Hong Kong: A shoppers paradise and more

Hong Kong: A shoppers paradise and more

View of Hong Kong from our hotel.

Hong Kong is way different than Beijing.
I'll try to break it all down for you to give you an idea of what Hong Kong is like...

Peasants Margarita at Cafe Gray Deluxe - 49th Floor of Upper House Hotel

I'll begin by breaking down the area. So basically you have Kowloon on one side of the harbor and the Central side on the other.  We stayed on the Kowloon side, an area called Mong Kok to be exact and from what I read once I got there it is the most densely populated area in the world.  Kowloon is the side you'll want to be when you watch the daily light show that starts at 8pm. A spot on the Avenue of Stars is best.  In my opinion the light show is a bit lame though. Just my opinion...  Hotels in Hong Kong are terribly expensive. We didn't know this until after we booked our trip. I recommend looking/pricing before you book your flight.

Bathroom at Cafe Gray Deluxe @ Upper House Hotel ~ Best bathroom view ever!

Kowloon side consists of tons of markets such as the electronic, ladies and men market. As well as the Avenue of stars, the worlds cheapest Michelin starred restaurant "Tim Ho Wan" (BBQ Pork Buns), Nathan Road, a ton of upscale malls like 1881 Hermitage, Elements, and many more.  I think the Kowloon/Mong Kok side has more character than the central side, but that's just my opinion. Both sides are good.  As long as you are near a subway station you will be great.

Central side consists of all kinds of upscale malls, Pacific Place, The Landmark and International Finance Center which houses Lane Crawford department store.  There is a zillion more which are all basically attached by bridges (pretty amazing). You never even have to go outside if you don't want too.  Some popular areas on the central side are: Causeway Bay, Lan Kwai Fang (night life) Soho (night life), Admiralty, and Wan Chai.

Hong Kong Ladies Market

Ok, so now I'll chat about some of the places we ate and drank at that are worth a visit:

poolside at the Four Seasons... dont think you can tell in the picture but that is a fabulous infinity pool over looking the harbor. View was incredible and the staff were superb! It was raining so that really helped with the crowd.

• We had Mexican at this place called Agave and it was well worth a visit.  Good food and a 2 for 1 beers Happy Hour.
• The poolside bar at the Four Seasons Hotel (8 Finance Street) is fabulous! Coldest beer ever and very tasty cheese crackers. Incredible view! Infinity pool! (Its attached to the IFC)
• Upper House Hotel! Amazing! You gotta go to the bar and snag a window seat at the bar of their 49th floor "Cafe Gray Deluxe". Their Peasants Margarita is DELICIOUS.  If I could get my hands on one right now I'd drink it. The bar food is the best in the world. Seriously! The beef tips, the chicken flatbread and the polenta fries are delicious! Mike was also a big fan of their martini's.  The view from the ladies bathroom is the best in this world or at least that I have ever experienced. They even have a vanity area for each stall. Simply perfect. You gotta go! Upper House is attached to Pacific Place (on the central side)
• The Peak: Cable car to the top. Decent view, but it was hazy when we were there so we could barely see anything (sad face) Several old school movies were filmed at the top of this peak.  To be honest once at the top it is very cheesy.
• We stayed at the Langham Place Hotel in Mong Kok and were happy with it. The bars were terribly over priced so we only made that mistake once.  Its attached to Langham Place Mall which is ridiculously huge.  Its located right across the street from the subway so the location was perfect.  We stayed on the 28th floor so the view was incredible.  If we ever go back I can be found at the Upper House Hotel. I totally feel in love with that place.

Yummy dinner at Agave in Wan Chai? I think?

Now for the people:

• Customer service was the best of any place that I have ever visited. Seriously. Excellent customer service.  The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from these guys.
• No crazy coughing or spitting 
• No shoving. Very polite on the sidewalks.
• Strangers were so friendly. Kindly helping translate when it was needed. So helpful!

Tram car to get us up the peak

View of Hong Kong from the top of the Peak.

Another great perk of Hong Kong besides all the fabulous skyscraper views.... NO SALES TAX!
We were basically purchasing in USD prices again and it FELT GREAT!