A Weekend in Hong Kong – Ten Highlights

An Around the World Trip — Oktoberfest and Asia

• Introduction
• United Global First Class Chicago to Munich
• Oktoberfest… and Six Other Highlights of Munich
• Le Meridien Munich
• THAI Royal First Class Munich to Bangkok
• THAI Royal First Lounge and Royal Orchid Spa
• A Layover in Bangkok
• THAI Royal Silk Business Class Bangkok to Shanghai
• Two Days in Shanghai
• Park Hyatt Shanghai
• China Eastern Economy Class Shanghai to Hong Kong (to Shanghai)
• A Weekend in Hong Kong – Ten Highlights
• Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui
• Grand Hyatt Shanghai
• Air China First Class Lounge – Shanghai-Pudong
• Air China Forbidden Pavilion First Class Shanghai to Tokyo-Narita
• A Twenty-Two Hour Layover in Tokyo and the Hyatt Regency Tokyo
• ANA Suite Lounge – Tokyo-Narita
• ANA First Class Square Tokyo-Narita to Washington-Dulles

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Hong Kong is basically like New York — only with more buildings.  Westerners can get along just fine here speaking English, as pretty much everything is in English as well as Chinese since Hong Kong was a British territory until 1997.   Though the exchange rate is a fixed $7.75HK = $1 USD  In general, Hong Kong is not overly cheap.  The only inexpensive things are taxis, open air markets, and street vendor noodle shops / dim sum.  Most hotels, restaurants, and legit shopping is expensive, or just as pricey as the states (but no sales tax).

Since I’ve been to Hong Kong a few times, I’ll just focus on ten things that the three of us did on this trip.  We were only there for a weekend, but managed to do a good bit!  This is by no means an end-all guide to Hong Kong — it’s simply what we did during our time in the Kong.

Situated atop the Ritz-Carlton in Kowloon, Ozone is the tallest bar on earth — 118 stories up there.  Make sure it’s a clear day before you go there.  The bar opens at 4pm, so I’d suggest getting there around then to ensure a good seat to take in the view.   Drinks are expensive, but it’s worth it for the experience.   The three of us spent a few hours on Saturday afternoon up at Ozone on a perfectly clear day!  We really enjoyed it.

Stretching from the Star Ferry Terminal to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), the Avenue of the Stars is a great place to take in the nightly light show.   One of my fondest memories of this place was in 2009 during my MBA trip, we found a place there to grab some beers and chill on the porch while we watched the Queen Mary 2 sail out of Hong Kong. The place is called Deck n Beer and offers a nice view of Central.   Because of these memories, I always make it a point to come here for a beer or two.

In one of Hong Kong’s main bar districts, Lan Kwai Fong, one can expect hundreds of Hong Kongers and expats drinking on the streets (on the weekend) into the early hours of the morning.  Venture up the stairs to Wyndham street to some more bars and restaurants up the hill.  Tell any cab driver Lan Kwai Fong, and they will get you there.  Drinks are reasonable most places, though some are fancier than others.  We particularly enjoyed Azure at Hotel LKF.  We also enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the new Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, by Gordon Ramsay.

We enjoyed the trek halfway up the mid-level escalators to the Soho area in Hong Kong.  This area, between Hennessey and Hollywood streets features an array of bars and restaurants and an overall relaxing, casual atmosphere.  We enjoyed a few drinks here before heading to dinner in LKF one night.  Another night, we had dinner at an outstanding noodle shop called Mak Man Kee (Mak’s Noodles).  The noodles with beef brisket were just phenomenal.

We took a stroll around the open air food markets in Causeway Bay.  Located between Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, there are some crazy cool open air meat / seafood / food markets where the locals come to buy food.  It’s a pretty cool experience.  Also check out the open air markets in the Mong Kok district of Kowloon.

Hong Kong is basically the birthplace of Dim Sum, and as such, the best in the World can be found here.  On this trip, we went to a one of my go-to places — a more traditional dim sum place that I was introduced to by a friend called Lei Garden.  There are several locations around Hong Kong, and we ate at the Causeway Bay / Times Square location.  It’s a little more pricey and fancier, but the dim sum is pretty darned good.

Another option would be Tim Ho Wan in the Mong Kok district of Kowloon, as well as in the IFC Mall at the Hong Kong Station MTR.  This is place is the cheapest Michelen star restaurant on earth.  We missed it after repeated attempts to get there (we got there too late), but wish I had a chance to check it out.

Take a cab out to Stanley Market (~$80-100HKG).  This will be a cool cab ride because you get away from the densely populated Central district and go to the other side of Victoria’s Peak.   There are really nice beaches over by Repulse Bay.  Stanley Market is an open air market where you can find all sorts of junk / souvenirs.  Make sure you haggle with them on prices.    The area surrounding Stanley has grown up since the last time I was there, and there are now a variety of bars and restaurants lining the bay.  This area has more of an islands feel than a major city!

Hong Kong is home to a number of pretty reputable beaches.  The island is lined with a number of fantastic beaches that feature some pretty nice amenities along with crystal clear water.  Combine this with the green hills that ascend from the water, and these beaches feel more like the Virgin Islands than Hong Kong.  We stopped by Repulse Bay on the way back from Stanley to walk the beach and take in the views.  The beaches of Hong Kong are a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

From HKG, the easiest way to get to the city is to take the Airport Express.  This is a direct train from HKG to Kowloon and Central Hong Kong.   It’s a 24 minute ride that costs ~$100 HK each way.  The train leaves every ten minutes and will drop you off right where you need to be — Kowloon or Central.  We bought a combo pack that included a round trip on the Hong Kong Express and three days of unlimited MTR rides for $300HKG, which was well worth it.  It was available at the MTR kiosks located just after immigration.

The MTR (subway) is very clean, efficient, cheap, and easy to use.  On this trip, we heavily utilized the MTR, as we were staying in Tsim Sha Tsui, right by the MTR station, and the little detail that traffic was somewhat snarled in Central due to the Hong Kong protests.

Speaking of cabs, usually, one can get pretty much anywhere in Hong Kong using cabs easier than MTR (and not expensive).  The base rate for a cab is $20 HK ($3-4 USD).  I’ve NEVER had more than a $80 HKD cab rate anywhere in Hong Kong other than cabbing to Stanley.

We loved Hong Kong, as per usual.  During our time here, we really went non-stop.  We were able to see the sights and enjoy some great drinks and meals in environments with amazing views to match.  Though I did like Shanghai, I would not have been heartbroken if we just spent the entire week in Hong Kong!  I can’t wait to return.