My Travel Philosophy And Why I Love Hong Kong

It's easy to love Hong Kong. For me it's the East meets West vibe with the high finance industry, modern skyscrapers, restaurants, clubs, hotels, bars, luxury western brands etc. mixed with the beautiful, ancient Chinese culture and aesthetic. It's a very glamorous, cosmopolitan, sophisticated city that has hundreds and thousands of expats living there, many of whom have opened their own businesses which makes the city feel very international. You have incredible patisseries and French restaurants due to the large number of French living in Hong Kong, stores like Marks and Spencer and Harvey Nichols because of the British influence, lots of Tapas bars and award winning Spanish chefs setting up shop there etc. The Europe meets Asia theme is really strong there, which makes Westerners feel at home. The layout is so incredible with the hills, mountains, harbour, sea with tons of islands, Mong Kok. It is easily the most gorgeous large city in terms of topography. They have hundreds of luxurious malls with anything you can imagine from Ikea to Jack Wills. The shopping is endless. They city is abuzz 24/7 with outdoor markets, street food, restaurants, bars and clubs in LKF etc. It is even faster paced than NYC in my opinion and I am a New Yorker. Everyone speaks English, the locals are polite, it is virtually crime free, there are always events going on and there is an endless amount of shows, activities, events and things to see. It's also a perfect hub for a weekend getaway to countless amazing places in Asia to see, all within a 3 hour flight. It's very similar to London in that sense - a diverse, business capital where the commerce occurs and a place that can be used as a hub for the rest of the continent. This is why London and Hong Kong are my favorite cities in the world.

I really love Hong Kong. There is no middle ground with Hong Kong - people love it or hate it. Plenty of streets to explore and I agree, people watching in HKG is fascinating . I've travelled to Hong Kong many times alone and always feel safe as a (non Chinese) female to wander around in the evening on my own . It certainly feels like a second home and I get emotional every time I land. Try the great restaurants near Temple Street and the bars and tiny restaurants in and around Kimberley Rd Kowloon .

Completely agree with you Ben!

For me, Hong Kong give off a special vibe that is very hard to explain. As soon as you arrive, you feel the energy of the city. It is a very different vibe that you will find in most other places on earth. In Hong Kong, it seems like the government, it's peoples and it's businesses had gotten everything in just the right balance of efficiency and modernism, add together a dap of occassion chaosness, and wrap it all in a world of commerce and consumerism (with giants Neon lights and advertising boards everywhere), that vibes that it gives off is just amazing. I have never find the same vibes and feelings at any other city in the world. Many cities in the world had a component of this vibe, but very rarely will you find it all in one place like Hong Kong!

Hey Lucky! You're not crazy at all. I know exactly what you mean. I've only been to Hong Kong once but I absolutely loved it. I was that close to moving over there as an expat. And why? The energy of the city was really sparking. It's very easy to move around, the locals are great, and it still felt rather British! I really can't explain that but I think you know what I mean. :)

The other cities that I really love are London, Prague and Berlin. I lived in London for 6 years and I had a wonderful time building my career and spending all my money. Great times! I lived in Prague for 2 years and I would have stayed longer, but the companies there couldn't really afford my corporate services at the time so I moved onto Berlin. Berlin was IT! As soon as I came here, I know this was the place. The place that I utterly and completely love unconditionally. I've now been living here for 15 years as an expat, and the experience has been an utter roll of excitement and contained madness! Brilliant!

I lived just north in Shenzhen, China for almost two years (though thats shortly coming to an end, I think).

I'd also recommend the China Club for any meal, even breakfast. Its a throwback and you should, if you go in the evening, hit the top level for the bar and the roofdeck. If you like views, there are few better in HK.

Theres such an assortment of ethnic restaurants of every persuasion in the mid-levels, and I think wandering around some of the markets in HK island and eatign fruit while walking the streets is pretty awesome too. Then you can head towards Wan Chai, people watch and go to a more traditional cantonese restaurant.

Enjoy your stay? Hope you've made it to the Ritz Carlton Kowloon, amazing views and restaurant (and breakfast buffet). I stayed there on my first trip here.

Born and raised in NYC and now living in San Francisco I visited HK for the first time this year back in July. Loved the hustle and bustle and what a city for food. It rivaled NYC. I am not a big fan of public transportation and honestly have not taken a city bus or train in years. But the train system in HK is amazingly simple and the air conditioning oh my! I looked forward to riding the train to escape the heat! It's an entire city down there? Unlike the subway in NYC this was a truly amazing system. Can't wait to go back!

Hey Lucky,

If you haven't been before, you should check out Lamma island. a half hour ferry ride from the ferry terminal. once you get off, you're walking down a street running alongside the water. pick whichever restaurant appeals to you and you choose whatever fish you want them to make you from one of their tanks. really tasty and pretty fun. there are other places in HK like this with better seafood, but with Lamma you get the ferry ride and a cool walking/people watching scene. Nice to go with a few people so you can sample a few dishes. But going alone would be fine too, I'm sure.

