Stanley Market

Love this place. Smaller and cheaper and fewer people than Ladies’ Market, which was too hectic and overwhelming for me. I thought it was easier to shop here for clothes than at Ladies’ Market — I just like the clothes selection at Stanley Market, I guess.

I really loved this market because it was so close to where we were staying, however, they don’t haggle much and there isn’t designer stuff. It is heavily watched by cops so stores don’t have replicas. One store did though but you had to ask and she was hesitant to show me because although I’m American, I was adopted from Korea. She said I looked Chinese and after I brought the bag said as soon as she heard me speaking fluent English, she knew it was ok to show me the bags (which were fantastic). The bag place is at a corner of a 3 way section in the beginning of the market (2 for the price of 1 shop). The area is just really fun for the views and restaurants. It is touristy though but not nearly as hectic as the Ladies Market.

Stanley Market is a quick and fun half day trip out of central HK. Hubby and I boarded a bus near our hotel, which wound its way along a beautiful coastline to the village. The market itself is ok, with a mix of high end vendors (eyewear and art) as well as tourist kitsch.
We enjoyed a stroll along the waterfront and stopped for a coffee to take in the scene — a mix of local residents and tourists. If you’re looking for a quick and easy escape from the city center, this is it.

Stanley Market has everything for everyone. One year you’ll find tons of linen, the next year it’ll be a different fabric. My best clothing purchases ever have been from Stanley Market, especially the linen clothing. Bags, nothing special. Just getting to the Stanley Market on the #6 bus from the central bus station on HK island provides a gorgeous drive. Make sure you take the upstairs on the double-​decker bus; the drive past Repulse Bay and all those gorgeous homes … not to mention the ocean, palm trees, flowers … one of my favourite things to do in HK.

Nice for a change of scenery, but I wasn’t overly impressed.
The market itself is small and filled with cheap trinkets.

Great spot for a relaxed afternoon when you want to get out of the city a bit. We took bus 6X (and 6 on return) from Exchange Place at Hong Kong MTR station.
We walked through the market — usual touristy stuff — and I bought severals cards with friends’ names on them for gifts when we get back.
Walked along the waterfront, stopping for pictures and to enjoy the view. Walked out to the pier and around the shopping plaza complex. Had a beer and a snack at an outdoor bar before heading back to the bus stop.

This is, mostly, a tourist trap these days. Imagine a tiny macaroon for HKG$ 20, which $ 2+ USD!!!

Nice bus ride out from Hong Kong along windy roads and some bays with great views.
Stanley is a pleasant town that’s worth a visit and completely different from Kowloon/​Hong Kong… however, the market itself is just a market full of sellers hawking cheap junk… if you’re into that kind of thing, great… but we couldn’t really wait to get out of it and were done after 30 minutes wandering around…

Portions of Stanley Market reminded me of a mismatched version of Sausalito! Artsy, to downright eye opener! One of the best kept secret here really is not about the shopping, but the promenade overlooking the view of the waters. That in itself, is worth the trip here.
There are plenty of restaurants here which was the reason for our visit, besides their endless luggage galore vendors after vendors. It felt endless! They also strutted a ton of artworks from watercolors to oil, to seashells to kites! Some vendors even suggested they came from original works from local artists. Interestingly, I did find a few familiar Chinese Landscape watercolors that looked to be the same ones that I saw throughout my travels to China!
Their seafood restaurants here are fantastic. You point at a live fish/​crab/​lobster, and viola, in a jiffy, it magically appears at your table. Surprisingly, tasty too!
If you like the Pier 39/​SF Chinatown souvenir shopping style, then you will enjoy shopping here. Prices will be higher than what you will find at the night market, but convenience might be all worth it. But if that’s not you, come for the view, culture and food, I promise; it’s something talk home about!
Until then, Cheers! ~ :p

Stanley Market is, in my opinion, a must-​go for any tourist in Hong Kong. Stanley Market is different from the others in HK, like the Ladies’ Street market and the Temple Street market. There’s a larger variety of souvenirs here and they are generally better quality than the ones at Ladies’ Street (and therefore pricier too). Stanley Market is also more friendly towards those who don’t speak Cantonese, because the shopkeepers here are better at English since they do get quite a lot of English-​speaking tourists coming here.
If you normally dislike these kinds of markets because you feel that the environment is claustrophobic and stuffy, you probably will prefer Stanley Market. Many of the stalls actually require you to make a turn into the shops, which are air conditioned! Market shopping in an air conditioned environment isn’t something you can experience any where! The shops are actually quite spacious as well. But if you’re choosing to just walk through the lane without turning into any shops, you’ll still feel a little air conditioning spilling out from them.
One souvenir I feel is done really well here at Stanley Market is paintings. I’ve been here with some friends before, and we stopped at this shop, ooh-​ing and ahh-​ing at the beauty of the paintings and how well they are able to capture the uniqueness that is Hong Kong. Some of the paintings are of the harbour or the skyline — these are the more typical ones — but there are paintings of just random streets and alleys too, showing that it is all these little things that make HK what it is. The paintings come in different sizes too, and one of my friends bought a pretty huge one for just $ 60! I’ve never seen paintings in other markets at HK that are quite like the ones I’ve seen here.
Besides paintings, there are the other standard souvenirs like keychains with names on them, t-​shirts and notebooks. There are also random things like bags, accessories and shoes, which are sure to please any lady! Prices here are generally a little more expensive than at other markets but I find that shopping here is a more pleasant experience than at say, Ladies’ Market where it’s much hotter and more crowded.
I’d recommend for tourists and even residents of HK to check out Stanley Market — they are some pretty quirky things you can find here and it’s hard to leave here without having made a single purchase!

