Hongkong after 1997 - the truth and only the truth

This being my 3rd trip to Hongkong over a spread of 10 years have certainly seen me realising how much changes in people's behaviour, air quality, food and shopping agenda for tourists have changed.

This would certainly be very helpful for you to read if you are planning to go there and won't know what to expect and what to do. Before you travel, check the weather, it can be very hot and polluted and might affect your experience in HK.

FOOD
Being typical food lovers - as my family and I are all are. Finding really good food in Hongkong is tough. If you want really good desserts and can afford to pay for the price of a huge bucket of piping hot steamy bucket of tofu that can be shared amongst 6 - 8 persons (est. US$10) you can head down to where Hard Rock Cafe (along Canton Road, Kowloon) is this should be on your right and you keep on walking down till you see this Sweet House. Along that same street there is a restaurant in between HRCafe and Sweet Hse that does really good beef brisket noodles, during the lunch hour 12:30 - 1:30 is jam-packed and waitresses can be rude. Temple Street has many food stalls selling veg, seafood and other HK stir-fries - value for money and good on the taste buds.

HK Restaurant Guide

HK Food Guide
some tips on finding particular desserts in HK

Tourist Attractions
Even the locals advice not to bother visiting Disneyland HK as its small and cannot be compared to the one in Japan and States. So unless you really am a disney fan, I would advice to use the money either on food or shopping! Do NOT visit the tourist attractions during weekends. You might end up being one very frustrated and grouchy person due to the weather and the crowds that have recently flooded in from China. Check out the view from the Mine Roller Coaster @ Ocean Park, Ocean Park is an old park and they are refurbishing some parts of this huge complex. Its more for children and parents be prepared for the long walks - bring strollers and water bottles!

Shopping
Leui Yan Kai - Woman's/Ladies Market is not as fantastic and vibrant as it was before, I believe due to strict regulations of what products are allowed to be sold there. Previously, you'd be able to find soft toys of rather high quality at cheap prices and small knick-knacks..Now, I would urge you to head there only if you want the experience. Also if you want sport goods, knows what you want before you start bargaining. Do visit the little boutique shops that have opened in mini complexes in the nearby vicinity as they have more variety on clothes, their way of bargaining is if you buy more than 2 pieces, you can slash the prices by at least 30% if not more.

Do remember to grab some HongKong goodies to bring back such as the Loh Poh Pang, Egg rolls etc. Do ask your hotel concierge on this as they wil be able to direct you further.

For real proper shopping - pls just head down to causeway bay and mingle around the smaller lanes near that area where boutiques such as Adidas, M&S, Hermes, Chanel, Polo etc can be found. Go during the sales period, I believe during July - Sept.

Where To Stay
now, there are many hotels in HK and Kowloon. Based on my recent experience, check out Nathan Hotel which is near Temple Street, the hotel looks pretty smart after its recent refurbishment. If not, stay near the Causeway Bay area as that's where most of the better foods and shopping can be found! If you prefer just enjoying the experience of the real heartland of the city, stay in the north where the markets are! depends on your preference!

Music
there's a hugh music store called Tom Lee Music Store on Kowloon side

Air quality wasn't very good during the time I went there, so I wouldn't recommend bringing children. Take care of your belongings and be patient with the people as some of them especially in the customer service line can be quite nasty.

Enjoy!