Living Around Victoria Park

If you’ve ever lived in New York City on Manhattan Island, you will understand the attraction of residing close to nature in the middle of a bustling city. Central Park has been enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, providing every type of recreational pursuit, sporting activities and relaxation. Songs have been written and movies have been made of this much-loved piece of ultra-expensive, prime luxury real estate in the middle of the city.

In Hong Kong, we are fortunate to have our own version of Central Park: Victoria Park. Named after the British Monarch of the time, Queen Victoria, there is a statue of Queen Victoria, seated, at the main entrance of the park on Causeway Road. This statue was originally located in Statue Square.

Urban Oasis

Victoria Park serves as an oasis of tranquility in the middle of Hong Kong’s urban jungle. Jog, play bowls, tennis, go for a swim or just sit by the lake and relax, especially if you want a break after a shopping spree at one of the many malls in Causeway Bay. The park has running tracks, football grounds and cricket pitches, basketball courts and 13 tennis courts. The swimming pools are very popular with locals in the summer months.  If you’re an early riser, you can catch older locals doing tai chi in leafy corners of the park. Hosting many special events throughout the year, Victoria Park transforms into a bustling night market during Chinese New Year and gets decorated with glowing lanterns for the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

The park was formerly a typhoon shelter site known as Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, part of Victoria Harbour, which was used as a refuge by fishing boats and yachts during typhoon seasons. In the 1950s, the shelter land was reclaimed and the park was built there. The typhoon shelter was then relocated to the north.

Victoria Park is located in Causeway Bay, on the north side of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin HauMTR stations. It is part of Wan Chai District, bordered by Victoria Park Road and then Victoria Harbour to the north and Causeway Road and Hong Kong Central Library to the south. The park underwent a major revamp in the early 2000s, which gave it many of its new features, including the basketball courts and tennis stadiums.

Shop Til You Drop

Causeway Bay itself is the shopping mecca precinct of Hong Kong with department stores, luxury brands, electronics, furniture stores and local fare all represented. Being one of the densest areas of Hong Kong, commercial buildings and residential towers dominate the skyline and the district has the added bonus of being in close proximity to the famous heritage Happy Valley Race Course and The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.

Living Near the Park – Tin Hau

The two closest residential areas to Victoria Park are Tin Hau and Causeway Bay. Tin Hau is a lesser known, much quieter area tucked away from the hustle and bustle with older walk up buildings, quaint streets full of boutique restaurants, bars and the odd commercial enterprise. Many of the older residential buildings have been converted into super cool open space loft-style apartments with high ceilings and character features. These properties are very appealing to hip, creative types due to the close proximity to Quarry Bay which is the office location of choice for many advertising agencies and the new showroom district for creative industries. In recent times, because of these new work locations, Tin Hau has become more sought after by company owners and workers, as a convenient place to live, which has opened the door to developers who have picked off prime sites to build new funky apartments that cater to these new residents. Because of this, it has become a perfect site for investment real estate agents. 

Besides there being a great community vibe to this neighbourhood, Tin Hau is fast becoming a foodie’s destination. Tsing Fung Street is well known these days for its diverse boutique and alternative styled restaurants, cafes, and dessert shops that stay open late into the night. There are excellent transport links in Tin Hau with the MTR and a number of bus routes.

 Causeway Bay Residing

Causeway Bay is a mix of old and new with some larger residential developments dotted around the fringes of the suburb offering tremendous views out over Victoria Park and Victoria Harbour with full facilities on site such as swimming pools and fitness gyms. There are still many older style buildings in amongst the shopping precinct that have been renovated or redeveloped and offer rooftop terraces, larger internal spaces and are generally priced well compared to those located in other closer inner-city suburbs. With plenty of transport options, this is an attractive place to live, having everything imaginable on your doorstep and it appeals to singles, couples and families alike.

Entertainment, rooftop bars, more restaurants per square foot than anywhere else on the island, supermarkets, sporting grounds, rooftop bars all make this part of Hong Kong an appealing place to reside, particularly in the quieter backstreets and in some of the larger residential developments.

Reach out to property estate agents at Engel and Voelkers to become familiar with the services and product portfolio containing premium residential properties, and other real estate for sale in Hong Kong.