Discover Hong Kong

What can I say about the country apart from how fantastic my trip was!

As I work within the travel industry I get to travel a lot and as ebookers is one of the preferred partners with most of the airlines, we always have fantastic deals in our system on a daily basis. The reason why I chose Hong Kong is because a colleague had moved out there and it was a good excuse for me to go to Asia.

I flew out with Virgin Atlantic who were absolutely amazing. As I was a part of their flying club and had enough points saved up, I decided to upgrade myself to Premium economy giving me an extra 7 inches compared to 31 seat pitch (which is still good). We took off on time around 10pm and it did not even seem like my flight was 12 hours long.

Once I got to Hong Kong International Airport and collected my entire luggage, I purchased an Octopus card and put 150 HKD (which is about £10, compared to a £40 taxi) on the card in order to take the Airport Express train directly to Hong Kong Island. The good thing about the dragon card is that you can top it up anytime and you can use it to pay for a lot of things, including food, clothes, etc. and an amazing thing about the airport express is that it stops in Kowloon and Tsing Yi and it only takes 25 minutes to get to Hong Kong Island opposed to an hour driving.

My accommodation was amazing and the Airport Express took me exactly where my hotel was situated in the IFC (International Finance Centre). I stayed at the Four Season Place, which is rented out to people who plan on staying a longer duration. As my friend had just relocated to Hong Kong this is where my home would be for the next 4 days.

Things to do: I was spoilt for choice when I freshened up and it was time to hit the streets, so I hope my gallivanting helps and gives you a few ideas of things to do.

Day 1:
As my flight arrived around 6pm local time I decided to get some rest, settle in and go drinking. The hotel concierge got us on the list at a swanky bar called Dragon Eye in Lan Kwai Fong. When I got there around 11pm, there was a queue of the most amazing models Europe had to offer. Everyone was really friendly and we even shared a table with an American singer who was there on a tour. My only warning is that prices of drinks are like UK prices.

Day 2:
For breakfast I went to Fung Shing restaurant on Tai Street (Western market) for some Dim Sum, which was an amazing experience. The beauty was that it was so cheap (around 10 HKD per serve) and I didn’t know what I was ordering at first, as the menu is not in English.

I spent most of my day at Ocean Park which cost me about £20 p/p with ebookers, fantastic for families and was well worth the money. You will get to see dolphin shows, giant panda’s and my favourite was the cable car ride which gives you a 360 degree view of the park and the ocean (It’s amazing and so high up!).

For dinner we went to Max’s noodle bar, which costs about 15 HKD per portion in a dingy little back street, with plastic tables and chairs but has the most amazing noodles you will ever taste in your life.

Day 3:
I spent most of my day shopping in the IFC (I don’t even think I finished looking around in the building), Times Square and Stanley Market. The IFC has so many high brand stores such as Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton and upscale products. Times Square in Causeway Bay was nice as they had a wider variety of good for a moderate price range. It’s also good to sit down and get some lunch whilst you’re there. My second favourite shopping experience was at Stanley Market because I could haggle with the traders for what I wanted and could find lots of old movies I was looking for (mainly in Chinese!).

In the evening, we went to Zentro bar & Eatery in the IFC serving amazing Tapas and a wide of beers and whiskies. It’s not too hard to find in the huge building as it is just above the airport express.

Day 4:
For breakfast we took a tram ride up to the Peak. It’s about a 15 minute journey where the tram takes you to one of the highest points in Hong Kong. It’s phenomenal as you can lean forward to about 60 degrees without falling when the tram climbs the hill.

This was another favourite shopping day of mine as I left Hong Kong shopping to go shopping in Shenzhen China. We took about an hour to get to Shenzhen by train, cleared Chinese customs (remember to take your passport) and then hit the shopping mall. It is amazing retail therapy with incredible prices and people whom you can bargain in a non aggressive way. I spent around £250 and came out with a heap of clothes and before you realize, half of your day is gone.

A great thing to see is the Symphony of Lights, which is about 15 minutes of the world’s largest permanent light show. It’s spectacular when you are sitting on the Chinese junk boats as all the skyscrapers light up.

Before I left I had dinner on the Jumbo floating restaurant in Aberdeen which was just amazing being on a huge boat with delicious food (I had the Peking duck).

Leaving Hong Kong
An easy way to check in for your return flight is at the Airport Express check-in, in the IFC, and take the train to the airport luggage free.

In all honesty don’t just take my word for it, experience it yourself and discover the sights, the sounds and the scenery.

Tye A