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48 hours in Hong Kong
By David Whitley
Published in the July-September 2012 issue.
You could spend weeks in Hong Kong and never tire of exploring the attractions, not to mention shops and restaurants. Still, a lot can be done on a whistlestop tour of the Special Administrative Region. Here, tips on how to make the most of two days in town.
DAY ONE
09.00: Suggesting a walk is usually terrible advice in Hong Kong – a maze of overpasses, shopping centres and multi-lane, traffic-snarled roads make getting from A to B something of a chore. Start at Hong Kong Park, however, and a morning’s stroll can be relatively hassle-free, punctuated with numerous joys.
The park is a triumph of landscaping. Like Hong Kong Island itself, it clambers over numerous levels, with paths weaving up and down past a tai chi garden, a children’s playground and an artificial lake. The walk-through aviary is superb, and the rather quaint Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware is worth visiting for the handsome colonial building alone.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens – the zoo isn’t the greatest in the world, but the orangutans are fun – are next to the park if you fancy adding in a detour. The views from this green space are generally excellent; it’s easy to walk along, neck arched upwards, staring at the skyscrapers towering above you. Indeed, gawping at Hong Kong’s architecture is one of the territory’s money-free pleasures.
Head west through the hip enclave of SoHo to the residential-feeling Tai Ping Shan Street, and you’ll find yourself at the top of one of Hong Kong’s best shopping experiences.
11.00: The vertiginous Tung Street is a refreshing anti-mall choice, with its old shophouses filled by individual galleries, ceramics stores and local designer outlets instead of the usual global brand names that Hong Kong loves so much. Follow Tung Street down to the bottom and you’ll end up at Sheung Wan, an area that has largely managed to keep the old Hong Kong feel. Explore the backstreets here and you’ll find store after store piled high with all manner of unidentified dried food.
12.00: If there’s a mode of transport as endearing as Hong Kong’s box trams anywhere in the world, I’d like to see it. Hop on one in Sheung Wan and head towards City Hall for a lunchtime dim sum feast. Reservations are essential at Maxim’s Palace, and that’s because the food is consistently good. It’s pushed around on trolleys by grumpy old ladies – stop one as she’s going past if she’s wheeling around something you fancy the look of.
14.00: Fully stuffed, it’s time to take Hong Kong’s other iconic mode of transport – the short Star Ferry ride across Victoria Harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. The waterfront promenade
Here is home to the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong’s take on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. There are also a number of cultural highlights to choose from within walking distance, Hong Kong’s space, science and art museums are worth visiting but if you only have time for the one, make it the Hong Kong Museum of History. It’s a well looked after, thoughtful exploration of Hong Kong from the age of the dinosaurs to the present day – modern history, including the changeover from British to Chinese control, is handled in an open, all-views-considered way.
18.00: Farther north in Kowloon, between the Jordan and Yau Ma Tei MTR stops, is the Temple Street Night Market. It’s by no means the most authentic of Hong Kong’s markets (authenticity isn’t the first word that springs to mind for some of the branded goods on sale, either), but it’s a fabulous experience weaving between the food stalls and shops brimming with customers.
19.30: The Lan Kwai Fong area of Hong Kong Island has long been a nightlife hub, but a few new bars and restaurants are spicing things up. The Flying Winemaker is trying to introduce Hong Kongers to excellent Old World and New World wines in an unpretentious environment, and there’s a relaxed, free-to-experiment vibe about the shop-bar hybrid. Sake Bar Ginn (search carefully – it’s hidden on the fourth floor of a building full of other bars) also has sampling menus put together by a certified sake sommelier. For food, the inventive globe-spanning menu at Lily & Bloom is complemented by the speakeasy décor.
DAY TWO
08.00: For all its intimidating brashness and high-rise cityscape, Hong Kong has a surprisingly heartening sense of community spirit. The Cultural Kaleidoscope Programme is a fabulous example of this. It’s managed by the Hong Kong Tourist Board, and allows visitors to dip into a number of traditional activities – tea appreciation classes, feng shui lessons and junk harbour cruises. Some activities are free, others attract a fee. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the highlight of the free activities is the tai chi class held in the sculpture garden outside the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Beginners are welcomed, and the two tai chi masters will patiently explain and demonstrate the string of coordinated moves.
09.00: Hong Kong Island may be the one that everyone knows, but it’s not the biggest island in the territory – that award goes to Lantau. It’s possible to get a ferry over there, but taking the MTR to Tung Chung is more practical for the morning’s adventures.
The star of Lantau is Po Lin Monastery and the bronze Big Buddha that dwarfs everything else in the complex. Many people get there by the Ngong Ping 360 cable car from the Tung Chung MTR, but unless visibility is unusually excellent, the views tend to be disappointing.
A better bet is the number 23 bus, which takes a spectacular climb through Lantau’s mountains, swings along the coast, then swoops back up to deposit you outside the monastery.
