Explore a Thrilling City of Contrasts with Luxury Travel to Hong Kong

Following your helicopter viewing trip, we recommend that you begin your weekend gastronomic experience in Hong Kong with a typical dim sum lunch. Dim sum, which translates to “touching the heart” in Cantonese, consists of a series of bite-sized servings served in small steamer baskets or on small plates, generally accompanied by a Chinese breakfast tea. Tin Lung Heen, a 2-Michelin-starred restaurant on the 102nd level of Hong Kong’s tallest skyscraper, is one of the top Chinese restaurants in the city. Tin Lung Heen serves refined Cantonese cuisine and an extensive dim sum menu.

Get their dim sum, but be sure to order their speciality barbecued Iberian pig, known as char siu, which is regarded as some of the best in Hong Kong. The beautiful restaurant features soaring ceilings and double-height windows with amazing views of Victoria Harbor, so request a window table when making your reservation.

After lunch, spend the afternoon seeing Kowloon, including the Chi Lin Nunnery and the famed local marketplaces of Kowloon, including the Flower Market, Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, Goldfish Market, and Jade Market. To make the most of your vacation, request that your hotel provide you with a driver and an English-speaking guide to show you around Kowloon.

Begin your journey with a visit to the Chi Lin Nunnery; a beautiful Tang-Dynasty-style Buddhist nunnery erected without nails in 1934. The Chi Lin Nunnery is a peaceful haven in a hectic and congested metropolis. The public structures are two linked garden courtyards with lotus ponds and gorgeous temple rooms packed with Buddhist treasures. The Nan Lian Garden is next to the Chi Lin Nunnery and is a picturesque garden that has been expertly manicured with every hill, rock, a body of water, plant, and timber structure arranged according to traditional garden design principles.

Then, proceed to the Flower Market, where an entire street is dedicated to flower and plant businesses with Shops offering beautiful orchids and lush birds of paradise. As locals negotiate with shops, buckets of roses and other flowers flood out onto the pavement.

Not far from the Flower Market is the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, a small urban park where bird owners (almost entirely elderly men) “walk” their treasured songbirds in tiny bamboo cages to demonstrate their birds’ beautiful melodies. Over seventy vendors offer exotic birds and bird accoutrements, including elaborate bamboo and teak cages, in the Bird Garden.

Goldfish are said to bring good luck, and there is an entire street dedicated to goldfish and tropical fish not far from the Bird Garden. The Goldfish Market’s stalls offer goldfish, aquariums, and exotic fish, and the fronts of many of the market’s shops are covered in plastic bags packed with bulging-eyed multicoloured fish.

On the walk back to the hotel, stop at the Jade Market, which has 450 kiosks offering jade of all varieties, sizes, and prices. However, it is probably advisable to look (but not buy) because much of the jade is fake.

After an afternoon of touring in Kowloon’s bustling streets, we recommend unwinding with a gentle massage at the Peninsula’s Spa. The Peninsula’s Spa is one of the greatest in Hong Kong, and it is both gorgeous and tranquil. Following your massage, you might not want to leave the luxurious relaxation facilities, including hammam-style steam rooms, saunas, and aromatherapy experience showers.

If you’re feeling more energetic, head to the Peninsula’s Roman-style swimming pool on the 8th floor, overlooking the port.

Before dinner, stop by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s famed Captain’s Bar for a drink. This tavern has been operating for decades and, with its red leather banquettes and wood-panelling, is reminiscent of a bygone period. It is still quite popular with locals and is well worth visiting if you want to get a flavour of Hong Kong’s history.

