I travel to China several times a year mainly for fun but also to check out hotels and new tourist attractions for my book. The following information is not in my 2002 book.  

The following items are dated with the month the information was obtained. Everything is subject to change but this should give you a good idea of what to expect. Please also look at our collection of photos from some of these places.

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The last update for this page was 12/31/08

Destinations

Hong Kong
I finally got back to Hong Kong this summer. As those of you who read this web-site know, I lived there for four years in the 1980s and never got enough of it. I’ve been back several times since and each time wanted to stay longer. My last trip was in 2003.

If you’ve been there more than five years ago, it could be time for another trip. If you’ve been there in the last year, please send me your impressions for publication here too. Do you agree with the following? What hotels would you recommend and why?

This time I found new things to see and do, and old things worth doing again. What makes Hong Kong easy to get around are the signs, even the new signs. Most are bilingual in Chinese and English even though Hong Kong has returned to Chinese control. It is still easy and cheap to get around.

Photo: copyright 2007 Ruth Lor Malloy

The official exchange rate during our visit was one US$1=HK$7.70 but hotels were giving HK$7.40. Prices below are in Hong Kong dollars. For current exchange rates, click on http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic  . The telephone code is 852. Our hotels were the Island Shangri-La, The Peninsula and the Sheraton. But more on those later.

The highlight of my trip was seeing pink dolphins cavorting in the wild. This was my third try to get some good pictures of them. On previous trips one or two dolphins appeared, but this time several of them popped up and down for over an hour around our tour boat giving lots of opportunities for a SLR to get some good shots. (Many electronic cameras are not fast enough.) It’s a miracle the dolphins survive here close to busy fishing and shipping lanes next to the airport and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Did you ever think of Hong Kong hosting a nature reserve? The dolphins are an endangered species and you can book a tour to see them from the Kowloon Hotel. Known as the Chinese White Dolphin, they live only in a mixture of sea and fresh water. The babies are gray or black, and the adults are really pink. Web-site: www.hkdolphinwatch.com  .

Photo copyright 2007 Ruth Lor Malloy.

But my trip had some disappointments.

I flew there in Air Canada’s economy class from Toronto, a non-stop flight with television monitors on the backs of seats with a choice of 20 movies you could stop and start at the same spot. It also had video games, and wings on the headrests against which we could lean to sleep without falling over. Add two hot meals and one sandwich snack. The 15 ½ hour flight went quickly and painlessly. Immigration and luggage pick-up in Hong Kong were swift. I rode a comfortable limo from Vigor Airport Shuttle Services in the arrival lounge. It was priced at $150 to Hong Kong Island. (Tel. 2739-3828.). If you want a Mercedes, it’s $450. An ATM was near the entrance to the Sky Train for easy money exchange.

The New Attractions
I liked Disneyland better than I expected. It is easy to get to by subway from downtown. It has its own subway train from the Sunny Bay station complete with Mickey Mouse windows. Friends in Hong Kong told me Disneyland was small and they preferred taking their children to Ocean Park instead. Besides, it is cheaper.

Admission prices at Disneyland ranges from $295 to $350 for adults and $210 to $250 per child. It is for people who enjoy fantasy with make-believe animals – albeit well-known make-believe animals. It had good shows: musical excerpts from the Lion King with a large international cast in impressive costumes. The food was expensive and guards searched our bags at the entrance so nobody can bring in their own food. It had many but not all of the usual rides. Signs were in English with indications of wait times. It has two hotels on site now and the park will be expanding. Web-site: www.hongkongdisneyland.com .

We arrived at Wetland Park too late to see it from the inside. It is open 10am to 5pm and is in Tin Shui Wai in the New Territories. This 61-hectare park (Tel. 2708-8885) is a nature reserve with mangroves, egrets, herons and a crocodile named Pui Pui. Web-site: www.wetlandpark.com . It is within sight of Shenzhen in mainland China. It is amazing and wonderful that Hong Kong has a place to see wild birds as well as dolphins. The best time to see birds is November to February. You can watch them from three “bird hides.” This park also has an energy-efficient interpretative centre and an interesting-sounding human habitat time-travel exhibit. It looks like a good place to go hiking though Hong Kong still has over 60% of its land designated as country parks where you can hike amidst greenery also.