@Lucky -- I know that you think you were rambling, but believe me when I tell you, you made perfect sense! I feel the same way about Hong Kong and about travel in general. There are places that I love that I simply can't convince anyone else to love, because they're not "textbook destinations." Hong Kong is by far one of the easiest cities to love and every corner there is exciting. I've been many times and am heading there next month again -- YAY! ;) PS: as many posters above noted, just walk into any place that looks local and you can't miss with the food. I've had the most amazing roast goose (and duck) at places that I literally just stepped into because I was hungry at that instant. To this day I don't know what the places were called and probably couldn't find them again. :)

No argument here, as I agree with you entirely. Hong Kong has that vibrancy that is noticeable as soon as you arrive, no matter what time it is. I doubt that I could live there, as it is not only expensive, but the smog and humidity would get to me. However its a great place to spend a few weeks, and I wouldn't go without also spending time wandering around Kowloon and doing the Macau visit.
Going back again in January, and the service on Cathay Pacific always makes the trip even more enjoyable.
The only other city I have felt the "awe factor" is Havana. Like stepping back in time, but that's another story.

Great post, one of your best. (One alternative suggestion for the monsoon season – watch the symphony of lights from the air-conditioned lobby of the Intercontinental sipping a Carlsberg and listening to live jazz. Bruce Lee would do it this way). In defense of the Grand Canyon – the four suites at El Tovar and Unit 306 at the Grand Canyon Lodge are among the toughest hotel rooms on earth to book and have views that would put any mere Park Hyatt or Ritz to shame. Unit 306 is a stone ‘log cabin’ with a porch with two rockers that sits perched directly on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The four suites have similar views on the south side but are not offered on the El Tovar website, you have to call and be very persistent about a year in advance. If you are poor, unlucky or just incapable of planning in advance (or in my case, all three), you can camp nearby and visit the lobbies of either lodge, which look like they were jointly designed by Teddy Roosevelt and Frank Lloyd Wright.

I completely agree with you. My wife and I are considered 'weirdos' for traveling to such remote places (like HK) and going to the movies, or just hanging out in a market, etc. Most of the time we never even see the famous landmarks. I've been to Buenos Aires 7 times and never gone to Boca, Caminito or Casa Rosada.

As far as Hong Kong goes, it is too my favourite city. Second to Hong Kong comes Mexico City.

My tip for HK is eat a (or many) egg custards at Tai Cheong. THEY ARE AMAZING!

Lucky, I completely agree. Was just in Hong Kong earlier this week and found myself feeling the same way. It's the energy, the skyline, the mix of modern and seedy, and the incredible functionality - don't think I've ever had to wait more than 2 minutes for an MTR train. I also find the people exceedingly helpful and polite considering it's such a big fast city. Was in the Starbucks at Hong Kong Station for example, and people sitting at a table saw me standing awkwardly and actively cleared space for me at their table and offered me a chair. That will NEVER happen in San Francisco.

@Mike i can't say enough about The Upper House. Fantastic location in Central and a stunning hotel. My partner and I stayed there last hear on an around the world trip and still miss it. I would recommend booking via a Virtuoso agent -- room upgrades if available and breakfast. Well worth it. Their grapefruit mademe weep.

For restaurants, I can recommend Yardbird -- all chicken all the time and really, really excellent at it too. Don't be afraid of the KFC -- it tastes just like chicken. Also, Tim Ho Wan -- you'll wait, but its the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world and delicious.

I think everyone has nuances and preferences that draw them to or away from certain places. For me, the most magical place is Cape Town. Even though I don't normally like cities, Cape Town feels like an assemblage of smaller towns along the coast to me. It is spectacularly beautiful (akin to San Francisco and Vancouver) and has amazing weather (akin to Los Angeles, an hour south of which is where I live now). It is a wonderful clash/mix of cultures, with English, French, Dutch, and African cultural norms all blending to some degree. It is a world class foodie city, and I'm a HUGE foodie--but, like South America, even its world class dining is cheap by Euro/American/Asian standards. Its winelands are the most beautiful in the world in my opinion--and just 45-60 min away by car, so a day trip there is even easier than it is to Napa from San Francisco--and there is even more amazing world class dining there. We were married there in Franschhoek outside Cape Town in April 2010 (our 4th visit), and we're returning again in January 2015. In retirement, I actually dream about living half the year there and returning home to California for the other half of the year.

I also don't care about museums, but I love food and fine dining. I don't care about public transport as much as natural beauty, architectural beauty, or drama--reasons why I liked Sydney more than Melbourne, Paris more than London, Edinburgh more than Prague, and Rio more than most. But Cape Town encapsulates all that I love in a way that no other city has.

