A Quick Tour of Hong Kong

Last week Dan and I went on a very last minute trip to Hong Kong.  Dan actually had to go for work, so I thought I might as well tag along!  We were in Hong Kong a few years ago, and visited most of the main tourist attractions and sites like the Big Buddha at that time, so this time it was more about just chilling out and having a change of scenery which was lovely.

We flew overnight on Monday last week, arriving in Hong Kong early Tuesday morning.  Dan’s conference didn’t start until Wednesday so we had all day Tuesday free to explore.  We arrived at our hotel after a very straightforward and pain free journey from the airport.  It always impresses me how organised these big cities are despite the huge number of people moving around.

The hotel that we stayed at was called ‘Attitude on Granville’ and it was located in the centre of Tsim Sha Tsui.  It is a trendy boutique hotel with a very retro feel and the location could not have been better.  Tsim Sha Tsui is known as the ‘one-stop shoppers paradise’.  It is packed with everything from high end malls to bustling shopping streets, cultural museums and lush green parks so I knew that I could easily keep myself occupied here for a few days :).

The last time that we were in Hong Kong we stayed at Langham Place, where our hotel was part of a huge mall complex.  In this mall we discovered Hong Kong toast and we have never forgotten it!  It is basically toast saturated in condensed milk and accompanied by peanut butter or chocolate.  It sounds very strange but it is absolutely delicious!  If I am completely honest, this is what I was most looking forward to about returning to Hong Kong lol.  We were so excited to revisit this cafe and relive the Hong Kong toast experience.  On day one this was our first mission!  So we made our way back to that mall where the cafe was and when we went inside………… we discovered that……………. the cafe that sold the Hong Kong toast that we remembered so fondly was GONE!!!!! 🙁 We couldn’t believe it.  We did however come across a place selling gold leaf ice cream so it wasn’t all bad news lol.

Knowing that we had Tuesday free, we booked tickets to take the famous tram up to Victoria Peak; the highest point on Hong Kong Island, where you can get panoramic views of Hong Kong.  When we had visited Hong Kong previously we went up at night time, so we thought I would also be nice to see it during daylight this time.  The Hong Kong night time skyline is the most impressive skyline I have ever seen and we were happy to go again.  This time we went up during daylight and came back down after it was dark so we got the best of both worlds.

You are taken to the summit by the peak tram, which offers incredible views of the city as it climbs the steep hill to the top of Victoria Peak.  It takes about 5 minutes to reach the top and by the time you get up there you almost have a creak in your neck lol – it really is so, so steep and it blows my mind that these little trams can carry 17,000 people per day to the top of the peak.

The Sky Terrace at the top of the peak is 428 metres above sea level and is the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong.  Whilst up there we had dinner overlooking the City and watched the skyline light up as it got dark.  It really is such a breath-taking view.

The next day Dan was off at his conference and I spent the day in my element exploring the bustling streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, stopping off for a coffee here and there.  As I mentioned before, the area is full to the brim of shops. From high end malls to market stalls Hong Kong really has it all (wow, I’m a poet! lol).

When I visit any country in the Far East, I really love to seek out all of the amazing skincare and cosmetic brands that they have to offer.  They just have soooo many great brands to choose from (including all of the amazing Korean brands that we know I am loving) and they are always so much more affordable there.  Given that I had plenty of time to kill, I did what I do best and made my way around the shops, discovering new products that I can’t get where I live and finding the best deals.  I even managed to have a free skin consultation at the gorgeous Korean ‘Laneige’ store in Tsim Sha Tsui. They used a device to test the water levels, elasticity and collagen in my skin and afterwards I spent ages talking to the lovely sales assistant about all things skincare.  As you can imagine, I was in my element!

That evening Dan and I went out for a walk along Victoria Harbour and admired sites such as the Peninsula Hotel and the 1881 Heritage building which was the Former Marine Police’s Headquarters.  Afterwards we headed to Harbour City for some dinner.

On Thursday I spent most of the day at Kowloon Park which is a large public park in the middle of Tsim Sha Tsui.  The park is about 33 acres and was the former site of the Whitefield Barracks of the British Army.