We saw the Symphony of Lights from the top of Ocean Terminal on the Kowloon side, a great view. Even though it is not generally open to the public, you can go to this roof too, if you find the right door and staircase and have a good guide. We shared the site with only a television crew. You can also watch this spectacle from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in front of the Sheraton Hotel. Flood lights and search lights dance to music on 43 buildings on both sides of the harbour every night at 8pm all year round. The show lasts for 20 minutes. The co-ordination is pretty impressive. It’s gilding the lily, and I was sorry my husband wasn’t around. It is a romantic experience.

The Maritime Museum is something spouses and kids can now do when other family members shop at Stanley Market.  It is in an old colonial building moved piecemeal from Central. Interesting were the models of old junks and current fishing boats and container ships.

For movie buffs, the Avenue of Stars is on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront near the Sheraton Hotel with the handprints of Hong Kong actors like Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh. A statue of Bruce Lee also stands.

From August 9 to 20, 2008, Hong Kong will be hosting the equestrian events of the Olympics in Shatin for jumping and dressage, and in Sheung Shui for the cross country competition. Click on web-site: http://www.equestrian2008.org/eng/venue_e.aspx  . Shatin is about 30 minutes from downtown Tsim Sha Tsui by taxi, less by train. Sheung Shui is near the China mainland border. See also: Http://en.beijing2008.cn/cptvenues/sports/equestrian / .

The Old Attractions:
Of course we went up to the Peak and as always it was a thrill. Web-site: www.thepeak.com.hk  . If you’ve been there before, you can compare the changes from your pictures from your previous trips. In 2006, the main building on the Peak was reconstructed with a swooping rooftop observation desk and a 360-degree view. Then there are the many new buildings below. We were there at dusk – my favourite time for photos because the buildings below have some definition before the natural light fades and the dramatic lights turn on. So okay, there are a lot of people up there enjoying the view too but tour groups usually go there during the day so it could be worse. Even on a pleasant, clear Sunday evening, we had no trouble getting a spot at a railing where we could keep our cameras steady.

Hong Kong Harbour is still pretty special. The tropical light makes for beautiful colours and at night, the buildings glitter. The wide variety of boats, ships and buildings fascinates. The Star Ferry is still an attraction – and a very cheap one at that. Seniors can ride free – just tell the ticket taker. For others, it’s one of the cheapest major tourist attractions in the world. Look for the current tallest building, the 88-floor International Financial Building.

Photo courtesy Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Ocean Park where we frequently took our children 35 years ago, still has its marvelous 30 foot deep tank full of sharks, turtles, manta rays and real clown fish -- none of this Nemo fantasy stuff. Big balloon rides are now at the entrance. The cable car still has a spectacular view. It now has four pandas in a new habitat. There are florescent jelly fish, and birds of paradise. In one tank, you are encouraged to touch sea creatures and you can go through a tunnel to look up at the under side of sharks, or get into a pool with a live dolphin (after five days advance notice and an additional $680). There are new rides and after its extension is finished in 2012, it expects to stay open until 11pm and should have a three-star hotel at its main entrance. It expects then to have double its current 35 attractions.

Its dolphin and seal show in one of the most beautiful settings in the world hasn’t changed. You can still enjoy a panoramic view of the South China Sea and its ships while watching the show. There’s a lot to see and do and its creatures are all real. Its Bayview Restaurant offers salads, tandoori chicken and noodles. A good five-course meal there costs about $180 but the noodles will only set you back $50. Try to avoid weekends and holidays. Line-ups can be long. Web-site: www.oceanpark.com.hk/eng/main/index.html . Single entry $185 for adults and $93 for children.

My biggest disappointment was the closing of the 5.7-km, 20-minute Ngong Ping Skyrail cable-car ride just days before we arrived. It is between Tung Chung near the airport and ends close to the Big Buddha. I love beautiful Lantau Island and was looking forward to seeing it from above. Unfortunately, the ride had structural problems – but it should re-open soon.

