Hong Kong ideas [8am-4pm]

[Allegro Vivace]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

You can also do a tour of the Harbour with the Star Ferry

 

[Winston1]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

I really like the mid levels and exploring around there.
the horse track at night is also awesome. (I don't care for horse racing, but the atmosphere was great)

 

[Febs]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

Lots of great suggestions here already. I'll just add:

Chi Lin Nunnery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_Lin_Nunnery
10,000 Buddhas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Thousand_Buddhas_Monastery

The outlying islands are definitely worth seeing for a bit of old school HK. Cheung Chau (as pointed out) is fun and can be reached in 45min. Peng Chau is also rustic and interesting (got chased by wild dogs there recently..good times ). Ping Chau is even more interesting, but only doable on weekends and it's definitely a full day, considering there's only one ferry there, and one ferry back! It's a bit of a ghost island, with barely any inhabitants but quite a few old housing ruins from when it had a population in the 1000s in the 70s.

I've gotta say though, in my opinion, The Big Buddha is not worth it at all. Yes the cable car is cool (and great for plane spotters), but the buddha itself just feels hugely touristy (it was only built in the 90s). It just feels like they built it for tourists, rather than any historical or religious significance (harsh and untrue I'm sure, but it certainly feels that way). The area at the base of the buddha is also full of tacky souvenir shops and (from memory) even a Starbucks. Loved the cable car (and the area looks like it has some nice walks / hikes), but the Buddha itself is something I advise everyone to steer clear of, unless they like tacky tourist attractions.

Cheers,
Febs.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

In the end I only did the Museum of Coastal Defences (walked 15 mins from Shau Kai Wan MRT station) . A great story told about the history of regional 'coastal defence' since well before the British and well worth the visit. Thanks yohy?! .

By midday the weather had turned bad, with low cloud and thunderstorms, so I skipped Ngong Ping, had lunch and then mooched around Mong Kok (near my Cordis Langham hotel) for an hour or so.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions;lots to plan for next time!!

 

[SeatBackForward]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

MTR, the MRT is in Singapore sorry the engineer in me couldn't resist.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

MTR, the MRT is in Singapore sorry the engineer in me couldn't resist.

I thought it seemed a very long trip .

 

[Mr_Orange]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

mooched around Mong Kok (near my Cordis Langham hotel)

How is the Cordis? I stayed there when it was still Langham Place so am interested to understand how it has changed, if at all....

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

How is the Cordis? I stayed there when it was still Langham Place so am interested to understand how it has changed, if at all....

I reviewed it here.

 

[Allegro Vivace]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

I have to agree with Febs.The Big Buddha is a bit of a let down, but the cable car ride is worthwhile.

Beware of going to the Big Buddha and the Peak on weekends, the queues can be very long

 

[SeatBackForward]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

I have to agree with Febs.The Big Buddha is a bit of a let down, but the cable car ride is worthwhile.

Beware of going to the Big Buddha and the Peak on weekends, the queues can be very long

Back in 2007 when I was showing some visitors around, we had to go on a Sunday, yes big mistake. However, back then, not sure if its still possible, you could queue up in the "standing only" line. It appeared everyone wanted to sit, and we got in the next car immediately.

 

[amaroo]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

We made the error of a weekend visit, the queue was horrendous. Someone walked passed advertising crystal and private cabins .... Went straight to the front and saved god knows how long.

IMO the cable car over to Ocean Park
was a better ride.

 

[Winston1]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

We made the error of a weekend visit, the queue was horrendous. Someone walked passed advertising crystal and private cabins .... Went straight to the front and saved god knows how long.

IMO the cable car over to Ocean Park
was a better ride.

Yeah, we opted for the crystal cabins purely to cut down on wait time. Well worth the extra money. And the glass bottom cars provide a better view as well.

buddah was ok. Not spectacular but not bad either. Cable car ride is the highlight.

 

[get me outta here]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

A bit of a bump to this thread. How about dining in the dark served by vision impaired people:

ALCHEMY IN THE DARK

WHERE Hong Kong
WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT IT? Those looking for a sensory and social experience should head to Alchemy in the Dark, where guests dine in total darkness. Even light emitting devices such as mobile phones have to be stored outside of the main dining area.The intimate setting has only 24 seats, and hires visually impaired waiting staff to serve the dishes. A percentage of the proceeds are also directed to blind-related charities in Hong Kong.
MENU Part of the experience is to have a surprise menu - guests aren't told the details of their dishes until after their meal! This forces diners to use their other senses to experience the meal. Having said that, the restaurant features a changing menu of Western dishes, which are presented as finger food in an attempt to alleviate the trickiness of using cutlery in the dark!
ADDRESS LG/F, 16 Arbuthnot Rd, Central, Hong Kong
OPENING HOURS Noon-11pm
alchemy-concept.com

Five unusual restaurants to try - Business Traveller Asia

 

[Mr_Orange]

Re: Hong Kong ideas

A bit of a bump to this thread. How about dining in the dark served by vision impaired people:

ALCHEMY IN THE DARK

WHERE Hong Kong
WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT IT? Those looking for a sensory and social experience should head to Alchemy in the Dark, where guests dine in total darkness. Even light emitting devices such as mobile phones have to be stored outside of the main dining area.The intimate setting has only 24 seats, and hires visually impaired waiting staff to serve the dishes. A percentage of the proceeds are also directed to blind-related charities in Hong Kong.
MENU Part of the experience is to have a surprise menu - guests aren't told the details of their dishes until after their meal! This forces diners to use their other senses to experience the meal. Having said that, the restaurant features a changing menu of Western dishes, which are presented as finger food in an attempt to alleviate the trickiness of using cutlery in the dark!
ADDRESS LG/F, 16 Arbuthnot Rd, Central, Hong Kong
OPENING HOURS Noon-11pm
alchemy-concept.com

Five unusual restaurants to try - Business Traveller Asia

I've heard about the concept but not looked into locations. Good to know.

 

[coles525]

Day at the beach? Take a bus past ocean park...

Can't remember exactly, but if its a good/sunny day to laze around in....

Planning on doing it in October. (12 hr stop over).

 

[Allegro Vivace]

Ah Hong Kong ! Our favourite place for a short holiday !.

Flying to there next month for Chinese New Year

I can certainly recommend the Ping Shan Heritage walk, which ends at Sheung Wan by the old Western Market.

The Star Ferry harbour cruise is worth doing.

There is also a new walk along a promenade at the harbour edge starting at Sun Yat Sen memorial park.
Take the MTR toSai Ying Pun station and walk towards the harbour and the park is easy to find.

Another walk is the Bowen Road walk which follows the slopes above the CBD and Wan Chai with views over the city.

Enjoy the brief stay

 

[kpc]

For future reference