El Orans and El Zee's great Hong Kong adventure

[El Orans]

Inspired by almitywife...

We'll be in Hong Kong on February 11^th, leaving on the 14^th.

Not enough time to go diving, looking for some suggestions what to see and do.

Any ideas?

 

[almitywife]

.....looking for some suggestions what to see and do....

Shopping :multi:






















and more shopping

 

[starryeye]

I would suggest a hop on the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon to get a pelican's view of the harbor (and I think you can subway it back if you like.) I would also recommend afternoon tea at the landmark Peninsula Hotel, for a slow change of pace. Dim sum for lunch is an (almost) must. I was told tea and custom-made suits are the things to shop for when in Hong Kong, so that's what I did. Tea you can buy immediately, but custom-made clothing would take a longer visit for the multiple fittings.

You only have two full days in Hong Kong, it seems, so it's best not to crowd them with too many activities. Enjoy the water's breeze and wonder at all the locals in wool coats and scarves while you run around in a long-sleeve tee. :bluewink:

By the way, you'll be there for the Chinese New Year celebrations, so the city should be all lit up and spiffed up. Here's a link to the New Year activities. Apparently, their website assumes you've got a super-computer to upload their images, so be patient.

Hong Kong Tourism Board - Chinese New Year Celebrations

Hope you have a lot of fun!

 

[pakman]

Shopping :multi:

and don't forget the eating and drinking part... That's just after Chinese New Years, so I'll be back from my Phil trip then.

Give us a holler and I'm sure the SB'ers based in HK will muster up to take you and the Mrs. around town.

Which part of town will you be staying?

Hey starryeye, it's cold now here in HK... brrr... like actually below 20c now where did I put my puffy down jacket...

 

[starryeye]

Oh, I had to convert that ... 20C is 68F. That's just polar! : Heh. Heh.

 

[Blox]

Oh boy... only 2 days
That's very llittle for a place such as Hong Kong

Hmm... it's been a couple of years since I've lived there, but my suggestions would be:

For nightlife: try Wanchai area and Lan Quai Fong.

Back in the days when I used to live in Hong Kong my favorite place to have dinner, or just for drinks and live jazz music: Island Shangri La, Restaurant Petrus (make sure you've got a good credit card Absolute killer view over a good part of Hong Kong from the 56th floor of a hotel located on the hillside already.

For casual seafood lunches try Lamma island.

Things you may want to see/do (gotta have a sightseeing program, right?)

- The Peak on Hong Kong island for great views.
- The big buddha on Lantau (will cost you a good deal of time though)
- Star Ferry ride
- Enjoy everything else - Hong Kong (not only the island Hong Kong, but all of it) is full of interesting things to see. Enjoy the contrasts that meet you at every corner, have fun on the many markets, enjoy the architecture (both, traditional and new). Being there for Chinese New Year is a great bonus.

 

[pakman]

El Orans, forgot to mention, if you really want to treat the wife to something very nice, take her to dinner at Felix, top floor of the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. One of the best views of the HK skyline...

Or if you're on a tighter budget, there's a Burger King up at the peak... flame-broiled whoppers and a killer view... OK, I'm j/k on the BK lounge (but hey, that's the only Burger King in HK other than at the airport!)... but the view is nice... The daily light/ laser show starts at 8pm. Best to get up to the peak early to beat the mad rush on the tram.

Take the Ngong Ping cable car to the Big Buddha on Lantau (near airport). They finally figured out how to prevent the cable cars from plunging down 50m to the ground and just reopened for the new year... :snicker:

 

[chip104]

Mong kok market for shopping. I personally love shopping in Wan Chai but it can get hectic around there if you're unsure of where to go. The Peak is probably the traditional main attraction of HK. HK park/botannical gardens if you want to take some pics and take time away from the bustling metropolis (but then again, I guess that's why you're there? ).

Of course, go see HSBC bank, it was a architectural monstrousity/acheivement way back when it was first built. and then as mentioned, take the star ferry. Unfortunately the HK side old school star ferry terminal was decommissioned and it now ports in the IFC but the Kowloon side is still the same.

And then there's disney land!

 

[rhadamantus]

arrrrghhh, El O, zee and i will be in HongKong from the 8th Feb until the 11th! i hope your flight arrives in the morning of the 11th, would be awesome to catch up. we aren't leaving for PI until 10PM of that day.

 

[El Orans]

How does 07:50 AM sound?