T R A V E L S
Cafe Days on Lamma Island
(Lamma Island, Hong Kong)
So you’ve done the Peak tram, scaled the Big Buddha, shouldered your way past shoppers in Causeway Bay, snapped the city skyline from Tsim Sha Tsui, and gyrated all night at Lan Kwai Fong. What next?
For the visitor to Hong Kong, urban ennui sometimes sinks in after a few days. It may come as a surprise to know that Hong Kong is not all crowds, glass and concrete. There’s a simpler life waiting, right on the city’s door-step. Hop a ferry from Central pier, and within 25 minutes you’ve reached the green hills of Lamma Island – a quiet and often overlooked ‘time out’ from the cosmopolitan bustle.
With a tiny population settled on the territory’s third biggest island, Lamma offers space to breathe. It has hiking trails, clean beaches, and seafood that rival the best in Melbourne or Vancouver – more than enough to keep any visitor smugly happy for a day or two.
Yung Shue Wan is the main town, with most of the island’s residents. Its narrow, shop-lined streets would not look out of place on Mykonos and buildings, by law, are no higher than three storeys. The first things you’ll notice is the complete absence of cars. Everyone gets around on foot or bicycle. No buses or BMWs here -- just the rare, narrow “village vehicle” chugging past like oversized children’s toys. Even the local police ride bicycles.
Prices here are much lower than what you’ll find on the Hong Kong side. Rents and properties are easily half, which is maybe the reason why artists, writers, musicians and teachers are drawn here. And that beer which costs you HK$80 ($10) in Lan Kwai Fong will be HK$25 ($3) here. Pubs, gift shops and restaurants abound Within a five minute walk you can taste flavours of Tokyo, Istanbul, Mumbai and Bangkok. Food prices too, are significantly cheaper. A typical restaurant meal for two, 
wine included, might range from HK$150 to HK$300 ($19 to S$38) – prices you’ll rarely see, Hong Kong side. What’s more, many offer al fresco harbour-view patios. The Bookworm Café, perhaps Lamma’s best-known eating spot, is as famous for its new-age atmosphere as its fusion-vegetarian cuisine.
If it’s seafood you’re looking for, then the island’s second town, Sok Kwu Wan, is the place. You can either hike there – a comfortable 1.5 hour stroll on a paved path with breathtaking sea views – or take a ferry direct from Central. The Rainbow restaurant even offers its own shuttle boat from the city. Sok Kwu Wan isn’t a village so much as a strip of seafood restaurants, big enough to accommodate charter groups, which tend to fill its tables especially on weekends.
Lamma Island makes an easy day-trip. An ideal route begins with dim-sum-by-the-sea at Yung Shue Wan, a morning tour of shops followed by a beach visit or an organic lunch at a restaurant. Then work off those calories on the hike to Sok Kwu Wan where you can fill up on seafood before taking the evening ferry back to Hong Kong.
For visitors wanting to stay a night or two, small hotels in Yung Shue Wan offer inexpensive, basic accommodation. No five star ratings here, but rooms are clean and comfortable. Weekday rates can be as low as HK$200 ($26) a night. Still a bargain compared with Hong Kong or Kowloon.
As with Hong Kong, the best time to visit Lamma is October to February, when the weather is dry, cool and comfortable -- perfect for hikes, beach walks and outdoor dining. So next time you find yourself spinning amid Hong Kong’s neon and skyscrapers, consider getting laid-back on Lamma. It’s just a short ferry-hop away.
This article is first appeared in TODAY.
by Mark Malby
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 (first published Sept. 2007 in TODAY )
