this post make you want to go and visit it too? Tell me about it by commenting below or using the Contact button on the right.
If you have some questions, feel free to ask. I’ll try my best to help you out.
Up next, Finding inner peace at
the Ten Thousand Buddhas
Monastery.
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