Hong Kong is one of the great global metropolises. Blazing neon and shadowy alleys; the rich aromas of street food and the glorious cacophony of traffic and chatter – everything about the city screams chaos. It’s so densely packed and crackling with life that it can’t help but energise you, propelling you through the streets to discover as much of the exquisite mania as possible.
The harbour lights at night are beautiful. The culinary scene is extraordinary. Luxury hotels and tax-free shopping are attractive to confirmed urbanites, and the thrill of discovering new retail spaces and dining rooms crammed nose-to-tail into the seemingly endless high-rises is intoxicating. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) is a truly global capital of ultra-urban, interconnected, cosmopolitan living. Even the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is clean and efficient – something few places of similar scale can claim.
What many people don’t realise is that the territory of Hong Kong SAR is not just the city. It includes more than 260 islands, and around 75% of the land area is not built-up. Sleepy fishing villages and rugged hikes, soaring peaks and crashing waterfalls are all waiting to be discovered. Thanks to the convenience of the Octopus card – a pre-pay travel pass that covers public transport, metered taxis, and many smaller local shops – that discovery can be easy once you know where to look.
What to do
Victoria Peak isn’t exactly an ‘unknown’ spot, but it is worth a visit all the same. Taking the historic tram is the quickest – and the most crowded – way up, and the visitor centre-slash-shopping mall you arrive at is neither peaceful nor picturesque, but it does serve as the start/finish point for a gentle hike with great views.
The loop around the peak gives a great aspect from above the Hong Kong Island skyscrapers and over to Kowloon Bay before coming round to the islands to the west of Hong Kong itself and across the South China Sea. If the tram queue is too much for you, grab a taxi or hike the whole way up from Central.
Lantau Island is also fairly well-known on the tourist trail, thanks to the presence of the impressive Po Lin Monastery and Ngong Ping Big Buddha. Getting there is also fairly easy thanks to the cable car (take the glass-bottomed private cabin for extra drama). Beyond the ultra-touristic retail frenzy on arrival, the monastery and statue await. There is far more to the island than just these popular monuments, however: views across the ocean from Sunset Peak are worth the (roughly) four-hour there-and-back trek to see them.
Of course, Lantau and Hong Kong are just two of those 260 islands. A ferry ride (Octopus again) of about 40 minutes from Central will bring you to Cheung Chau, a sleepy little island with a small fishing village and its own monastery. The contrast between the mania of the city centre and tranquillity of Cheung Chau is marked – save for the week in mid-May when the annual Bun Festival takes place – and the chance to stroll around in peace is a welcome respite. The ferry docks on the west side, next to the ancient fishing harbour; stroll through the centre of the village to find the sandy beach at the opposite end of the island.
Staying on the mainland, a quick MTR-then-bus transfer from Tsim Sha Tsui will bring you to the beginning of the Kowloon Peak trail. This is a hike for those who do such things regularly – no real climbing, although steep enough to require decent cardio – but you’ll reap rich rewards for the effort. Around an hour of steep ascent brings you to a narrow pathway down to the ominously named Suicide Cliff, from where the giant buildings appear tiny. This is a great place to see the city blend into the tropical forest, before nature fully takes over. Following the trail from here takes you along the ridge of Kowloon Peak then loops back down to the residential roads you began on.
Where to stay
For location, service, and history, it’s difficult to look past The Peninsula. The ‘Grande Dame of the Far East’ was the hotel which began this now-famous global brand, and in its almost 100 years of history it has become deeply ingrained in the culture of the city. Her Rolls Royce fleet is a familiar sight to local residents – and cannot be matched for an airport collection experience – while partnerships with other Hong Kong icons like The Star Ferry Afternoon Tea Cruise ensure the relationship between hotel and community remains strong. A room in the central tower with a view over the harbour is worth securing at booking, especially if you can be in your room at 8pm at least once to catch the nightly Symphony of Lights, while the spa and sauna services will be instrumental in recovering from all those hikes.
Spending time in the public areas of the hotel will require you to dodge an influencer or two, such is the popularity of the lobby for Instagram backdrops, but this is a small price to pay for being based in such beauty. The luxury boutiques on the first floor and in the attached arcade also draw a lot of passing trade, giving the whole space a bustle and energy which replicates the streets outside, but as soon as you enter the lift to your room a calm descends. A variety of gastronomic restaurants, serving cuisines both local and global, will keep you fed and watered, and anything you need taken care of will be nothing to the attentive team looking after you. The phrase ‘world-class’ is bandied about a little too frequently these days, but it certainly applies here.
Where to eat
You could take all your meals in your hotel, but a city’s kitchen is the best place to get a true feel for its soul. The food culture in Hong Kong has always struck me as being a social leveller, with people from all walks of life coming together to eat wherever the food is delicious enough. Plenty of restaurants with high price tags and extensive wine lists can compete on a global level, but there are plenty more where good food costs less than the train fare to get there.
For a raucous evening out on the island, begin at Ho Lee Fook before hitting the bars around Central; in Happy Valley, Hong Kong Cuisine 1983 serves contemporary twists on Cantonese classics in a distinguished dining room hidden up one of those typical narrow staircases. Little Bao is a buzzy new chain whose prices may be a little on the high side for elevated street food but whose flavours are worth the extra investment.
For real street food, head across to the mainland and the neighbourhood of Mong Kok – the small diners and stalls that line the streets here are not salubrious, but many are excellent and will fill your belly for almost nothing. Traditional noodles, tofu puddings, Hong Kong classic pineapple buns (they look like pineapples; they don’t contain them) and traditional milk tea are all on the menu here.
Wander further north into Sham Shui Po to discover hipster ice cream shops, traditional wet markets, and more of that street food. If going that deep into the city alone isn’t for you, find a local guide – I went with Virginia Chan, founder of Humid with a Chance of Fishballs food tours, and learned more than I ever could have if left to my own devices.
Hong Kong will always be a destination that attracts a plethora of travellers, be it for business or pleasure; to visit family or to broaden horizons. One of the most appealing aspects of the territory is its diversity – next time you head there, why not seek out the parts you haven’t seen in the movies?
Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flag-carrier, flies direct from cities across Europe and North America. Book at cathaypacific.com. Nick Hendry was a guest of The Peninsula Hong Kong; rooms start from £474 a night.