Another disappointment was not having time to go to Macau, and not doing a bungee jump from the new 338-meter high Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre. When directly confronted with my first attempt at that terrifying sport, I probably wouldn’t have done it anyways. Macau has become another Las Vegas with many of the casinos from the U.S. city opening branches there. I hope its lovely old Portuguese buildings are still there.

We went to Tai O village on Lantau Island and luckily for us, we saw dragon boat races there. People of all nationalities now race these boats all over the world and it was an interesting change to see real Chinese fishermen having a lot of fun—splashing each other and celebrating afterwards – amid flying flags, fishing trawlers and beer parties. There was something authentically historical about this version. And of course this village still has a lot of old traditions. You can see the process of drying fish, squids and egg yolks, old architecture and even some old costumes – not displayed for tourists, but real.

The Shaolin Wushu Culture Centre there gives one to four day courses. Two artists gave us good graceful demonstrations of kung fu – more like a dance form than a martial art. Teachers speak English and it has a seven-bed dormitory for students. Web-site: www.shaolincc.hk  .

The Big Buddha was still impressive and the new nearby Wisdom Path would have been more spiritual for Chinese illiterates like me if the inscriptions on its 38 wooden pillars from the Heart Sutra had been translated into English. “They are very powerful,” said Bruce Wong our otherwise helpful guide who couldn’t translate them either. I suppose one should think of the words as part of a profound, mysterious language – from the depths of human understanding. The pillars are on a hill and the isolation does inspire peace. Vegetarian lunch in the monastery is always absorbing as one tries to figure out what meat each dish imitates.

Going to China
For those of you just going through Hong Kong to other China destinations, China Travel Service (CTS) has a booth at the airport where you can get a visa in about four hours during the day if you apply before 7am, 9:30am and 2pm. We had thought of getting our China visa in the China Resources Building (Wan Chai) after arriving in Hong Kong because they are much cheaper there, but then I discovered a Hong Kong holiday the day after we had planned to apply. Many people would be going to China too and there would be horrendous line-ups. So I got my visa painlessly with no line-up at China Travel Service in Toronto before I left home. This agency has offices in many cities around the world and for a small fee can probably help you avoid line-ups at Chinese consulates everywhere.

Buses go at least eight times a day from the Hong Kong airport to downtown Guangzhou for $100 to $250, and to Dongguan for $180. Buses also go to over 70 other cities. Tel. -2186-7218. China Travel Service has buses to China from downtown Hong Kong serving 16 other cities.

A big disappointment for me was not being able to take my sister on a ferry from Hong Kong China City to the port near our father’s birthplace in Taishan. That ferry goes past Macau and then up an estuary of the Pearl River past villages with old black brick houses and watch towers, rice fields and water buffalo. It is an idyllic introduction to the area, but alas, the ferry only goes every other day and we couldn’t fit it in. We had to take a bus from a hard-to-find terminal near the Prince Edward MTR station where staff speak no English. Fortunately, we had booked the bus through my favourite and very efficient Hong Kong travel agent, Irene Wan who can now be contacted at irene@exotic-holidays.hk  . Her office is August Moon Tour & Travel Co., Ltd. 7th Floor, Humphrey Plaza, 4-4A Humphrey’s Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. Direct Tel. 3575-9090. Fax: 2311-1318; mobile: 9039-9428. http://www.august-moon-travel.com.hk  .

With our bilingual tickets in hand, we were able to find the terminal amidst several store-front bus stations all going from this two square block area near the Prince Edward MTR station (Exit C). It helped to go there the evening before our 7am departure time. The $140 bus turned out to be comfortable and included one stop at the Hong Kong border to show our passports and another stop at the Chinese border post in Shenzhen where we had to drag out our luggage and present our passports and completed arrival and health forms. Then we had to find our buses at the other side of the Customs House. We finally left Shenzhen at 7:50am. It was a couple hours from there directly to the front door of the Garden Hotel in Taicheng, the county seat of Taishan county, which Irene also booked for us. This Wei Cheng Bus Co. is at 2 Playing Field Road in Mongkok, Hong Kong telephone 2391-9091. In Taishan, telephone 750-5500888.

