In the middle of September, the last summer month, we went on a small beach vacation to Lantau Island! This is the island that the Hong Kong airport is on, so we were about thirty minutes away from the city of Hong Kong. I loved staying on this island though, and I highly suggest you take the time to check it out if you go to Hong Kong!
We arrived around eight at night into the Hong Kong airport. We had two options of transportation to our hostel, bus 35A or a taxi. While the bus was definitely cheaper it was also inconvenient, not leaving until eleven at night and then taking a little over thirty minutes to arrive at the hostel. We chose the taxi which ended up being 100HKD, not bad at all, that’s around 15 USD. The taxi was around 20 minutes even though we were told it could be an hour drive. Very easy!
If you’re going to catch a taxi out of the Hong Kong airport you’ll find the area easily. Make sure to pay attention to the color of taxi you get into, they go to the different areas. We took a blue taxi to the island.
Then we arrived at our hostel, which was right across the street from the beach. The town was basically just a street across from the beach, not a touristy area it seemed. We checked into The Cove Hostel (if you want to stay with them, we really enjoyed it and you can use this code on booking.com!) and basically went out to find a drink, which luckily was right next door!
The Gallery was run by quite a few British expats so it was welcoming to johnny and me. We feel pretty comfortable in mandarin environments but not Cantonese. We had some beers and then went out to the beach and was met by a herd of cows?! Apparently there are these cows just… around? They seem to have their own routine so we didn’t bother them much.
The next day we woke up early (too early) in search of a coffee shop. We did not find one, it could be because we were awake at eight and we only saw five people on our two hour walk. I guess what they say about Island time is true.
We did find some insanely huge spiders. Don’t worry, I will not include pictures even though I took many. From a distance. The spiders were mainly in the parts of the island That’s didn’t have a ton of foot traffic. In the hostel and on the beach we didn’t seem many bugs, only dragonflies and butterflies.
After our walk we returned to small Tong Fuk Village and had brunch at a small place that looked like it could have just been someone kitchen and porch, they just love hosting so much they never stop! I had some sort of soup and johnny had the western breakfast which was very British, as you could imagine.
After that meal we went to the beach. Took out towels, books, relaxed, and waited for the forcasted thunderstorm. That never came! Thank goodness. After time on the beach and in the ocean, we packed up and headed to the room because the sun was intense! I still think our skin is recovering from the exposure. Beijing is sunny… but not THAT sunny.
Around three thirty we headed back to the Gallery and settled in for a few hours. Since it was the only place near by to eat and we weren’t about to walk around at night with those giant spiders around (I have an irrational fear I know) we stayed for a light lunch and dinner.
It was a good choice.
Amazing hummus with fresh pita bread, huge burgers, roasted chicken, an extensive menu all written on chalkboard walls near the porch. We stayed there for a while, created our own crosswords, chatted with people in English.
After our stint at the Gallery, we went to the beach for a nice walk. The beach was beautiful, we climbed on top of rocks and watched ghost crabs battle it out for food, mates, and digging spots. The sound of the waves against the shore was the only sound we could hear. The seclusion of this part of the island felt perfect. Every hour or so when we saw a bus drive by jammed with tourists headed to see the Giant Buddha, I felt so thankful for our small beach.
If you are heading to Lantau Island, not only do I recommend Tong Fuk as a great area, but also The Cove Hostel. I had no trouble booking them or finding their location. If you go, I suggest you order a rooftop cookout. You have to notify them in advance but how amazing does that sound? Send me pictures when you do!
Alyssa in France 