Victoria Road takes a leisurely curve heading southwest from Kennedy Town, and the crumbling residential buildings and hard-scrabble feel of the city give way to greenery and sea views.
Close by the westernmost point of Hong Kong Island stand what once were the barracks of the Royal Engineers. Later, the blocks - which can be glimpsed through railings - were used to imprison Taiwanese spies and, during the 1967 riots, anti-British agitators. Post-Tiananmen mainland refugees were the last to call what was known by previous inmates as a 'Mount Davis Concentration Camp' home.
Further round, the road passes some of the city's most desirable real estate, occupied by several of our most colourful socialites.
Villa d'Oro, for example, has gold-leaf gates, railings and windows that hint at the lavish tastes of its owner, barrister Brenda Chau, who lived there with her late husband, Kai-bong. The couple were not familiar with the term 'understatement' and were known for wearing matching outfits and driving a pair of Rolls-Royces, one of which was pink, the other gold.
Across the road is Villa Cecil, modestly named after its creator, Cecil Chao Sze-tsung, who runs property developer Cheuk Nang (Holdings). Apartments in Villa Cecil were originally available only for rent, but 16 flats are now being sold, ostensibly because the company needs the cash.
Residents of the area were less than happy about phase three of the project, which converted what used to be Chao's private garden, helipad and basketball court into a block of flats with great sea views -at the expense of those enjoyed from balconies a little further inland.