A big plus about living in Hong Kong is the amount of nature and outdoor activities available so nearby! There are plenty of beaches within 30 min. from Central on Hong Kong island and a few weekends ago, we decided to explore two that’s on the southeast part of the island. Stanley Beach and St. Stephens Beach. One thing to note is thus far, and I’m sure it’s the case for all public beaches, comes with nice shower, changing, and bathroom facilities as well as a lifeguard staff!

Getting There

Get to Causeway Bay (we got there by MTR Island Line)
Take Express Minibus 40 from Causeway Bay to Stanley

Funny side story – the minibuses in Hong Kong are so hilarious. They usually sit about 40-50 people and speed through the island and every time it stops at a bus stop, the door slams open with a bang and people rush out of there in a second. The way it happens is so comical that it reminds me of something that would happen in a cartoon.

Stanley Beach

Decently large but slightly crowded when we were there around 4:30pm on a Saturday afternoon. The big open view is beautiful and much better than that of Lamma Island’s Hung Shing Ye Beach (due to the factory with big pipes…)

However, the beach is not as clean as that of Lamma Island; we found a few pieces of plastic and wrappers floating around in the water and also the sand was slightly coarse with lots of broken sea shells so be careful and bring water shoes if you have sensitive feet! The water was also quite cold, which I was pretty surprised about since it was so humid and hot!

Stanley Beach on a Saturday Afternoon in August

Exploring Around Stanley Beach: Stanley Market, Stanley Plaza, and Boardwalk

A great thing about Stanley Beach is that Stanley Market is nearby and the beach has a nice boardwalk with a Stanley Plaza mall, bars, and restaurants along the way.

Stanley Market is an open market, similar to Temple Street Night Market, that’s a good place to find random souvenirs, knickknacks, and decor. The mall has a few restaurants and a shops as well as a playground nearby for kids. The Board Walk is cute but pretty standard with western style pubs and bars. We stopped by a Belgian Waffle shop called Waffleman on the 4th floor of Stanley Plaza mall with a nice outdoor seating of the view. The food was mediocre though and such small portions for the price!

St. Stephen’s Beach

My favorite beach in Hong Kong so far! It’s not as well known and popular so you know what this means, less crowded!

A 10 minute walk from Stanley Beach, the beach is accessible through two different entry points through a set of stairs somewhat hidden next to the sidewalk down from the hill on the main road. It’s next to what looks like a school(?) with a large soccer field. We got there around 5:45pm and it was pretty much empty. Although much smaller than Stanley Beach, the views were equally nice. There is also a pier that’s nice for photos if you do not plan to go in the water and want to snap a few nice photos.

The sand at St. Stephen’s Beach has much less shells but the sand itself is course, almost like sea salt from a salt grinder. But it’s not painful to walk on, which is great. Interestingly, the water at St. Stephen’s Beach is much warmer than that of Stanley Beach even though they are so close to one another. The water temperature is just perfect – not too cold but not too warm and fantastic for a dip for the hot humid Hong Kong summer!

wanderingsnow

Tips for Stanley Beach and St Stephen’s Beach…