Discover the back streets of Hong Kong and you’ll find a treasure trove of delights.
After five years, my friend Tessa is leaving Hong Kong, but as luck would have it, I had the chance to drop by for some last-minute brain-picking.
1. The ’hood
Tessa recommended I stay at a hotel called Butterfly on Hollywood, as it was in walking distance of her apartment and cost less than $150 a night. I loved this place! Butterflies clipped to the pillows told me how hard or soft they were and my corner room had a view to die for. Better still, Hollywood Road – on which the Butterfly sits – leads straight into Sheung Wan, a funky, developing old-town neighbourhood that’s a bit like New York’s SoHo, with a growing collection of cafés, restaurants, boutiques and art galleries.
2. Getting around
The Hong Kong Airport Express Train is by far the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to get into the city. During my stay, I loved walking around the winding alleys and colourful back streets of this fast-paced, bustling city, but sheesh, it was hot.
To avoid major sweat patches, I quickly embraced the local taxis. Most rides were only $3-$5 and the drivers understand English, but you need to pay cash. When it was time to head home, I checked in early for my flight at the Airport Express train station, then went to meet Tessa for breakfast without a) the nagging worry of any last-minute hiccups and b) my suitcase.
3. What to eat
I loved Classified, on Hollywood Road, with its great coffee, yummy breakfasts, cheese room and free WiFi. Across the road from the Butterfly were two other great finds – 208, with its divine blue and white-tiled walls, and Chachawan, which serves delicious, fresh Thai food.
Another Sheung Wan recommendation I walked past but never ate at is Yardbird, behind the Man Mo Temple. I did manage to get to The China Club (lucky me), a sensational central hangout in a former bank building with a decadent Shanghai feel. You need to be invited by a member and, saints be praised, we knew one.
4. What to drink
There are truly splendid drinking emporiums in Hong Kong, so bring your appetite for cocktails. A place called 129 Ping Pong serves 50 gins and a variety of tonics in an underground ping-pong hall that’s been given an industrial makeover, while The Stockton has a dark, woody, grown-up library feel.
For a view, head to the outdoor bar at Sevva on the 25th floor of the Prince’s Building. If you get there between eight and 8.30pm, you get a bird’s-eye view of the light show that Hong Kong’s buildings put on every night, plus you can see across the harbour to Kowloon.
5. Shopping around
I steered clear of the big-label stores downtown and stuck to Sheung Wan, where
every street holds a treasure trove of anything from old-fashioned printers to groovy antiques to Victoria Beckham denim.
Start on Hollywood Road and follow your nose. One major delight was the Police Married Quarters, or PMQ, a police accommodation block refurbished to house several floors of artisan jewellers, bakers, designers and artists.
Keep walking and you’ll find a new Marks & Spencer food store right beneath the outdoor escalators, delivering workers to and from their apartments in the “mid-levels” halfway up The Peak. Jump on these – they go down ’til 10am and up from 10.30am – and see Hong Kong like a local.
