Hong Kong is a city that has it all and from The Excelsior Mandarin Oriental you can see it all and do it all.
Of course there is a great deal more to Hong Kong than shops. There are some very surprising options, like exploring the wonderful country parks which occupy 80% of the territory. Causeway Bay, home of The Excelsior, can send some visitors into something of a shopping frenzy with its myriad streets of bargain boutiques, lanes of stalls and alluring shops stocked with all the luxury brands.
When you’ve found something to wear you might find time to visit The Peak for a 100 degree view over the island, cross Victoria Harbour to Kowloon for stunning night time views, or travel round the coast to pleasant beaches on the Southside.
Shopping Hong Kong is virtually synonymous with shopping and it all begins right outside The Excelsior.
Causeway Bay offers thousands of small shops selling the most competitively priced fashions, streets of
canvas covered stalls with a myriad of accessories and glass clad Lee Gardens with a grand parade of
international luxury brand names.
Nightlife in Lan Kwan Fong and Soho - 15 minutes by road/4 Km or 2.5 Miles Lan Kwai Fong and Soho, South of Hollywood Road, are two small bustling areas of restaurants, clubs and bars. To find out what’s new visit www.hkclubbing.com for reviews from locals, details of opening hours, prices, and lots of opi
Horseracing - 10 Minutes by road/2 Km or 1.2 Miles or Horse racing (September to June) is phenomenally popular in Hong Kong with the average betting turnover per race the highest in the world. Happy Valley racecourse is fifteen minutes from the hotel. Alternatively there is Sha Tin racecourse in the New Territories.
Tram - 2 Minutes/0.1 Km or 0.1 Miles Ride the world’s only double-decker trams. The tram runs from Shau Kei Wan in the east to Kennedy Town in the west. This is a very ‘local’ experience, although avoid rush hours as the experience can loose some of the fun in the crush.
Outlying Islands If you want to see a different side to Hong Kong life the outlying islands are well worth a visit. The islands of Lamma and Cheung Chau have good beaches, no cars, great seafood restaurants, rugged trails and quiet paths winding through sleepy villages.
Lantau is more developed, still home to the Giant Buddha but now it has Disneyland and the Tung Chung and Ngong Ping cable cars.
Sai Kung Powerboat Trip - 40 minutes by taxi From Sai Kung harbour you can take a speedboat across to ‘High Island’ for a quiet walk along sea side paths and through old villages. Visit a temple and stop for a seafood lunch. The boat trip is an exhilarating fifteen minutes.
Things to See
Noonday Gun - Across from the hotel
Right across from the hotel by the typhoon shelter filled with yachts and bobbing sampans is the Noon Day gun. It is fired by Jardine’s every day at noon as a time signal and at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Star Ferry - 10 Minutes/4 Km or 2.5 Miles The Star Ferry trip across the harbour affords terrific views of the receding island which is especially dramatic at night. Whilst a major mode of transport between Hong Kong Island and Tsim Tsa Tsui, it is in fact one of the most scenic journeys you can do in the world.
Po Lin Monastery and the Giant Buddha - 55 Km or 34.2 Miles The Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island was established by three monks in 1905. There are more than 300 Buddhist monasteries on the island. The Giant Buddha is Asia’s largest seated outdoor Buddha measuring 34 metres high and made of 250 tons of bronz
To have your fortune told worshippers light a joss stick and make their wish at the altar, then shake a
container until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number. The
fortune on the paper is then interpreted by a soothsayer. Only in Chinese!
Victoria Peak - 20 Minutes/5.6 Km or 3.5 Miles The Peak is Hong Kong’s most dramatic and easily accessible site. Offering 360 degree views of the island and harbour as well as some of the most expensive and luxurious homes in Hong Kong. The display of nightime neon from this vantage point is simply breathtaking.
Country Parks
The 50km Hong Kong Trail, a well-laid out footpath, links five country parks together. Wherever you are, it is easy to get out of the city and within half an hour be surrounded by lush sub-tropical greenery. There are walks for all abilities taking you through small villages and sprawling beach
Where to Shop
Causeway Bay Your shopping experience begins on your doorstep. Jardine's Bazaar and Jardine's Crescent have streets of canvas covered stalls with a myriad of accessories and bargains. Times Square and the swish Lee Gardens shopping malls offer a grand parade of international luxury brand names.
Stanley Main Street - 30 Minutes/10 Km or 6.2 Miles Go there to buy Chinese curios, silks, personalised Character stamps and ‘seconds’, cheap designer clothing particularly great bargains for kids clothes. Apart from being a fun market it is a pretty location on the south side of the island.
Ap Lei Chau - 30 Minutes/10 Km or 6.2 Miles For those that like to work for their bargains then visit Ap Lei Chau. This is not an attractive shopping experience but there are many discount furniture shops and clothing warehouses.
Where to Dine
ToTT’s - Talk Of The Town - Inside the hotel ToTT’s, on the top floor of The Excelsior, is hard to beat for nightime glitz. The restaurant offers 270 degree panoramic views over Victoria Harbour and Kowloon beyond. Enjoy the eclectic menu followed by dancing to live music with quality bands from North America.
Dim Sum - Yee Tung Heen Chinese restaurant Located on the second floor of The Excelsior, Yee Tung Heen has gained international acclaim for its distinctive, authentic Cantonese cuisine and delicious dim sum specialities.
Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo - 15 Minutes by road/4 Km or 2.5 Miles SoHo and Lan Kwai Fong are two adjacent areas that offer an enormous range of small restaurants with themes as diverse as Nepalese to Mexican. Browse round and pick an atmosphere and cuisine you prefer before making a booking.
Causeway Bay - Eat Hong Kong Style - 2 Minutes walk/0.1 Km or 0.1 Miles For some local atmosphere head to Jardine’s Bazaar, Tang Lung and Matheson Streets. Rows of food stalls stay open until the small hours, illuminated with neon and strip lights you can tour and feast on a range of local snacks.
Stanley – Al Fresco Dining
On the South Side of the island a stretch of international restaurants offer terraces, balconies and wonderful views across the bay.
Lamma Island - 60 minutes/24 Km or 15 Miles For a very local seafood experience visit Lamma Island or Sai Kung in the New Territories and order a fresh feast by the sea. Live shellfish and fish are netted from a tank and cooked on the spot.
