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Built in the mid-1840s, Flagstaff House is one of the oldest colonial buildings on the island and today houses the free teaware museum.

Ducks paddle in the pond amid lush greenery as you soak up the atmosphere on the terrace. The food is European with a touch of Asia.

Poolside restaurant with Mediterranean décor serving top-quality Macanese dishes. Try the curried crab and tamarind duck.

Also in Aberdeen Harbour are two giant floating restaurants, which are popular but garish, production-line eateries. The most famous, The Jumbo, is said to have served more than 30 million people. Prices are not especially attractive, nor are the culinary achievements. Free ferries shuttle between these restaurants, and pushy sampan handlers also lie in wait for meandering tourists. Take one of these boats if you want to get a good view of the harbour, boats and boatyards. However, when you want to eat, take a ferry from Aberdeen to Lamma Island’s many seafood restaurants instead (see Places to Eat and Drink).

Any club that has brass plaques screwed to the bar top, commemorating members who died drinking on that spot, deserves to be a legend. Open only to members and their guests.

One of Sha Tin’s many hotel bars. Reasonably priced beers but not much atmosphere.

This grand old building served as the British governor’s residence from 1855 until 1997, when the last governor, Chris Patten, handed Hong Kong back to China. Patten’s successor, Tung Chee Hwa, cited bad feng shui created by the needle-like Bank of China building as one reason not to move in, opting to remain in his house on the Peak. Back in the 1940s, the occupying Japanese added the Shinto-style towers to the Georgian structure, which at one time enjoyed harbour views. The building is used for official functions, only opening occasionally to the public – contact HKTB (see HKTB Services) for details.

Broken into separate units – some abandoned – the huge, grand old building between Bowen and Borrett roads used to serve as a Military Hospital.