Wandering Hong Kong. Tseung Kwan O. March 2025.
The first impressions are not always right.
This post is a remake of my last year review of TKO, so it is a compilation of two visits, this year and the 2024 one.
Hong Kong suburbs are different. Those built on reclaimed lands and representing the so called “new towns” stand out in particular, introducing modern and bike/pet friendly living environments with less traffic, wide and less crowded public spaces and plenty of things to do.
Tseung Kwan O (or TKO for short) is one such suburb. It is only 30 minutes away by train from the Central Station, but it represents a very different Hong Kong compared to my now “stay by default” Wan Chai.
I walked through TKO on a rainy day in May last year and I liked it. So, this year I decided to stay in TKO for a few days, and the impression was not as good, but I will dwell on this later.
One of the routes I used when exploring TKO was in this sequence: waterfront park (facing Junk Bay) - South Promenade - Silverstrand beach (on Clear Water Bay) - TKO station and hotel.
As you can see on the map, TKO town is basically located between the two bays, Clear Water and Junk Bay. The life here is swirling around the two major hubs, the way I saw it, one is the collection of shopping malls connected by the footbridges and another - TKO waterfront promenade.
Well, first I walk towards a cafe with a very sophisticated name, NOC Papillons and Bakery. As I mentioned in my earlier posts, HK has many great coffee shops. Unfortunately, this year NOC did not have decaf, and they could not make smashed avocado on toast with a poached egg, so I moved to the Coffee Roasters not far away.
They have nice seats outside facing the bay. Great!
“I would like to have toasted bread with egg and avocado plus salmon on side, eating outside.”
“It is ok, but if outside, we have to serve your meal in a takeaway package”.
“? OK, and a triple shot long black decaf please, in my mug”.
And here I am seating at a waterfront cafe, eating my meal out of carton boxes.
Suddenly I wanted back to Seoul where I was last week.
Well, comparisons made, I am moving further.
The suburb does not offer much for an amble, except for the hikes around and a promenade, also there are clear paths for the bikes which you will not see in the center of Hong Kong.
Coffee mug full, I am moving closer to the water. There is a nice promenade along TKO waterfront park. The bridge ahead will take me to the southern part of it.
Here I find comfortable covered benches in case you need to hide from the rain. I believe any Asian country would find such seating in public open spaces at least useful if not necessary. Note to the city planners?
I put the bench to the full use as it started to drizzle. A croissant with a coffee, Cross Bay Bridge view, Kindle in hand, feeling sleepy…
Somehow this quiet water view read mixed with the staccato of the rain drops became the best and most remembered part of my TKO walk. To the extent that when the rain stopped in half an hour, I did not want to leave…
Sometimes it happens when you find yourself in a new place. Similar to talking to an interesting person, I guess.
It is not so quiet on a good weather day though, but the promenade area in TKO I really like. The only drawback is that I could not find any toilets.
So, may be these signs make sense…
Next, I am going back towards TKO town, but different way, through San Shek Bay (San Shek Wan).
In around 30 minutes or so I am near another footbridge.
A huge boat “parking” here, definitely need some skills to fit in.
Back in town I pass through a couple of urban parks with inevitable exercise corners. Japan city planners, please copy some.
Actually, many apartment blocks here, guess the most expensive ones, feature guards manning (or womanning) the gates. Well, at least it should help the overall good picture of employment rate.
Next, I am on the way to Silverstrand Beach following the signs and my smartphone. Not the best part of the walk since you move along the car traffic for some time.
It took me around one hour from the waterfront to reach the beach in case you want to skip this part.
Small drizzle again, and a couple of swimming enthusiasts. “Hello, jump in!”. I did.
Another non-central-Hongkie-style quiet place. Read, gazed, chatted, relaxed.
I also visited another beach near TKO, which is called Clear Water Bay Second Beach.
It is not that far from Silverstrand Beach, but wider. The water was really clear and pleasantly cool, refreshing.
It was foggy, but the sun was still strong even for March, so I found myself a hideout near a mini temple, looking at the water and listening to the recorded chanting.
Buses run regularly on the main roads adjacent to the beaches, and can take you to Diamond Hill or TKO MTR station. I went back to TKO to my accommodation which is a couple of minutes’ walk from the station. Crowne Plaza Kowloon East is a very good hotel. I am not sure if it is because of the insulation, but I don’t remember staying in such a quiet hotel for many years. No noise from outside or from the adjacent rooms, and the hotel was pretty busy.
On top of that, they have a well-equipped gym and a sauna. The pool will be open on the April 1. There are handles on the windows, but they are sealed, so windows cannot be opened, just this box was not ticked.
Conclusion? I mentioned in my earlier blogs that in HK I normally stay in Wan Chai (convenient for food options, transport connections, Wan Chai Promenade) or Golden Coast hotel in Tuen Moon (far, but seaside escape). Before that it was always Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon.
If I had to live in HK, TKO is probably a good place to choose, especially if you have kids and pets. In fact, I chatted with a couple of expats, they do love it here. For me, I would rather stay in Sai Kung or at one of the outlying islands, commuting time permitting and depending on the job location. TKO has also a few good hikes nearby - Devil’s Peak, Lobster Bay (going there this Saturday), and others.
The bay side is definitely a big winner, but other than that the suburb is a group of interconnected shopping malls tucked in the middle of high rises’ forest. Interestingly, unlike in Japan or Australia, where for a meal you are going to the food court area of the mall and choose your favorite cuisine, in TKO the mall restaurants and cafes are scattered between the various retailers which makes finding a dinner place a tiring exercise unless you know the place well. Besides, I just hate huge shopping malls. I did find some standalone traditional HK style food eateries, but there are very few of them in TKO.
There are many restaurants on the waterfront though, catering, judging by the prices, to mostly expats, but I am not sure.
Normally I don’t eat non-local cuisine when I am travelling, but today I wanted to be outside instead of searching for some Cantonese fare inside the malls. Macan Macan Malaysian offered Singapore laksa and kangkong belacan which were not bad, but they sure did not know how to make teh si kosong (hot tea with evaporated milk, no sugar).
So, will I stay again in TKO? I think not, even by the end of the stay I discovered a few places to buy groceries or to eat it. I would rather be in Wan Chai or trying Sai Kung or even Peng Chau. But it was a good experience. Any new place is good!
More HK posts are HERE!