One day in Hong Kong

[4ever]

I'm fortunate enough to be going to Hong Kong for a week in March for work. I'm pretty excited as I've never been before and I'm hoping some well traveled PSers will have some advice and recommendations as to what to get up to on my down time.
At the moment it looks like I will have one day free in which to explore, the other days I will either be working or on work organised excursions which take us out of the central city.

So, what would you do with your day off?

 

[Trekkie]

Chow Tai Fook!!!! They have millions of them - I swear Hong Kong has more Chow Tai Fooks than New York has Starbucks. You can't avoid them, but why would you want to? They're a chain store, but really, how many chain stores do you know that can offer you a selection of half a dozen 5ct diamonds in store? Even if you're not buying, the ogling is fun too

My experience may be different from yours: I went in July last year as a South African with South African Rands but hey, looking is free On my second last day there I went to the Peninsula. It has Graff, Bulgari and a whole host of other stores too! I was really, really reluctant to go in at Graff - I probably couldn't even afford to breathe the air conditioning there! However the gorgeous Nepalese security guy standing outside encouraged me to to go inside, where I was immediately greeted by a gentleman named... D!ck Poon ("!" mine - I'm google paranoid lately!).

As we walked in we explained that we were just tourists from South Africa and not buying, but Mr Poon just said, "Many of our diamonds are from Africa too, come inside and have a look". He seemed so happy to chat to us and took his time to show me and the hubs around the showroom, stopping to give us details about every single piece as we went along. I didn't have the guts to try anything on (I just know I wouldn't have been able to take it off and that Nepalese security guy was BEEFY!) but I enjoyed looking nonetheless. As we left, he told us to stop by next time, even if it's just for another visit. Now that is service.

I also went to the Peak and had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Actually, I wasn't too impressed with the food in HK at all, but then again, I'm a fussy eater. The view from The Peak was incredible - I would happily go all that way again just for that.

The bags are insane. They carry Hermes as if it's Coach. The bling is just ridiculous - I saw an old man sporting what had to be at least a 5ct pinky ring. I was like,

Where will you be staying? We stayed in a really nice hotel just off Nathan Road in the heart of Kowloon, but my friends were over in New Territories at The Royal View Hotel, so we moved after a couple of days. Apparently it's four star, but I wasn't impressed - it was incredibly dodgy (I left a review on TripAdvisor to this effect).

Do let me know if you have any specific questions. I'd be happy to answer what I can, but I'm sure there are others here who know way more about HK than I do and will stop by to share their wealth of knowledge.

Enjoy your trip - I loved HK and am already plotting and planning my next trip!

 

[Dancing Fire]

My place of birth, but haven't been back since 1982.I really miss the junk foods that they used to sell on the streets in HK...

 

[OreoRosies86]

Ditto to this... SHOP!

 

[dk168]

I was born there too, and lived there until I was 14 before being sent to UK to study.

Had not been back for 22y after my folks immigrated to Canada in 1987, and started to visit again every 2 years from 2009 when my mum got herself a small pad there. It changed so much it was unrecognisable.

What did I miss? The food, of course.

When I went back there in 2009 after being away for 22 years, I hopped onto a tram in Hong Kong Island (my family home was in Happy Valley, and my mum's pad is in Causeway Bay), sat upstairs, and rode on the tram all the way to the end of the line, and then back the other way till it reached the end, just to see what had changed, in order to find my bearings. With trams, one can hop on and off as and when one pleases. It is a leisurely ride, therefore, if one is trying to cram in as much as possible in a day, then it may not be suitable.

Definitely worth getting up to the Peaks, especially at night, and a ride on the ferry between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon at night is also highly recommended.

Enjoy your trip!