The site was redeveloped in 1970 to become Kowloon Park.  This park is something else!! I could not believe that this existed in the middle of such a busy city… It has rose gardens, garden walls, a bird aviary, ponds and fountains and an avenue of comic stars.  I even came across a bird lake full of Flamingos!! Lol Flamingos sure know how to put on a show! They were hilarious to watch – running after each other, fighting and making as much noise as possible!

The best part of all was that the park also had a number of outdoor swimming pools, connected together by waterfalls and areas to sunbathe.  I spent hours in Kowloon Park and I don’t think I even saw the half of it.  It’s such a gorgeous, peaceful place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city streets.  It was bizarre to feel so relaxed and peaceful in a space surrounded by high rise buildings.  The juxtaposition between a pond of flamingos and the city skyline was quite remarkable.  So close together yet the feeling of being miles apart.  This is exactly what I expect from an urban park.

That evening, Dan and I went out to watch the Hong Kong Light Show at Victoria Harbour.  It’s called “A Symphony of Lights”, and is a multimedia show that lights up the city’s skyline every night.  Recognised as one of the world’s most spectacular light shows, it has become one of the must see things in Hong Kong.  A sound track was prepared by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to be played during the light show when the iconic buildings on both sides of the harbour are lit up by searchlights, LED screens and lasers.

Now, as amazing as that sounds, that really wasn’t what we experienced on this night unfortunately.  I don’t know if we got unlucky or if the whole thing is just exaggerated and overrated but on the night that we were there the show was somewhat unimpressive if I am honest and there was no music. Hundreds of people were standing along the harbour waiting for it to begin and I could tell that we were not the only disappointed ones.  There is no way that this light show got its reputation through what we saw that night, so I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and assuming that there was some sort of glitch that night :(.

It was still a nice evening along the harbour and the weather was glorious.  After the light show we took the famous Star Ferry across the harbour to the other side of the city.  The star ferry boats have been carrying passengers from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon since 1888 and tens of millions of people use it as a mode of transport every year.  Hong Kong residents jump aboard it the same way that that Londoners use the tube.  However, the Star Ferry is cheaper and much more pleasant in my opinion, and offers incredible views of Hong Kong’s iconic skyscrapers on both sides of the harbour (which is why it’s as much a tourist attraction as it is public transport).

The next day was our last day in Hong Kong.  Dan had finished his conference and our flight was not until the evening so we had most of the day on Friday to see a few more sights.

That morning we visited the Choi Hung Estate.  It is actually one of the oldest public housing estates in Hong Kong, that is now somewhat Instagram famous for its symmetrical, pastel coloured façade.  It was a very strange scene, the reality of the situation is that the estate is home to approximately 18,000 people, and while we were there we were amongst residents hanging out their washing or playing basketball, along with hundreds of others (like me) who were there to take a pretty photo.  The buildings are painted the colours of the rainbow to try and keep up the spirits of the people living there, making this a prime example of reality versus social media.  Can you imagine living there and suddenly your home becomes Instagram famous because of the colour it is painted.

Finally, we visited Nan Lian Garden which is a classical Chinese garden.  The garden is absolutely beautiful and is designed in the Tang Dynasty style featuring lots of hills, trees, wooden structures and water features. Nan Lian Garden had a very different feel to Kowloon Park.  To me, this one felt more groomed and protected.  It was indeed very pretty but a lot of the areas were just for looking at and were blocked off from access.  It was nice for a little walk around but we didn’t spend a lot of time here.

That was about everything we got up to on our quick trip to Hong Kong.  Even though it was just a few days I think we fitted in more than we expected too.  Like I said, this was our second time in Hong Kong and I would go back again in the morning.  I love that some areas are very traditional and rich in historical culture while other areas are modern and metropolitan.  It really does cater for everyone and it has so much to offer.

If I had to choose just one thing to recommend doing while in Hong Kong, it would be to take the tram up Victoria Peak! That view could never get old! My top tip is also to book fast track tickets because the normal queue looked absolutely ridiculous (up to 2 hours at peak times)!  Even the fast track one wasn’t particularly ‘fast’ but the wait was definitely worth it!  We used a website called Klook, which seems like a Chinese version of Groupon and offered great deals on many activities and essentials.

I hope you enjoyed this little travel blog post for a change :).  I’d love to hear if any of you have been to Hong Kong or if you plan to go in the future…….. :).