Who needs a tropical vacation when you can go to Shek O?

I don't know why people in Hong Kong spend all the money on flights and resorts to go to Cebu, Bali, or Phuket. Shek O, an hour away from Central, on the south side of the island, is a gorgeous beach with nice sands, great facilities, and beautiful weather. Take the Island MTR to Shau Kai Wan and take bus number 9 all the way to the end. The entire journey from Central took less than an hour. Being there felt like a vacation. It's a completely different world from Hong Kong. A group of 10 of us went to Shek O for a BBQ at Lam Au BBQ. The bbq is food / coal / everything ready. You can bring your own food or drinks or buy from the store. It's right on the beach and extremely easy to find. We spent a whole afternoon making fish balls, steaks, pork chops, corn, and everything else imaginable. It felt like camp again, roasting skewers over open fire. The weather was gorgeous, the sand was smooth. Laying underneath the sun, swimming in the ocean or running on the beach, it felt like a tropical vacation just an hour away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. The best part is, anything outside of the banker/finance expat world of Hong Kong is extremely affordable. We did not bring anything to the BBQ and managed to stuff ourselves with various food and beer for less than HK$100 each. An entree in any of the restaurant in Soho cost more than that. Definitely need to take more outings to Shek O.