DK

 

[SB621]

Ohhhh I love HK!!!!! Go to The Pennisula for high tea if you can. It was just a fun experience and so relaxing after a day of shopping. I also enjoyed Nathan street. Very touristy but with lots of jewelry shops to peak into. there was an amazing Irish pub on nathan right behind the Pennsula that had fantastic fried brie!!!! We lived in Japan for years so when we were there I jumped at the chance of having non asian food.

if you have time to do a day trip or a half day trip we I recommend going to see the giant budda on lantau island. We had a great time getting there, taking the tram and then then the 360 glass sky gongali or whatever it was called. Right by the Budda at the base of the hill are also some great food stands. Nothing expensive but cheap, clean and yummy!

 

[4ever]

Thank you everyone for sharing your fantastic suggestions!

Trekkie - Seeing some seriously impressive bling is certainly on my to-do list! Luckily I work in jewellery so I should have plenty of opportunities during my working hours in HK to see some jaw dropping baubles We are staying in central Kowloon.

DK - Hopping on a tram sounds like a wonderful idea to see a bit more of the city than I may otherwise be able to. We have dinners planned every night so I'm sure I will be very well fed! I think the Peaks are a must for the photo opp if nothing else- would you recommend saving this for an evening rather than going during the day?

DF- Food seems to be the first thing everyone tells me about. I better pack some really roomy outfits

Elliot - I'm not sure yet weather I will be in the mood (or have the energy!) for a furious shopping day. However if I do feel so inclined, where would you recommend?

SB- High Tea? Yes please! and Fried Brie (!!!!), you are speaking my language I will look into a Lantau island, sounds like a good day out and an alternative to shopping.

In saying that, where would you all recommend and head to if I do feel like some serious shopping? I not in the market (or income bracket!) for anything high end but I do like beautiful clothes and home-wears and anything stylish that I can't get at home basically. Thoughts?

 

[SMC]

I went to middle school and high school in Hong Kong.

Night market in Mongkok will be good for some cutesy gifts. Mongkok is on the Kowloon side.

Island Beverley in Causeway Bay is also good for shopping too (cute purses, wallets, jewelry (mostly fake), clothes, and shoes).

If you want to go to a mall, there is Elements in Kowloon for high end shopping along with Landmark, IFC, and Pacific Place in Central. For middle class shopping, there is Festival Walk in Kowloon, Times Square (Causeway Bay), and Tai Koo Shing (Tai Koo, Hong Kong).

Lantau is nice, but it will basically take the whole day if you venture out there. Disneyland is out there too (don't go).

Luk Yu Tea House in Central for old-fashioned dim sum. This is one of the oldest tea houses in HK. If you want really good dim sum in a more modern locale, I recommend any of the Lei Garden restaurants.

For nightlife, Lan Kwai Fong is where most English-speaking people go. Lots of different bars, clubs, there's something for everyone and it's open incredibly late. Everyone speaks English there and you get a lot of people who are kind of annoying finance big shots (what we call "FILTH" - stands for "Failed in London, Try Hong Kong"), but just ignore them. I'd also recommend grabbing a drink at Sevva in Central for the view of the entire city.

After you're done with Lan Kwai, get a midnight snack at Tsui Wah (right on that same street). It's one of the best HK-style cafes in HK and are famous for their fish noodles and their pork chop buns.

 

[dk168]

OP,

Personally, I would do the Peaks and Star Ferry at night, as the views are just out of this world.

Be careful with your belongings when walking around the Peaks at night, as I keep being warned about issues with pick-pockets.

Don't know what type of dinner has been arranged for you, however, I hope there will be a chance for you to go to a seafood restaurant, one where you can pick and choose the seafood from the tanks to be cooked according to your instructions.

For my last trip, I was driven to some remote village by the sea where they were 2 restaurants, and had one of the best seafood meals in my life, made even better by the bill as it was much less than we had expected. OK, décor and facilities were very basic, and would probably put off a lot of people, however, the food was glorious, and I would gladly return again and again.

DK

 

[SMC]

Are you flying through Narita on the way to Hong Kong? If so, duty-free airport shopping! They have Cartier, Bvlgari, Tiffany, and Hermes all right next to each other.