Now well-connected, New Territories seaside development appears to live up to its luxury billing

MENTION THE HONG KONG Gold Coast to most local residents, and the usual reaction is one of bewilderment.

'It's in the middle of nowhere,' is one typical comment and does much to explain the ambience of the 100-acre development, which overlooks Castle Peak Bay.

Times have certainly changed since the development was opened in 1990. Castle Peak Road was a two-lane road famous for traffic jams and a ferry serviced a route to Central. The development of the Chek Lap Kok airport and the Tuen Mun highway, however, suddenly brought the Gold Coast in from the wild, as it were.

Nowadays, it takes a mere 25 minutes to make the trip from Central to the Gold Coast, thanks to the Western Harbour Tunnel and the Ting Kau bridge. It has grown into a commuter town without sacrificing the qualities that made it such an idyllic retreat in the first place.

Make no mistake about it, the Gold Coast is certainly easy on the eye. The whole development comprises residential blocks, a yacht and country club, a shopping mall and a luxury resort hotel. With flats boasting superb views of Lantau, as well as the Gold Coast Marina, there is a seaside feel to the place. This is only reinforced by Golden Beach, a large man-made stretch of sand that is open to the public.

Just for the record, both the sand and the palm trees were imported from Hainan Island. And while this artificiality may prove a deterrent to some, it is difficult to argue with the overall effect created. This is no sleepy seaside retreat - the high-rise apartment blocks and the multi-million dollar yachts decked in the marina attest to that.