Foot massages are a Hong Kong must. The late-night, no-frills environment has its own charm. This one’s open nearly 24 hours, is super clean, and will be the best $40 bucks you can spend in 50 minutes.
Level eight, Regent Centre, 88 Queen's road
Hong Kong
+852-997-7138
A remote crescent-moon island with lovely coastal trails that pass by old settlements, traditional structures, quiet beaches, and small cafes. (You can take the Tsui Wah ferry service to and from the city center.)
Most of Hong Kong Island is actually a gorgeous tropical preserve. A walk through the western mid-levels (or a taxi, or The Peak tram) will get you up to the highest point. Pack a picnic breakfast and walk the old victorian promenade that passes by cottages and Lung Fu Shan country park.
Enter Lugard Rd, Western Mid-Levels
Hong Kong
Tons of incense coils hang from the ceiling like honeycombs - wafting smoke to gather the attention of the gods.
Cinema, an exhibition hall and a resource centre, all equipped with the latest technology to restore glamour to the films of yesteryear.
50 Lei King Road
Hong Kong
+852-2739-2139
"Hong Hong's back garden," on the backside of Kowloon, is a rustic fishing port where many fine seafood restaurants have an outpost. You can point to any of the tanks to get your lunch freshly prepared while you post-up at a seaside table. (Look out for the Michelin-starred Chuen Kee.) Junk boats are for hire on the water and will take you to sandy enclaves (like Tai Long Wan, a large bay with white sand beaches).
Sai Kung, Hong Kong
Traditional high tea is not to be missed. Neither is the gorgeous jewel box known as The Mandarin Cake Shop. Get the check, then go take a look.
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong,
5 Connaught Rd.
+852-2825-4007
A little tea shop celebrating all that is sweet, low-key, and made from scratch. Carve out a place to sit with a magazine and cup of Masala chai, a few drop scones, and green tea cheesecake.
A landmark '50s-era casual cha-chan-teng (tea food hall) with cute booths and a well-preserved throwback feel. Order milk tea and western toast, a slice of pullman bread smothered with butter and condensed milk.
A laid-back chicken Yakitori den from a former fancy Masa chef. Food-focused menu clucks with chicken oysters, chicken hearts, and fried cauliflower. Fun for groups, as nearly everything is served on a stick.
Follow the buttery scent down a tiny lane and cul-de-sac to this beautiful, minimalist Japanese patisserie, where artisan French-japanese breads and baked goods are made from scratch on the premises.
Everybody goes to this 70-year-old dining spot for the famous roasted goose, char siew (barbecued pork), and 100-year egg with pickled ginger. So should you.
Art deco Sichuan and Peking menu with a moody old-world vibe and plenty of red lanterns.
A whimsical and surreal dining experience with a smart Brit aesthetic – the kind of place where cooked squid becomes hot popcorn and peanut butter pâté is served with bourbon marshmallows.
What's a trip to Hong Kong without elegant dim sum at the Four Seasons? This is Cantonese dining at its finest (harbor views, incredible flower arrangements, shiny silverware), led by Lung King Heen, the first Chinese chef to ever be awarded three Michelin stars. Be sure to order crispy skinned roast pork and crispy scallops with pear.
Podium 4, Four Seasons Hotel,
8 Finance St. Hong Kong
+852-3196-8888
Here's a fun challenge for your hotel concierge: wrangle a reservation at Mr. Shanghai Tang's exclusive retro dining penthouse (and private club) on top of the old Bank of China.
An intimate example of the private dining trend taking place in HK. Reservations are hard to come by, but if you can snag one of the ten place settings, be prepared for chef Esther Sham's modern Chinese cooking with a passionate twist: uni spaghetti, red bean dumplings with red wine jelly and honey, silken pumpkin soup with Parmesan cream and salami chips.
Chaotic, cheap, and Michelin-starred dim sum for die-hards who don't mind waiting two hours for a table.
A 24-hour cultural institution (there are several locations around town) known for HK-style milk tea (they even have a "champagne" version which comes in a glass bottle over ice in its own bucket), fried rice (perfect for the 4 a.m. post-clubbing crush), HK-style western food, and the piece-de-resistance: a toasted sweet bun with condensed milk.
Sunday roasts, Scotch eggs, pints. It's serious Brit food at this charming gastropub and music venue in a former colonial-era pawn shop.
A local gathering spot (dai pai dong) on the top of a wet market in North Point. Gather around round wooden tables and get ready for hot woks of seafood and cold beers. Order: blue crab (fa hal) steamed with egg and lotus wrapped rice.
Chef/hostess Margaret Xi worked at Yuen long before moving to her private kitchen. Parties of six can call ahead to reserve the little '50s style dining room on the ground and top floors of a nondescript building (an old-fashioned Smeg refrigerator sits in the corner), and enjoy amazingly fresh, local ingredients-driven menu of seafood and meats (roasted in a specially commissioned terracotta Chinese urn).