Shopping
Should you wait to go shopping on the mainland? Well it depends on what you want to buy. Mainland Chinese go to Hong Kong to buy quality, name brands, and the latest in electronics and fashions. Hong Kong has more variety of fabrics than Shanghai. The best tailors – Shanghai tailors – are in Hong Kong, said our guide. You need two days to make a suit, which is faster than my Beijing tailor.

I was looking for antiques and did a quick tour of Hollywood Road and the Cat Street Galleries. The variety and higher qualities are there too – but so are the prices which are more expensive than Beijing’s Antique City. In China, you have to do a lot of looking before you can get any bargains and very few dealers speak English. Most dealers in Hong Kong seem to speak English. Of course I was looking for traditional antique footwear but couldn’t find much aside from lotus shoes. (See: http://www.china-travel-guide.com/museums.htm  )

As for Stanley Market, it’s still great for interesting souvenirs. I did buy a silk basic pants suit there that was good enough to wear later in the presence of royalty in the U.K. It cost $1425 at Ann G Fashion and is wrinkle free, great for travel. Ann G’s is at 9-11, Stanley Main Street. Tel. 2813-5026. The styles are better and more fashionable than in China and clothes are made from a wider selection of imported fabrics.

The annual Hong Kong shopping festival goes from June 30 to August 31 – when prices are slashed. Can you believe 80% off? Don’t let the hot, sticky weather discourage you. Most of the shopping is indoors in air-conditioning. And of course there are year-round specials too. I bought a coffee table book from Swindon’s and it cost an additional $149 to package and ship to Canada. It might be cheaper to pay overweight on your flight.

I was told there’s the new City Gate outlet mall near the airport, a convenience for transit passengers. It’s only a 10-minute bus ride from the airport but I haven’t had a chance to see it – nor compare prices. But I have tried just over the border in Shenzhen where shops are just outside the railway station. It’s fab! Hong Kong residents as well as tourists go there to shop for hand bags, costume jewellery, clothes and small electronics.

As for electronics, my sister bought a camera in Toronto just before we left for Hong Kong and found the same camera there for about the same price. I bought a new RC Sandisk CF-2GB Ultra II (SDCFH-2G) memory card for Y350 at the Broadway in Time Square and spent $360 for a charger for a Canon RB-2L Battery at the Topview Av Center, 16A Peking Road. My sister priced memory cards at a store near our hotel and the clerk started out at Y1000 and went down to $550 when she showed no interest. The clerk must have been desperate.

Carolyn, an Air Canada stewardess on my Toronto-Hong Kong flight, said Sino-Arts on the 14th floor of the Kimberley Hotel was good for pearls. Unlike in China, the clasps are reliable and prices are about one seventh the price in Canada, she said. There’s also Kee Vin Dhai in the Jade Market, at booths no. 345 and 381. Tel. 2456- 9083, cell 9073-2891. She shops in Stanley Market too for knock offs, golf clubs, and all kinds of purses. She has bought silk wine bottle holders at the Ladies Market. She’s found designer clothes at the Fa Yuen Market, one MTR stop north of Mongkok.

Infrastructure.
Changes to Hong Kong never seem to end. At the airport, the baggage belts were covered with advertising. The harbour is now smaller and three harbour tunnels now help to alleviate vehicular traffic jams. Not only does its subway system use the very convenient prepaid “swipe card” and displays electronic subway maps in each car, but its subway platforms have glass partitions separating incoming and outgoing passengers. These open only after each train has stopped. Guide Bruce explained it was to maximize the air-conditioning but it also prevents suicides and resulting delays. The MTR now has rush-hour staff pushing people into the cars and verbal announcements in English and Chinese. While many things in Hong Kong are more expensive than five years ago, public transportation for adults is still very reasonable: $2 for the tram; $4 to $26 for the subway depending on distance. A day pass for the MTR and most buses is only $50 and there are specials for tourists.