The Big Buddha is the obvious star here. It’s 34 metres tall – although its elevated perch makes it look much bigger – and was only officially unveiled in 1993. It’s possible to go inside, where the tale of how it was built in Nanking, China, then shipped over, piece by piece, is told via the displays.
The surrounding hills are almost as impressive as the Buddha itself, while the on-site orchid garden is also worth a look.
12.00: Don’t get the number 23 bus back – you’ll need the number 2 to Mui Wo. From here the inter-island ferry leaves for Peng Chau, taking around 25 minutes to get there. If a rumbling tummy dictates skipping the next ferry in favour of something to eat, there’s a market and a number of decent sea-view restaurants within walking distance of the pier – follow the crowds.
Of Hong Kong’s outlying islands, Peng Chau is arguably the best pick for a few chilled-out hours. It’s easy enough to walk around it in an afternoon, and it has laid-back charm in spades.
The tourist board’s booklet detailing the outlying islands (available at the Kowloon City Ferry Pier, among other places) is genuinely excellent – and it can be used as a loose guide for getting around Peng Chau. It tells how the island used to be fairly industrialised – but the lime-ash factories were rendered redundant by the advent of concrete, and cigarette lighters killed the once-prolific match industry. Remnants of this past are marked on the map, but wandering along random paths works perfectly well.
Spur-of-the-moment detours will take you up to lookouts,lone pavilions standing on headlands overlooking the city skyline, and banana plantations. There are also a handful of gorgeous cove beaches – not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Hong Kong – lined with large sandstone boulders that little crabs love to scurry across.
19.00: For evening entertainment, head back to SoHo. There’s a certain whack-a-mole quality to picking out the cool new places to eat and drink here, but Yardbird wins the hipster cred with wacky-haired bar staff, a great selection of whiskies, good cocktails and a strong small-plates menu with a Japanese bent.
Nearby, Portrait offers a selection of its own Hong Kong-made wines – it’s only the second winery in Hong Kong – and some interestingly potent experiments from its on-site still. The pear vielle is particularly lovely. •
Photographs courtesy of the HKTB.
Getting there
Cathay Pacific flies to Hong Kong from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Cairns and Perth. 131-747; cathaypacific.com
Qantas has direct flights from several cities in Australia to Hong Kong. 131-313; qantas.com
Virgin Atlantic fly from Australia to Hong Kong. 1300-727-340; virgin-atlantic.com
getting around
The following companies offer insightful trips and tours around Hong Kong.
• Creative Holidays. 1300-747-400; creativeholidays.com
• Helen Wong’s Tours. 1300-788-328; helenwongstours.com
• Selective Tours. 1300-760-208; selectivetours.com
• Travel Indochina. 1300-365-355; travelindochina.com.au
• Qantas Holidays. 131-415; qantas.com/holidays
• Wendy Wu Tours. 1300-727-998; wendywutours.com.au
Getting around
The box trams cover the northern part of Hong Kong Island only, but the MTR subway system is excellent for much of the rest of the territory. Buses and ferries fill in the blanks. It’s worth getting a prepaid swipe-in, swipe-out Octopus card, which reduces fares and saves grappling for change every journey.
When to go
Summers (late May to mid-September) can be uncomfortably hot and sticky – but winters (December to February) are mild, even if an extra layer is sometimes required. March and April are best for a happy medium.
Where to stay
• Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. 852/2588-1234;
hongkong.grand.hyatt.com
• Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees. 852/2126-1988; harbour-plaza.com
• The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. 852/2132-0188; mandarinoriental.com/landmark
• Langham Place Mongkok, Hong Kong. 852/3552-3388; hongkong.langhamplacehotels.com
• The Mira Hong Kong. 852/2368-1111; themirahotel.com
• The Peninsula Hong Kong. 852/2920-2888; peninsula.com
• The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. 852/2263-2263; ritzcarlton.com
Where to eat & drink
• The Flying Winemaker. 31 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong; 852/2522-2187; eddiemcdougall.com
• Lily & Bloom. 5/F and 6/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central; 852/2810-6166; lily-bloom.com
• Maxim’s Palace. 2/F, Low Block, City Hall, 5-7 Edinburgh Place; 852/2521-1303; maxims.com.hk
• Portrait. 31 Staunton Street, Central; 852/2526-8858; portraitwinery.com
• Sake Bar Ginn. Unit 4C, Ho Lee Commercial Building, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong; 852/2536-4355; sakebarginn.com
• Yardbird. 33-35 Bridges Street; 852/2547 9273; yardbirdrestaurant.com
What to Do
• Cultural Kaleidoscope. 852/2508-1234; discoverhongkong.com
• Hong Kong Museum of History. 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Shui, Kowloon; 852/2724-9042; hk.history.museum
• Hong Kong Park. 19, Cotton Tree Drive, Central. 852/2521-5041; www.lcsd.gov.hk
• Po Lin Monastery. 852/2985-5248; plm.org.hk
Further information
Contact the Hong Kong Tourism Board for additional information. 61-2/9283-3083; discoverhongkong.com
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