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Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island which means 360 degree views of the island and a breathtaking harbour vista as you look across to Kowloon side. Hong Kong's most popular tourist attraction is a definite must-see, but I have a couple of tips that the guide books don't include.
My first top tip relates to getting up to the Peak. Your guide book will tell you take the Peak Tram, a funicular railway that's been running since 1888 which creaks 396 metres up the side of the hill at a hair-raising gradient. The ride is an experience not to be missed but the queues to catch the tram up the Peak (at the Garden Road Terminus in Central) snake right around the block morning, noon and night. The queues at the top to ride back down again however, are much smaller and anyway, in my opinion, the ride down is even more exciting and roller coaster-esque than the ride up. So, I always save the tram for the way down the hill and just jump in a cab on the way up thereby skipping the maddening queues at the bottom (Hong Kong's cabs are plentiful and cheap - the red and white taxis are for hire when the red circle on the dashboard is lit up and the white taxi sign on the car's roof is alight).
My second tip centres on what to do once you get up there. The majority of visitors flock straight to the Peak Tower, a wok-shaped viewing platform 428 metres above sea level. You undoubtedly get breath-taking views from this lookout point but it sits atop a giant shopping mall packed with tacky souvenir shops and generic chain restaurants. While I see the Peak Tower as a definite must do (it’s a great place to snap a few impressive skyline photos) I’d suggest that you don't confine your Peak experience to this Disneyfied corner but instead combine it with something that not everyone does. Ask your cab driver to drop you off outside the Peak Tower and take a gentle stroll along the Hong Kong Trail, a route which loops for about an hour around the top of the Peak through lush greenery that chirrups with cicadas. Along this trail you'll get beautiful views across the city and wind past some of Hong Kong's most luxurious houses (prices of the real estate up here exceed even those of Monaco's mansions). This is a perfect walk to take during the latter half of the afternoon so that you end up back at the Peak Tower just before sunset. Head to the viewing platform in time to watch the sun sink below the skyscrapers and stay until the city’s kaleidoscopic lights come up. By this point you should have worked up a healthy appetite.
Which brings us to my third tip - where to eat. Scoot straight past the shopping mall chain restaurants and head directly across the road from the Peak Tower to the Peak Lookout, the quaint cottage-like building that twinkles under chains of fairy lights. The restaurant sits on the site of the former resting shelter of the sedan chair carriers whose job it was to ferry the Peak's wealthy residents up and down the hill. Bag a table out on the terrace which overlooks the South side of the island and refuel with jet-fresh seafood, tandoori oven fired meats accompanied by pillows of fluffy naan or a char-grilled steak from the barbeque.
www.thepeak.com.hk/en/1_2_1.asp
128 Peak Road, The Peak, Hong Kong Island.
Google Maps: goo.gl/maps/yziA
The Hong Kong Trail
www.thepeak.com.hk/en/1_3.asp
The Peak Lookout
www.peaklookout.com.hk/
121 Peak Road, The Peak, Hong Kong Island.
(852) 2849 1000
Google Map: goo.gl/maps/TT7Y
* Natalie is our local for Hong Kong. You can read all about her here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/hong-kong-local-natalie-robinson.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/natalierobinson
She also has her own blog at: www.3badmice.com/
China Club is a private members club owned by Sir David Tang housed over three floors in the former Bank of China Building (the new Bank of China Building towers sleek and angular across the road - you can’t miss it, look for the glossy black building with criss-crossing white lights). Although you usually have to be or know a member to get a reservation, most hotels should be able to get you a booking with enough notice and Black Amex Card holders can get Amex to book for them. The grey, brightly-lit street level entrance appears unimpressive but ride the Old Master Q cartoon lined lift up to the thirteenth floor and prepare to be wowed.
As the lift doors open you’re greeted by a lobby crammed with striking modern art, dark wooden floors and a wrought iron Art Deco staircase curving upwards to your left. The extensive Chinese art collection deserves a mention in its own right, and alone justifies a visit to the China Club. From Yu Youhan’s diptych of Whitney Houston next to Chairman Mao hanging on the stairs to Liu Jianhua’s porcelain fish bowl in the lobby - home to five pairs of protruding, disembodied legs as well as several live goldfish who casually swim around the scattered limbs. The restaurant is designed to resemble a decadent 1930s Shanghai club and everything from the ceiling fans to the lamps conjure a bygone colonial era.
