October 30, 2022
Do you still remember my travel blog about the Twin Peak? This place below is the Stanley Town. Look how pretty this town is.
Our plan after our hike that day was to visit this town. Unfortunately, due to a lack of time, we failed to do so. Until then, I was yearning for seeing the town and its beaches. And just this month, I finally visited this town and my solo trip was so worth it.,
#TravelHongKong presents - Stanley Town: The Once Pirate Hideouts And British Army Barracks, Now A Small French Town
I love exploring and venturing out to different places in Hong Kong, may there is a travel buddy or solo. Traveling solo isn't new to me as it has been my way of unwinding after a long week of toxic work. Under any circumstance, I would travel if I want to. This time, I went a little farther alone just to see this town that I'd been yearning to visit ever since. Traveling along the peninsula of Hong Kong island offers stunning views of different beaches, trails, and outlying islands. Boats of different sizes sailing on and off the vast ocean are some of the scenic views.
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Beforehand, I patiently queued at the Central bus terminus where buses going to Stanley and other towns along Hong Kong island can be found. If you guys want to visit Hong Kong and this town someday, you have to take either of the buses with these numbers: 6X, 6A, 66, 6, and 260. Now I'm curious why vehicles have the number six. If my memory serves me right, the fare costs me HK$12 or US$1.53. Not bad for a great city escape.
After more than half an hour, the bus stopped at the parking space on the upper platform of Stanley Plaza. Since it was my first time visiting the place, I wasn't sure where to head to.
Some elevators would bring visitors to the lower floors of the plaza. A noob I was, I thought of going to beaches so I didn't ride on any of the elevators. Later that day, I found out that it will actually take me to the bottom part of the plaza and conveniently go out to the main area of the town.
Nonetheless, I took the escalator instead and I came across what they so-called The Lover's Terrace.
Indeed, love is in the air with the presence of this sweet couple on the terrace.
When they vacated the terrace, I took over the place and that's when I found out that Stanley Town's main area is at the bottom part along the waterfront. I was looking for the beach where I was supposed to watch an event, and I thought it was located down the place in the photo. Excited I was, and the thought of using the elevator to get down there had been blown out of my mind. Because I became busy taking photos, lol.
The left side of the lover's terrace, I presumed, was the rooftop of the plaza which has a wide area for resting and eating. There were benches and tables, as well as umbrellas that offer some shed to visitors. Since it was noon, I opted to devour my food before continuing my journey.
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After devouring my food, I inquired about the direction to the beach and one of the visitors cordially told me the direction. My initial plan was to watch the dragon boat racing competition, but for some reason, I had an unexpected detour. I headed down the first alley I saw, although unsure if it was the direction the lady told me, lol.
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At the end of this alley, my real adventure began.
Welcome to Stanley Town!
Located in the southern district along the peninsula of Hong Kong island is Stanley Town. With its picturesque sceneries and tranquil environment, surely, Stanley stood out from all towns along the HK island peninsula. Thus, making it the most visited place by tourists, locals, and foreigners.
The town was named after Lord Stanley, a prominent Secretary of the UK during the treaty of peace between the UK and Hong Kong. The town is also known as Chek Chue in Cantonese which was the first name of the original town. Meanwhile, its Chinese name is 賊柱 which means Bandit's post.
Where it got its name has some implications, and the reason why it was called Bandit's post is that its history says it has been a hideout of a notorious pirate named Cheung Po Tsai. But the cave that was once their hideout has been filled. Moreover, the Cantonese name which means red pillar was associated with red cotton trees which folks believe were massive in the village in old times.
Meanwhile, during the early 1840s, the town's fort became the barracks of the British army where they mounted their last stand. It also served as the temporary administrative center of the British. Then the troops subsequently moved to Central HK, which was formerly known as Victoria City by that time.
Source of information
From pirate hideouts to British army barracks, the town is no longer under any foreign administration or some bandit's post, it is now a harmonious town with picturesque spots in all corners that attracts healthy numbers of tourists, most especially during holiday seasons.
Given that Hong Kong has been under British Colony in the past, it makes the British people travel and migrate to the country easily. There is a substantial number of the French population in this country who are looking for a living, mostly the young ones working as French and English teachers. A sizeable community of them is found in this town. So this doesn't just attract many tourists, because some have preferred to settle here.
There are several tourist attractions in this town, and I was able to capture them while strolling around. The weather just gave me a perfect day to do it. The promenade offers a scenic view of the town, and outlying beaches and islands.
From the distance are windsurfers that appeared tiny from the surface. They are from neighboring beaches that are only a few distances away from the town.
Meanwhile, on the waterside along the promenade are several fishing boats owned by locals. Some can be rented for private water tours. Ferries are going to this town as well, for those who prefer to travel by sea and see the more stunning views of HK shorelines.
This part with red rock formations is also one of the attractions which are found before walking to the promenade.
It offers a panoramic view of the sea, the town on the right, Stanley's secluded beach, and neighboring villages on the left.
