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China
The Chinese Arts and Crafts Shop in the China Resources building on Harbour Road in Wan Chai is a fantastic place for antique Chinese silk dresses, high quality authentic antiques and artefacts. They also stock a huge range of Chinese medicines. For ease - it's worth making this your first port of call for gifts.
What it is: Hong Kong's Octopus card - a prepaid travel card that can also be used to pay for items at convenience stores as well as travel.
Why I recommend it: One of the headaches of travelling to a new place is dealing with all of the change and new currency. A big headache can be removed by getting an Octopus card (which can be bought from the Airport Express counter). You can purchase an Octopus card at any MTR station or at the airport that can be charged up with a return Airport Express journey (or single) and 3 days unlimited travel on the MTR. Buy one card and you can also use it for paying for chewing gum, water or whatever at your local 7-11 store as well. A guide on how to use it can be found online.
Airport Express One Free Single Journey + 3 days unlimited travel on MTR + $50 deposit + Stored value $20 = Price HK$220.
Airport Express Two Free Single Journeys (valid for 180 days) + 3 days unlimited travel on MTR + $50 deposit + Stored value $20 = Price HK$300.
You can also get a card which excludes the Airport Express transfer if you don't need it. Also remember that there is a refundable deposit on the card too.
Hong Kong's banking industry is dominated by HSBC. As such, you can get some great discounts at stores in Hong Kong if you have an HSBC credit card. The stores don't usually care which country it's issued in, just keep an eye out for the discount sign at the cashier desk.
Stores across Hong Kong
www.hsbc.com.hk
If staying on Kowloon and arriving later in the evening, or feeling a bit thrown by jet lag and fancy something to do late at night, a walk around Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, the commercial heart of Kowloon is an absoloute must! An amazingly vibrant neon street spectacle as people shop and socialise amongst street stalls and sprawling maze-like malls. Although it is bustling and chaotic it never feels claustrophobic due to the polite and leisurely pace - people stroll around soaking up the atmosphere. The area remains busy sometimes until 2am so it's a must see for any traveller.
Nathan Road - TsimShaTsui, Kowloon
Take the MTR to TsimShaTsui Station - take the Nathan Road exit
The Sogo department stores are a one stop shopping experience. With stores in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui, they may not be as full of bargains as the markets, but they still allow big savings on prices back home on goods which do seem to be good quality. The stores have a Japanese style, but include top fashion brands from around the world, and in classic department store style have floors devoted to particular types of products, including the bargain basement - which is at the top of the shop!
555 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, HK
TEL: 2833 8338
www.sogo.com.hk/en/
'Ley ho ma?' (That's 'How are you?' in Cantonese) and welcome to Hong Kong. You'll be arriving at Hong Kong International Airport (www.hongkongairport.com), just 25 minutes away from the Hong Kong Island and regular winner of the Best International Airport award. Hong Kong International Airport (IATA Code: HKG) serves as the gateway to this buzzing city or as a hub to further connections to the rest of Asia. Terminal 1 serves as the low-cost terminal and features a full sized cinema as well as the Hong Kong essential - shops. Yes, shopping (along with eating) is the national pastime in Hong Kong with shops staying open until late. Service is generally good (as long as you are spending money) and best of all - Hong Kong is has no sales tax.
Tip 1: Forget the 'duty-free shops' at the airport. The whole of Hong Kong is duty-free so the airport is often the most expensive places to buy your souvenirs. The Hong Kong Airport Express train offers an efficient way straight to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island. Note that Kowloon station is not very well connected to the MTR (the distances are quite large - if carrying a suitcase, you may want to take a taxi from the station).
Practicalities and getting around
As a former British Colony, Hong Kong is a breeze to navigate even for the most novice business traveller. Signs and announcements are typically in three languages (Mandarin, Cantonese and English, although written Mandarin is the same as Cantonese) so as long as you can read English you shouldn't have a problem getting around. Most people in the main business areas also speak English but it's always worthwhile having the address of where you want to go to written down in Chinese, just in case your taxi driver doesn't know the English name for the destination (street names have both English and Chinese names - sometimes they don't correlate and they certainly aren't pronounced the same). The Hong Kong Dollar is pegged to the US Dollar so this is the most common currency of exchange.
Tip 2: If you have spare US Dollars on you, it may be more cost efficient to change USD into HKD as the exchange rate will be fixed. However, given the current weakness of the USD vs GBP, you might want to capture a good rate now. (www.hsbc.com.hk)
Tip 3: Get yourself an Octopus card - accepted as payment on the MTR and public transport systems - buy one with an Airport Express ticket included at the airport (www.octopuscards.com).