We highly recommend the exceptional multi-course tasting menu at Bo Innovation, a Michelin 3-star restaurant in the Wan Chai neighbourhood, for your first night in Hong Kong. Chef Alvin Leung deconstructs classic Chinese meals and reconstructs them with a “modernist” twist. Chef Leung, for example, serves “xiao long bao,” a famous Shanghainese steamed soup dumpling that he molecularly creates with wonton soup presented as a sphere in a traditional Chinese soup spoon that bursts in your mouth when you bite down. “Fishing Village” (spot prawn with soy salt, umami noodles, and fussy pickled melon), “baby food” (hairy crab with black truffle whimsically served in a baby food jar). Wagyu A5 beef served with a Cheung fan is Chef Leung’s special dish (wide noodles). Bo Innovation is a genuine one-of-a-kind (although pricey) experience!

For almost a century, the renowned Star Ferry has been ferrying passengers across the bay on creaking old green and white boats. The Star Ferry is still a delightful and picturesque method to go to Hong Kong island today (the MTR is more efficient but far less enjoyable!). Take the Star Ferry to the Central District, departing from the Star Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, almost 50 years old. You may see sampans and high-speed boats crisscrossing the port as you cross to Hong Kong island.

Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997 when given over to the Chinese, who committed to a 50-year unique partnership. Even though its population is primarily Chinese, the imprint of its colonial background and the sizeable ex-pat community is palpable. The Central District was traditionally the heart of trade and business, and it still is today, with the world’s largest banks and dozens of premium designer retail complexes and emporiums.

On the surface, it looks like skyscrapers and luxury retail malls have replaced the majority of the colonial historical buildings in Central. We propose booking a private historical walking tour with Jason Wordie, a well-known local historian, to dive beyond the surface and explore what remains of Hong Kong’s historical past. Jason, who has written several books on Hong Kong history and writes a weekly column for the South China Morning Post, is quite affable and has an exceptional ability to bring Hong Kong history to life and illuminate the fragments of historical elements that survived the development of today’s Hong Kong. Jason will show you around Statute Square, the old Supreme Court (now the Court of Final Appeal), the Government House, the old French Mission Building, St. John’s Cathedral, the Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the Central Police Station on Hollywood Road, the Jamia Mosque, and the trendy restaurant and bar dominated hillside side neighbourhood of “SoHo.”

Hong Kong is a shopper’s dream. Begin at Queen’s Road Central, which is densely packed with luxury designer shopping malls and stores, including the ultra-luxurious Landmark Mall, which is filled with luxury international designer brands, and the nearby International Financial Center (IFC) Mall, which houses Lane Crawford, Hong Kong’s iconic department store. Hong Kong redefines the expression “shop ’til you drop” with its abundance of shops and designer boutiques! 

Hong Kong is well-known for its bespoke tailors and shirt manufacturers, in addition to its luxury shopping complexes and designer stores. A-Man Hing Cheong (in the Mandarin Oriental) and Sam’s Tailors are two of Hong Kong’s top tailors (but don’t expect a 24-hour suit), and Ascot Chang (many branches) is one of the most outstanding shirt manufacturers.

The Peninsula Hotel’s classic afternoon tea is a must-do when Hong Kong. For decades, The Peninsula’s exquisite lobby has been the spot to go for its legendary afternoon tea service, with its classic pillars towering to a double-height gilded ceiling, potted palm palms, and string quartet. A range of finger sandwiches and pastries, freshly baked raisin scones, Devonshire clotted cream, and organic strawberry preserves are served alongside a selection of teas from the hotel’s extensive tea collection. If you are a hotel guest, you can avoid the relatively long wait for a table.

Before dinner, stop by the Mandarin Oriental Landmark hotel in the Central District for a pre-dinner beverage at the Mo Bar. The trendy bar is a fantastic setting for a pre-dinner drink with nice tables, pleasant music, and a highly inventive cocktail menu.

A vacation to Hong Kong would be incomplete without visiting The Peak, the city’s highest peak. The viewing platform provides a spectacular panoramic view of Hong Kong and the Kowloon peninsula. The 125-year-old Peak Tram, the world’s steepest funicular railway, is the most picturesque way to see the peak. 

