Picnic in Fairview Park
If you want to take your girlfriend for a decent picnic then Fairview Park is your best bet (above). As someone from the Island, I know we tend to shun the New Territories, ‘The Dark Side’ but Fairview Park is only an hour away by MTR and that’s nothing if you come from Australasia or North America.
You'll find Fairview Park in Yuen Long which looks like any other district in the New Territories until you set foot on the ground - it feels more like Vancouver. Walking on the promenade towards the main shopping area you’ll see swans, fish, and turtles haggling for any food you can spare. The experience is bizarre but refreshing.
Right on the lakeside there’s a huge grassy space where you can unfurl your blanket and pop open your champagne. Of course if preparation’s not your strong suit the shopping area has a Park n Shop, a Pacific Coffee and a Wet Market so you can pretend your lack of organization is actually spontaneity and buy it all there instead.
One word of advice though - if you go on the weekends, avoid taking the bus (KMB 968) because it’ll be packed. You’ll stand for the entire journey and let's face it, that's just no fun. Alternatively for something closer to home you can always explore Victoria Peak Garden.
Sailing, Wine & Sunsets in Stanley
If your girlfriend enjoys sailing or even if she just enjoys sunsets, a sailing trip with wine and canapés will have her in raptures. Adelaide Cellar Door has partnered up with Hong Kong Yachting to offer just that dreamy combination.
Their sunset wine cruise sets sail from Stanley every Saturday afternoon and caters for a small number of guests. You can help with the sailing as much or as little as you want, but for her sake I’d recommend keeping that to a minimum.
The trip goes round the south coast and apart from anything else it’s a lovely escape from Hong Kong. When you’re back on shore you can then head over to the waterfront’s Spiaggia's restaurant because you get a 20% discount with a Hong Kong Yachting ticket. Just don’t tell her that.
If, however, you’d like something a little more Sevva than Oyster Bar, this private sailing cruise is more exclusive. There’s a range of sailing yachts to choose from and it’s champagne and sunsets - plus unlike the regular one, it includes a candle lit dinner and a bouquet of flowers.
Café and Crafts on Lamma Island
Lamma is known for its expats who’ve established a host of vegetarian cafes, health food stores and handicraft shops, and although a café/crafts hopping trip might be a bit more her than you - that’s the point isn’t it?
The Bookworm Cafe on Yung Shue Wan is the place to start. Famous for its collection of books and organic vegetarian meals - if your date’s not a carnivore she’ll think the world of you. Regardless of her dietary habits, it’s still a great place to chill and find something decent to read.
The crafts element is provided by Selling Point - also in Yung Shue Wan - which runs private glass blowing classes and fits them around your schedule. Let them know in advance when you’ll be around and they’ll prepare a course just for two. It takes around three hours of blowing and you’ll each leave with three glass bottles or bulbs. She’ll be telling the girls about her date for weeks.
Wakeboarding in Sai Kung
If your girlfriend is the outdoorsy type who spends less than 15 minutes getting ready I’d suggest water sports in Sai Kung. Kei Ling Wakeboard Club, Sea Dynamics, and Wakeben all offer English classes and the equipment and speedboats are included in the price.
For pure fun I’d recommend the Kei Ling Wakeboard Club or Sea Dynamics but if you’re more serious and want to learn the fundamentals you should head to Wakeben. They’ll walk you through wakeboarding theory in the first two classes and you’ll hit the waves in the last four.
Wakeboarding dealt with, you can hire jet skis and kayaks before heading back to Sai Kung for a huge meal. I’d recommend Mandy’s which is an amazing Caribbean private kitchen – and there’s even a private, swimming pool.
Guest contributor Gillian Chu is a Hong Kong based Canadian who likes to fiddle with the latest sports equipments, learn about the up-to-date fashion trends, and travel around the hottest destinations in Asia. See what else she's been up to lately on her blog.
