Hong Kong - recommendations

captain_oakley

I'm off to Hong Kong on business shortly, and have never been there before.

Have read 'Lonely Planet, Rough Guide', etc to death, has anyone got any
recommendations re eating, drinking & general tourist stuff. Thanks

Apparently Dim Sum is the thing to do!!



'The Cockateer'

zaynan

Lucky person - I love Hong Kong!

A visit to Stanley on the far side of the island is worth it although I'm not sure how the roads are for cycling. It's a good place to get away form the city and is only a 20 minute cab ride away. Are you thinking of riding whilst there?

wildmoustache

lots of the road riding takes place in the new territories ... hot but fun. Will give some recommendations tomorrow if I get time.

redvee

Been there when it was British and the old scary airport. Was only there for four days and TBH can't remember much touristy things to do apart from getting the venicular railway to the top of the peak on Kowloon island.

cjcp

Take a ferry out to the islands. Blessed if I can remember the name of it, but it was a nice day trip.

There's a nice walk around the Peak.

Shop for gadgets.

We ate lots of good food and good prices too!

mrushton

Lots of trips on the Star ferries. If you like shopping, marvel at the plethora of designer shops throughout the city or go to the outlet stores. Some incredible hotels. The trip up the Peak both by night and/or day. Go to Stanley on the bus, any of the markets (strong stomach may be required), some incredible eating, esp in the Night market.

redvee

Blow the travel budget on the Star Ferry , think it is something like 2p a trip or was before China got their hands on HK.

marmitecp

Approaching HK island from the top deck of the Star ferry is one of the most dramatic trips in the world - and so cheap!

The night markets in Mong Kok are great as is the market in Stanley on the south side of the island.

Horse racing at either Happy Valley or Sha Tin is spectacular too.

captain_oakley

Thanks for the info so far, will not be able to cycle while I am
there I'm afraid. So I'll just have to do the Tourist stuff.

Keep the suggestions coming. Thanks again.


'Silence of the Buns'

howiejmidlands

Go to the hotel above Tsim Shah Shoooeeeyy, i forget how it is spelt, last but one on the MTR. GO to the resteraunt in the basement, next to the 24 hour tailors, and get drunken prawns. Delicious.
Or wander around the jade market late at night, sights sounds and smells are wonderfull.
And as mentioned, a trip on the ferry to Kowloon, memorable. Or finally, if on a SUnday, go to the sqaure behind the ferry terminal on HK island, and meet the philipino maids. You could be married 100 times before you walk to the other side!

akcc05

how long are you gonna be there for?

dim sum is basically chinese tapas, comes in small portions, much like samplers, order a variety of them so you can try everything. locals like to have dim sum on sundays as brunch.

you can take the ferry to nearby islands such as Lantau and Cheung Chau for nice day trips, a lot more tranquil than the city center. give local foods/cuisine a try if you like asian food, night markets are good too, like the one on Temple Street in Mong Kok.

i miss hong kong, haven't been back for a while, was born there but i spend most of my time in London or Indiana in the states.

i can provide a lot more info if you are interested

http://www.cheungchauhk.com/

pottssteve

Hi,
I live here! How tourist do you want to go, or do you want to be more "local". For tourist stuff (up to the Peak, Big Bhudda on Lantau, Lan Kwai Fong for expat drinking, Happy Valley races, drinks at the Penninsula etc.) you can get all the info from a guidebook. But if you want to get local and see the real Honkers, I can recommend some other stuff. Local will also be a hell of a lot cheaper, if that's a consideration, and you might get nicer souvenirs...!
Let me know where you're staying and how adventurous you are, and how much time you have, and I can recommend some stuff...

pottssteve

Oh, by the way, if you want dim sum and can't speak Cantonese (like me), a great place to go is downstairs in Silvercord mall off Hankhow Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui. You can point at the ones you want, and it's $10 to $15 a dish. Try the har ghow, siu mei, or fung jou. There's also a funky shop called G.O.D in the mall which sells fake retro Asian stuff which makes tacky souvenirs.
Cheers,
Steve

captain_oakley

Steve....
I am there for 4 days, before going on to New Zealand for a month, I am
staying at the Langham Place (Mong Kok).

Any more info would be gratefully revieved.

'The Porn Birds'

pottssteve

Ahoy Captain,
Never been in the Langham Place but it looks nice from outside. Can you give me some idea of your interests, budget and how much time you have available - I'm uber busy at the moment and it will narrow it down a bit. If you want anything specific (electronics, crafts etc,) I can recommend places to go/avoid.
Cheers,
Steve
PS - I used to live in NZ - need any info there!?

captain_oakley

pottssteve wrote:

Ahoy Captain,
Never been in the Langham Place but it looks nice from outside. Can you give me some idea of your interests, budget and how much time you have available - I'm uber busy at the moment and it will narrow it down a bit. If you want anything specific (electronics, crafts etc,) I can recommend places to go/avoid.
Cheers,
Steve
PS - I used to live in NZ - need any info there!?

Steve...

I have booked a couple of trips already, Harbour Cruise(company pays!!) and a trip
'up the peak', it was more food & drink, good restrauants, etc I was looking at.

Also I am a First & Second World War anorak, and would very much like to visit
the CWGC Cemetery at Sai Wan, if you could give me directions that would be
really handy.

I am also toying with the idea of buying a Nikon D700 DSLR while there, yes or no?

