It’s finally sunny in Hong Kong, so we took advantage of it by visiting our go-to spot for sun and gentle waves, Shek O Beach. It’s very popular and can get crowded on the weekends, but the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. As a bonus, it’s easily accessible by public transit through the Shau Kei Wan MTR station where you can also find delicious local food, so keep reading to see my full guide on how to make the most of a day trip to Shek O Beach.
Why We Love Shek O Beach
Shek O is located on the southeast tip of Hong Kong Island. It’s known for its white sand beaches and good quality, shallow water with very gentle waves that stretches deep into the sea so you can easily stand in the water with a drink or play with your kids or dogs in the water safely. Shek O has ample facilities like showers and changing rooms, plenty of restaurants both on the beach and just outside as I’ll explain later, and even a barbecue area that can be rented for the day (this area next to Liu’s BBQ is also dog-friendly).
There’s a Thai Store just outside the beach that sells fresh coconuts. Plus, when you arrive you can rent an umbrella and 2 sun loungers that someone will help place for you wherever you’d like on the beach that can be rented for the day for around HK$100-150 (we like to pay the hard-working ladies a bit more but you can haggle down on the price if you’re budget-conscious).
It’s also the perfect place to relax after doing Hong Kong’s famous Dragon’s Back Hike. You can actually see Shek O Beach from the viewpoints of Dragon’s Back as pictured below, and it’s also a short ride on the #9 bus from the hiking trail head.
Getting to Shek O Beach
By Taxi
Since it’s on Hong Kong Island, you can take a taxi directly to Shek O Beach from Central in 30 minutes for about HK$200-250 (US$25-32)
By Express Bus
On Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, there is an X9 bus that runs from Central all the way to Shek O Beach, with stops in Causeway Bay, North Point, Dragon’s Back and Cape D’aguilar so you can get from Central to Shek O for just HK$20 in 40-50 minutes. Sit on the right side of the bus on your way to Shek O to enjoy the view!
By MTR and Bus
Take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan Station. From there, you can take either the double decker #9 bus at the bus terminus near exit A3, or the red minibus near exit A2 to get to Shek O Beach.
Exploring Shau Kei Wan
I always love trying local food in new neighborhoods, so I highly recommend taking the MTR to check out 2 long-running, highly reputed establishments in Shau Kei Wan on your way to/from Shek O Beach.
Master Low-Key Food Shop
I’ve had this famous Hong Kong-style waffle shop on my list for years, and safe to say that I will be adding it as a stop almost every time we go to Shek O Beach because it’s THAT GOOD. This unassuming spot looks like any other street food stall, though the line outside will give it away. They sell both bubble egg waffles and regular waffles, and while they don’t have as many flavors as other famous shops like Mammy Pancake, the few they do have are excellent.
We tried their crispy outside, slightly chewy inside bubble egg waffle with salted egg for a perfect savoriness with the subtly sweet waffle batter, along with an utterly indulgent peanut butter, margarine and condensed milk slathered waffle that I will be dreaming of for some time.
On Lee Noodles
On Lee Noodles serves traditional Cantonese beef brisket and fish ball noodles, plus cha chaan teng fare like Hong Kong French toast and kaya toast.
They used to have a stall in Central Market that we would frequent, but it was worth the journey to their original location that’s been around since 1966. The perfectly QQ stirred noodles coated in a flavorful soy sauce go perfectly with beef brisket and bouncy fish balls. It’s incredibly popular with locals, so you may have to queue for a table (we waited 30 minutes at peak weekend lunch hour so I’d recommend going off-peak).
Where to Eat in Shek O
Shek O Thai Restaurant
On the flip side, there are plenty of restaurants in Shek O itself, including Cococabana right on the beach and Ming’s Cafe for western-style breakfast items. All that said, we have pretty much exclusively only eaten at Shek O Thai Restaurant every time we’ve been to Shek O Beach. Call us creatures of habit, but we enjoy Shek O Thai’s extensive menu of authentic and generally delicious Thai food at affordable prices so much that we never want to veer away from the comfort of what we know and love. There’s also an outdoor area so we can dine here with our dog, Crosby, who you can seeing peeking out of this photo of their Pad Pong Kari, or whole fish coated in a yellow curry sauce.
Must-try: Koong Ka Jok See crispy prawn rolls, Kor Moo Yang grilled pork neck (also yummy as the pork neck salad), Pad Ka Prao fried rice
Other favorites: Pad Thai, Pad La Prik whole fried seabass with tamarind sauce, Pad Pong Kari yellow curry with choice of seafood or fish, Khao Soi northern style noodles
Exploring Shek O Village
There’s an entire village surrounding Shek O Beach that you can explore. I’ll update this guide with more on Shek O, including how to get to Shek O Back Beach which is entirely dog-friendly. I’ve also been meaning to check out Shek O Lover’s Bridge, so more to come!
In the mean time, check out my other guides on Things to Do in Hong Kong and Where to Eat in Hong Kong for more tips.
