• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Property
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Work & Finance
        • CDNIS School newsWhat’s new on the school scene?
        • Hong Kong news - new book by Robert Ferguson, Wild Creatures of Hong KongWhat’s new in Hong Kong?
        • Business ownersBringing female business owners together
        • Dr. Stephanie JOHNNIDES Veterinary clinic3 Hong Kong veterinarians with a passion for pets
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Hong Kong news - new book by Robert Ferguson, Wild Creatures of Hong KongWhat’s new in Hong Kong?
        • Top 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • Trivia Time: 20 Questions on TV
        • rugby world cup teamsRugby World Cup teams and timings!
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • CDNIS School newsWhat’s new on the school scene?
        • CDNIS English teacherBuilding Momentum at CDNIS HK
        • Technology educationWhy STEAM and technology education matters
        • Paul Wicker - Headmaster Malvern CollegeMeet the new Headmaster at Malvern College
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Furniture & Décor
      • Real Homes
        • MARIANNE OBENA - decluttering, organising and organisation skillsMake decluttering the home a breeze
        • Interior eye candy, modern homes and resort luxury!
        • Home decor furniture Hong KongHome news: décor, furniture & more!
        • Best pillows HeveyaHow to choose the best pillow for you!
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
        • Live in Hong Kong reader survey 2023Expat Living Reader Survey 2023
        • Mongolia - kidsA family adventure in Mongolia
        • Mount DavisHiking Ideas: A Mount Davis Meander
        • Voco hotel MelbourneA cool Melbourne hotel in the heart of the city
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • new restaurants - bengal brothersNew nibbles: where to dine this September
        • Live in Hong Kong reader survey 2023Expat Living Reader Survey 2023
        • Middle Eastern Restaurants and cuisine in Hong Kong - Mama MaloufTaste Test: Middle Eastern Eats
        • Taste Test: Where to get great burgers in HK
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • Hair and beauty salonOne-stop shop for hair, skincare and beauty
        • Lip glossesTried and Tested: Lip glosses and lip liners
        • Live in Hong Kong reader survey 2023Expat Living Reader Survey 2023
        • capsule wardrobe minimalistHow to build a capsule wardrobe
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • Dr Keith HarimanBusting myths around treatment-resistant depression
        • rugby world cup teamsRugby World Cup teams and timings!
        • Mindlife-ADHDIs adult ADHD affecting your relationship?
        • Live in Hong Kong reader survey 2023Expat Living Reader Survey 2023
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • Magazine
    • Advertise With Us
    • Close

What it’s like living in Cheung Sha

4 April, 2018 by Expat Living 4 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/lantau-island-insiders-guide-to-living-in-cheung-sha/

Wondering where to live in Hong Kong? It’s always good to talk to the neighbours! In our regular Street Talk feature, we get the inside scoop from residents of different areas. Here,  Monica Guzkowska gives us the inside scoop on living in Cheung Sha on Lantau Island.

The Specifics

Name: Monica Guzkowska

From: Canada

Occupation: Business manager

Lantau beach for article on living in Cheung Sha on Lantau Island Hong Kong
Lantau lover Monica shows us her life’s a beach

Where do you live?
Cheung Sha, South Lantau.

How long have you lived here?
Going on eight years – about the same length of time I’ve been in Hong Kong. This is where we rented when we first found a place and we loved it, so when a place came available, we bought. We’re probably oddities in this town!

Why here?
I’m from Toronto, and my husband is from a small French village and spent a lot of time growing up by the sea. We’re both very active, and nature is a need for both of us, whether it’s in the green or by the seaside. Plus, as thirtysomething arrivals in Hong Kong, the bustle of the island appealed to us for a Saturday night but we knew that it wasn’t what we wanted to wake up to on Sunday. In the end, South Lantau trumped Sai Kung and DB with buffaloes. Not kidding.

Describe your South Lantau lifestyle?
Laid back, active, family-oriented, sub-urban. Visitors to our place tend to exclaim “You have butterflies!” People talk about “putting on their Central clothes” to go into town. This area has a lot of villas and village houses, so we tend to go over to each other’s houses, whether to hang out with a drink in the evening or for a dinner or barbecue. You will want a car. One frustration is when tradespeople, shops and couriers, who normally deliver, don’t, calling this place “remote”.

