Shek O, up close

Shek O sits at the far south-eastern tip of Hong Kong Island, a small beach village with a noticeably relaxed, almost small-town feel despite being under an hour from Central.

Shek O Beach

A popular, easily reached beach with a genuine village atmosphere behind it — small local shops, a modest promenade, and considerably less built-up than the beaches covered in our Repulse Bay guide.

Dragon's Back

The popular hiking trail covered in our hiking guide ends (or begins, depending on direction) close to Shek O, making the village a natural post-hike stop for food and a swim.

Thai and Indonesian food

Shek O has an unusually strong concentration of Thai and Indonesian restaurants for its size, a legacy of a long-established Indonesian community in the area — genuinely worth seeking out rather than just defaulting to the beachfront cafés.

Getting there

Reachable by bus from Shau Kei Wan MTR station — not on the MTR network directly, which helps explain why it has kept a quieter, more village-like character than more accessible parts of the Island.