Where to stay
Hong Kong benefits from a strong portfolio of hotels which can cater for all tastes and budgets - ranging from the surprising and excellently located YMCA to the pinnacle of luxury - the Peninsula Hong Kong. However, one common denominator can be found across most hotels - service is generally outstanding and standards are higher than those found in North America and Europe. Hong Kong is split across three key areas - New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. New Territories is the area that borders China and is not usually frequented by business travellers and tourists alike. Given the lack of business or tourist interests in this area, I would not recommend staying here. Kowloon is connected to the mainline and features shopping (the national pastime), food (the other national pastime) and business. This area tends to be slightly older than Hong Kong Island but it does benefit from slightly more space (which is hard to come by in Hong Kong) and offers greater value for money.
Tip 4: Always ask the hotel if offers special corporate rates. Most tend to do and you may be able to benefit from a complimentary upgrade or better price.
Kowloon hotel recommendations
Budget
YMCA - USD120 per night
Located on Waterloo road right by the Peninsula hotel, this YMCA is unlike any other YMCA in the world. Despite the name, it functions more as a main stream hotel rather than a hostel, offering clean and modern rooms are at great prices. Staff are friendly and down to earth. Location is perfect for exploring all that Kowloon has to offer.
Tip 5: If you want a taste of luxury - why not upgrade to a suite at the YMCA. This could at a cost similar to that of a normal luxury hotel room.
Standard
Marco Polo Prince - USD180 per night
Located as part of the huge waterfront (Harbour Plaza) shopping complex, you will never be short of all things to do in this classic Hong Kong institution. This hotel forms part of the Marco Polo chain and you will find other Marco Polo hotels adjacent to this hotel. Well located for shopping and perfect for journeys on the star ferry. Traffic in this area can sometimes be bad which means travelling by car is not ideal.
Luxury
Peninsula - USD450 per night
Look up luxury in the dictionary and you may find the Peninsula Hong Kong listed. Every whim and care is catered for in this five-star complex. Famed for its old colonial style, high tea still features strongly on the tourist trail. As a guest, you will benefit from access to the first class spa and pool facilities. Try whiling away the day and escaping the rush of the city as you sip cocktails by the pool. Rooms are luxurious as expected and even the smallest detail is catered for.
Hong Kong Island recommendation
Budget
Lang Kwai Fong Hotel - USD200 per night
Small but well formed, the Lang Kwai Fong Hotel is actually located about a 10 minute walk from its expat haven namesake but the hotel is close enough to wonder back to after a night out. It is also five minutes away from Hong Kong's Soho district which is famed for its al fresco dining and the outdoor escalator which claims to be the world's only outdoor escalator. Rooms are small but the location is excellent for anyone wanting to stay centrally without the cost.
Standard
Lanson Place - USD250 per night
This boutique hotel is the real gem of Hong Kong. Set back from the hub of Causeway Bay, shopping and dining are just moments away. Rooms are well decorated and feature small kitchenettes. Breakfast is generally included in room rates and the hotel staff are very helpful. Rooms feature flat screen TVs and DVD players. The hotel lends out DVDs and books as part of its library. The gym is well equipped and modern.
Luxury
Four Seasons - USD450 per night
Perfectly located on top of Hong Kong Station (connected to the Airport Express), this bastion of luxury does not disappoint. The rooms are bright and well appointed and can overlook the harbour. Conveniently located by the International Finance Tower, the Four Seasons hotel boasts one of the most convenient locations for business meetings. As a business traveller, you may find it very convenient for your trips in and out of the airport and to meetings.
Where to eat
Hong Kong's streets are filled with places to eat. Depending on how adventurous you are, you can eat for as little as a couple of USD and be very satisfied with the fresh and delightful food. Food halls also offer a convenient and accessible way of finding a quick lunch. Recommended food halls include Pacific Place and the shopping centre attached to Kowloon Tong. Try market stalls (they have been cleaned up post-SARs) for a true experience of local Hong Kong. The one over the road from Soho, Causeway Bay, is the most accessible (although apparently the most expensive according to locals).
What to do
Top ten Hong Kong attractions that won't take too much out time out of your schedule. Estimated time for each is included so that you can squeeze it into your busy schedule.
