What’s the first thing that comes up to your mind when someone talks about having a staycation in Hong Kong? Most people would probably think of Lamma Island or Cheung Chau first, as these places seem to be more relaxing than the urban area. Yet, spending your weekend in Aberdeen is not a bad idea either! Aberdeen actually has a lot of nice restaurants and places to go as well. Not only that, you can even spend your weekend on the newly launched houseboat!
Aberdeen being one of the most historical harbors of Hong Kong, the cultural atmosphere here is definitely unique. Boat noodles, Sampan, Jumbo Floating Restaurant, and Ap Lei Chau Main Street are all representing the uniqueness of Aberdeen.
Want to fully discover Aberdeen, and try all the Aberdeen exclusive dishes? Take a look at my firsthand houseboat experience! Click here for more information
Aberdeen Exclusive – Traditional Boat Noodles
What’s the first thing that comes up to your mind, when someone mentions Aberdeen? Will the iconic boat noodles be one of your choices?
Without doubt, boat noodles is the most representative dish of Aberdeen. Ever since 1980’s, boat noodles has been one of the most significant dishes for fishermen as they stayed on board most of the time. The boiling fish soup base with different kinds of toppings together make the perfect combination! What’s even better is that you can enjoy freshly made boat noodles while staying on the houseboat.
If you want to learn more about boat noodles, take a look at our: Must-Eat in Aberdeen – Boat noodles
Food options other than Boat Noodles
If boat noodles is not your thing, how does seafood sound? I guess most of you guys have heard of Jumbo Seafood Kingdom before, due to its popularity among social media. If not, you can easily find it online!
Jumbo Floating Restaurant
The Jumbo Floating Restaurant is Hong Kong’s iconic Floating Palace. It has been in movies, are frequented by luminaries, movie stars and royalty, and is a common sight in tourist brochures and postcards. It has been around since the 1950’s and is very much a part of the Hong Kong scene.
Hong Kong’s floating restaurant is multi-story structures, decorated in the traditional imperial Chinese style, that is lots of dragons, pagodas and red and gold decorations, the colors that traditionally represent the empire, prosperity and good fortune. If you would like to make a dinner reservation there, click here.
What’s there to do other than eating?
Other than being a foodie, Aberdeen has a lot of nice scenery as well. You can have a nice view of this scenery by hiking in Ap Lei Chau (to Mount Johnston and Ap Lei Pai).
Adventurous Hiking in Ap Lei Chau (to Mount Johnston and Ap Lei Pai)
If you want to go hiking from the houseboat, you can take Sampan to “Hung Shing Temple” Pier, and then walk to Lei Tung MTR station, and get out from Exit ‘B’! The distance of this hiking trip is around 3.63km, so it will take around 3 hours to complete it.
In my opinion, the difficulty of this hiking trail is approximately 8/10. Although it is steep, there isn’t much elevation (266m) and the trail is relatively short. Also, there are ropes to help if you feel uncertain on your feet. Yet, I won’t recommend this trail if you are afraid of heights. If you want to know more about hiking in Aberdeen, click here for more information.
Anything to do other than hiking?
If hiking is not your thing, try discovering the historical side of Aberdeen! Being one of the most significant harbors in Hong Kong, Aberdeen has a temple that is destined for serving the protector of the sea.
Hoi Wong Temple
Hoi Wong Temple was founded in 1851, and it contains figurines, ornaments, relics, and a copper bell said to have been a gift to the temple by fishermen. Moreover, it is the only temple in Hong Kong built for the Sea God. It used to be on the sea side. However, due to the land reclamation, it is currently located on the side of the road.
A fishing area would not be complete without some heroes to save the day. This temple houses the protector of the sea, Tin Hau, along with other important deities such as wealth, mercy and medicine. In my opinion, visiting the Hoi Wong Temple will be a nice add-on to your trip as you can get to know more about the history of Aberdeen. Thus, I do recommend you guys to stop by and have a look of it!
It is surely surprising to see how interesting Aberdeen is, right? However, this trip won’t be perfect without a nice and comfortable place to stay for the weekend.
Have you ever thought of spending your weekend on a nicely furnished Japanese houseboat? If you want to know more about this newly launched houseboat, take a look at my firsthand houseboat experience!
Houseboat Precautions
Yet, due to the uniqueness of the houseboat, there are a few things and rules that I would like to remind you guys of before beginning your staycation.
Firstly, the houseboat will be parked at the Aberdeen Harbour. Customers will have to take the “Sampan” from the Ap Lei Chau/Aberdeen Pier, in order to get to the houseboat. It will take around 3 minutes to walk from the Lei Tung MTR A1 exit to Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Temple Pier.
Also, the check-in time of the houseboat is 3:00PM, while the check-out time is 11:00AM. Make sure to take note of that! A detail information guide is provided on board as well. Information such as the contact information of Sampan and boat owner, Wifi password are all included in the guide, so don’t worry!
However, please be reminded that Sampan ONLY works from 7:00AM to 1:00AM, and each ride costs around $10-20 HKD. Also, the houseboat will be parked at the Aberdeen Harbour, and will not leave the harbor. Thus, if you are looking for junk boat party, this houseboat may not be your thing.
If you are looking for a boat that is suitable for junk party, we do offer various junks as well! Click here for more information
I hope this blog will increase your understanding of this houseboat! If you are interested in this houseboat, hesitate no more and book it now! Click here for booking
If you find Aberdeen a bit too far, we do offer houseboat staycations in the downtown area as well! Click here for more information
