Hong Kong

Hong Kong - "Asia's World City", the Gateway to China, where East meets West, and long one of the world's favourite tourist destinations.

Since the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, Hong Kong has had plenty of ups and downs, from the Asian Financial Crisis and its own political crises to SARS and bird flu. But Hong Kong is making a comeback, and is now as vibrant as ever.

Find out everything you need to know to prepare for your visit right here.

Essential Sites

A handful of sites you should check out before (or during) your visit.

Economist City Guide - Hong Kong: The city guide to Hong Kong from The Economist magazine - ideal for busy executives passing through town.
Time Out - Hong Kong: A savvy city guide from the people at Time Out.
Lonely Planet Destination Guide - Hong Kong: Destination guide from the publishers of the popular Lonely Planet guidebooks.
HK Magazine: HK Magazine is a free weekly magazine with the lowdown on curent events, dining and entertainment in Hong Kong. (If you select "Hong Kong" as your city of choice on the home page of HK Magazine publishers Asia City, you can find much information including complete downloads of recent issues of the magazine.)
The Standard: English language Hong Kong newspaper The Standard focuses on Hong Kong and China business, but has some good general articles too. Irritatingly, Hong Kong's best English language newspaper, the South China Morning Post, has a subscriber only site! Grrr!
Discover Hong Kong - The Hong Kong Tourism Board: The official site of the Hong Kong Tourism Board has a wealth of information for visitors.
FT.com - Hong Kong: Travel guide to Hong Kong from London's Financial Times. The walking tours are particularly good.
Hong Kong Travel Guide - The New York Times Travel Section: A travel guide for Hong Kong from The New York Times and Fodor's. Some good backgrounder articles are available.
Departures - Hong Kong: The low down on some of Hong Kong's best kept secrets from American Express's departures.com.

Eat - Chinese

Shui Hu Ju: Located in the back streets of Hong Kong's colourful "Soho" district, Shui Hu Ju serves fiery Sichuan cuisine in a rustic setting.
Ye Shanghai: Ye Shanghai serves Shanghainese food in a 1920s colonial ambience, with live music.
Yellow Door: Unique restaurant the Yellow Door is located in an old apartment building, with walls decorated by famed Hong Kong graffiti artist "The King of Kowloon". With a regularly rotating set menu, this is one for those in-the-know. After the meal, enjoy the live jazz at neighbouring Blue Door bar.

Eat - International

Felix: Felix on the top floor of the Peninsula Hotel is without a doubt the most outstanding restaurant in Hong Kong: endlessly creative cuisine, hip decor by Philippe Starke, stunning views over the harbour - for a truly special night out, don't miss it.
M At the Fringe: The original "M" restaurant, a bit less pretentious than her Shanghai younger sibling and better food too.
Veda: Hong Kong is well-known for its large Indian population who, when they are not trying to sell you a suit on Nathan Road, also cook fabulous Indian food. Very much on the Other Side of the Harbour to their Nathan Road cousins, Veda is classy Indian food with attitude. Check out the hip and very poorly-lit Backroom bar downstairs after dinner.

Drink

dragon-i: Visiting celebrities, sports stars, models, film stars, rock musicians - when in Hong Kong, they all chose to drink at dragon-i. Painfully pretentious and with a door policy to match, but if you want to see and be seen it's the only place in town.
drop: drop vies with dragon-i (why do all these clubs eschew initial capitals?) for coolest bar in town. Run by local DJ Joel Lai, drop has the music, the best martinis and a suitably credible back-alley location, all of which make it much beloved of the wallpaper* set. Look out for the "members only" door policy on weekends.
1/5: A hip drinking venue in the more desolate back streets of Wanchai.
Aqua: Slick bar and restaurant on the Kowloon waterfront with views across to Hong Kong Island.
Felix: See "Eat - International", above. If you don't have a meal here, at least come here for a pre-dinner cocktail.
Fringe Club: The home of Hong Kong's alternative creative underclass. Gallery, live music, theatre, and a cosy bar about as chill as it gets in Hong Kong.

Sleep - Luxury

The Peninsula: In their own words: "Created 75 years ago in the glamorous 1920s, the legendary 'Grande Dame of the Far East' continues to set hotel standards worldwide, offering a blend of the best of Eastern and Western hospitality in an atmosphere of unmatched classical grandeur and timeless elegance."
The Landmark Mandarin Oriental: Hip new addition to the Mandarin Oriental chain, located in Central, Hong Kong and with every mod con around.
Four Seasons Hong Kong: Part of the new IFC development, the Four Seasons Hong Kong is a spectacular new addition to Hong Kong's hotels.

Sleep - Budget

Sensibly-priced accommodation can be difficult to find in Hong Kong, especially during peak seasons. However, try some of the following:

The Salisbury, operated by the YMCA, has a killer location right on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, and has inexpensive rooms as well as dormitory accommodation available. On the other side of the harbour, try Harbour View International House, also operated by the YMCA. Definitely the best budget accommodation options in Hong Kong, although booking in advance recommended.
The YWCA also operates a number of hotels in Hong Kong at very reasonable prices.
The West Hotel is reasonably priced and in a good location in Tsim Sha Tsui, close to the Temple Street Night Markets.
Of course, there's always Chungking Mansions...

Recommended Guidebooks

Time Out: Hong Kong (Time Out Hong Kong)

Time Out produce the best "city" guides for mine, and their guide to Hong Kong is no exception.

Amazon Price: $15.96 (as of 08/08/2008)

LUXE City Guides: Hong Kong & Macau

by LUXE Asia Limited

Locally produced, the hip and savvy Luxe guide lists all the finest places to sleep, eat, drink and shop in Hong Kong. No maps, no sights, no nonsense.

Amazon Price: (as of 08/08/2008)

Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau: City Guide (Lonely Planet Hong Kong and Macau)

by Steve Fallon

The comprehensive Lonely Planet guide always makes a happy travelling companion.

Amazon Price: (as of 08/08/2008)

Lonely Planet Best Of Hong Kong (Lonely Planet Encounter Series)

by Steve Fallon

The condensed Lonely Planet "Best Of" guide is good for short stays.

Amazon Price: (as of 08/08/2008)

Hong Kong City Map

Lighten your load - just carry this handy map in your pocket!

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 08/08/2008)

Books about Hong Kong

Some recommended pre-trip/in-flight reading.

Hong Kong

by Jan Morris

A poignant portrait of pre-Handover Hong Kong by master travel writer Jan Morris. Captures the trepidation of Hong Kong in its last days of colonial rule.

Amazon Price: $15.30 (as of 08/08/2008)

A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong

by Frank Welsh

A very readable and comprehensive history of Hong Kong.

Amazon Price: (as of 08/08/2008)

Lonely Planet World Food Hong Kong (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)

by Richard Sterling, Elizabeth Chong

Hong Kong is known the world over for its food - learn more with this overview from Lonely Planet.

Amazon Price: (as of 08/08/2008)

Hong Kong in Fiction

Suzie Wong.

by Richard Mason

The classic book of White Man sexual exploits in the Exotic Orient - a veritable free-for-all for Orientalist, post-colonialist and feminist theorists, and ideal reading before heading out for a night on the town in Wan Chai.

Amazon Price: (as of 08/08/2008)