1. Peak tram - great views of the city travelling up the Peak Tram.
www.thepeak.com.hk
Time required - 2 hours
2. Star ferry - cross the harbour with classic style on board the famous (and fantastically cheap) Star Ferry.
www.starferry.com.hk
Time required - 20 mins
3. Shopping - shop till you drop at huge shopping malls. Try Pacific Place, Hong Kong Island and Harbour City, Kowloon
www.pacificplace.com.hk
Time required - 2 hours
4. Ladies market (Tung Choi Street) - better to browse rather than buy, this market features cheap goods and 'almost authentic' goods.
Time required - 1 hour
5. Stanley market - step away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy this small former fishing town and its market.
Time required - 2 hours
6. Ocean Park - if family are accompanying you, then take them to Ocean Park for some marine-themed fun.
www.oceanpark.com.hk
Time required - 5 hours
7. Causeway Bay - best seen at dusk - watch the hip and trendy come out to meet for movies, karaoke and of course food and shopping. Check out the Times Square shopping centre and restaurant complex.
www.timessquare.com.hk
Time required - 2 hours
8. Happy Valley racecourse - check online to see the race timetable. Get yourself a general admission ticket or arrange a box for an experience you can bet on. www.happyvalleyracecourse.com
Time required - 3.5 hours
9. Ride a tram - be taken back to Hong Kong's colonial past whilst riding on these trams that run through Hong Kong island's central district.
www.hktramways.com
Time required - 20 mins
10. High team at the Peninsula - OK, not so much Hong Kong but luxury at its finest. Enjoy fresh pastries in a delightful setting. Reservations recommended.
hongkong.peninsula.com
Time required - 2 hours
mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_express/intro_index.html
www.discoverhongkong.com
www.hongkong.peninsula.com
www.marcopolohotels.com
www.ymca.hk.org.hk
www.lankwaifonghotel.com.hk
www.lansonplace.com/lphk/lanson.swf
www.fourseasons.com/hongkong
This is probably the biggest tourist trap here into which many have fallen. Many of the shops on Nathan Road in Kowloon selling electronic products don't display the prices on the items. Many tourists have been scammed or cheated. One ploy is to give you an unbelievably good price, then after they have your money, they say they are out of stock, offering you another item but at an outrageous price. Some tourists have said that even calling the police did not help.
One of the few remaining typical local open markets which sells fresh vegetables, seafood, and meat, among other things. Busiest in the morning and the evening (right after office hours when the locals go and get fresh food for their dinner)
the government has planned to 'renovate' some of the streets in the area, and many stalls/stores will be closed if the plan goes ahead. Go see it before it disappears forever.
Gage Stree and Graham Street and around, Central, Hong Kong
Hong Kong is packed full of all sorts of shops. There is so much to see and so much temptation to spend your money on all the latest gadgets, it's important to keep an eye on your cash flow as you'll quickly find it depleting!
It's a great place to buy clothes and traditional gifts. There are plenty of lanes filled with stalls selling everything from food to Chinese artwork to clothes and bags, and the prices are very reasonable.
Stanley Market Road, Stanley, Hong Kong Island;
Open 9am - 6pm
These are both fantastic street markets, selling a mixture of kitsch Chinese things, for example, Chairman Mao alarm clocks, but also great, very cheap jewellery and nice goods, for example, Chinese checkers sets. Temple Street takes place in the evening and the Jade Market goes on all day- be sure to haggle at both unless the price is actually written.
Jade Market: Jordan Kansu Street, Kowloon; Night Market: Jordan and Yau Ma Tei areas of Temple Street, Kowloon
To the North-East of the Happy Valley racetrack is the Happy Valley market, a concrete covered market which is thronging with all sorts of food during the day. However go upstairs and there are a couple of open courts with the ubiquitous plastic stools and tables where remarkably cheap and fantastically fresh food is served. Get your tea in a beaker and hit the fish in particular, but frankly you can afford to buy so much at the prices just to have a bit of everything.
Happy Valley, north-east of the racetrack, Happy Valley tram.
But for the architecture it's a generic HK shopping mall.
The problem with all these sparkling plazas is that they generally contain identical chain stores with nothing unique on offer - so if you've visited one, you've visited them all. There's little variation. One of the more engaging plazas is Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong, which amongst other things has its own ice rink.
Kowloon
Imagine Muji, but rethought by Danny La Rue. G.O.D. is HK's kooky brand of clothes and household goods. I hate shopping, but I love this place.
Leighton Centre, Causeway Bay
This is one of the best street markets in Hong Kong. You can find very affordable clothes and souvenirs. A beautiful and relaxed beach is part of the bargain, as are wonderful restaurants and bars. Murray House is a restored colonial building that was dismantled and moved to Stanley from its site in Centra. It houses lots of restaurants. A special mention to the Spanish Restaurant: fantastic food and service.
