A few hours ago, I flew back from Hong Kong and I realised how much I enjoyed myself. I think it's the combination of food, sightseeing, shopping and of course, spending time with family. So much of Hong Kong has changed since I've been there almost 15 years ago. It's only fair to write my experience of Hong Kong from scratch.
My family and I stayed at the Prince Hotel at Tsim Sha Tsui and it is directly connected to Harbour City - the biggest mall in the city. It is a convenient location but quite expensive. It is also very touristy and because it is in the mall, can get very busy and congested.
After the first few days there, here are the things that I found out while traveling in Hong Kong:
It is extremely convenient - especially if you take the public transport - MTR and bus. We went to all the places we planned to via these transport modes and its cheap. It is also a very walk-able city although human traffic is everywhere too. A rule here is to stand to one side (usually the right) of the escalator to let the other passersby who are in a hurry to run down. Also, the a train comes between 1-4 minutes and is almost always packed especially during rush hours (morning/after work).
Be prepared to be bumped into (without a "sorry") and people will not dodge even when they see you coming towards them. We traveled with my grandma who needed a wheelchair and people will only get out of your way when you are directly in front of them. Other times, we still have to maneuver the wheelchair around people because they just simply will not get out of our way.
Queue up for cafes and restaurants, chances are you might have to wait between 15-45 minutes for a table. For most places there is no need to book. Every single movement is fast here - from walking to eating. It takes them seconds to clean up the table for the next customer. Food comes out between 5-20 minutes tops. Also, the food combos here are great and most meals come with a free dessert (especially in banquet style or more expensive restaurants).
Shopping wise, HK is awesome. Walking out to Canton Road, it felt like a crazy explosion of all the luxury brands in one area. I was a bit overwhelmed. The way that I notice people buying goods almost made it felt like money is no object and people splurge a lot.
The food scene here is very intense. I think people here at ALL the time. Most cafes and restaurants don't close down and continue to serve food until the 10-11pm. So far I had the best soup dumplings (xiao long bao), tonkatsu, soy milk and of course, dim sums.
I love the night markets, sure, but coming out at night in HK is a MUST. The night scene here is just buzzing with energy and there is a totally different atmosphere from day time. HK feels more alive, I wonder where they get their energy from working all day. Plus, the night view on the Avenue of Stars is spectacular.
Here are some of the places we went to while in HK:
Ocean Park - the highlights for me were the Giant Aquarium and the Sea Jelly (next to the Cable Car Station). We also went on a ride on the Hair Raiser! It was awesome!
Disneyland - it wasn't very crowded on a Thursday and we were able to get on more rides than we originally planned. I loved the new Mystic Manor, It's a Small World and Space Mountain.
Tsam Shui Po night market - we really didn't do much here but we went to a very small place with really good dimsum.
Ladies Night Market at Mong Kok - souvenirs galore!
Kowloon Park - a little oasis in the city. We went there for a quick walk on Sunday morning. Just look for a spot to sit and watch as people (mostly senior people) dance and exercise in groups.
Now on to the Food!
Crystal Jade @ Harbour City for its Xiao Long Bao
Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood @ 100 Canton Road for its Tonkatsu (the pork loin is the best!). They have an all you can eat shredded cabbage and white rice. Also, they have a seaweed salad dressing that we really enjoyed.
Hokkaido Dairy Farm @ Sun Arcade for the macaroni soup for breakfast. Honestly, it was not spectacular but just the thought of macaroni soup for breakfast was a bit strange for me.
Laduree @ Harbour City for the macarons, of course!
Taiwan Beef Noodle @ 122 Canton Road for the soy milk, chicken feet, ha kao and soybean curd for dessert.
My family and I stayed at the Prince Hotel at Tsim Sha Tsui and it is directly connected to Harbour City - the biggest mall in the city. It is a convenient location but quite expensive. It is also very touristy and because it is in the mall, can get very busy and congested.
After the first few days there, here are the things that I found out while traveling in Hong Kong:
It is extremely convenient - especially if you take the public transport - MTR and bus. We went to all the places we planned to via these transport modes and its cheap. It is also a very walk-able city although human traffic is everywhere too. A rule here is to stand to one side (usually the right) of the escalator to let the other passersby who are in a hurry to run down. Also, the a train comes between 1-4 minutes and is almost always packed especially during rush hours (morning/after work).
Be prepared to be bumped into (without a "sorry") and people will not dodge even when they see you coming towards them. We traveled with my grandma who needed a wheelchair and people will only get out of your way when you are directly in front of them. Other times, we still have to maneuver the wheelchair around people because they just simply will not get out of our way.
Queue up for cafes and restaurants, chances are you might have to wait between 15-45 minutes for a table. For most places there is no need to book. Every single movement is fast here - from walking to eating. It takes them seconds to clean up the table for the next customer. Food comes out between 5-20 minutes tops. Also, the food combos here are great and most meals come with a free dessert (especially in banquet style or more expensive restaurants).Shopping wise, HK is awesome. Walking out to Canton Road, it felt like a crazy explosion of all the luxury brands in one area. I was a bit overwhelmed. The way that I notice people buying goods almost made it felt like money is no object and people splurge a lot.
The food scene here is very intense. I think people here at ALL the time. Most cafes and restaurants don't close down and continue to serve food until the 10-11pm. So far I had the best soup dumplings (xiao long bao), tonkatsu, soy milk and of course, dim sums.
I love the night markets, sure, but coming out at night in HK is a MUST. The night scene here is just buzzing with energy and there is a totally different atmosphere from day time. HK feels more alive, I wonder where they get their energy from working all day. Plus, the night view on the Avenue of Stars is spectacular.
Here are some of the places we went to while in HK:
Ocean Park - the highlights for me were the Giant Aquarium and the Sea Jelly (next to the Cable Car Station). We also went on a ride on the Hair Raiser! It was awesome!
Disneyland - it wasn't very crowded on a Thursday and we were able to get on more rides than we originally planned. I loved the new Mystic Manor, It's a Small World and Space Mountain.
Tsam Shui Po night market - we really didn't do much here but we went to a very small place with really good dimsum.
Ladies Night Market at Mong Kok - souvenirs galore!
Kowloon Park - a little oasis in the city. We went there for a quick walk on Sunday morning. Just look for a spot to sit and watch as people (mostly senior people) dance and exercise in groups.
Now on to the Food!
Crystal Jade @ Harbour City for its Xiao Long Bao
Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood @ 100 Canton Road for its Tonkatsu (the pork loin is the best!). They have an all you can eat shredded cabbage and white rice. Also, they have a seaweed salad dressing that we really enjoyed.
Hokkaido Dairy Farm @ Sun Arcade for the macaroni soup for breakfast. Honestly, it was not spectacular but just the thought of macaroni soup for breakfast was a bit strange for me.
Laduree @ Harbour City for the macarons, of course!
Taiwan Beef Noodle @ 122 Canton Road for the soy milk, chicken feet, ha kao and soybean curd for dessert.
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