Hong Kong is also building a new passenger ship terminal, two berths at the old Kai Tak airport. The first should be finished in 2012. The 381 meter-long Ocean Terminal beside the Star Ferry in Tsim Sha Tsui is too small for the huge new cruise ships. The Star Ferry terminal on the Hong Kong side has been rebuilt a little further west. Terminal Two at Hong Kong International Airport was finished in 2007 and Sky City of which it is a part provides more things to do should you find yourself there between planes. It has a lot more stores and restaurants, an exhibition centre, an aviation museum, and two office blocks. It should also have a nine-hole golf course soon if not already. A new Marriott Hotel is due there in 2009. A few airlines like Emirates, Oasis Hong Kong and Eva Air now fly from this terminal and soon you should be able to transfer to ferries or buses to Shekou, Shenzhen, Macau, Humen (Dongguan), Guangzhou and Zhongshan

You can leave luggage only in Terminal One. But in Terminal Two, there’s a theatre with a 64 foot X 44 foot screen that was showing a four-D cartoon called Legend of the White Horse in Chinese. Tel. 3559-1070. Web-site: www.hongkongairport.com  .

People say the pollution in Hong Kong is worse but it was nothing like Beijing’s. Bruce said it wasn’t serious enough to wear a mask and during our six days there in June, the air looked clear. The pollution is from the cars and buses, and from industries in the adjacent China mainland. It depends on which way the wind is blowing. For more information, click on: http://www.epd-asg.gov.hk/eindex.php  . For details of the air pollution index and when seniors should stay indoors, click on
www.epd-asg.gov.hk/english/api_you/action.php  .

Hotels:
This time I stayed two nights each at the Island Shangri-La, The Peninsula and the Sheraton – all recommended. The Peninsula is the most expensive with the Shangri-La close behind. On January 1, 2008 according to Travelocity.com, rooms start at US$684 at The Peninsula. The Sheraton is almost half that price. The city has a lot of cheaper, decent and comfortable hotels. Please tell me about the hotels you used.

The Island Shangri-la is one of my favourite Hong Kong hotels. To be fair, I didn’t have time to do a proper survey of the top hotels and there are several.

The Island Shangri-La  is very beautiful with 771 Austrian or Venetian chandeliers and a 16-storey Chinese landscape painting, the largest in the world. But it is not just a pretty face with a great view of Hong Kong’s harbour. It also has everything you might need. It is above and across the street from two huge shopping malls and near an MTR station. An ATM is in the same building, one level down. It’s walking distance to the Star Ferry and City Hall. On its south side, it is across the street from large lovely Hong Kong Park and near historic St. John’s Cathedral and the Peak Tram.

My deluxe harbour-view room 5306 was a spacious 51 square meters. The Shangri-La’s smallest rooms are 41 square meters. Its desk had six handy plugs to recharge computers and cameras and a television monitor is in the bathroom. The whole building has wireless capability. The room safe was the largest I’ve seen in a hotel room anywhere – 33 cm X 48.5 cm X 37 cm. I loved the little touches like the tissues beside the bed and the sewing kit with all six needles already threaded. It has a year-round outdoor pool which is heated in winter, and a health club that is open 24 hours a day. Its wide variety of restaurants includes a lobster bar and men need jackets at its upscale Petrus with its European food.

Photo of Café TOO courtesy of the Island Shangri-la.

Its “coffee shop” called Café TOO offers a wonderful breakfast. There is so much variety to choose from, I decided to start at one end of the room on my first day. Then I figured I needed three days just to sample everything. There was Chinese, western, continental, and Japanese, with some dishes cooked on the spot to order. Lunch and dinner have Indian and Thai food in addition. Wait staff served tea properly with loose tea leaves and a strainer. However the milk did not go in first, and the hair of some waitresses should have been tied back. The price for the breakfast buffet was about HK$250.80 net.

I was also fortunate to stay in a harbour-side suite at The Peninsula, another favourite hotel. (http://www.peninsula.com     ). I love it for its history, its class, its great service, technology, and its classical beauty. Opened in 1928, it was Hong Kong’s first hotel. It was built with a magnificent two-story lobby with fancy pillars – where the elite met and ate, then and today. If you too want its famous afternoon tea, expect to join a queue, it’s so popular. It costs about $248 for one person or $368 for two, and is served 2pm to 7pm daily with a “smart casual” dress code. We were told that actor Chow Yun-Fat occasionally shows up there too. But the service was not perfect. We had to ask twice for water, and there was no whipped cream – so it wasn’t authentically British.

photo courtesy The Peninsula.

