Holy Smokes, we love this place. It doesn’t stop. People everywhere. Noises, smells and all the food. It’s also this crazy juxtaposition between east and west. The hangover from the British empire with shopping malls, high tea and Marks & Spencer and then the tall apartment blocks you’d expect to see, bird markets, street markets and dim sum joints. Here’s where we stayed and how we got around in Hong Kong.
Getting around in Hong Kong
First things first, get yourself an Octopus card, it gives you access to the entire MTR system, Star Ferry, central trams, Victoria Peak tram plus a few extra entries like the races. Plus, you get a refund on your Oyster Card when you leave. Check our Discover Hong Kong for details and for anywhere you can’t train, just walk. We cheated and got a taxi once, to the races and caught the ding dings (tram) once or twice, which was a bit of fun.
Where we stayed
Picking up a magazine in the airport on the way to HK, it described the shopping mall that is Chung King Mansion as seedy and undesirable. Brilliant, that’s where we were staying. But as one of the cheapest places to stay in HK we took it on. For the same price as a 5 star in Indonesia, we stayed at Apple Hostel and could basically touch each wall with our arms spread and had to shower while sitting on the toilet. But right in the epi-centre of Kowloon on Nathan Road, Tsim Shaa Tsui it was fine. No, really. There’s an MTR across the road, super close to all the shopping you need and within walking distance of the waterfront.
Where we ate
I’m pretty sure HK has more Michelin star restaurants than anywhere else, but don’t be fooled as we decided that sometimes there must be too much money involved to warrant legit stars. We ate at a few places we stumbled upon and a few more that we read about and ventured too. Top eats were Mak’s Noodle, Leaf Dessert and Mr Wong’s, which sadly is now closed…it may have had something to do with the cops that visited during our dinner there. Check out all our recommendations here.
