Planning a short stay in Hong Kong? Let me tell you about mine, and you can hopefully plan yours !
Hong Kong was one of those destinations which kept getting the back seat, for some reason; a combination of ‘the world is so big, what do I want to see first?’ with ‘this year was supposed to be the year of travel near‘ and a dash of ‘I’m really not into cities all that much’.
But we finally made up our minds. Tickets bought, hotel booked, planning checked. It ended up being the best microadvenure I’ve taken so far.
Let me tell you all the good reasons why Hong Kong should be your next destination.
Table of Contents
Nature Lovers, Behold!
A must for your short stay in Hong Kong, if you love nature, are the hundreds of miles of well-maintained hiking trails stretch in all directions, appealing to rookies and veteran hikers alike.
From the popular Victoria Peak to the Dragon Trail Hike, all the way to the MacLehose Trail – Kong Kong is more than a pretty skyline.
Walk the MacLehose Trail
The Mac, as it’s affectionately known, stretches for 100 kilometers from the east to the west of Hong Kong and offers endless possibilities to enjoy beautiful beach alcoves and sea views framed snugly by rows of green hills.
When you’re out there, with only the sea and the hills for as far as the eye can see, it’s hard to imagine the concrete jungle actually exists.
MacLehose Trail No. 2 felt like a walk back in time; in a time of fragrant harbors, junk ships and Tai Pan intrigues that Clavell so cleverly described.
The sheer beauty of the trail is hard to put into the right words, I really recommend you go try it out for yourselves! –
Walks in the Parks
Plenty of green spots freckle the city of skyscrapers, starting with the all known Kowloon Park and Victoria Park, all the way to Tsing Yi Park, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical gardens, Hong Kong Park, or the Hong Kong Wetland Park up north.
And any short stay in Hong Kong must include at least one of the parks!
Because It was raining the morning I wanted to go to the Kowloon Park, and because the wetland was slightly farther away – and also, we only had 3 days (though I’m sensing a re-visit, soon!) we picked the Hong Kong Park as a sampler.
The day was cloudy, slightly rainy and pretty humid, but we still enjoyed it! With those views, it would have been hard not to..
The City With A View
Everything seems to be labeled ‘with a view’ in Hong Kong.
The hikes, the hotels, the restaurants and sky bars, the infinity pools – even the gym at our hotel! (I’ll tell you more about that in a separate post)
Possibly the best view of the harbor was from the 118th floor at Ritz Carlton Ozone Bar. It’s where we had our Ultimate Dom Perignon Champagne Brunch.
We don’t usually go around throwing money on this kind of experiences – it was actually a first! – but despite the steep price, and what is probably more like a one time thing for us, I can’t say I regret having done so.
A Foodies’ Heaven
It is, I promise. From the heavenly dim sums, the many varieties of pork and the many more varieties of noodles – and let’s not forget the counting of ducks and geese –
Hong Kong is a melting pot of all the best things your stomach loves.
With only 3 days for our short stay in Hong Kong, I had to choose my battles carefully. Although I can’t say I made so much as a dent in the city’s gastronomic armor, I do have some humble recommendations:
- Wonton & Dumpling noodles in Soup at Mak’s Noodles
- Peking Duck at Hung Tong Restaurant
- Cajun fries and spicy chorizo at Red Sugar Bar
- Champagne brunch at Ozone
- Matcha icecream Eggete at Oddies Foodies
There you are, tips for a short stay in Hong Kong in less than 800 words. A sacrilege really, writing so little for a place with so much to give!
But now that it’s own of my system, I’ll gladly get into the details of each and every one of the tips above.
So stick around: it’s going to be one hell of a show!