• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Return to beginning of chapter

SWIMMING POOLS

Hong Kong has 36 swimming pools that are open to the public. There are excellent pools in Tsim Sha Tsui’s Kowloon Park Click here and in Victoria Park Click here in Causeway Bay. Many pools are closed between November and March, but heated indoor and outdoor pools, such as the Morrison Hill Public Swimming Pool ( Map; 2575 3028; 7 Oi Kwan Rd, Wan Chai; adult/child $19/9) and the one in the basement of the South China Athletic Association ( Map; 2577 6932; 88 Caroline Hill Rd, Causeway Bay; adult/child $22/10; Happy Valley) are open all year.

Return to beginning of chapter

YOGA

Yoga remains as popular in Hong Kong as it is everywhere else in the world.

Yoga Central ( Map; 2982 4308; www.yogacentral.com.hk; 4th fl, 13 Wyndham St, Central; variable hr; Central MTR, exit D2) Well-established studio offering Hatha with an Iyengar spin, and Pilates. Beginner and intermediate classes Monday to Saturday cost from $140/200 for one/two hours.

Yoga Fitness ( Map; 2851 8353; www.yoga-fitness.com; 5th fl, Sea Bird House, 22-28 Wyndham St, Central; variable hr; Central MTR, exit D2) Hatha for $140 per class or from $500 for five classes in a month.

Return to beginning of chapter

ACTIVITIES

Hong Kong offers countless ways to have fun and keep fit. From tennis and squash courts to cycling and hiking trails, you won’t be stumped for something active to do during your visit.

Information & Venues

One excellent, all-round option is the South China Athletic Association (SCAA; opposite), east of the Happy Valley Racecourse and south of Causeway Bay. The SCAA has facilities for badminton, billiards, bowling, tennis, squash, table tennis, gymnastics, fencing, yoga, judo, karate and golf (among other activities), and short-term membership for visitors is $50 per month. Another good place is the nearby Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association ( 2504 8215; www.hkaaa.com).

Hong Kong Outdoors (www.hkoutdoors.com) is an excellent website for all sorts of active pursuits.

Return to beginning of chapter

BEACHES

The most accessible beaches are on the southern side of Hong Kong Island (see in particular Shek O, Click here), but the best ones are on the Outlying Islands and in the New Territories. For a list of beaches deemed safe enough for swimming and their water-quality gradings, check the website of the Environmental Protection Department (www.info.gov.hk/epd).

Hong Kong’s 41 gazetted beaches are staffed by lifeguards from 9am to 6pm daily from at least April to October (from 8am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday from June to August). A few beaches, including Deep Water Bay and Clearwater Bay, have year-round lifeguard services. Shark nets are installed and inspected at 32 beaches. From the first day of the official swimming season until the last, expect the beaches to be chock-a-block on weekends and holidays. When the swimming season is officially over, the beaches become deserted –no matter how hot the weather.

At most of the beaches you will find toilets, showers, changing rooms, refreshment stalls and sometimes cafés and restaurants.

Return to beginning of chapter

BIRD-WATCHING

Birders in Hong Kong will have their work cut out: some 450 species have been spotted in the territory. The best area is Mai Po Marsh Click here, but others include Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve Click here and Po Toi Click here. The Hong Kong Bird-Watching Society (www.hkbws.org.hk) is a fount of information and can arrange organised visits to local birding venues. Ask for its free brochure Bird Watching in Hong Kong.

Return to beginning of chapter

TENPIN BOWLING

Some of the best facilities are on the 1st floor of the Sports Complex at the SCAA (above). About 60 lanes are open from 10am to 12.30am Monday to Thursday, from 10am to 1.30am Friday, 9.30am to 1.30am Saturday and from 9am to 12.30am on Sunday and holidays. Games cost $18 to $30, depending on the time of day and day of the week. Try also Belair Bowling ( Map; 2649 9022; Shop 4, Level 2, Phase