The New Zealand trip is all taken care of, 2 weeks North Island, 2 Weeks South
all organised by Mrs 'Oakley', thanks for you help anyway. I'm only really going for the wine and the 'Bungy jump' at Queenstown!!! oh and the Sea Kayaking, Whale watching, hangi at Rotaroura, Walking Fox Glacier, New Year in Queenstown, 'Shotover Jet', Hawkes Bay Wine Tours, etc, etc


'A Tale of Two Titties'

pottssteve

Hi there,

I don't eat out downtown very much but can recommend the buffet lunches at the Sheraton and the Rennaisance Harbour View hotels. For dim sum, downstairs in Silvercord mall is very good, as I mentioned. For other local food, pretty much walk into any restaurant - it's a bit intimidating but often someone will speak a bit of English and the menu may have a hilarious translation. If the restaurant has pigs, ducks etc. hanging in the window they sell bbq pork (char siu) and duck (siung nap) with rice (faan) - tasty! For example, char siu faan is pork with rice.

Regarding the cemetary, you're best to get a taxi from the hotel. If you print off the location from Google Earth it has the Chinese address on it so you can show it to the driver. Alternatively, the hotel reception can write it for you.

I assume a Nikon D700 is a camera?! You might find that the diiference in price is not as much as you would hope between here and the UK, especially with the current exchange rate. If you are going to buy, I'd stay away from Nathan road area - they may be a bit cheaper but the shops there can be dodgy. There's a big electronics chain called Fortress which has a great range of stuff and is safe to buy from (guarantees etc.) There's also Broadway - same sort of stuff. They can sometimes do deals (free accessories etc.) or discounts at the manager's discretion, so ask for their best price. Also check to make sure the model will work in UK - some electronics are specific to Asia, I think.

If you do get up to the Peak, try to stay after sunset - the view of the harbour at night is fantastic. Also, the view the opposite way, from Tsim Sha Tsui to the island is great. You may also find it useful to get an Octopus card - like a nectar card to pay for buses, MTR etc, but can also be used to pay in some shops. You get it from the MTR stations and can add value at the machines - it beats buying tickets all the time, and when you leave you return the card and get your $50 deposit back.

I hope this helps. If you need any more info, please ask.
Steve
PS - By the way, it's very dry and quite cold here at the moment.

pottssteve

Oh, and by the way, the HK Museum of History has a small but interesting gallery about the Japanese occupation of HK during WW2.

captain_oakley

pottssteve wrote:

Hi there,

I don't eat out downtown very much but can recommend the buffet lunches at the Sheraton and the Rennaisance Harbour View hotels. For dim sum, downstairs in Silvercord mall is very good, as I mentioned. For other local food, pretty much walk into any restaurant - it's a bit intimidating but often someone will speak a bit of English and the menu may have a hilarious translation. If the restaurant has pigs, ducks etc. hanging in the window they sell bbq pork (char siu) and duck (siung nap) with rice (faan) - tasty! For example, char siu faan is pork with rice.

Regarding the cemetary, you're best to get a taxi from the hotel. If you print off the location from Google Earth it has the Chinese address on it so you can show it to the driver. Alternatively, the hotel reception can write it for you.

I assume a Nikon D700 is a camera?! You might find that the diiference in price is not as much as you would hope between here and the UK, especially with the current exchange rate. If you are going to buy, I'd stay away from Nathan road area - they may be a bit cheaper but the shops there can be dodgy. There's a big electronics chain called Fortress which has a great range of stuff and is safe to buy from (guarantees etc.) There's also Broadway - same sort of stuff. They can sometimes do deals (free accessories etc.) or discounts at the manager's discretion, so ask for their best price. Also check to make sure the model will work in UK - some electronics are specific to Asia, I think.

If you do get up to the Peak, try to stay after sunset - the view of the harbour at night is fantastic. Also, the view the opposite way, from Tsim Sha Tsui to the island is great. You may also find it useful to get an Octopus card - like a nectar card to pay for buses, MTR etc, but can also be used to pay in some shops. You get it from the MTR stations and can add value at the machines - it beats buying tickets all the time, and when you leave you return the card and get your $50 deposit back.

I hope this helps. If you need any more info, please ask.
Steve
PS - By the way, it's very dry and quite cold here at the moment.

Steve...

Thanks for all your help, I leave Thursday just after 9pm, arr HK (Hopefully)
about 5'ish the following afternoon. It's bloody freezing here at the moment!!

When you say cold, hats & gloves or just a 'sweatshirt'


'A Star is Porn'

davelakers

Captain Oakley wrote:

Steve....
I am there for 4 days, before going on to New Zealand for a month, I am
staying at the Langham Place (Mong Kok).

Any more info would be gratefully revieved.

'The Porn Birds'

You have no idea how jealous I am right now.............................

pottssteve

Captain,
It's not cold by UK standards, and you're staying in a hotel so won't have to put up with tiled and uninsulated houses like I live in! I feel the chill 'cos I've been out here for a while.
I'd suggest maybe a fleece or hooded top for the early mornings and evenings - you might need one for NZ anyway. Certainly not gloves or hat weather yet, although I'm told it's turning cold at the weekend. One great thing about HK is that you can get just about anything you need, nearly anytime (unless you're freakishly tall!). There's several Marks and Spencer's, for example, if you forget something.

Feel free to post once you're here if you have questions, and enjoy the trip. Hong Kong is like the set of Blade Runner, but with more Chinese people...

Steve

robbarker

When I was out there the standard night out was a meal in Go Down in T-S-T, then on to China Jump to fail to chat up BA hostesses, then on to lang quai fong to the expat clubs to fail to chat up BA hostesses, then back to wan chai to Joe Bananas.

It's still worth getting a suit made while you're there - my favourite tailor is Ash Samtani in Burlington Arcade, off Nathan Road, Kowloon.