SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010 GOINGOURWAY Shopping is only one good reason to fall for Hong Kong BY CAROL SOTTILI HongKong is a top destination
for those who equate shopping with a successful vacation. This densely populated former British colony, now a special administra- tive region of China, sports a sky- line of gleaming high-rises over- looking a bustling harbor. But the 425-square-mile area, which in- cludes Hong Kong Island, Kow- loon Peninsula, the New Territo- ries and 262 outlying islands, also offers rural attractions:Forty per- cent is protected public lands. Marcy Troy of Oakton, who’s
interested in both history and shopping, is lucky that she has enough frequent-flier miles to cover the airfare, as flights, which take about 20 hours each way from Washington with one con- nection, typically cost at least $1,000 round-trip. (American, code-sharing with Cathay Pacific, often offers good fares and conve- nient connections through New York.) Itmay be a little cheaper to travel in December, before the holiday season, when hotel rates are somewhat lower and airfares drop a bit. Weather-wise, expect little rain and high temperatures in the 60s.
Day 1. Fly to Hong Kong. Travel- ers arrive in Hong Kong the day after leaving the United States. The nonstop out of New York on Cathay Pacific, for example, leaves at 9:15 a.m. and arrives in Hong Kong the following day at 2:25 p.m.
Day 2. Check into the hotel that will be home base for the next six nights. Two areas that are conve- nient to mass transit and tomany of Hong Kong’s attractions are Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Is- land and Tsim Sha Tsui (also known as TST) on the Kowloon Peninsula. In Causeway Bay, Lan- son Place Hotel (
www.lanson-
place.com) is an upscale boutique hotel within easy walking dis- tance of several shopping areas and the MTR (Mass Transit Rail- way system); rate for six nights starts at about $1,320. Once settled in, take a 10-min-
ute walk to Times Square (www.
timessquare.com.hk), a multilev- el shopping center with more than 200 shops. Or if a lively street market sounds more invit- ing, take a five-minute stroll to the outdoor market on Jardine’s Bazaar. For dinner, eat Cantonese at Times Square’s Chung’s Cui- sine, or go for the wonton soup at
ALAMY
Atramline brings visitors to the Peak’s observation deck, which offers grand views ofHongKong Island, the harbor andKowloon Peninsula. Mak’sNoodle on Jardine’s Bazaar.
Day 3. Buy a reloadable Octopus cardattheCausewayMTRstation and also consider purchasing a separate light rail/bus/MTR com- bo card (
www.mtr.com.hk), avail- able only for tourists; discount coupons are also available on the MTR Web site for the Star Ferry and other tourist attractions. Take the green tram, known as
the ding-ding (
www.hktram-
ways.com), from CausewayBay to the adjacent Central neighbor- hood for dim sum and traditional tea at either the Lin Heung Tea HouseonWellington Street or the Luk Yu Tea House on Stanley Street. NearbyistheCentral-Mid-Lev-
els Escalator, billed as the world’s longest system of covered escala- tors, which goes to the antiques shopsonHollywoodRoadandthe souvenir shops on Upper Lascar Row(also called Cat Street). In the afternoon, take theMTR
to the EastTsim ShaTsui stop and walk 10 minutes to the Hong Kong Museum of History (
www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/
History; closed Tuesdays), which showcases the region’s history with more than 4,000 exhibits.
Day 4. Take the tram to the Cen- tral Star Ferry pier, and then walk or take the 15C bus to the Peak tram, which makes the steep trip to the top (
www.thepeak.com.hk; tickets about $7). The Peak’s ob- servation deck offers grand views of Hong Kong Island, the harbor and Kowloon Peninsula. There are also hiking trails. Next, do a harbor tour on the
Star Ferry. Buy a day-hopper tick- et (about $23), which allows pas- sengers to get off and on at any of four stops. In the evening, a spe- cial ferry tour viewsthe “Sympho- ny of Lights,” a multimedia light- and-sound show that emanates from more than 40 buildings on both sides of the harbor. The light show, which starts at 8 p.m., can also be seen from the Tsim Sha Tsuiwaterfront promenade. (Tip: If viewing from the promenade, go onMonday,Wednesday or Fri- day, when the show is narrated in English.)