Start with aperitifs up on the 14th floor in the Long March Bar, a glamorous slice of art deco opulence. After you gin & tonic, head back past the shoe-shiners and an enormous pair of wooden shoes to the main dining room. Slip into one of the red leather and dark wood booths and get your chopsticks at the ready for the Cantonese feast to follow. Be sure to order the Peking duck, I think it’s the best in Hong Kong. While you eat, if the people watching doesn't keep you entertained enough (Victoria Beckham visited on her recent trip to Hong Kong), prepare to be wowed by the chef who spins ribbons of noodles right in front of your table and the waiter with the watering-can-like teapots who serves your tea with a side of drama. After dinner, decamp upstairs to the elegant terrace for nightcaps under the stars overlooking the city lights.
12/F, The Old Bank of China Building, Bank Street, Central, Hong Kong Island.
+(852) 2521 8888
Google map: bit.ly/IQcv85
* Natalie is our local for Hong Kong. You can read all about her here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/hong-kong-local-natalie-robinson.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/natalierobinson
She also has her own blog at: www.3badmice.com/
New York has the Statue of Liberty and Central Park; London has Big Ben and Trafalgar Square; Paris has the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe; and Hong Kong has Victoria Harbour. Lots of my tips so far seem to feature the harbour in one way or another but that’s because it’s pretty spectacular.
Whenever I have visitors in town I always kick-off with some harbour view drinks on the Island side (mainly because I'm lazy and live on the island but also because I usually then do a set of light show drinks from the Kowloon side - see my Light Show tip). Whatever the time of day, it’s a great introduction to the city.
For the luxe drinks with a view option, head to Sevva in the Princes Building in Central. I've never eaten at Sevva but all reports seem to be along similar lines, disappointing and overpriced. I suggest sticking to liquid refreshments, sinking into one of the white-cushioned, comfy rattan sofas on the fabulous wrap-around terrace and imbibing while marvelling at the views across the harbour to Kowloon and back across the city on the island side. Service is erratic and the drinks are pricey, but with views like these, it's worth it.
For all the views without the hefty drinks bill, I have the perfect insider's tip for a budget option. Red Bar on the rooftop of the IFC mall is located on a big terrace facing onto spectacular harbour views. But here's the great bit - the rooftop is officially classed as public space, so although Red Bar has furnished the terrace, you're perfectly entitled to nab one of the tables even if you're not ordering drinks from the bar. I suggest popping into CitySuper, an international supermarket on level one of IFC mall, grabbing a bottle of wine and some nibbles from the delicatessen counter and then heading on up the escalators to bag your prime harbour view spot while smugly saving yourself enough cash to treat yourself to a smart dinner. My only caveat is that you need to grab paper cups while you're in the supermarket too, Red Bar are not particularly fond of people bringing their own wine and then asking to borrow glasses!
Sevva
www.sevva.hk/
6-14A Chater Road, Hong Kong Island.
+(852) 2537 1388
Google map: bit.ly/J5DV93
Red Bar IFC
www.pure-red.com/en/hongkong/index.php
4/f, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong Island.
+(852) 8129 8882
Google map: bit.ly/J5E5gN
* Natalie is our local for Hong Kong. You can read all about her here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/hong-kong-local-natalie-robinson.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/natalierobinson
She also has her own blog at: www.3badmice.com/
Each night at 8pm, 40 of Hong Kong’s harbor-front buildings stage the light show. Its official name is the Symphony of Lights and if you believe all the hype you’ll be expecting a magical spectacle beyond anything you’ve ever seen, something crossed between the Aurora Borealis and the Disney World fireworks.
Let’s reset those expectations as a starting point.
Lots of buildings flash and shoot lasers into the sky on both sides of the harbour, if you stand in certain locations (the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront between the Avenue of Stars and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre; the promenade outside the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night) there’s accompanying music. There’s no real spectacle, there are no fireworks and Cinderella’s Castle doesn’t feature. It is however yet another excellent skyline photo opportunity and, in my opinion, a very good accompaniment to a gin & tonic.
