Tai O Heritage Hotel is restarting its open house sessions, in which visitors can get free hotel tours and sampan rides. The sessions are scheduled for February 17 and 18, during which participants will get insights into the history of the hotel and the village, courtesy local students, and board sampans so they can experience the area’s local fishing culture. This will be the first time the hotel will conduct such sessions since 2019.
Each hotel tour session can accommodate 120 people and will last 20 minutes, while the traditional sampan experience allows only 12 people at a time to participate for 45 minutes. Visitors who book a sampan experience will get to ride a sampan, learn how these small wooden boats are made, and watch a documentary about boat navigation. To book a space at these open house sessions, register on the Tai O Heritage Hotel website.
The Tai O Heritage Hotel is a UNESCO-recognised building that was the police headquarters built in 1902 to monitor pirate activity in the South China Sea. It has since been renovated into a nine-room hotel that still has historical architectural elements, such as French wooden casement windows and fireplaces, as well as canons and searchlights.
Want to know more about significant buildings in the SAR? Read our guide on the best historical and heritage buildings in Hong Kong.
Image credits: Tai O Heritage Hotel