In an accessible area of south-west Lantau lies a 200-unit 1970s luxury resort called Sea Ranch. The eerie residential development was once described by Time Out as feeling “like visiting Discovery Bay after a direct hit from a neutron bomb“.
The resort was completed in 1979, but accrued massive debt and was the subject of years of legal wrangling. Despite its notoriety, the self-contained enclave in Chi Ma Wan has quite idyllic surroundings and is visible to passengers on the Hong Kong-Macau ferry routes.
There is now renewed interest, with several units undergoing refurbishment and more residents moving there, attracted by the secluded setting.
A new documentary has just been published by a group of HKU students. Director Piotr J. Zembrowski, whose team shot the film in 3 weeks, said, “I made this documentary to explore what the developer’s initial vision was, what The Sea Ranch was like when it opened, what went wrong and what it is today.”
The current handful of residents must bring in all their supplies by boat and face a long commute to the city via Cheung Chau. No shops or restaurants exist at the resort – only a small stand on the pier sells soda pop. Power is provided by CLP generators; there is no internet but mobile broadband works well. Water is free of charge from a nearby hill and bottled gas is delivered on demand. Management fees are high (HK$3,200 in 2012), as sewage costs, security staff, gardeners and the ‘free ferry’ are expensive to maintain.
Back in the 70s, it was promoted to upmarket clientèle as a ‘community with every luxury’. Brochures boasted top-notch restaurants, a cocktail lounge, a sports complex, sauna, nursery, library, a man-made beach and high-tech seaview apartments…
New World Development now manage the resort which consists of 20 blocks. The clubhouse buildings remain in a state of disrepair. At the time of writing, properties were available for under HK$2 million.
The area is private and, officially, only guests of residents are welcome. However, visitors can try to hike to the development or hire a 25-minute, $30-80 wallah wallah boat from Cheung Chau.
Exploring forgotten corners of HK where nature is winning…
- Abandoned TV studios near Sai Kung.
- Abandoned Villages in HK’s ‘Wild West’ (Fan Lau).
- Central’s Abandoned Prison and Police Station.
- Fung Hang Semi-Abandoned Village.
- HK’s Abandoned ‘Ghost Island’, Yim Tin Tsai.
- Kuk Po, Part 1: Photos from HK’s Borderzone Ghost Town.
- Kuk Po, Part 2: More Shots from the Abandoned Village Outpost.
- Kuk Po: Part 3: Interview with the Only Villager.
- Kuk Po, Part 4: Plover Cove Abandoned Ghost Town Revisited.
- Lai Chi Wo: The Semi-Abandoned Hakka Walled Village in Plover Cove.
- Luk Keng Chan Uk Semi-Abandoned Village.
- Ma On Shan’s Abandoned Iron Mine Complex.
- Ma Wan Abandoned Town, Part 1.
- Ma Wan Abandoned Town, Part 2.
- MTR Tunnels Under Construction.
- Shing Mun Redoubt, HK’s Secret WWII Tunnels.
- The Creepy Abandoned Holiday Resort of Broken Dreams, Part 1.
- The Creepy Abandoned Holiday Resort of Broken Dreams, Part 2.
- The Half-Submerged Cargo Ship Currently Abandoned off Cheung Chau.
- So Lo Pun: HK’s Ancient ‘Haunted’ Abandoned Village.
- Tung Ping Chau, Part 1: Sunrise on Hong Kong’s Furthest Flung & Wildest Island.
- Tung Ping Chau, Part 2: The Abandoned Hamlets of Hong Kong’s ‘Jumanji Island’.
- Tung Ping Chau, Part 3: The Abandoned Military Base on HK’s Wild Outpost.
- Tung Ping Chau, Part 4: Video discussing HK’s Abandoned, Wild Island Outpost.
- Wanchai’s Abandoned Police Station.
- Yung Shue Au & Sam A Tsuen Ghost Villages.
Can you drive from Sea Ranch to other places in Lantau island?
This is such a beautiful place, what a waste. When I return to Hong Kong one day, i would like to purchase an apartment there.