Hong Kong

*Mandarin Oriental Landmark- This hotel has beautiful rooms and a lively bar (Mo Bar) but the best feature of this hotel is LOCATION!  It is in the heart of it all…..shopping, nightlife, next to the harbor, restaurants, etc. .  It has a pool, spa, yoga studio, fitness center and more.  Highly recommend this hotel!

*The Upper House- This boutique hotel is an architect’s dream……contemporary, sleek, modern and beautiful!  It also has the very famous Cafe Grey, which is a spectacular restaurant with the best views in town.  They have yoga classes every Saturday and Sunday morning, complimentary bike rentals and a fitness center. It is also in a great location, next to the Hong Kong Park and near the harbor.

*Lanson Place–This hotel is part of the SLH group (Small Luxury Hotels of the World) which are my favorite because they have the boutique feel with the 5 star service.  Also centrally located!

For Deals on the above hotels and others, visit Hong Kong Hotels

SIGHTS:

*Ocean Park– This park is a great place for kids, where a family could spend the entire day visiting the marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park all in one place!  There is also a cable car with amazing views.  There is an aquarium, a giant panda habitat, roller coasters and characters walking around. *TIP: Get there when it opens because Hong Kong locals don’t rise early and take the cable car or tunnel to the other side of the park first, this way you aren’t fighting traffic. Finally don’t forget the new South Island MTR Line (light green) drops you directly at the park entrance – it opened in December 2016 and makes visiting Ocean Park a breeze.

*Hong Kong Disneyland-You can stay on the resort at either Disney’s Hollywood Hotel or the Hong Kong Disney Hotel……the latter is preferable.  It is located on Lantau Island which is accessible by car, bus or MTR (only 30 min. from airport on MTR).  If you’ve never been to a Disneyland resort, I would recommend 2 nights here; however, it is exactly like the other Disneyland resorts in the US and around the world, just a much smaller scale. HK Disneyland is doable in a long day even with small children. It is customary that visitors who stay on-property can access the park early.

*Hiking (Dragon’s Back Ridge/ Honk Kong Trail/ Shek O Beach/ Big Wave Bay)– Hong Kong is known for it’s hiking.  If you only have time for one long hike in Hong Kong, I would recommend Dragon’s Back (the final stage of the Hong Kong trail).  It is 8.5 km and there are different routes but choose the one that finishes at Big Wave Bay, which is a beautiful place and should only take 2-3 hours.  You can take a taxi or bus #9 to To Tei Wan, Shek O Road, the bus stop is almost right next to the beginning of Stage 8 of the Hong Kong Trail which includes the Dragon’s Back and finishes at Big Wave Bay/Shek O Beach.  If you take the bus, get an Octopus card since the bus system doesn’t provide change. The hike has spectacular views……Start in the morning and spend afternoon at Stanley Beach.  If you start early enough, you can great pancakes for breakfast at the pancake shack on the beach (has a blue awning).

*Stanley Beach– This area reminds me of Europe with many cafes and restaurants overlooking the coast and nice shops. Definitely worth a visit….you could do the hike and Stanley in one day. Stanley is a unique mixture of Eastern and Western culture and its famous market, charming waterfront, excellent beaches, bars, restaurants and other attractions make it a popular tourist destination.  There are local café’s that sit right along the coast and then there’s the more western style cafes which have a street and sidewalk that overlook the water.  Visit Smugglers, a dive bar that is popular among the locals.

*Repulse Bay-Another nice area—it is only 5 km from Stanley—The Verandah is a restaurant famous for their high tea.

—http://www.solobackpacker.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/stanley.jpg
This is a map to show where everything is…….You can do the hike, stanley and repulse bay all in one day–they are all on Hong Kong’s southside.

*Another day I would stay in Central and walk around, it reminds me of NY, there are elevated walk ways, shopping malls and cafes. Take the tram or bus around, walk the streets, shop, etc….   Don’t miss the famous Escalator, the longest in the world!  This day I would also try Dim Sum—Hong Kong is famous for it…..the best places are:

Maxims Place– This traditional dim sum dynasty allows you to relax and enjoy an environment that’s a throwback to old Hong Kong. Get there early or log in using the Food GULU App and get in line before showing up.

Luk Yu Tea House

One Dim Sum

Dim Sum Library

After dim sum, end the day in Kowloon. Take the famous Star Ferry from the Central Ferry Pier #7 . Be sure to enter from the upper level b/c once you pay you cannot access the upper deck and the views are much better from upstairs!  If you’re looking for Dim Sum with a view back to the Island instead of say the one from Maxim’s which is toward Kowloon, then you’re looking for Jade Garden. In Star House, this bare bones dim sum restaurant has great views. In Kowloon is the notorious Peninsula Hotel, which is a HK symbol! Also the original Mandarin Oriental Hotel is worthy of a cocktail at the Captain’s club. The Hong Kong Museum of History is supposed to be really interesting and gives you perspective of the history when the British ruled.

*Another day I would do Victoria Peak, which you can access the Peak from the tram on Garden road as you walk up from central.  If you’re ready for lunch, there are many cafes at the top of The Peak, I recommend Wildfire (pizza) or The Peak Lookout. The best views are from the Peak. There is a 3km circular walk around the Peak is nice or for the more adventurous peel off to a hike – Section 1 of the Hong Kong Trail is accessible from the Peak too. A less known hike that affords the brave amazing views is High West.  Another option for site seeing is the infamous double decker bus tours. These buses are a great way to see the city!!!

*HK Zoo/Botanical Garden: Right in the Midlevel Central and it is FREE!!!  Nice open area with fountains for kids to run around.  There are monkeys, orangutan, Lemurs and a very large Aviary. Also a huge outdoor playground for the children.  If you have early risers, a play and visit to the zoo before heading up to the Peak via the tram is a great morning out!

FOOD:
*Cafe Grey-This is my absolute favorite restaurant—it is a splurge, but if you are going to splurge one night, go here, the views and food are amazing!! It is at the top floor of the Upper house hotel……

*Wagyu in central for brunch–relaxed

*Chili Fargara–best spicy Chinese food–make ressie

*Peking Garden–known for peking duck

*Aqua Junk/hutong–this is a traditional boat that leaves at 7:30 pm from central harbor, serves Chinese, Italian and Japanese food and you can enjoy an amazing light show display.

*Chachawan- Popular Thai eatery in a chic informal setting

*Chom Chom- Vietnamese restaurant

*Upper Modern Bistro-Modern French and European cuisines in Sheung Wan

*Le Marron–awesome french food in a romantic bistro style setting

*Jumbo Top Deck–A floating restaurant in Aberdeen that has a Sunday champagne buffet brunch that is good value.

NIGHT LIFE:

*Sevva–A rooftop bar in the Prince’s building in central with 360 degree views overlooking the HK skyline.

*Lan Kwai Fong–an area with many bars and clubs near central.  Most of the bars are on Wyndham st. –Le Boudoir is an old world chic small bar.

*Wan Chai is another fun district to go out….visit Dusk Till Dawn Bar

*Mo Bar--fun place for a drink in the Mandarin Oriental

+MACAU:

Macau is a short 60 minute boat from Hong Kong.  It is known for it’s casinos and there isn’t much to do there outside of the casinos with the exception of Monte Fort.  This 400 year old fort, together with the Macau Museum inside, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,  considered the premier historical attraction for tourists in Macau.

*Venetian-We loved this hotel, it is the exact replica of the one in Vegas with the canals and shops; however, be careful because the rules to gambling are a bit different.

Restaurants:
*Fernandos–portuguese–best food on island…..
*Alorcha-portuguese