 

Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Billy, the Cow, is a local celebrity
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Cheung Sha
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Lantau Island resident, Monica Guzkowska
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
What it’s like to live in this Lantau Island neighbourhood community
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Pui O Beach at sunset
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Lantau lover Monica shows us her life’s a beach
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Just your average evening on Pui O beach
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Living in nature – paddling around Lantau Island
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
Verdant abundance in Pui O
Lantau island insider’s guide to living in Cheung Sha, living in Cheung Sha, insider’s guide, Hong Kong, Lantau Island, Where to live in Hong Kong, buffalo watch, nature
The Tai O version of Hong Kong traffic

Peek into Monica’s story on living in south Lantau Island in the gallery above

The Scene

When you walk out of your place, the first thing you see is…
Sometimes, the giant gecko or Tokay gecko that lives in the wall across from our door. Otherwise, our neighbours’ cars (and ours) in the street (for some, this is a turn-off for living here – for me, it’s a bit of a cultural comfort; something familiar that I grew up with). No doubt someone with a baby stroller or a dog. Sometimes one or more Lantau cows. The path to the beach. Butterflies.

Closest store:
Technically, there are some tiny convenience stores in Tong Fuk and Pui O with water, cup o’ noodles and the like. For all practical purposes, it’s a toss-up of the crossroads: Wellcome or Fusion in Mui Wo are by the ferry pier to Central. Both carry a decent range of expat grocery products. Taste in Citygate Outlet Mall in Tung Chung (“over the mountain”) has a wider range and parking if you’re taking the MTR, going to the pool or gym, and so on.

Your street would make the perfect backdrop for a remake of…
Point Break. Maybe crossed with Desperate Housewives… Kidding! Don’t print that! <sorry Monica, it was too cute to leave out!>

How are the neighbours?
Generally, a mix of native Hong Kongers and expat nationalities tending toward the nature and dog-loving. A couple of our immediate neighbours use their villas as holiday houses; full-time residents include a high proportion of pilot families. People are incredibly warm, saying “hello” in the street and perhaps stopping for a brief chat; you really can knock to borrow a cup of sugar. People look out for each other – car-pooling for kids and checking on houses when a family goes away.

The unofficial uniform of your street is:
Board shorts, yoga or compression wear. A dog. Children. Worn singly or all together. Jeans and an edgy T-shirt for going out – surfer hipster.

A mandatory stop for guests is:
Tai O and the Big Buddha. Cheung Sha beach on a weekday when sometimes you can have it to yourself. Mavericks or The Gallery for food.

Date night – what and where?
On a clear night, the rooftop or the beach with a blanket, a bottle of wine and some snacks. A star-gazing app is optional, but great nerdy fun. Key concept: you can actually see the stars here. Or a dinner at one of the restaurants in Mui Wo, followed by a Thai massage.

Best thing for kids in your area?
Nature. Sure, there’s rugby and dance, playgroups, etc., but really: nature. Scraped knees and burrs on socks, egrets and herons in the wetland and estuary, dirt trails (they still exist!) and a glimpse of a barking deer if you’re very very quiet and very very lucky. And happy smeared faces after finding mud pies in the buffalo field…

The Superlatives

You’d swap houses in a second with…
I struggled to answer this. Our place isn’t huge and it isn’t perfect, but I love our home. Having said that, there’s a holiday house by Lower Cheung Sha – a bungalow with a red brick wall and barbecue, with a pool; it’s got to be one of the most coveted houses in the area.

Favourite places in your area?
Cheung Sha beach. The many Lantau hiking trails accessible from my door to Lantau Peak. Sunset Peak. The Pui O wetland looking west when the buffalo are out – I keep meaning to snap a photo and submit it to a “Where in the world?” contest; no one would ever guess that this is Hong Kong. Mavericks beach shack and restaurant. Mau Kee restaurant. Tong Fuk’s The Gallery for the grilled meats, pizza and divine chocolate cake. 9 Dragons gym in Tung Chung.

Strangest thing you’ve seen in your area?
Billy the Cow has been a bit of a local sensation after he was adopted by a Pui O family. Lately though, I’ve seen a black goat being walked on a leash. It was a PALS (animal shelter) volunteer who has a pretty luxuriant white beard. Who knew he’s such a hipster?

Guiltiest pleasure in your area?
Regular massages. No shame!

What would you never change about your area?
The road permit, which is only available to residents and area businesses. It’s what keeps us from being inundated with cars and people.

Best thing about living in your area?
Nature. Hmm, appears to have been a bit of a leitmotif here. Gosh, I’m so Canadian!

Like this? See more in our Living in Hong Kong section

26 ways to enjoy Hong Kong’s waters
Expat guide to where to live in Hong Kong

 

Categories: Living In Hong Kong Neighbourhood Guides Tags: Hong Kong City Guide Hong Kong Lantau Island

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

You May Also Like

Business owners

Bringing female business owners together

Dr. Stephanie JOHNNIDES Veterinary clinic

3 Hong Kong veterinarians with a passion for pets

Live in Hong Kong reader survey 2023

Expat Living Reader Survey 2023

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.