A design-led heritage hotel in the former (and very refurbished) mainland police quarters. The suites, ten in all, range from lacquered 1930s deco to English countryside to Pop-era posh. Service is subtle and flawless. The drinking and dining establishments on the premises give a glamorous nod to the past.
Among the self-important skyscrapers and bajillion-dollar renovations, it's refreshing to find a casually hip hotel that doesn't take itself too seriously. The pool scene is decidedly younger, the dining buffet feels like a campus, and the rooms are compact with fun touches (like swing chairs and big, neon dinosaur sculptures).
Fifty-six sleek white studios and suites designed by Philippe Starck channel HK's inner Miami. When you're not lounging by the pool or looking in the mirrors (which are everywhere), you'll find yourself in the midst of the island's most bustling shopping hub.
The Asian-influenced space, by the Hong Kong designer Andre Fu, calmly contrasts all the bling-n-bizness happening on the island. The idea behind not having a lobby or a front desk (check-in happens on an iPad in your room) is to make it feel like you're at home (a very fancy, zen-like home). There's plenty of space, insane views (the hotel starts on floor 38), and amenities like huge glass bathrooms, free in-room snacks, and afternoon warm cookie delivery.
Pacific Place, 88 Queensway
Hong Kong
+852-2918-1838
A fleet of 15 custom-made Rolls-Royce Phantoms with wifi (including one from 1934) will ferry you around town, or to and from the airport. Messages arrive to your room by silent fax. There's a 12,000-square-foot ESPA spa, a rooftop helipad, and a Roman-style pool (with plenty of Victoria Harbour views). Emphasis is clearly on pure luxury.
Salisbury Road, Tsimshatsui
Hong Kong, Kowloon
+852-2926-2888
The market (held about 15 times a year) gives a cold shoulder to mass production by shedding a spotlight on local, sustainable, and handmade artisanal foods, beauty products, clothes, accessories, and crafts. Check the site for other market locations around Hong Kong.
Main Discovery Bay Plaza
Hong Kong
The area around Hollywood Road (sometimes called Soho and Noho) has become a full-blown indie boutique district, a refreshing change from the mega-malls to the east. Aberdeen Street, Tung Street, and Gough Street are filled with small brand stores, design studios, and coffee shops to make your heart go pitter-patter; stroll Cat Street for mao statues, funky jade pieces, and retro teapots.
This antiquarian book store is a real page-turner. Peruse the very special vintage tome collection, natural history books, children's collections, and poetry volumes. All found treasures leave the shop beautifully wrapped.
HK's grand dame of high-end clothing, helmed by style icon Sarah Rutson, is a beautiful department store chain that caters to socialities and "tai tai's" (ladies that lunch). There are several locations around the city.
A swank-yet-tranquil shopping strip (comprised of Star, Sun, Moon, and Wing Streets) with a global flair: Agnes b's Librairie Galerie, Kapok, Monocle, Astier de Villatte, and a Central St. Martin design duo's Daydream Nation. Plenty of French cafes for a midday pause.
Queen's Road East at Three Pacific Place
Hong Kong
Upper Lascar Row (Cat Street) is a grimey little alleyway off Hollywood Road that's chock-a-block with touristy souvenirs, and flanked with shops selling antique, ceramics, toys, junk, and forgotten Chinese relics. The area used to be close to the coastline, and became known as the place where sailors and merchants would offload their treasures and artifacts from abroad.
Suits are practically the island's uniform, whether it's off-the-rack, tailored, or totally bespoke. This boutique in the Pedder Building offers gorgeous natty duds with supreme craftsmanship.
To reach this touristy-but-fun market on the backside of HK island, you must drive the winding roads, with steep cliffs on one side, beaches on the other. There are narrow lanes with lots of shops and kiosks selling trinkets, handmade silk items, pashminas, and embroidered linen things. People bargain here for sport, so it can be exhausting. Stroll the main road and you'll find several great places for lunch.
The last of the amazing Japanese department stores in the area. Pastries and confections come boxed, decorated, ready to gift, and are so pretty you'll have a hard time eating them. Sogo also carries a lot of cool Japanese labels you won't see outside of Asia.
A lifestyle brand (with six shops in Hong Kong) merging old and new China: rare titles on colonial Hong Kong, street photography, and Chinese cookbooks in English that you can't get anywhere else. Mahjong tiles and Shanghai soap make great souvenirs.
48 Hollywood Rd.
Hong Kong
+852-2805-1876
A hawking market that's great for costume jewelry, fast fashion, and trendy accessories. Be prepared to negotiate aggressively: Offer 50 percent of the quoted price and pretend to walk away. Made to order goods (inspired by, say, Hermes) can be had here.
A funky little open-air studio on the outskirts of Central where you can learn the art of working leather. Sign up for a session or two and craft notebook covers, camera cases, purses, and slippers.