The guidebooks will tell you to head to Felix bar to watch the show. Designed by Philippe Starck and located on the top floor of the Peninsula Hotel, Felix is a nice spot for a cocktail but it’s not an ideal light show vantage point as rather bafflingly, the bar’s windows are obscured by venetian blinds. Instead, I’d suggest heading to the Lounge Lobby bar of the Intercontinental Hotel which affords panoramic views of the harbour through huge waterside windows. The cocktail waiters mix a mean martini, which come complete with a miniature cocktail shaker full of top-ups. A couple of pre-8pm martinis and perhaps the Symphony of Lights will take on a more Northern Lights air after all …
Felix
www.peninsula.com/Hong_Kong/en/Dining/Felix/default.aspx
The Peninsula Hotel, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
+(852) 2920 2888
Google map: bit.ly/ICR9fm
Lobby Lounge
www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/hongkong
Intercontinental Hotel, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
+(852) 27211211
Google map: bit.ly/IjfKnC
* Natalie is our local for Hong Kong. You can read all about her here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/hong-kong-local-natalie-robinson.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/natalierobinson
She also has her own blog at: www.3badmice.com/
The views are amazing. It's on the 118th floor of the Ritz Carlton and although the prices for a glass of wine are London prices, you can nurse a glass all evening and enjoy spectacular views of Victoria Harbour as the sun goes down.
www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/HongKong/Dining/ozone/Default.htm
International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
+(852) 2263 2263
Google map: bit.ly/nPeS5I
Please get out beyond the shopping malls (which aren't even that cheap these days - HKers all go to Shenzhen!) - the new territories are a superb, rich, diverse habitat full of cultural heritage.
envirohk.wordpress.com/
Google map: tinyurl.com/388d3ud
A scenic tram trip to the top of the island, Coca-Cola, vegetarian food and serenity - all for a reasonable price.
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Walk up if you're able or take the Ngong Ping 360 Tram.
www.np360.com.hk/
Google map: tinyurl.com/34x3uoa
For dining, Caprice is a sure-fire winner. The chef here is Vincent Thierry who used to run the famous Le Cinq in Paris and the food is always excellent. You also have pretty harbour views. It’s quite formal so is a good place to go with clients, but if you want somewhere a bit more laid-back, then try Di Vino on Wyndham Street, which also has an excellent wine list.
Dim sum is to Hong Kong as fish and chips (or perhaps a chicken korma) is to the UK. However, with countless restaurants in Hong Kong, where you do start? My recommendation would be at the dim sum restaurant (Lung King Heen) at the Four Seasons, Hong Kong. The dim sum served is of a different standard, each with its own twist on traditional classics. This delicous food is complimented with outstanding views of the harbour and impeccable service.
Situated on the first floor of the Four Seasons hotel. Make a reservation beforehand. Ask for a window view.
www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/lung_king_heen.html
A bar in Kowloon to enjoy a drink after work and watch the skyscraper light show on Hong Kong. The bar also owns an old style junk called Aqualuna which takes you through the harbour and is a top place to view the cityscape.
Aqua Spirit at top of 1 Peking Road
www.aqua.com.hk/
Stay at the YMCA in Salisbury Rd, Kowloon. The harbour view rooms are very comfortable with fabulous views of Victoria Harbour and the stunning Hong Kong skyline. The YMCA building is exactly next to The Peninsula Hotel, the oldest and possibly the most stylish hotel in Hong Kong. The great advantage is that the cost of your room at the YMCA will be a fraction of that at The Peninsula Hotel. The money you save on accomodation can go towards impressing your clients in the exclusive Stark restaurant at The Peninsula Hotel next door. You might even meet in the Felix bar with its superb view or simply take a traditional afternoon tea in the lobby. All the time that you are wining and dining, your clients will surely believe you are staying at one of the most exclusive hotels in Hong Kong.
Find the YMCA at 41 Salisbury Rd, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The nearest tube station is Tsim Cha Tsui.
I had some free time to go to Lantau, an island off Hong Kong, which is reachable by road and rail.
