China
A local in the city, Lee Cobaj gives her best ideas for tips on making the most of Hong Kong. Vibrant, trendsetting Hong Kong is more than just a collection of flashy hotels and harbour views; it’s a city brimming with edgy neighbourhoods, artistic endeavours and fabulous foodie experiences. Tapping into the trend for all things
fame as one of its founders. The Beijing
Peninsula is revamping its 525 rooms, while Hong Kong awaits the arrival of a 600-room Rosewood on the Kowloon waterfront, with rumours of a Dorchester Collection too. Upstaging them all though is Macau, which
just notched up nine hotels with the coveted Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Rating and will welcome the Zaha Hadid-designed City of Dreams Tower in 2017. The St Regis Macao opened in December with 400 state-of-the-art guestrooms, a 38th floor spa and outdoor pool and the still-to-come Wynn Palace will have an eight-acre performance lake, cable car system with gondolas resembling fire-breathing dragons and 1,700 rooms.
Peeling the layers But many travellers are now seeking not just to visit China’s obvious options, but to experience it on a deeper level, says Lesley Wright, the UK general manager commercial at Asia specialist Insider Journeys. “We’ve observed a steady rise in China enquiries lately, with the Li River in Guilin soaring in popularity and now recognised as a fantastic alternative to the Yangtze,” she says. “Customers are seeking more rural experiences in China too, such as Yunnan.” Insider Journeys has created a private travel
brochure to capitalise on this emerging trend and offer a greater range of touring options, such as the five-day Shanghai City Explorer. Meanwhile, Raffles Beijing is working on
acquainting guests with China’s ski slopes in anticipation of 2020, when Beijing will become the first city ever to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Raffles’ four-day package includes VIP pick-ups, champagne breakfasts, an exclusive tour of the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, and day trips to the Nanshan ski field – the largest in China.
Pictured 1. St Regis Shenzen 2. Guilin, Guangxi, China 3. Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain Resort and Spa 4. Alila Anji, Zhejiang province
How to book it Wendy Wu Tours offers a 15-day Sichuan Explorer tour from £2,490pp on a fully inclusive basis, with international flights, meals, accommodation, touring with guides, entrance fees to attractions and visas for UK/EU passport holders. Highlights include Mount Emei and the Leshan Grand Buddha, Bifengxia Panda Base, Mt Qingcheng and Nine Villages Valley. Tel: 0800 988 2888,
wendywutours.co.uk
local, several hotels now offer tours that scratch beneath Hong Kong’s surface. The Conrad’s new Stay Inspired programme offers a range of one, three and five-hour private experiences, including shopping expeditions to hipster-filled Star Street and hunting for antique treasures on Hollywood Road. At the Four Seasons, guests can take an exclusive guided food tour with Chef Chan Yan Tak – executive chef of Lung King Heen and the first Chinese chef to earn three Michelin stars, while The Peninsula offers visitors the opportunity to discover Hong Kong’s ecological history on a once-in-a- lifetime helicopter tour of the Unesco Geopark. At ground level, there’s always a hot
new bar or restaurant to discover; Chef Henry James, of Bones, Paris fame, has entered into his first foreign collaboration to open Belon, a new- wave bistro serving French-rooted dishes with a local twist. For fusion cuisine, fine wines and fabulous up- close city views, zoom to just-opened Ce La Vi on the rooftop of the LKF Tower. Then make for the Mahalo Tiki Lounge for fruity alfresco cocktails with a sophisticated crowd.
Go beyond
An array of fascinating tours help clients go beyond the obvious tick-list destinations of this vast country. Alongside its Classic Tours – taking in China’s big guns of Hong Kong, Shanghai, the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army –Wendy Wu has introduced a range of Discovery Tours. Clients can expect to enjoy the likes of breakfast walking tours amidst the curly- eaved shikumen buildings of Shanghai, tea ceremonies in ancient mountain towns and hiking expeditions to the Great Wall’s more remote sections. To get even further off the beaten track, Wendy Wu suggests its Sichuan
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Explorer Package, which ventures into the south-western national park (from £2,345pp). Elsewhere, Insider Journeys suggests
Guilin, Yangshuo and Yunnan for their limestone crags and valleys, bamboo forests and Li River scenery. The Yunnan Explorer small group journey (from £1,590pp) is a great place to start, and can easily be combined with private tours to even more remote regions. The operator also has a new 14-day private China, Sichuan & Yunnan itinerary (from £3,424pp), which allows clients to immerse themselves in these diverse provinces.
City lights
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