HONG Kong’s long been a popular destination for Australian travellers with generations stopping for a night or two in this fascinating city.
And there’s many good reasons to do that with Gold Coasters able to fly direct from Gold Coast Airport with Hong Kong Airlines from $720 return.
Here’s how to spend 48 hours in Hong Kong.
SHOP
Wander massive shopping malls and precincts that interconnect and offer the best labels from Europe, the Americas and Asia, or get out into the ‘real’ Hong Kong with a visit to the markets. We like the Ladies Market – they’re more ‘local’ than the tourist-orientated Temple Street. Despite the name the Ladies Market is a market for everyone, and a hot spot for clothes shopping.
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In Ap Liu Street there’s bargains on electronics and related goods.
For something different aim for Cat Street and lose yourself in a world of pre- and post-Mao Chinoiserie.
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DINE
HK is all about food.
Must-try dishes in this food paradise include char siu (bbq pork), fish ball noodles, roast goose, beef brisket noodles and egg tarts.
A yum cha is a must and we recommend Lin Heung Teahouse in Central (www.linheung.com.hk).
A top-end favourite is the Mandarin Oriental’s Michelin-starred Man Wah offering Cantonese local and regional specialties.
The surroundings are gorgeous, the views wonderful and food incomparable. (www.mandarinoriental.com)
Eat like a local at Ah Shun’s Kitchen in Cheung Chan, a hole-in-the-wall that draws customers for its seafood.
Tim Ho Wan (www.timhowan.com) is a dim sum specialist and probably the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. No, really. Serious foodies should consider a tour – you’ll get a great overview and experience more than you could without a guide.
Hong Kong Foodie Tours was a lot of fun - don’t eat before you go! (www.hongkongfoodietours.com)
STAY
The Mandarin Oriental offers a stay without peer - from the airport pick up to your departure you’ll be treated like a rock star.
Gents, shout yourself a shave and hair cut in the hotel’s barber – it’s a treat.
You also can’t ignore The Peninsula for a stay seeped in old-world charm and gentility in the city’s oldest (established in 1928) hotel with its fleet of green Rolls Royce. (www.grandluxuryhotels.com)
Aiming a little lower, Cosmo Hotel Mongkok is close to Mongkok’s amazing markets and dai pong (food markets) so you can really soak it all up. Book a month in advance to save big time. (www.cosmohotel.com.hk)
EXPERIENCE
You just must take a trip across the harbour on a Star ferry. Tip: The lower level’s cheaper and the view’s better.
Ferries pause for photos during the nightly Symphony of Lights extravaganza on the harbour (8pm).
The view from Victoria Peak is breath-taking after the ascent on the 120-year-old funicular.
Go half an hour before sunset and watch the city light up. We got a great feel for the city, its people, history and, naturally, cuisines, on a private half-day tour with Hello Hong Kong (www.hellohongkong.com.hk).
For a city that isn’t geographically big, Hong Kong packs a lot in.
It’s easy to do the same during a stopover without knocking yourself out.
For Gold Coasters it’s never been easier … look at it this way, the time saved flying from your home city rather than Brisbane means you’ve got time to explore … not to mention the fact that Hong Kong Airlines services the Gold Coast.
And aren’t holidays meant to be about spoiling yourself?
HONG KONG TOP 5
STAY
Mandarin Oriental
5 Connaught Rd Central, Central, Hong Kong
www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong
The Peninsula
Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
8 Finance St, Central, Hong Kong
Hotel Icon Hong Kong
17 Science Museum Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Cosmo Hotel
375-377 Queen’s Rd E, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
EAT
Lin Heung Teahouse (yum cha)
162 Wellington St, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Tim Ho Wan
18 Hoi Ting Rd, West Kowloon, Hong Kong
Lai Bun Fu
5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong
Saam
51 Graham Street, Soho, Hong Kong
Man Wah
5 Connaught Rd Central, Central, Hong Kong
www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong
EXPERIENCE
Star Ferries
Central Piers, Man Kwong St
The Peak
Mid Levels, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Disneyland
Lantau Island
Ladies’ Market
Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon
Temple Street Night Market
Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon
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