DK Travel : Hong Kong : Places of interest

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Lamma: Sok Kwu Wan

Don’t expect many sights in Lamma’s main area of development on the east coast. Sok Kwu Wan is known mainly for its quarry and wall-to-wall seafood restaurants along the harbour front. The seafood tanks are a sight in themselves, however, with some monster-sized fish and crustaceans. There’s not much to differentiate most restaurants, although the standard is generally very good. Have a look at the pretty Tin Hau Temple at the end of the main street. The lovely 3-mile (5-km) circular walk to the sleepy, remote village and beach at Yung Shue Ha is recommended for the reasonably fit.
Lamma: Yung Shue Wan

Lamma’s western coast also has a harbour, with lots of bars and eating choices along the village’s endearingly ramshackle main street. Watch villagers, resident expats and fellow visitors wander by, before hitting the well-kept beach at Hung Shing Ye, a 20-minute walk to the southwest.
Lan Kwai Fong

Not much to look at during the day, Lan Kwai Fong (or Orchid Square) only really starts to buzz at night when office workers, including plenty of city suits, come here to unwind at its many bars, clubs and restaurants. The street is packed with revellers on Fridays. The partying spills across to tiny Wing Wah Lane just across D’Aguilar Street with bars and good-value Thai, Malay and Indian restaurants.
Lantau: Mui Wo

The main ferry from Hong Kong Island to Lantau docks at Mui Wo, or Silvermine Bay as the British named it. It’s a good starting point from which to explore the island, though not the most beautiful spot on Lantau. Most of the restaurants and bars and a supermarket are just around the corner from the ferry pier. There is also a beach five minutes’ walk to the northeast. Enjoy a beer and a game of snooker or stock up for a picnic before walking or beachcombing.

China Bear Pub, Lantau
Lantau: Sunset Peak

For the reasonably fit, Sunset Peak offers the finest views on Lantau. The 934-m (3,063-ft) high mountain, Hong Kong’s second highest, commands great views across Hong Kong, down onto the international airport, Po Lin Monastery and the lovely wooded valleys of this sparsely inhabited terrain. Hardy souls stay at the nearby Youth Hostel and head up the peak for Hong Kong’s most spectacular sunrise. Obviously all this only applies in clear conditions.
Lantau: Tai O

Lying on the far western coast of Lantau, the pretty village of Tai O is a trek from Mui Wo but it’s worth the effort. Sitting in a tidal estuary, this is one of the last places in Hong Kong where you can see the traditional stilt housing of southern Chinese fishing villages. Some are as small as dolls’ houses. For an authentic Hong Kong consumable, buy a jar of shrimp paste, a powerful type of fish sauce created by fermenting shrimp and spices in a barrel in the sun. It’s actually much better than it sounds.

Tai O fishing village
Lantau: Trappist Monastery

The chapel, next to a dilapidated old dairy farm, is open to visitors willing to observe the silence of the monastery. Apart from that, there’s not much to see at the monastery itself, but it’s a good excuse for a gentle woodland walk to or from Discovery Bay. The monastery is also served by a ferry pier with infrequent Kaido services to Discovery Bay and the island of Peng Chau (see Peng Chau), which has many seafood restaurants.
Largo de Senado

Brightly painted colonial buildings and slightly psychedelic paving makes this square in the heart of Macau a favourite with photographers. At one end sits the Leal Senado, or Loyal Senate, now the seat of the municipal government but once the Portuguese headquarters. It was thus named because Macau refused to recognise the 17th-century Spanish occupation of Portugal.
Lei Chung Uk Tomb

The Han burial tomb (AD 24– 220) can barely be seen through a scratched sheet of perspex. Still, it’s one of Hong Kong’s earliest surviving historical monuments, so act impressed.
Lei Yue Mun

Once a fishing village, Lei Yue Mun translates as “carp gate”, although the only fish you’re likely to see now are in the excellent seafood restaurants lining the waterfront. This is the closest point between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon but don’t be tempted to swim across – if the pollution doesn’t kill you, you’ll be whisked away by the strong currents.