Have you been scratching your hair out in planning for an innovative date? Hong Kong is known for being a compact city, having activities that can cater for virtually everyone, so I am sure there is something out there that will be fun for both you and your date! Here are a couple of ideas that will keep you going for a while:
Wakeboarding in Sai Kung
If your girlfriend is the outdoorsy type who doesn't mind getting her hair wet, then you should take her out and try all the water sports in Sai Kung! Kei Ling Wakeboard Club, Sea Dynamics, and Wakeben all offers English classes, and the equipments are inclusive, including the speedboats. If the two of you are opting for a fun class then you might want to go for Kei Ling Wakeboard Club or Sea Dynamics. However, if you two are the studious type and want to learn all the fundamentals at a thorough beginners' class, then you should head to Wakeben, where they will walk you through the wakeboarding theory in the first two classes, then hit the waves in the last four. If you feel like you have had enough of wakeboarding, they also hire jet skis and kayaks.
After a long day of workout, you and your date can head back to Sai Kung for a local seafood meal, or pay a visit to one of the many western restaurants in the area, catered for their expats population around the area. Also, don't miss out on the original store of Honeymoon Desserts!
You can get there by taking MTR to Hang Hau, then interchange to the minibus number 101M at the bus terminus, which will take you to the Sai Kung pier. This minibus is especially packed during the summer seasons, when everyone is out for a boat trip, so make sure you get there super early if you are going then.
Coffee and Crafts in Lamma Island
Lamma Island is known for being populated by laid back expats, who have established a wide range of health food stores, handicraft shops and vegetarian cafes on the island. The Bookworm Cafe is famous on Yung Shue Wan for its organic vegetarian meals and its collection of books. If your date is vegetarian then you are in luck, but even if she isn't, this is still a great place to chill and grab something decent to read off the shelves.
After a filling brunch, the two of you can venture off to Selling Point, also in the Yung Shue Wan, who runs private classes around your schedule. Let them know when you and your girlfriend wants to be learning glass shaping a week in advance, they will prepare a course just for you two. It takes around three hours of blowing and burning, and each of you will be leaving with three delicate glass bottles or bulbs. Paired with chilling at the Bookworm Cafe, it will make a romantic day trip with your significant other.
You can get to Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island through their regular ferry from Central, which is within walking distance from IFC. Make sure you don't catch the wrong ferry, because Sok Kwu Wan is on the other side of Lamma Island, which is around an hour's hike from Yung Shue Wan!
Sailing in Stanley
If your girlfriend enjoys sailing towards the sunset, why not take her along to a sailing trip with wines and canapés? Adelaide Cellar Door has partnered up with Hong Kong Yachting in order to bring together the unlikely combination of fine wines and sailing yachts.
You can get two tickets for their regular sunset wine cruise, which sets sail from Stanley every Saturday afternoon. Catered for a small number of guests, you get to choose how much you would like to help out with the sailing. If you would like to show your girlfriend your manly side, the sailors on board are more than happy to demonstrate to you how the sailboat works. If you just fancy sitting back and enjoy the delicious wines from Adelaide Cellar Door and some light snacks, that works well also. The ride will take you around the shores of Stanley to enjoy the beautiful scenery off the south coast, and escape from your hectic lives in Hong Kong. After your set foot back on shore, you can head over to the waterfront Spiaggia's Restaurant for a hearty meal with your girlfriend, which offers a 20% discount for Hong Kong Yachting ticket holders.
If you are thinking of something more exclusive, then the private sailing cruise is the perfect romantic treat for the two of you. Hong Kong Yachting has a range of comfortable and well fitted out sailing yacht on hire, so you two can enjoy your trip with champagne and snacks as you relax and watch the sunset. The private ride, as oppose to the regular one, includes a waiter, bottle of champagne, gourmet candle lit dinner and a bouquet, just to make your girlfriend feel extra special.
The regular minibus number 40 from Causeway Bay to Stanley departs right behind Times Square. Make sure you get there well in advance because there is a huge queue on weekends, especially when it is sunny, not to mention the stagnant traffic on the Island South.
Picnic in Fairview Park
If you fancy taking your girlfriend out for a decent picnic, then Fairview Park would be your best bet. As someone from the island, we tend to be shunned by the New Territories, being way past the darker side. In reality, it is only one hour away by MTR, and that is nothing if you are originally from North America or Australasia.
En route to Fairview Park, you two will have to go through Yuen Long, which looks rather like any other districts you will find in Kowloon or the New Territories. But as soon as the two of you set foot on their estate area, it will feel like as if you have just been transported to Vancouver. On the promenade walking towards their main shopping area, you can spot white/black swans, fish, and turtles swamping over for any food that you can spare.
Right on the lakeside, you will find a huge meadow where you can just throw your blanket and pop your champagne for her. If you aren't keen on lots of preparation, their shopping area inside the estate has a Park n Shop, a Pacific Coffee that does buy one get one free, a handy Cafe de Coral, a round the clock Circle K, and, surprisingly, a Wet Market. It gives you the choice of being spontaneous.
So how do you get there? Take the MTR to Yuen Long on the West Rail Line, and then interchange to Fairview Park's estate shuttle bus. Both have a rather frequent schedule, so you should get there in around an hour from Admiralty. If you are going during the weekends, avoid taking the bus (KMB 968) because there are so many people you will end up standing for the entire journey, and let's face it, that's just no fun.