Best Places to Visit in Hong Kong
What do you know about Hong Kong? Personally, I know so little about this country. I am so lucky that I had the chance to explore and learn more about Hong Kong this summer. To me, Hong Kong is a combination of New York and San Francisco. Sounds interesting, right? Here are my Best Places to Visit in Hong Kong:
FOOD
Omg! Hong Kong has a lot of restaurants to chose from. If you want good but cheap food, there are plenty. If you’re craving noodles, you have to try Kau Kee Noodles in the Soho district. Their beef brisket noodles dish was amazing and inexpensive. However, they don’t take reservations and you will most likely have to wait to get into the small restaurant. This is a very popular restaurant even among the locals. Also, I want to warn you that you will most likely be seated next to other people in a table.
If you’re up for egg tarts (I’m obsessed with them!), I recommend going to Tai Cheong Bakery. It was so delicious. If you want to take some desserts home, be sure to get the butter eggrolls. Yes, as pictured below, there maybe a line but the wait time was minimal. The dessert was absolutely worth it.
For a unique dish, I suggest eating at Yat Lok for their famous marinated geese. I believe this is a one michelin star restaurant. I had the goose leg and it was so tasty. Other items on the menu included pork and chicken. Like most of Hong Kong, the place was small so you may be seated with other customers if they get too busy. Also, this is cash only so be prepared.
If you like food with a view, check out Wooloomooloo Steakhouse. I went there for lunch and I was impressed with the view of the bay. As this was a steakhouse, I had a big expectation of their steak to be phenomenal. I ordered the grilled Australian 120-day grain fed sirloin and it was not tender so I wouldn’t recommend this steak. However, I liked their oysters and the view so I suggest coming here for the view and try the filet mignon, maybe it’s better. haha!
DRINKS/NIGHTLIFE
Hong Kong has a strip where there are plenty of bars/clubs side by side. The area is called Lan Kwai Fong. It reminded me of New York in a smaller scale. The vibe was great since there were plenty of music and party goers around. I went to Dragon-I to check out their nightlife. Let me say this, you are too early if you arrive at 11pm. Hong Kong is like Vegas where they close at 5pm or later so showing up before midnight is too early.
I was too eager to check out Hong Kong since I just arrived early in the evening so I went to the Lan Kwai Fong area early anyway. There were only a few people at Dragon-I but people started coming in around 12:30am. The tables were starting to fill in and the music became louder. From what I saw after going to various clubs nearby, Dragon-I was the place to be. Everyone was dressed up and the guys were dressed in business suits or vests. For drinks, order their mango martini, it was sooo good. The next night, Cedric Gervais was the headliner so it’s definitely an Ibiza/Vegas type of place. The good news was that it was FREE to get in but it may charge an entrance fee for nights with big DJs.
For rooftop bars, I suggest checking out Ce La Vi . I went there during the day so there was no dress code but I was told that dress code will be enforced after 6pm. The rooftop view was beautiful, a 360 view of the city and mountain. Their drinks were great as well but be ready to spend money.
ACTIVITIES
I went to Victoria Peak (also known as Mount Austin) which is a must if you’re in Hong Kong. When I was there in June 2019, the peak tram was going through maintenance so the only way to go up was either a bus/taxi/uber. I chose to uber from my hotel which was very convenient. The uber dropped me off in the entrance to the peak, an elevation of over 3,000 ft. There were plenty of places to take pictures and the view was undeniably beautiful.
For me, you can’t talk about Hong Kong without discussing SHOPPING. Every where you go, you will see plenty of shops. My favorite area is Soho, specifically the Gough Street since it’s full of boutique shops. These boutique shops had a bunch of jewelry, bags, clothing, etc. Needless to say, I was in heaven. haha! One of my favorite shops, check out Marco Visconti.
Another area where you can shop if you like to bargain is the Ladies Market. The name says it all, doesn’t it? This is an area of Hong Kong (over 100 stalls) where you can get super cheap items for souvenirs. Be sure to negotiate to get a great deal.
HOTEL
I chose Hotel Vic on the Harbour since I wanted a room with a view of the bay. It was on sale and I used my Chase ultimate rewards points to book this hotel. Unfortunately, I only had a limited view of the bay. Nonetheless, the hotel was great. The service was good, the room was small but enough space for two people and I liked the bathroom tiles. Hmm, what can I say, I like a good bathroom design.
In general, I enjoyed staying in this hotel because it was clean and essentially free after paying with points. However, since it was so far out from the places I liked, I recommend staying in the Soho area or Lan Kwai Fong area. These areas have nearby restaurants or bars you can easily walk to.
Overall, I love Hong Kong. It has a little bit of everything that I like—great food, great shopping and amazing views. I will definitely come back here again.
Have you been to Hong Kong? Let me know your Best Places to Visit in Hong Kong below. If you’re interested in traveling in Asia, check out my blog on the Top 5 Places to Visit in Phuket.