Day 5. Take an all-day trip to Lantau Island. It’s easy enough to do via public transportation, but for solo travelers, a tour may be a good way to meet people and to take a breakfromfiguring out bus and train schedules. (Tour com- panies include
www.viator.com and
www.grayline.com.hk.) Tour highlights typically include the 85-foot-high statue of Buddha (climb more than 200 steps to get aclose-up view);vegetarianlunch at the Po Lin Monastery; a 25- minutecable car journeybetween the villages of Ngong Ping and Tung Chung; and a stroll through the Tai O fishing village. Cost is $80 to $90. Go upscale for Cantonese din-
ner at Cuisine Cuisine (www.
cuisinecuisine.hk), with locations
in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui.
Day 6. No more shopping! An infusion of culture and history is in order. Take a class or a guided tour offered by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (www.discover-
hongkong.com/usa/things-to-do/ cultural-tours.html); choices in- clude a free Chinese tea apprecia- tion class or an architecture walk (about $26). Visit an ancient Chi- nese temple, such asChi LinNun- nery and its adjacent Nan Lian Garden (
www.nanliangarden. org). Take in one of the many artistic performances during the CaoYuDramaFestival (
www.lcsd.
gov.hk), which runs through Dec. 12. For other ideas, go to www.
discoverhongkong.com. For dinner, more dim sum and
FAMILY PHOTO
Who: Marcy Troy, 52, of Oakton Where: Hong Kong Why: Need a nice vacation to a somewhat exotic location When: Seven days in November or December Budget: Up to $3,000, not including air ticket (covered with frequent-flier miles)
“Ever since I saw the slick, stylized Hong Kong thriller ‘Infernal Affairs,’ I have wanted to visit this fascinating place perched on the edge of China. I’m interested in history, sights and shopping. A luxe hotel is what I prefer, but I will settle for something less than 5 stars — maybe 3.5 to 4?”
KLMNO
EZ EE
F3
perhaps some roast goose at Yung Kee Restaurant (
www.yungkee.
com.hk) in Central.
Day 7. Homeward bound back across the international date line. If you take the morning flight on Cathay Pacific, expect to arrive in Washington in the afternoon.
Total cost:Hotel is about $1,320. Transportation, including a cou- ple of late-night cabs and a two- day unlimitedMTRcard, will run $50 or so. Budget about $200 for sightseeing, leaving a generous amount of at least $1,400 for shopping and food.
Interested in having us help plan your trip? Go to
washingtonpost.com/ goingourway.
Travel section takes top honors TheWashingtonPost’sTravel
sectionhaswonfirst-placeprizes for editing andwriting inthe an- nualLowellThomasTravel Jour- nalismCompetitionsponsoredby the Society ofAmericanTravel WritersFoundation. The sectionwonthe goldmed-
al for best travel sectionamong newspaperswithcirculationof 350,000ormore. Judges called
TRAVEL
thePost section“a vibrantpack- age . . . bothimaginative andtra- ditional,” andpraisedits “clever angles onfamiliardestinations.” Post staffwriterAmitPaley,
who is onleave fromthe financial desk, alsowongoldfor bestnews- paper travel story onforeigntrav- el forhisAug. 23, 2009,piece, “A Village, or aZoo?,” about the ethi- caldilemmas of visiting the long-
neckedwomenofThailand.The judges calledit “enlightening” and“descriptive andinformative butnot judgmental.” The competition, forwork
fromspring 2009 to spring 2010, drew1,161 entries. Judgingwas done by faculty at theUniversity ofNorthCarolina-ChapelHill School of JournalismandMass Communication.
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