Courtesy Rosewood Hong Kong. Opposite, Clockwise From Top Right: Courtesy Tai O Heritage Hotel; Edward Wong/South China Morning Post via Getty Images; Courtesy Rosewood Hong Kong; Dave Stamboulis/Alamy; GerryRousseau/Alamy; imageBROKER/Alamy

HONG KONG THE SURF SPOT: Lantau Island The largest of Hong Kong’s land masses, Lantau Island rests at the mouth of the Pearl River. Accessible from downtown Hong Kong via a series of motorways and several ferries, the isle hosts Hong Kong’s Disneyland Resort as well as Tian Tan Buddha, a 111-foot-tall hilltop statue. Beyond the attractions lies a mountainous interior and a coastline filled with pristine beaches. Oatmeal-colored sands lead to green, palm tree–filled jungles at Cheung Sha, a punchy beach break that enlivens during summertime south swells. Known as the autonomous territory’s longest beach, there’s room to seek out a solitary peak thanks to a headland that splits the upper and

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lower sections. Greatly affected by both tides and swell and thus a little persnickety, Pui O to the north is the original surf spot on the island and popular with beginners thanks to its rolling, calm waves. A half-hour drive to the western side lands surfers at Tai O, a fishing village first populated in the Ming Dynasty. Housed in a nine-room, former 1900s marine police station, Tai O Heritage Hotel (taioheritagehotel.com) received the UNESCO Award of Merit for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2013 after an extensive, property-wide renovation. Embracing its bricolage-filled history, the colonialstyle architecture also features a Chinese tiled roof, wooden casement windows, and granite steps. Select