South Lantau & Island rentals

There are many hundreds of islands in Hong Kong waters, but only a few of these are inhabited. The main islands to consider when looking for residential property are Lantau and Lamma Island. The islands, and the areas on them differ so we will look at them individually.

Lantau Island consists of three main areas: Discovery Bay, Tung Chung, and South Lantau.

Discovery Bay is a very popular place for renting and purchasing apartments due to its convenient 30 minute ferry ride to the star ferry pier in Central, western orientation, and gated community feel. There are no private cars allowed in Discovery Bay so transport within this Hong Kong community is either by foot, bus or private golf cart (although golf cart “licenses” are restricted and therefore expensive).

Discovery Bay boasts a great many conveniences such as clubs with pools and gyms, a golf course, shops, grocery stores, schools, and marina.

Transport out of Discovery Bay is done by ferry to central or bus to Tung Chung where you can join the MTR or connect to another bus. There are also buses directly to the airport, and its proximity means it is popular with airport staff and pilots.

The Discovery Bay Marina is another option for buying or renting a liveaboard Junk or any kind of yacht or boat. To moor your own boat there will require the purchase of a debenture and membership of the Discovery Bay Marina.

Tung Chung is a suburb that grew with the opening of the Chep Lak Kok International Airport in 1997. Tung Chung real estate consists mainly of high rise apartment buildings. Hong Kong rental apartments in this area will often have walking access to the extensive shopping centre. Tung Chung is very handy for airport staff and serviced by the MTR. A great place for renting an apartment if you like watching airliners land and take off and wish for a larger property for your budget.

South Lantau is where your Hong Kong lifestyle slips into relax mode. South Lantau boasts a much slower and relaxed pace of life than most parts of Hong Kong. South Lantau property comes mainly as Hong Kong village houses, villa complexes and some apartment buildings. Similar to Sai Kung property and Clearwater Bay real estate in many ways. There are some villages and village houses in South Lantau that are built in such a way as to have no vehicular access, meaning you may have to walk in to your house through the village.

Lots of green, walking trails, and some nice beaches make South Lantau rental property a great choice if you want your Hong Kong lifestyle to be a lot less hectic. It is a Country Park so much of this greenery is protected.
The main access to Hong Kong island and Discovery Bay is via the ferries from Mui Wo. Getting to and from South Lantau in a car is a little inconvenient at present as there is only a one-lane road into South Lantau, from Tung Chung. South Lantau’s status as a Country Park means that only residents are allowed to drive in and only at restricted times. A new road is scheduled to open soon which will provide easy access to Tung Chung from any South Lantau property.

Lamma Island is the island off the south west coast of Hong Kong Island. It has a relaxed atmosphere and a name for seafood restaurants. Lamma Island property is mainly village house with some apartments. Only a small portion of Lamma is inhabited and there are no cars which adds to the relaxed atmosphere. The uninhabited part of Lamma is home to one of Hong Kong’s power stations and our single token wind-power electricity generator. Some people say that the electricity recovered by this single wind turbine is used to power the traffic lights on the corner of Connaught & Pedder Streets.