This is actually most people's arrival point, as Hong Kong's new airport was built on an artificial piece of land that was added to accommodate the huge structure.
The island is home to some amazing little fishing villages (Tai O), where locals go at weekends to buy their dried fish, as well as Big Buddha, the biggest outdoor buddha in the world. Next to the Big Buddha temple, is a monastery, where its possible to eat some fantastic vegetarian food, with beautifully decorated and ornate surroundings.
A great afternoon out, and the chance to be outside of the polluted areas like Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Forget harbour cruises and the ferry to Lamma, hop in a cab to Sai Kung, HK's seaside getaway. Enjoy seafood on the waterfront or ideally hire a sedate sanpan/racy speedboat to ferry you out along the bay, past the country park (HK isn't all urban jungle!) to the beautiful islands off the east coast. Sail back at sunset, so romantic !
Sai Kung. Hong Kong New Territories. East coast. If you don't want to take a taxi, nearest MTR is Hang Hau/Choi Hung plus bus 101/1a) wander along Sai Kung waterfront and the sanpan hawkers will find you!
The Lan Kwai Fong is a wonderful boutique hotel in Central on Hong Kong Island. Not to be confused with the strip of bawdy bars of the same name, the LKF is perfectly placed for the sights and sounds of HK.
While the rooms are admittedly tiny the facilities are excellent and the staff extremely friendly and, if you secure a room with a view (the higher the better), the view is every bit as spectacular as its more expensive western neighbours.
www.lankwaifonghotel.com.hk
3 Kau U Fong, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 3650 0299
Email: rsvn@lankwaifonghotel.com.hk
Right in the heart of HK is a lush haven that provides a welcome break from the crowded city. Go to Hong Kong Park before the shops open and walk around the beautiful Botanical Garden (which has a zoo) - don't forget the amazing walk-through aviary.
Clean, lush, well organised, uncrowded, quiet and fresh. All 100% free of charge!
Walk the star-studded esplanade of Kowloon waterfront at night and look over at Hong Kong island in all its laser beamed glory! It's the best way to see the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island.
Go up the Peak on the tram on a clear day and you get one of the best views of Hong Kong.
View all of my Hong Kong tips here:
www.alib.co.uk/guides/index.htm
Any Taxi or walk (5 mins) from Central.
The new Ngong Ping 360 cable car goes from right near Tung Chung MTR metro station on Lamma, 5.7km up & around Lamma's peaks to the Po Lin Monastary and giant bronze budhha.
The trip is undeniably fantastic, with views of Hong Kong airport to one side. It's very smooth, but those afraid of heights should be aware!
The only downside is being dropped off in "Ngong Ping Village", actually a shopping village full of many of the same international brands elsewhere on HK (Starbucks etc). There's also a 'Monkey's Tale Theatre' and 'Walking With Buddha' experiences, which might keep easily distracted kids amused but otherwise are quite commercially crass against the backdrop of the huge, serene buddha.
Better might be to do what I did: take the ferry to Mui Wo, then the bus up the mountain. Just as cheap and more fun. You can then stop off for food in the village (assuming you've not eating cheaply at the monastary) before being whisked back by the cable car and metro.
Go at 5.30pm, see the stunning HK skyline by daylight in one revolution, then stay for a second revolution (it takes 66 minutes) and witness the lighting displays switching on one by one in many of the bigger towers. One of the famous ones plays hard to get and waits until all of the other flashy ones have shown their best before it suddenly lights up. The restuarant has a very nice buffet dinner starting after dark but you can stand at the bar for sunset drinks only. Staff are friendly and efficient. It isn't cheap but is excellent value for the location and entertainment. Be careful when you go to the toilet (in the central core) because in the five or ten minutes you are in there, the view changes and you can feel disorientated and lost.
The Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen's Road East, on the south edge of Wan Chai at the foot of the steep slope. Take a taxi (cheap and highly efficient) or take a 15-minute walk over from Wan Chai MRT through the narrow lanes and market stalls.
For the best views and pictures take a 20p (First Class) trip on the Star Ferry between Central and Kowloon. Takes 5 minutes to cross the harbour, but provides great views of the skyline, even better at nightime.
Take the ferry from Central Ferry Station, across from the Mandarin Oriental station.
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