South side of Hong Kong Island. Bus 6, 6A, 6X or 260 from Exchange Square bus terminus in Central. MTR to Chai Wan station Exit C and catch the green minibus 16M
Cat Street, also known as Upper Lascar Row, is a lane in Sheung Wan not far from the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road.
It oozes character and is crammed with shops selling everything from antiques to bric-a-brac, attracting serious collectors, dealers and the casual shopper.
Take the steps across the road from Man Mo Temple, and it's the first lane on your left.
The race course is very nearby and well worth a visit (The Stable End buffet is endless and affordably liposuctionable), but the main road of Happy Valley (Sing Woo Rd) and the few streets that march off it are worth a visit.
Happy Valley has a slightly in-the-crowd-yet-not-of-the-crowd feel - visit the Jewish Cemetery for example, and you will have found a calm, romantic, sobering oasis of calm.
But let’s take a walk up the hill starting at the tram stop. Turn right.
First, you will notice Happy Valley has an almost "village" feel, but happens to have quite a few amazingly tall condos. This is village Hong Kong style after all.
Despite its twee Enid Blyton associations, it’s a very upmarket address, Happy Valley. Here you may see the great and good of Hong Kong in any number of boring old Mercedes and weird hairdos doing a speck of shopping, training their dogs to sit or, in the early morning, the not so great but just as good of the parish doing tai-chi and sword exercises.
There is a good hole-in-the-wall fast food place near the pedestrian crossing across from the pharmacist, a Wellcome supermarket, and across the street a pink-tiled community centre run by Leisure and Cultural Services housing a library, a wet market, a cooked food centre and an indoor playground for the kids. It’s cold in there. Bring thermals.
You will notice a plethora of foot reflexologists. And Chinese medicine shops. And pet shops. And stylish furniture retailers. Ligne Roset has its showroom here. Why I don't know.
Further up Sing Woo, past the electrical retailers, the 7-11, the stationery shop and the Pacific Coffee (wireless internet here) there is a Dim Sum place, which serves all day (not always the case in HK) and has a wooden/tile interior and an upmarket clientele. Not cheap but very, very good. There’s a helpful picture-based menu for gweilos.
Cross the road burping your siu mai and lor mai kai and head back down the hill. You will pass a Watson’s wine cellar and a tau foo fa seller on the corner of King Kwong Street. Order a small portion of this quintessentially Cantonese confection for dessert and continue on your way. There are various dai pai dongs selling cheap meals (HKD25 for a pile of rice, pork and vegetables) fruit stalls, newspaper ladies, a photo shop and the pharmacist before you are facing the racecourse again.
The infield of the racecourse is accessible to the general public via a tunnel located in the sitting-out area across the Wong Nai Chung Road if you feel the need for the wide open spaces. It is hemmed in by condos, the cemeteries, the blue-coloured immensity that is High Cliff and Mount Nicholson - but at least you can feel the grass beneath your feet. Watch out for the sprinklers at 5:30pm.
Worthy of mention for night owls are The Chapel bar on Yik Yam Street - good curries and a quiz night on Thursdays - The Jockey pub in the open area at the bottom of the Valley and the Movieland, which sells ex-rental, non-pirated DVDs very cheaply. Oh, and the Korean barbecue place, again on King Kwong Street. If you want your hair and clothes infused with the odour of seared bulgogi beef, this is casual and great. And won't break the bank.
And try the Cafe Very Good. It's Not Bad.
Take the Happy Valley tram from Central, Nos 1, 19, 8X double deckers or No 5 flaggable minibus - or do as I do and jump in a cab and ask for "Pau Ma Tei" which means "Horse Running Place". Cabs are so cheap. HKD15 flag and HKD1.4 per 200m after that. Do it
Langham Place is one of the newest shopping centre in HK. It has a fascinating interior (which can be confusing at times) and the longest escalator I have seen in a shopping mall. It also offers a range of shops from designer stores to little shops full of character. You don't have to worry about food either, the Place has a whole floor containing nothing else but restaurants.
Ladies Street is within 10 minutes walking distance from the Place, a street with thousands of stalls selling souvenir at low prices. Make sure that you bargain with the stall-holders, start at half their asking price. They will probably put the price up because you are a tourist, so just walk away if they don't agree to the price. Then, in most cases, you will be called back and the stall-holder will sell at the price you have asked for. And don't forget, the market doesn't open until the afternoon.
Langham Place: 555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok, Kowloon; nearest MTR: Mongkok
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