Hong Kong

hong kong photo diary + mini guide

01.21

victoria peak hong kong views

[halves]panda store hong kong

hong kong city center[/halves]

hong kong market shopping

Hong Kong Soho Shopping | The Style Scribe

[halves]hong kong photography

hong kong photography[/halves]

hong kong photography

Hong Kong City Skyline | The Style Scribe

[halves]oddies ice cream waffles hong kong

colorful buildings in hong kong[/halves]

Views from Victoria Peak, Hong Kong | The Style Scribe

Hong Kong Night Markets | The Style Scribe

[halves]Hong Kong Night Markets | The Style Scribe

Hong Kong Night Markets | The Style Scribe[/halves]

Hong Kong Eats | The Style Scribe

Views from Victoria Peak, Hong Kong | The Style Scribe

Happy Saturday! While I don’t feel like I have enough information to put together a full city guide for Hong Kong, I did want to share the rest of my photos from our visit and share some of our favorite spots we hit while in this bustling metropolis.

The Langham Hong Kong – we absolutely loved our stay at the Langham! The rooms were cozy, the bathrooms were exquisite, and it featured all of the modern conveniences we were ready for after Japan: WiFi, fitness center, coffee machines, etc. The location was perfect and the service was excellent! You can hear me rave more about our stay and afternoon tea here!

where to eat

Tim Ho Wan – after a couple of very disappointing/unappetizing meals, this spot was a lifesaver and restored our faith in food. Yes, it’s sort of a chain (there’s apparently one in NYC), but like I said, we were desperate. The Chinese food you eat here in the US is NOTHING like the real stuff over in China. We did not like it, and we tried several different restaurants. Tim Ho Wan to the rescue! In additional to traditional dim sum, there were also other items like glutinous rice, pork buns (THE BEST!), and spring rolls. If you don’t order the pork buns, you are actually insane. They are that delicious.

Oddies – have a sweet tooth? Try this little trendy treat featuring a fresh waffle, creamy house-made ice cream, and an unusual (but yum) combination of flavors. We found this cute spot while shopping around SoHo.

Aqua – you may remember me mentioning Aqua Shard in London? Well there’s one in Hong Kong too! For a great drink and some happy hour apps, head over to Aqua. Not only are the drink and dining delicious, you get spectacular views of Hong Kong from above. This spot is right around the corner from The Langham, which made it an easy walk over.

Temple Street Night Market – if you want to test out local favorites and vendors, head over to the Temple Street Night Market. There are a bunch of little restaurants lining the streets, both seated and take away. Definitely don’t leave without a cheese tart from Uncle Tetsu’s Cheesecake!!

Minh & Kok – I’m going to be perfectly honest, we absolutely hated the service at this restaurant. The waiter actually shooed us away with his hand on our third request for water (still hadn’t received one). With that said, this was one of our best meals in Hong Kong! We dined here for lunch in between shopping in SoHo, and were drawn in by the cute decor and pretty tile work on the bar. The food was outstanding, from the fried spring rolls, to the prawn curry and chicken fried rice with pineapple. So many great flavors! Just know that about the service going in…

Catch Juicery – after a particularly bad lunch experience at a tea house down the street, we saw this adorable little juice shop and decided to pop in to cleanse our palette and fill us up a little more. The ambiance and decor of this place is so refreshing (pun intended) and fun!

Ozone Bar – if you can tolerate heights, take a trip up to the top of the Ritz and have a drink at the Ozone Bar. Located on the 118th floor at 490 meters high (over 1,600 feet – AH!!!), the enormous buildings and lights below look like little tiny ants. I’m afraid of heights, so as you can imagine, I was having heart palpitations in the elevator on the way up. Once we sat down and got a cocktail, I relaxed a bit.

things to do

SHOP

For quality authentic vintage (like Chanel or Hermes handbags and jewelry), check out Vintage QOO Numero82 at the World Trade Centre. After exploring a lot of the shops, this was absolutely the best one by a long shot. So many gorgeous bags!

Before you leave the World Trade Centre building, stop in CollectPoint and Bread ‘n Butter. CollectPoint was sort of like H&M, with trendy basics on a budget, and Bread ‘n Butter was a more upscale contemporary boutique featuring classic items like tweed coats and trendier items such as bell-sleeve sweaters.

While I didn’t purchase anything, JOYCE was probably my favorite store to poke around in. It had the most incredible mix of on-the-rise and established designers. It was sort of like a Barney’s New York + NET-A-PORTER hybrid! Obsessed. It’s just a short walk from The Langham, and on the same street as a bunch of other big name designers like Gucci, Prada, and more.

If you’re looking for clothing truly unique that you can’t find anywhere else, try Solitude. We happened upon this shop while exploring SoHo, and were first drawn in by the mannequins (they were different animal heads!), but we stayed for the clothes. Statement sweatshirts, pleated skirts, and other quirky, cool pieces adorned this little store. We discovered all of the labels were actually from South Korea! Everything was one size fits all, but Jess and I both left with something (I brought home this sweatshirt).

Christmas was already out in full force when we were in Hong Kong, since nobody there celebrates Thanksgiving. At the end of our shopping day in SoHo, we saw these amazing pink Christmas trees in Francfranc and had to go in. The only way I can think of to describe this store is a trendy Bed, Bath & Beyond. They had really chic Christmas decor, trees, and home accessories, but they also had some really weird beauty and skincare tools… like the ones you might see on a TV infomercial. It was hysterical! Definitely worth going in.

EXPLORE

Victoria Peak – on a day where there isn’t smog or bad weather, take a cab up to Victoria Peak to take in the views and capture photos of Hong Kong’s skyline. While it’s crowded at this time, I would recommend going right before sunset so you can get photos of it daytime, at dusk and after dark. We just grabbed a drink downstairs at one of the many restaurants/bars to wait for it to get fully dark, and then went back up to take the rest of the photos!

Aqua Luna Junk Boat Cruise – for a different perspective (or if you just want to avoid the crowds at Victoria Peak), make a reservation for the Harbor Cruise on one of the Aqua Luna junk boats! We got amazing photos without all the pushy people, and also got a free cocktail out of it. Check out my photos from our cruise here! Such a fun night!

Night Markets – the Temple Street Night Markets are a really fun activity to do after dinner. They literally sell anything and everything here: fake designer bags, funny socks, phone cases, luggage, you name it. It’s pretty entertaining to see it all!

Tian Tan Buddha – we wanted to do this but ended up not being able to fit it into our schedule. It’s one of the main tourists attractions in Hong Kong, so I guess I’ll just have to visit again someday and check it out then!

Day Trips – we weren’t in Hong Kong long enough to do any day trips, but I’ve heard Lantau Island and Cheung Chau are both pretty easy to get to and great options if you need a break from the busy city.

theShop

View All