HONG KONG

TRAVEL ITINERARY

Jack lived in Hong Kong for roughly 4 months so he has had plenty of time to explore the city and find all of its hidden gems. The city is divided by a strait of water–Kowloon being on one side and Hong Kong island on the other. Both are fantastic places to explore and neither is better than the other, however, the Kowloon side seems to have more local people, while the island is full of tourists.

The Main attractions to Hong Kong are by far the amazing sky line, hiking and the shopping. On one hand, there are hundreds of malls full with high end brands for people to splurge on and on the other, there are tons of great markets (such as the Ladies Market) to seek out a bargain! The skyline is actually rated as one of the top skylines in there world— it is best to see it from the Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront.

Things To Do

ONE – See HK from The Peak
Visit The Peak to get a view of the amazing Hong Kong city skyline. You can also catch the Peak tram up the mountain which is pretty fun, but be ready to wait at least an hour in line.

TWO – Hike the lions back
Hiking is one of the coolest ways to see Hong Kong. Do the Lions Back and Lions Rock hike, they both sound similar but give you different views of the city. Make sure you wear mosquito repellent as they are savages in the tropical weather!

THREE – Eat the best dim sum in Hong Kong
Eat at the famous Tim Ho Wan, which is the cheapest Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant in the world. There are 3 in Hong Kong to choose from so there are no excuses not to go and try these cheap but delicious dumplings!

FOUR – Party with the expats
If you love going out to bars, visiting LKF (Lan Kwai Fong) on a Friday or Saturday night is a must. It is full of little bars that range from casual, quiet drinks to an all night rage until 4am.

FIVE – Ride the ferry across the channel
Take the Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central (or the other way round)–this is the cheapest way to great a great view of the city! Not to mention, the skyline with the water is not too shabby.

SIX – See the big buddha
For a cultural fix, the Big Buddha on Lantau Island is amazing. It is best to hike up to the Buddha then catch the cable car down to get all types of views.

SEVEN – Ozone Bar for the Views
We are all about them views in Hong Kong, hey? One of the coolest places to grab a drink in all of Hong Kong is at the Ozone Bar. It is the highest building in all of Hong Kong (and yes, the drinks are pricey) but the views–those views are worth it.

Where to Stay

Hostels are a little expensive in Hong Kong, like $60 per bed in a 6 dorm room, so yea pricey. So, you might as well go big while you’re in Hong Kong! There are hundreds of places to stay in Hong Kong ranging from tiny hostels like the USA Hostel to large, luxurious hotels as the Ritz Carlton (Also, where the Ozone bar is located!).

HK is a bit pricey for booking accommodation due to the lack of space — so they call them sardine houses, tons of people crammed into a small space. Keep in mind that rooms in HK are a lot smaller than most places because it is such a populated city.

I would suggest staying at a hotel with a waterfront view in TST (Tsim Sha Tsui). You know how we said we love the views? Well some hotels with some great views are the Kowloon Shangri-La or the one Jack got us for a romantic getaway (hey, after not seeing each other for 5 months, we deserved one!) we stayed at the Butterfly Waterfront Hotel. That hotel was closer to Causeway Bay.

Weather

Visited:

January to May

Weather:

Since Jack lived there, he got sun, wind, rain, and all the humidity. Hong Kong is generally a hot and humid place but it gets winters (so a cold night). Hong Kong can be very smoggy and foggy and humid all at once. However, towards March and April is hot but not unpleasant, about 25 C/ 70 F.

In May, it becomes very humid with a bit of rain as May is Typhoon season. I was unfortunate enough to experience my entire 10 days in the worst typhoon and rain Hong Kong has ever experienced in 30 years. Great. Just make sure you check the weather before you go, you don’t want to be stuck in a hotel room for your entire stay in Hong Kong.