Earlier this year, when Jake told me he (read: we) may get the opportunity to fly back to Hong Kong for work, I let just a little bit of excitement begin to bubble up in me. (After all, I’m big on odds and he put ours at a mere 12%.) We knew that the trip would be a long shot, so we kept the news to ourselves and secretly celebrated with each indication it would be a go, and shed tears (ok that was just me) when it was looking less likely. After weeks of holding our breath, we finally let ourselves get really excited. We were going.
I’ve now been back to HK four times since leaving in 2013, and every trip is different. From reuniting with the friends we left behind for the Rugby 7s just months after our sad departure, to surprising my bestie before she too bid farewell to our city, to helping my sister move and get settled in at the start of her own Asian adventure, each visit brought new emotions, new memories, and new personal growth as I learned to navigate my way as as a visitor in the city. Whatever the situation though, Hong Kong always was and always will be about the people we love there – our friends, and now, our family.
The heartfelt stuff out of the way… this was also a trip where I could revisit some of the locales around Hong Kong that I loved while living there. Over the years, I’ve had numerous friends who were traveling to HK reach out for recos on how to spend their time there. With some free time on my hands for this trip, it was the perfect chance to sift through the lists I provided and pick out the ‘best of’s’ in my mind. (Granted this list may not be for everyone. Keep in mind I am a woman who likes pretty things, carries a big camera, and is keen on walking for miles on end.)
Without further ado:
- Stay in Central. Some may argue that HK is a big city and there are plenty of other places to stay, but I like what I know. We stayed at the Island Shangri-La and the Conrad, which were just across from the street from our old hood, and for me, you can’t beat being walking distance from the bars, restaurants, shops, and general hum of the financial district. You’re also close to transport, the harbor, and just a stop away from TST if you want to go battle the crowds on the Dark Side. Bonus, the Shang serves up a lovely welcome tea service and has some awesome views from its rooms. (Even better than ours below are those facing the harbor.)
3. Head over to the Kowloon side, if you dare. There were hoards of tourists when I went to the promenade in TST (also, a really weird young guy who took about a dozen photos with me… cringe), but I wanted to be able to see the harbor from the other side. (Yes I’m obsessed with the IFC and like to get photos of it.) I timed it so that I got there just before the Aqua Luna boat came in and then set sail back towards Central so I could get a photo of it with the IFC in the distance. (Nerd alert.)
4. Go to the Peak. Is it touristy? Yes. But unlike the Avenue of the Stars or the Symphony of Lights, this one, for me, is a must do. Every time. The view never gets old. Don’t do it like everyone else though: skip the line for the silly tram, and just hail a cab to take you to the top. It’ll cost you something like $12 if the traffic is light. (Do not, however, get a taxi from outside the tram stand – they will charge you 4x that.) Alternatively you can take a bus up if you want to be cheap about it. Also, at the top, EXPLORE. Skip paying the fee to go to the sky deck and do the the Circle Walk to get a panoramic view of the harbor. You can also take Old Peak Road down (its a little steep so get ready to fire up them thighs) and wind up in Midlevels or Soho for a drink like we did 🙂
6. Visit Chi Lin Nunnery and Nian Lan Gardens. They’re free! And stunning. If you need a place to feel serene and at peace, and take in an amazing garden and monastery, this is it.
7. Visit the flower market. This is one that is not Jake-approved – not by a longshot. Back in the day, I spent many an hour trucking myself up to the flower market in Prince Edward, perusing the many stalls, and lugging armfuls of fresh flowers back to our apartment via the crowded MTR. It’s a place of nostalgia and beauty for me. There’s also a strange little bird market just up the steps from the flower market that I visited for the first time. Not sure that I like the idea of birds in cages, but it was kind of cool to see regardless.
8. HIKE!!!!! Hong Kong has no shortage of amazing hikes with breathtaking views of the incredibly vertical city, the sea, and the lush, mountainous landscape. We’ve taken dozens of trails that gave us different vantage points around both the island and Kowloon sides, and decided to add to our list by trying two hikes that were new to us.
Hike One. Rachel’s pick: Suicide Cliff. I’d seen her pics from the last time she hiked it and the view was impressive – probably the most expansive view of Hong Kong that I’d ever seen.
Yea, that’s not it.
Two things I didn’t bargain for: the ever-threatening crappy HK weather (aka heavy fog), and a steep, steep ascent to the top on an unmarked trail. (Though I guess you could argue that a few scant red ribbons tied to the brush leading up could count as ‘marked.’) After huffing and puffing our way up to the top on all fours (speaking for myself here), we were super disappointed to find that the fog had only thickened as we climbed, and barely any of the view was visible from the cliff. Still, it was a great workout and at least I managed a few more pics with sissy. (And the odd one of sweaty Jake.)
Note to anyone wanting to get to the cliff: there are several ways to get there, one of which is a little longer but involves steps and a more gradual climb. With that path, there’s also no sense of feeling like you can fall backwards to your demise. I’ll be taking that trail next time.
Hike Two. Years ago, we had hiked a trail that took us up Mount Butler for some incredible views of the harbor and back down through the Tai Tam reservoir. I kept the photos I took that day and before coming on this trip, used what little info I had about that hike to try to map out the path. I didn’t have much luck, but ended up coming across this article at the last minute, and while it wasn’t the exact path that we followed, still had some of the same elements.
Exhibit A. Lovely views of the reservoir below. (With this hike though, we didn’t descend into it like we did the other.)
Exhibit B. A sweaty, shirtless Jake (timeless) about to take in some of my favorite views….
Did I mention I tricked him into thinking this was a 20 minute hike? Luckily he was game for going further given the gorgeous day. And the fact that he didn’t really have another choice, what with us being in the middle of nowhere. All in all the entire hike took us less than 2 hours, and we wound up near Quarry Bay where we hopped in a taxi to get back to our hotel.
9. Eat out. Hong Kong has world-class food – and not just Chinese. This trip, we had Lebanese at Mama Malouf, Indian at New Punjab Club, and Japanese at Tokyolima. (Other than that I pretty much ate bags of nuts, blocks of cheese, and stolen apples from the fitness center while on the go.) I’ve never been the foodie, but I do know good food when I taste it, and HK has a LOT of it.
10. Go out. Our last day was pretty much reminiscent of my old life in HK: lounging by the pool, napping, and gathering with some of our favorite people to down bottles of champagne and dance in (not on though) the bars. The restaurant/bar scene is Hong Kong is like no other in my opinion, with people from all over the world mingling and spilling into the streets til all hours of the night. So experience it!
A few more things we would have done had we had another few days, or that I would reco to a first time visitor:
- Outlying islands (Cheung Chau or Lamma)
- Ngong Ping/Big Buddha (or if you’re adventurous, hike to the Buddha via Lantau Peak)
- Aqua Luna at sunset
- Night Market (if you’re into buying cheap shit like us :))
- Additional hikes: Braemar Hill, Lion’s Rock, Dragon’s Back
In closing, because Jake specifically asked me to, I’d like to thank him for his generosity in bringing me on this trip. It truly made me a very happy woman, which should get me off his case to travel somewhere, for a few more weeks at least 🙂
PERFECT TRIP! 10/10 would repeat.