8 reasons to have a second summer in Hong Kong

8 reasons to have a second summer in Hong Kong

by | May 13, 2014 | Asia-Pacific, Travel blogger destinations

If you’re in the southern hemisphere and coming down with a case of the winter blues, forget rugging up in beanies and scarves and swap winter for Hong Kong’s summer. It’s the best season for a shopping spree, getting your toes sandy at one of the popular beaches, feasting at local food stalls and being dazzled by the city’s Hong Kong Summer Fun Festival.

Travel website Wotif.com has shared eight reasons with us to tempt you to pack for a second summer and explore the lively city of Hong Kong.

Summer in Hong Kong

1. Food so good you’ll be floating

Satisfy your appetite after a day of sightseeing and exploring with fine dining at one of the world’s largest floating restaurants, the Jumbo Kingdom. Overlooking the traditional junks and modern sky scrapers at Aberdeen Harbour, you can feast on authentic Cantonese cuisine and fresh seafood at the Dragon Court and Jumbo Chinese Restaurant.

Jumbo Kingdom (Copy)

Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourism Board

2. Cheers to partying with the locals

Watch the Victoria Harbour come to life with masses of colour, the sound of beating drums and cheering at the International Dragon Boat Races. This ancient Chinese tradition is part of one of the world’s best parties, the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival, where travellers are entertained with live music and performances while cooling down with a cold beer at the San Miguel BeerFest from 6 – 8 June.

3. Hot summer sales

It’s the season for sales, so leave room in your suitcase or buy another one to fill up. With plenty of boutique shops and large shopping malls to explore, you’ll find everything from designer clothes and handbags to antiques and the latest high-tech gadgets marked down. Retail lovers should add Hong Kong’s largest mall, Harbour City, to their daily itinerary, as well as Times Square, Pacific Place, iSquare and The Landmark sprawled across the city.

4. Spectacularly ‘cruisy’

Watch the impressive Symphony of Lights display while cruising along Victoria Harbour on board the Aqua Luna junk boat with a glass of champagne in hand. Take a 7.30pm cruise to see the world’s largest permanent light and sound show which illuminates both sides of the harbour with laser beams sychronised to music and narration.

HK Symphony of Lights - credit HKTB (Copy)

Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourism Board

5. Sky high summer cocktails

Take your cocktail sipping to the next level at the highest bar in the world, Ozone. On the 118th floor of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, step out of the lift into the trendy and modern surrounds and feel on top of the city with sweeping views. Cool down and finish the day with a Dragontini or one of the champagne cocktails on the innovative menu before taking in the city scenery out on the breezy, open roof terrace.

The Ritz-Carlton HK OZONE - Bar Area (Copy)

OZONE (Copy)

6. Buzzing after dark

You can easily spend hours haggling over clothes and handbags, finding trinkets and antiques and sampling local street food at the popular open air Temple Street Night Market in Kowloon. Take in the atmosphere and entertainment as you wander through hundreds of colourful and eclectic stalls stretching from Man Ming Lane in the north to Nanking St in the south.

Temple St Night Market - credit HKTB (Copy)

Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourism Board

7. Life’s a beach

There are plenty of sandy beaches great for sun soaking or just cooling off in between shopping trips. A short bus ride from Central District will get you to Repulse Bay where you can stroll by the brightly coloured statues of the deities Kwun Yam and Tin Hau and the gardens that lead to the popular beach. For a laid back summer BBQ, head to Hung Shing Yeh Beach on Lamma Island or go windsurfing at Wave Bay Beach at the eastern end of Hong Kong Island.

Repulse Bay - Shutterstock image (Copy)

Shutterstock image: Repulse Bay

8. Lounge around with rooftop views

Take your swimmers up to the 76th floor of the W Hong Kong hotel and plunge into one of the world’s highest rooftop pools. Glide through the water of the pool with a panorama view of the skyline, 211 meters above Victoria Harbour. The trendy outdoor setting featuring an artistic, mosaic wall is the ideal place to pass the hours by. Kick back and recline on a lounge chair while soaking up the sun with a refreshing cocktail from the pool bar.

W Hong Kong - WET pool area (Copy)

 

We love Hong Kong! What’s your favourite Hong Kong experience? Let us know in the comments below. 

 

Eating, shopping, playing in Macau and Hong Kong

Eating, shopping, playing in Macau and Hong Kong

by | Mar 8, 2013 | Asia-Pacific, Travel blogger destinations, Travel vlog

Hong Kong is a busy, crazy, colourful, cool city. It’s one of those places where you could discover something brand new every day of a long lifetime spent there. We only had a few days to explore but still managed to squeeze in memorable, highly recommended experiences:

[More travel videos featured on YouTube’s TheSarahBlinco channel]

 

1. It’s easy and inexpensive to ride a ferry from Hong Kong (Kowloon, in our case) to Macau. This city has become known as ‘Vegas of the East’, and admittedly a vast majority of tourists visit to spend their money at one of the many large and lavish casinos here. I was more interested to venture to the ‘old town’ though, as it’s brimming with beautiful buildings reminiscent of Portuguese rule. It’s also more ‘Chinese’ in this area, with little English spoken, and traditional food and market stalls dotted throughout the narrow, crowded, and often cobbled side-streets.

2. There are plenty of gorgeous rooftop bars in Hong Kong and Kowloon, and although many are expensive, it’s worth finding your way to at least one during the evening to take advantage of what must be one of the most beautiful skylines in the world. Our picks are The Sky Bar, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers (20 Nathan Road), and the simply stunning Aqua Spirit Bar (acqu.com.hk) across the 29th & 30th floors, (1 Pecking Road, off Canton Road) which is lit only by the Hong Kong city lights outside the venue! More than just a restaurant/bar, this destination is an ‘experience’; may I suggest you also try the Porn Star Martini. Don’t ask, just do it.

3. At 8pm each night of the week, Hong Kong’s extraordinary Symphony of Lights is showcased across the harbour. Whether you’re watching from a rooftop bar, down below on the waterfront or from any number of vantage points around Hong Kong and Kowloon, this show is awesome. A laser light spectacular bouncing through the sky, across the water and between key sky-scrapers of the city. Not to be missed.

4. Shopping, shopping shopping. Sure, there are designer boutiques here by the hundreds, but once you’re done spending large on brand names, bag a bargain at a cool Hong Kong market, like those in Temple Street, Kowloon. You’ll find all manner of useless yet fun items like handbags, laser lights, wigs, clothes, pens, magnets … anything really. It’s like a ‘live’ version of Ebay. Enjoy!

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Eat: Nomads, 55 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Stay: Royal Pacific Hotel & Towers, Kowloon

Shop: Harbour City Shopping Centre and all along Canton Road; Nathan Road and Temple Street Night Market

 

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