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A little farther is the Waterfront Market with several alfresco restaurants serving different cuisines: Asian and Western.
There are some outdoor shops too selling apparel and souvenir items.
As I stepped onto the Stanley Main Street, I was confused if I was in Hong Kong, or somewhere in a European village. The exterior designs of the buildings have some touch of British architecture, and the fact that there is a sizeable French population here makes it, "a small French town of Hong Kong."
I learned that this building kept changing colors, which probably depends on the season. This time, the owner chose the yellow color.
A curious cat I am, I looked into Wiki and I learned that there are 25,000 French citizens in HK by 2019. So certainly, there is more French citizen by this time. There are even Italian restaurants and cafes in the area.
The whole main street is lined with restaurants, cafes, and bars, which serve as the hangout place for visitors in the town. It probably is good to sit in one of those with a bottle of beer, coffee, or tea, while overlooking the picturesque ocean.
At the end of Main Street is Stanley Plaza with another one-of-a-kind architecture. It was only opened in 2001. It houses a supermarket, an arcade, several shops, and more cafes, fast food, and restaurants serving Western and Asian cuisine. The well-known Starbucks, McDonald, and KFC can also be found here.
Just in front of the Stanley Plaza is an outdoor amphitheater. This is certainly where events in the town are held. The wide area on the sides also serves as a resting place for visitors.
There was an ongoing event when I visited the place which was part of Oktoberfest. There were several games in each booth with different prizes.
Beside it is a playground for kids.
A few more walks from the playground is the Tin Hau Temple.
Some remains from the British colonial era are still noticeable in the town. I thought these houses below are villas since they are located in front of the secluded beach on the western side of the town's promenade. As I searched its name, it is called Pak Kan Uk which means eight houses. These connected eight houses where the local farmers from a certain village were resettled while planning to strengthen the coastal defense of the British army barracks.
The uniform architecture with traditional Chinese tiled roofs, red bricks, and green painted doors is what makes them distinct from other houses in the town. Nowadays, some local residents are occupying the houses. Source
Another British remain is this Victorian-era building, Murray House. It is one of the oldest Victorian-era buildings in HK, and has served as an army barracks during the British colonial era and was named after Master General, Sir George Murray. The house was also occupied by the Japanese during WWII.
Nowadays, it houses several shops like H&M and restaurants like Ocean Rock. It has been a top spot for wedding photoshoots and reception areas. For German visitors in HK, this place is perfect for you. King Ludwig buffet restaurant is on the top floor that offers German cuisine and other delicacies. You could feel the German ambiance in it.
Heading straight next to the house along the waterfront is the Blake Pier named after Henry Arthur Blake.
It was formerly known as Pedder Wharf and originally situated in Central HK which served as a landing port for governors and royal British dignitaries. It was dismantled twice in Central and situ respectively different times for reclamation purposes and finally rebuilt in this town in 2007.
You can find the information in this information board below, located before the pier.
This now serves as a pier for locals and tourists traveling by water. It is also a top tourist attraction in the town. The architecture is extraordinary and worth capturing.
The pier also serves as a resting shed for visitors waiting for the ferry to arrive. There are a few benches in it where old visitors can take a rest. This also serves as a fishing spot for anyone who wants to catch fish; may they be locals or tourists.
This boat was rented by a family for a water tour.
The pier is also a perfect spot to watch windsurfers from the distance, and ferries and boats coming in and out of the water. The outlying islands are much more visible in this area.
One of my favorite attractions in the town is the Stanley Market which has a long array of outdoor shops and stalls with different merchandise, apparel, toys, electric items, souvenirs, and gift items.
But among shops, my favorite is Art Galleries with stunning paintings with different textures. There are murals and other forms of canvas and art too.
Inside the art galleries are where those paintings are being made by the painters. There is even an art school at the end of the market where anyone can attend art workshops and learn how to paint and make other forms of art.
It seems like artists are everywhere in the town. I spotted an old man making caricatures for visitors who opt to get them for themselves. His artwork is truly incredible. His location is along Stanley Main Street, in case you want to find him.
As you wander around the town, you can see more shops and stalls with art displays. There are even murals on some walls. Just like this cute cat in summer mode at Market Road.
At the end of the long walk around the town, there is a perfect spot to visit, the Stanley beaches. It would be a great therapy to walk barefoot on its golden fine sand while appreciating the beauty of nature.
You can either bask and swim on the secluded beach on the western side of the town.
Or on the bigger main beach on the eastern side of the town. Both can be crowded on special holidays. I was glad they weren't that crowded when I visited them.
I had some me time on the main beach after my long walk around the town. There are actually more spots in the town that I wasn't able to visit, such as Ma Hang Park, the military cemetery where British armies were buried, the famous school in the town, and the oldest police station, and I missed hiking the nearest mountain.
I'll be back to this place someday and make sure to soak on either of the beaches and hike the nearest mountain to make my journey more worth it.
That concludes my travel journey in this beautiful town. For more stories regarding this town, you can check these travel blogs below.
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(All photos are mine)
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