The Peninsula still has one of the best locations in town for tourists, almost across Salisbury Road from the harbour and is part of the Golden Mile Nathan Road shopping and restaurant area in Tsim Sha Tsui. It is also a few steps from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, and the Star Ferry and two blocks from Ocean Terminal with its adjacent shopping malls – a total of almost a thousand shops. It is across the street from the Cultural Centre (where a Hong Kong company will perform Aida in October, 2008,) and the Space Museum.

Hong Kong is still very British in places in spite of the Chinese take-over, and the Peninsula with its Rolls Royce Phantoms adds to the atmosphere. The Chinese were wise not to change the colonial ambience and the old buildings. My sister rode one of its new Rolls Royce limos from the airport. “The muggy HK air hit me like a wall and it was nice to climb into a spotless, roomy, air conditioned car,” she said. Driver Eric offered her some chilled water from a bin in the back seat. “This was my first trip abroad and despite just getting off a 16-hour plane ride, I was wide awake not wanting to miss a minute of the view. Eric was very knowledgeable about Hong Kong. It was a very pleasant ride and much too short. When I arrived at the hotel, my portfolio was ready at the desk and all I had to do was sign in. The desk clerk then took me to our suite. My bags arrived about 10 minutes later.”

You can also fly to The Peninsula from the airport by helicopter.

Service is excellent with 900 staff for 300 rooms and you can have breakfast either buffet style or served. In its Academy, you can sit in its kitchen, discuss the menu with the chefs and watch them cook a meal. You can learn about feng shui or Chinese herbal medicine – if you want to. It also has cooking classes for children. And its French restaurant Gaddi’s is still one of the tops in the city. Its year-round swimming pool has an 8th floor view and the gym has television monitors on many of its cardio machine.

The Peninsula’s spa was tranquil with earth tones and real flowers. It has been operated by the British firm Espa for a year and my sister Gloria was told to arrive an hour ahead of her appointment so she could relax in the saunas, and in the relaxation room with its spectacular view of the harbour. Gloria decided on a hot rock massage and a mini facial. Her therapist’s English was broken but she had no problem communicating with Gloria who speaks no Chinese. Though still jet-lagged, Ellen got Gloria to relax with oils, scents and soothing hot rocks rolling the heat deeply into her body. She fell asleep. The procedure totally cleared her head. She enjoyed the experience and says you shouldn’t miss it.

The hotel was amazingly clean, but we did find dust on the baseboards under the desk in our suite. We would recommend The Peninsula nevertheless because it has so much more going for it like the size of its rooms, and fine details like a thermometer giving outside humidity and temperature, a telescope to study the ships in the harbour, and colonial paintings. It has a DVD player in every room. The complimentary bottled water was Evian and the mini-bar was free (but replenished only once a day.)

I also chose to stay in the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers so I could review a cheaper but equally well-located five-star hotel. (Web-site: www.sheraton.com/hongkong ) It is on the same street as The Peninsula and a few steps further from the Star Ferry. An adjacent eight minute walk takes you through an air-conditioned tunnel to the KCR railway station with its trains to the New Territories, Guangzhou and Beijing. It is also right at the beginning of Nathan Road shopping.

One of the Peninsula’s Rolls Royces took me there and the Sheraton doorman jumped to open the door but ignored me on other occasions. When we first stepped off the elevator on the 7th floor with key in hand, we realized we were on a smoking floor. You do have to request it when you book. I went to the reception desk to ask for a change, and the receptionist told me to “sit over there and wait.” I felt neglected for at least 20 minutes when we finally got a smoke-free 11th floor room. She could have told me what I was waiting for. However, the service standard of this hotel went up a notch in my estimation when a package addressed to me was re-routed efficiently to the new room shortly after we arrived there.