Three places to try - all different:

1. Little Bao. Fantastic little Chinese Buns done like burgers and other fun stuff http://www.thatfoodcray.com/hong-kong-cray-little-bao/

2. Mak's Noodles. Old-School Wonton and Noodle shop in Central. Go for lunch. http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=1998

3. China Club. Private Club. Upmarket. Usually only open to members and AMEX Centurion cardholders. Your hotel concierge should be able to get you a table to check it out.

Have fun!

Partly what makes some cities so amazing is their lack of sights, higher cultural barriers/weirdness, comparative lack of major luxury hotel chains (in developing countries) or other marketing factors circulating in the travel industry that create a sort of "tourist hell."

For anyone interested, here's a partial list of cities that similarly have escaped these problems and are fantastic places to spend time to indulge in culture (since clearly that's only found in museums, tall buildings and temples/mosques/churches/castles/palaces). Put another way, these cities don't revolve around tourism like others do and you won't run into nearly as many crowds of visitors.

Lisbon, Porto, Brussels, Antwerp, Cologne, Berlin (outside Mitte), Zagreb, Budapest (outside Vaci utca), Marseilles (for the day trips esp.), Bilbao, Warsaw, Stockholm, Dublin, Buenos Aires (outside Florida St.), Sao Paulo, Seoul (outside Itaewon), Taipei, HK, Hanoi, Singapore, Melbourne, Austin, Vancouver, Seattle (outside Pike's Place), Chicago (outside Magnificent Mile).

I really hope people react with "Why would you go to _____?" My point exactly. :)

My favorite places to eat in HK - Tsui Wah Restaurant for their baked rice dishes + milk tea, Cafe de Coral, the Mango dessert places, the stands on the street where you can get a delicious bowl of congee + the fried salty dough bread and other "cha chaan tangs". I can get all of these foods in NYC, but the flavor of these foods in HK are just amazing. These places are not fancy nor are the restaurants. They are mostly foods locals love and foods I grew up eating when visiting family in HK. For fun - go to HK Disneyland and check out their dim sum where you can get some Disney character shaped dim sum! Also check out "The Globe" in Central for some amazing English pie! It's mostly an expat kinda joint. Rat Alley in LKF has some delicious Thai food too! You can also check out Fatty Crab (we have one in NYC), but not sure how it compares to the NYC location. Go for some high tea and rich ppl watch.

I totally agree about Hong Kong, even though, yes, there is pollution and gross sewer smells at times-part of the ambience, I would say! As a woman traveling alone there many times, I always feel safe, even at night. If I get a little lost, there is always a kind citizen to explain the way or walk me to the correct corner.

For a funky adventure just finding the front door, right in Tsim Sha Tsui (one of my favorite "neighborhoods", try Koh I Noor for excellent Indian food! 16C Mody Rd.

Second choice, San Francisco: any kind of food, great views, people-watching!

Ben,

I agree with your sentiments about Hong Kong. I think it is the coolest city in the world and I hope you are having a fun and recharging time.

Am I the only one who finds it amusing when people offer all sorts of *unsolicited* advice on blog post comments? You say you like a place and people want to show off how cool they are with the restaurant, cafe, and other attraction recommendations.

They say unsolicited advice is the lowest form of conversation.

Tocqueville

as a new yorker, i used to have this odd feeling whenever i traveled that no matter where in the world i was, i would still feel a twinge of regret that i was missing out on something that evening back home in manhattan. hong kong was the first city i ever visited where i didn't even think about nyc once.

HK can be tough as a solo diner but if you try a lot of the small places on the street you really can't go wrong. just follow the crowds. for a splurge, do the chef's table at Bo Innovation in Wan Chai.

have fun! can't wait to be out there myself in a couple weeks.

I will be in Hong Kong for the first time on December 26 this year and after reading several blogs saying the same thing you just said, I'm very excited to experience this city. I'm originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, a mega city lacking the vibe or the contrast you described.

I got the feeling that I had found my home, the first time I visited Los Angeles many years, and I can't explain either why I love it so much, but I have been living here for a while and it still feels like a dream every time I drive down Sunset Blvd...

So enjoy Hong Kong and let us know if you find a real remarkable restaurant to recommend.

BTW, we will fly Cathay Pacific Business from LAX. Any thoughts?

Hong Kong is hands down one of the raddest places on earth. I've just spent some days at the city last may/june while visiting my father, who lives in China, and I was completely in love with the place. It wasn't my first time there, but it was so much better than the first... it's a very, very cool place.

Together with Berlin, it's my favourite city on the planet. And I really hope I can get a job that puts me there at least half the times you get to go to HK. You're very lucky, Lucky.