Spend the morning touring the Sheung Wan neighbourhood after exploring the peak (west of Central). Traditional Chinese herbal medicine marketplaces offering ginseng and dried delicacies such as shark’s fin, abalone, mushrooms, bird’s nests, and sea cucumbers, as well as antique merchants and even coffin builders, may be found here.

The herbal medicine and dried seafood stores are concentrated along Des Voeux Road West, known as Dried Seafood Street. 

After you’ve explored these traditional shops, make your way to Hollywood Road, which is lined with great Chinese antiques and classical-art galleries, as well as businesses selling paper lanterns. Just off Hollywood Road, Cat Street is noted for its tacky knickknacks.

Don’t miss Man Mo Temple, a small temple built in the mid-nineteenth century and dedicated to the Taoist gods of literature (Man) and war (Mo) (Mo). Man Mo Temple, one of Hong Kong’s oldest and largest temples, was built in 1847 and is filled with gigantic hanging incense coils. It provides a welcome relief from the busy pace of the adjacent financial area.

Now is an excellent time to visit Hong Kong for art enthusiasts. Hong Kong has seen the emergence of a thriving art scene in recent years, with the city hosting Art Basel for the first time in 2013. Since then, numerous major international art galleries have arrived, including Gagosian, Lehmann-Maupin, and Ben Brown Fine Arts, all found in the neoclassical Pedder Building. Hong Kong will become a central Asian art hub in the coming years, thanks to the development of two significant new art centres and museums: the Central Police Station, which is being transformed into a nonprofit arts hub designed by Herzog & de Meuron and will open in 2017; and the $2.8 billion West Kowloon Cultural District.

Consider chartering the Michelangelo, a magnificently restored 80-foot vintage motor yacht made of polished mahogany, teak, brass, and copper, for a private trip around Hong Kong island for a unique experience. The majestic vessel will board at Aberdeen Port, a sheltered harbour on Hong Kong’s south coast formerly home to hundreds of fishing boats and floating towns. Today, elegant yachts and sailboats have mostly supplanted fishing boats and floating settlements. The stylish ship boasts three decks and nearly 4,000 square feet of living area, including teak sun decks, mahogany-panelled living room and dining room, a stunning master bedroom and four more guest rooms for overnight visits (plus a full kitchen, office and staff quarters).

After settling onto the steamer chairs viewing the bow, the yacht will sail to Repulse Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches on Hong Kong Island’s south side, where you will anchor for a swim in the calm seas and sunbathe on the large 400 square foot teak sundeck. As the sun sets, you may sip drinks on the stern or in the club-like living area with mahogany wood panelling and furnishings as you circle Hong Kong Island to Victoria Harbor.

The Michelangelo will return to Victoria Harbor in time for the Symphony of Lights, a light show of laser beams projected from Hong Kong’s buildings to music. With a glass of champagne in hand, the most nuanced position to see the pulsing laser light display is from the deck of the Michelangelo! Following the light display, the Michelangelo will let you off near the Star Ferry piers in the Central District, close to tonight’s supper.

Before you depart, we recommend reserving a Meet & Greet service via your hotel; nothing beats being greeted at the jetway by a hotel team member and rushed through the airport to your waiting car after a long trip to Hong Kong. Book the Peninsula’s helicopter transport for the ultimate in luxury, which will carry you directly from the airport to the heliport on the Peninsula Hotel’s roof. Alternatively, rent one of the Peninsula’s 14 unique green Rolls Royce Phantoms to transport you to the hotel, where you will be welcomed by Peninsula Pages and taken to your room for en suite check-in.

How to Get Around 

Taxis are numerous and reasonably priced in Hong Kong, but make sure your hotel concierge writes down your destination address in Chinese; most taxi drivers do not know English. We prefer, however, to hail an Uber ride, which is not much more expensive but far more pleasant, and the app eliminates language barriers. 

We prefer the MTR while travelling between Kowloon and Hong Kong, but if we’re not in a rush, we’ll always take the renowned Star Ferry, which is more picturesque and undoubtedly more nostalgic.