The lobby is two stories tall and dark with some tantalizing sculptures of a baby on its head. Our room 1173 had no view of the harbour but the hotel’s 23-piece gym did. Internet service cost $120 for 24 hours. Our room bathroom had an unusual but clever soap container on its glass sinks. Glasses were free form and made me wonder if I had had too much to drink. Its Oyster and Wine Bar is heaven for oyster-lovers with over 20 different kinds served daily on ice. Its $208-$268 lunch buffet offered a wide assortment of delicious-looking foods including three different kinds of asparagus from France. There you can watch chefs preparing Chinese noodles, rice and stir-fries, sashimi, pizza, tandoori, crepes and waffles to your order. The harbour view from its newly-renovated 18th floor Sky Lounge and the lounge itself elicited a double “wow.” Another double “wow” was for its lovely Zen Lounge close by with authentic Japanese garden atmosphere. These three bars offer 350 different wines, said a manager.

A harpist plays daily in its lobby and the hotel can provide international newspapers in English. It has a cigar lounge with humidors and temperature-controlled lockers, and a florist. Among the hotel’s many technological features are its ballroom chandeliers which can change colour in time to music. Of course the Sheraton wasn’t as good as the Peninsula or Island Shangri-La, but it was remarkable and very comfortable.

Hong Kong has over 20 new hotels in different price ranges. The YMCA on Salisbury Road has been a long-time favourite in the cheaper category. Known now as The Salisbury, it is usually full because it’s a great deal. Next door to the Peninsula, it has the same wonderful location and its e-mail service only costs $1 per minute, minimum 15 minutes. (For e-mailing, you might be able to find a Pacific Coffee where it’s free.)

Restaurants:
Hong Kong is noted for its food, both foreign and Cantonese. To give you an idea of prices in the upper medium range, we kept notes. The Union Bar and Grill, telephone 2295-1808, is an expatriate hangout in an office building in Central near the train to the airport. Its service was quick. The pasta was tasty. The seafood mushroom truffle was good. Prices? Soups $30-$78, salads $45-$158, steak and seafood $180-$276, grill $108-$198, pasta $98-$135, and beer $48-$60.

We had lunch at a branch of Chao Inn at Unit No. 6P033 in Terminal Two, Hong Kong International Airport. Tel. 2947-0818. Noodles or rice dishes $38-$90, congee $88-$128; scallops with broccoli $120, sweet and vinegary spare ribs $68, beef with satay sauce $78, $246 cuttle fish pan cake and dim sum $20-$26 per basket (with prices after 2pm 50% cheaper). We sampled a selection and it was good, though not gourmet. A halal restaurant is also in Terminal Two). At the YMCA on Salisbury Road, a ham and cheese sandwich cost $42 and soup of the day $12. No sales tax.

Restaurant on Cheung Chow Island. Photo copyright Ruth Lor Malloy 2007.

We had dinner one evening on Cheung Chow Island – where seafood is cooked live and you sit at basic tables out of doors overlooking the fishing boats and the ferry in the harbour. Prices are cheap and the restaurants rustic – far from fancy – but it’s one of Hong Kong great eating experiences because everything is so fresh. Dishes are displayed with prices and we had shrimp, small but tasty crab, and fish – all steamed. We also had water cress and rice. It was more than enough for the three of us and the total tab was $180. It was all wonderful.

We also ate at the Ka Ma Do Japanese Restaurant, Shop 802, 1 Peking Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel. 2269-5051. It was quite good. We tried one dim sum restaurant, but it wasn’t as good as similar restaurants in Toronto even though it was an award winner – but then I’m biased.

Note:
Delays happened frequently on our trip because there were so many interesting things to do that we got behind on our schedule. No matter how carefully you plan your stay in this city, be sure to give yourself a little more time because you’ll find things you never expected. See http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attraction/itinerary / for an itinerary planner. I would recommend that tourists stay at least six days in this city, especially if you have friends here to visit. Some museums are closed on Tuesdays. Others on Mondays. –

RLM with help from Gloria Spoden, DATE, June, 2007. Note also: I was a guest of the Island Shangri-La, The Peninsula and the Sheraton. These are hotels I chose to stay in because I knew they were good. My trip was partially subsidized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. (Web-site: www.DiscoverHongKong.com  ).

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