Hustle and bustle is only part of this market’s appeal– Stanley market sets itself apart from other street markets due to the fact that it is, without a better word for it, less of a bustle. Now this does seem to go back over what I said before; but if you do go you will understand what I mean. The numerous shops line both sides of the alley and the entire roof is covered– this is such a blessing in the summer when the heat gets to 33c or more.
The goods available here ranges from the usual to the weird: your usual «i’m lost in hong kong» tacky t-​shirts to shops that specializes in hand paintings that go for some 20 to 30k a piece; not something your average backpacker will be stuffing into his bag. In all though, there is something available for everyone and a family trip here is perfect for mum, dad, the kids and in some shops there may be some stuff for the family dog as well.
Even though most of the prices here are marked out clearly you may try to haggle over price; not saying this will work every time but you will never know unless you try. One of the things to come here and look for would be extra large size clothing stores as well as export stores which sell cut price fashion items. (Whether they really are genuine items are another matter– they are cheap for sure).
Stanley is part of the Hong Kong sightseeing routine that should not be missed by anyone– be you a local or someone just here for the weekend!

Like most of the Stanley area, the market is also more expensive compared to the other markets around Hong Kong. That being said it is still well worth a visit once or twice during the year.
You won’t find many locals shopping here, it’s by and large a tourist trap but it’s a great place to buy souvenirs for friends and family around the world. Walking into the entrance of the market, from the bus stop, you are confronted by shops that sell paintings and clothes. From here you can turn either left or right, both directions lead to more shops… it is a market after all!
Clothes and painting give way to electronics, watches, and little oriental gifts — all of which cheap as chips and prices are there to be negotiated. The best tool to bargain is what I like to call the fake turn away. I simply say no thanks, turn to walk away and bam, the price just dropped by 20%. If you turned left make sure to go all the way to the very end. There are a few stalls that sell authentic-​looking (I said ‘looking’) Buddah type items — beads, necklaces, statues and that sort of thing.
I’ve not actually bought anything here for years, it’s more of place I take my visiting friends to when there’s not much else to do, or we’ve seen the more interesting tourist attractions. What makes Stanley Market worth visiting is the Stanley promenade a short five minute walk away. It has some nice restaurants, a peaceful walking path, and a gorgeous view out into the sea.
If you are inclined to visit this market make sure to visit the surrounding areas as well for a quick coffee break. Bargaining takes a lot more energy than you can imagine!

If you want to do ‘the market thing’ and it’s during the day, or, heaven forbid on a holiday, raining — then this is the market for you!
Its packed to the brim with all the cheesy tourist knick knacks you could wish for, perfect little gifts to take home, and the vendors aren’t as pushy as at the Night or Ladies Market. By that I mean you can actually stop and look at something without finding yourself in a haggling war. But there are enough ‘real’ things on sale here to ensure that it’s not just tourists who come down here. I buy a high percentage of my toddler’s clothes from the kids clothing vendors in Apple Street (an alley of the market that begins down by the book shop and comes out opposite the municipal building on the side street above the market proper). You can find all kinds of things here.
I’m kind of hoping that my daughter grows up thinking that Guess is a budget brand about as desirable as Kmart as she’s had a fair few pairs of jeans already. Shoes, onesies, bibs, hats, all manner of jackets, dresses, jumpers, shirts and trousers; basically any type of kids clothing is available, and at great prices — which is what you want when they grow out of them in two minutes flat. My last trip, three pairs of kids jeans set me back HKD120.
But the market itself has something for pretty much everyone: the shoe shop specialising in larger sizes, the t shirts, the art, the toys, the hand embroidered shoe bags, and of course the handbag vendors. aaaa the handbag vendors. Just because they know me in sight doesn’t mean i have a problem, right? I mean the fact that they know which of their bags I already own means I can’t have that many … Honest!