Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city with a touch of chaos and a sparkling harbor. We only spent a little over a day here, but it was enough time to be charmed by the former British colony.
Hong Kong Harbor - View from our Kowloon hotel room
When we asked out hotel concierge about the must sees and dos in Hong Kong, she said that Hong Kong is known for its food, drink and shopping. Hong Kong sure does revel in its culture of conspicuous consumption with lines outside the Louis Vuitton store, tourists posing in front of flashy boutiques and an airport that could pass as a shopping mall. While we were drawn to Shanghi Tang, which channels a color palette and style reminiscent of Warhol’s “Mao” print, and the modern designs of Ovo, we opted for an afternoon of people watching and street wandering instead.
Tram to Victoria Peak
We usually try to limit our tourist activities to only a few per trip so we started off the day with a trip to the top of Hong Kong’s highest peak, Victoria Point, to take in the view. It was a bit overrated, ala Empire State Building, but it was a good opportunity to mix with Chinese tourists. I would say you haven’t experience China until you been pushed and shoved and had your personal space thoroughly invaded.
View from Victoria Peak
After that experience, we headed up Queen’s road and boarded the longest escalator in the world for a ride to Soho. You can get on and off the escalator as it ascends the hill at a roughly 45 degree angle. Soho stands for South of Hollywood here and it does have a little bit of the same vibe as NYC’s Soho with little international restaurants, shops and galleries. We settled in at a British bar that had an excellent view of the escalator for prime people watching that rivaled what you see at an airport, with an element of suspense added by the busy street that intersected the pedestrian path (lucky no one was hit and yes I almost yelled watch out on numerous occasions.)
A small part of the longest escalator in the world
A UFC fight was on the TV at the bar and we bonded with the expats sitting next to us over the absurdity and gruesomeness of it (the UFC fighters were covered in blood and rolling around on the mat at that time, yuck). It turned out that the expats, a father/son duo, were originally from Canada and had relocated to Gaungdong nearly 20 years ago. They owned a local tannery and the father had recently been granted China citizenship, a rare thing for foreigners (he mentioned that he was the third foreigner ever to have this honor bestowed upon him.) We talked about Chinese culture with them for a long time, covering everything from superstitions to business. We had commented on the huge number of brides we had seen that day (close to 20), which led to talk about superstitions. Apparently it’s very important to Chinese brides to get married on a lucky day, which that day happened to be. Also of note, the number “4” is equivalent to our “13” when it comes to unlucky numbers, so many old buildings don’t have a 4th floor.
View from the Star Ferry
Per the expats’ recommendation, we returned to Kowloon, across the bay where we were staying, via the Star Ferry (you can also cross the bay by train or car via the tunnel.) We stayed at W Hotel and have nothing but good things to say about it. Its view of the harbor is unmatched and it is conveniently situated over the train station (that can take you to the airport in less than 20 minutes or downtown in only a few minutes) and a luxury shopping mall, which came in handy when the airline lost our luggage. The food was excellent and we were upgraded to a suite that was as big as our condo thanks to our Starwood program membership. You can even check your luggage downstairs so you don’t have to wrestle with it on the train.
Our W Hotel Hong Kong room
View from the tub
View from the room
We look forward to returning to Hong Kong one day and spending some more time exploring this unique city. Have you been to Hong Kong? Please share you recommendations of things to see and do!
