I finally visited Hong Kong! I studied abroad in Beijing, but never made it to the Cantonese-speaking, quasi-Chinese, previously British city. This was the 85th country but just for 3 full days – right after Taiwan, and right before London. Our main activities were walk around, eat, shop and explore.
Hong Kong Highlights
- Victoria Peak: Hong Kong’s iconic skyline view + the spot where my grandfather took his 70th-birthday photo 30 years ago
- Kerry Hotel Hong Kong: Our waterfront hotel, good breakfast buffet
- K11 Art Mall: shopping, art and architecture under one very air-conditioned roof
- K11 MUSEA & K11 ARTUS: probably worth visiting just to see the architecture
- Hong Kong Museum of Art: free museum right on the waterfront
- Kowloon Public Pier: nice place to walk along the water
- Pottinger Street: historic “Stone Slab Street” dating back to the 1850s
- Ozone at the Ritz-Carlton: the world’s highest rooftop bar!
- Victoria Harbour Ferry: a cheap and scenic way to cross the harbor
- Carnarvon Road: shopping, especially for Asian and Hong Kong-exclusive brands
- Li-Ning: Chinese sportswear brand where I picked up a pair of shoes
- Cat Street: flea-market-style street for souvenirs and antiques
- Tim Ho Wan: Famous Cantonese dim sum chain
Where We Stayed in Hong Kong: Kerry Hotel + Royal View Hotel
For 3 nights, we stayed at the Kerry Hotel Hong Kong, right on the waterfront. It was ~$300 USD per night, which is definitely more than I normally spend on hotels. But also…the gym, the views and buffet breakfast were worth it to me.
We landed in Hong Kong around 9 PM, which was too late to really do anything anyway, so I booked just 1 night at Royal View Hotel for about $70. It’s closer to airport, and acted as like a half way point because the main city is a bit further – perfectly fine for one night.
3 Days in Hong Kong: Day 1
We arrived around 9 PM, checked into Royal View Hotel and went to bed. That’s it. Waking up to the view from our room the next day was quite nice.
Day 2: K11 Art Mall, Shopping & Hong Kong Museum of Art
We checked into our new hotel – and then headed toward Carnarvon Road, where I immediately remembered, “oh yeah let’s go to the mall.”
Hong Kong is particularly good for this because it’s 90 degrees outside with approximately 49200% humidity, walking in the air-conditioned mall suddenly becomes a cultural activity.
We spent some time around K11 Art Mall, which is basically part shopping center, part art space, part architectural fever dream.
Nice to know – brands usually have collaborations ONLY AVAILABLE in Hong Kong, which I think makes for a nice souvenir. I also checked out Li-Ning, it’s a Chinese sportswear brand, and bought a new pair of shoes for just $30 USD.
2nd priority of the day was skincare, I went to Sa-Sa. did some research before hand and basically bought everything that was on sale.
After shopping, we went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art, which is free and right along the waterfront. From there, we walked along Kowloon Public Pier and continued exploring the area.
It was a 20K step do, so we went back to the hotel and ordered room service.
Day 3: Ferries, Dim Sum and Hong Kong’s Skyline
I’m weirdly in love with buffets. & the Kerry Hotel has a really good buffet breakfast. It made my day. I feel warm just thinking about it.
The Kerry is also right in front of the ferry, so we took the ferry across the harbor toward Harbour North.
We had lunch at a popular Cantonese dim sum chain, Tim Ho Wan, where we ordered our favorites taro and radish cake.
Spent the afternoon just wandering around more, including Pottinger Street, one of the oldest streets in Central. It’s basically a steep staircase made from uneven granite slabs.The street dates back to the 1850s.
Then to the Ritz-Carlton for drinks – the tallest rooftop bar in the world?!
To sit outside with a view, the minimum spend is about $70 USD per person…very whack in my opinion. The view is amazing obviously, but the actual bar is so tacky, gouche and cheap with their decorations. Don’t worry, I let them know in my google review.
Went back to Kerry hotel for an evening swim. I felt very rich taking these photos.
Day 4: Victoria Peak, Cat Street & K11 MUSEA
Victoria Peak was the one thing I had to see. Yes, it’s the most famous view in Hong Kong, but also because this is where my grandfather took a photo!! He spent his 70th birthday there, it’s my favorite picture of him. I literally keep it in my back pack everywhere I go.
I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to recreate the photo, or find the spot…it wasn’t hard at all. Also, so crazy to compare the photos and how much the city has changed/been built in 30 years.
After Victoria Peak, we went to Cat Street, a small flea market-esque shopping street, and picked up some souvenirs.
For lunch, we did what I often do when I don’t know where to eat: looked at Google reviews and picked somewhere that looked good.
We ended up at Wan Ton Son Noodle on Hart Avenue.
Later, we headed to K11 MUSEA and K11 ARTUS, which are worth visiting even if you’re not particularly interested in shopping – just for the arcitecture alone.
We ended the night with dinner back at the hotel, and had breakfast 1 more time before leaving the next day 🙂
What I Would Have Done With More Time
Hong Kong Disneyland
Obviously. Hong Kong Disneyland would have been an easy addition if we had another day or two.
Lantau Island
With another day or two in Hong Kong, I would head out to Lantau Island to visit the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery.
The Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car takes about 25 minutes and gives you some pretty spectacular views on the way up to the Big Buddha. The cable car station is at Tung Chung, which takes roughly an hour to reach from central Hong Kong, so this would be an early morning activity for me. Apparently the queues are crazy.
The cable car brings you up to Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, a massive bronze statue overlooking Lantau Island. Right nearby is Po Lin Monastery, a Buddhist monastery originally established in 1906. After spending the morning around Lantau Island, I’d head back toward the city and stop at Nan Lian Garden, a traditional Chinese garden in Diamond Hill. After several days of skyscrapers, malls and approximately 49,200% humidity, some actual greenery and quiet sounds pretty nice.
I’d then head to Mong Kok for lunch and dim sum. Dim Dim Sum Mong Kok was on my list, and Mong Kok itself is somewhere I wish I’d had more time to explore. It’s one of those neighborhoods where the old and new Hong Kong seem to collide, with dense streets, older buildings, shops and neon signs. I’d also walk along Nathan Road, which is one of the city’s most famous streets and has plenty of those classic Hong Kong photo opportunities.
For dinner, I’d head back toward Central and try The Square for Cantonese food. Ho Lee Fook was another restaurant I wanted to try but didn’t have time for, so that would definitely go on the list for next time too. And because apparently I cannot end a day without finding a rooftop or cocktail bar, I’d finish the night somewhere around Central — The Mixing Room, Apothecary or 25:00 Twenty Fifth Hour were all on my list.
Basically, I’d give myself another full day to get out of the center of Hong Kong and see a completely different side of the city. There are beaches, hiking trails, islands and temples that I barely scratched the surface of on this trip, which is probably the best excuse I could ask for to come back.
Is Hong Kong Expensive?
Yes. I spent four nights and four days in Hong Kong, which was about as long as I could afford.
Coming from other parts of Asia, the prices can be shocking. There are plenty of people on TikTok making whole series about how to eat cheap in Hong Kongs, so yes its possible…but, yeah for our short trip that’s not the life I chose to live.
Was Hong Kong Worth Seeing?
Yes, Duh. Was 4 nights enough? No.
It was enough to see some of the major sights, eat and walk a lot, shop, ride the ferry, visit Victoria Peak and get a feel for the city.
But, there’s a lot of hikes and beaches that require a drive/time that I would have loved to have seen.