Hong Kong is one of those places that you probably won’t mind revisiting again and again. There’s just so much you can do. As one of Asia’s most popular international hubs with visa-free entry for tourists, it’s a favorite overseas travel destination for Filipino travelers. During previous visits to Hong Kong with my family, I enjoyed all the essential Hong Kong experiences for first-timers like the rides in Disneyland theme park, visiting Victoria Harbour and a day trip to Macau.
On my most recent solo trip, I wanted to explore differently and find a way to cool down for the hot summer weather. While it’s currently the rainy season in the Philippines, summer is in full swing in Hong Kong. The summer months, which run from late May to mid-September are hot and humid, making Hong Kong a welcome sunny respite from the gloomy weather. For repeat visitors, here are some of the fun, new spots where you can enjoy, shop and dine in Hong Kong.
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Chill out at Choi Hung Estate
Hong Kong is always great destination for architecture and urban photography, with all the graphic details and futuristic patterns of buildings all around. In recent years, certain spots have become “Insta-famous” because of their popularity on social media. I was staying in Pentahotel Hong Kong Kowloon and made sure to check out some spots in Kai Tak neighborhood including Choi Hung Estate, which is known for its rainbow facade.
The old building has been painted in an array of eight colors as a way to lift the spirits of the residents living there. The pastel-colored facade is best viewed from an elevated basketball court, frequented by locals and residents. Because of the aesthetically striking features of the building, it’s become popular a spot for shutterbugs and Instagrammers. It’s a fun, colorful spot to just hang out with friends with a cold drink in hand. I swapped taking photos with another solo traveler there just to get a good solo shot 🙂
How to get there: Ride the MTR green line and alight at Choi Hung stop. Exit at A3. Climb stairs to basketball court to get the best view.
Enjoy nature at Nan Lian Garden & Chi Lin Nunnery
It’s always nice to find pockets of peace and serenity right in the middle of skyscrapers and bustling markets easily accessible by MTR. If you want to enjoy a peaceful and leisurely walk away from the crowds in the middle of the bustling city, there are a few gardens and temples worth visiting. The Nan Lian Garden, a classical Chinese garden is one of the most beautiful.
Located in the peaceful Diamond Hill area surrounded by skyscrapers, this tranquil garden and public park built in the style of the Tang dynasty contains scenic and lush gardens, landscaped walkways, bonsai gardens, a rockery, a fairly large pond and artificial waterfalls. The sight of greenery and bodies of water is always refreshing. I enjoyed an afternoon walking around here because of the natural surroundings. It wasn’t crowded at all, making it a pleasant nature walk right in the city.
Meanwhile, Chi Lin Nunnery is a large Buddhist temple complex also located in the Diamond Hill area and right across Nan Lian Garden. Originally founded in 1934 as a retreat for Buddhist nuns, it was rebuilt in the 1990s following the traditional Tang Dynasty architecture.
The temple complex contains elegant wooden architecture and Buddhist relics. The sight of the lotus ponds, koi fish and fountains was very soothing. Like the Nan Lian Garden, the temple halls and the Chinese garden in front of the nunnery are open to the public daily free of charge.
How to get there: Ride the MTR to Diamond Hill Station. Exit C2 and follow the signs to get to Nan Lian Garden & Chi Lin Nunnery.
Hunt for street art and unique finds in Sham Shui Po
Hong Kong is known for its markets and bazaars, most of which are conveniently accessible by the MTR. If you want to shop for souvenirs and dine on interesting and exotic eats on their own, Hong Kong’s street markets are your best bet. Sham Shui Po in the Kowloon neighborhood offers an authentic Hong Kong market experience in a working-class neighborhood.
Apliu Street is a busy street lined with shops and stalls selling all sorts of electronic gadgets and gizmos. From the latest mobile phone accessories and high-end audio products to vintage typewriters and home appliances, there’s a lot of hidden treasures to be discovered here.
The Cheung Sha Wan Fashion Street is a great place to score fashion finds. The long road boasts of a wide array of shops selling fabrics, buttons, embellishments and ready-to-wear pieces. Those into shopping could spend easily spend hours here, just sifting through the dizzying range of products being sold.
One of the modern aspects of Sham Shui Po is the street art. In recent years, the city streets have gotten a modern facelift with the addition of vibrant street art by international artists. There’s a lot of street art to hunt down in the area, where the third edition of HKwalls took place in March of 2016.
The festival in 2016 included 40 artists from 17 different countries, including the Philippines, which has resulted in 40 original works of art all across the neighborhood! While you may miss most of the smaller pieces painted on shutters if you visit during business hours, there are a few eye-catching pieces you can easily spot.
A striking piece by Venice-based artist Peeta occupies a giant facade on a busy Hong Kong intersection above the Golden Computer Arcade and draws its colors from neighboring buildings and signs. The style merges graffiti writing, sculpture, and design in a large-scale spray murals that look like swirling three dimensional objects that float just above a wall or canvas.
The “Rainbow Thief” created by Madrid-based street artist Okuda San Miguel is a colorful mosaic of a bear adorning the Man Fung building, which has made it into one of the most Instagrammable locations in Hong Kong. There’s a lot of other street art pieces just scattered in the area that make instantly cool backdrops for your summer snapshots.
READ MORE: HK Walls in Sham Shui Po
Try a new sport or hobby at D2 Place
For those who want to escape the worst of the heat, you can always head to the air-conditioned malls, like I did around noontime. D2 Place One and Two are two malls with artsy boutique-style stores in the Lai Chi Kok area with trendy pop-up shops, eateries and interesting family-friendly entertainment like gaming arcades, indoor gyms and DIY workshops that you can’t find in usual large malls.
One of the spots there is called Crazy Car Cafe, a unique indoor arena where kids can rent electronic go-karts to drift or race against other kids. My nephew would have probably loved this. The adjoining café serves simple Western fusion dishes and snacks and they have a few VR games for adults.
D2 Place has several arcade-type arenas where visitors can play anything from Virtual Reality PlayStation games, to indoor golf and more. The newly opened Crossfire is an arena for group games like archery, bubble soccer, laser tag, dodgeball and nerf war. I also spotted an area set-up with Bkool bikes, an indoor bike trainer for virtual cycling. The simulator allows you to ride with up to 100 friends from all over the world.
The mall even has a DIY workshop for baking, where guests can follow recipes via a tablet with all the ingredients and cooking equipment readily available. These all looked like fun options to try with friends or if it’s raining outside and you want to stay cool indoors.
How to get there: The nearest MTR station to D2 Place One and Two is Lai Chi Kok, exit D2.
Stroll around Lingnan Garden
Situated within Lai Chi Kok Park, the Lingnan Garden in the Mei Foo area is another landscaped garden ideal for a leisurely stroll. The garden features classic Lingnan-style features, including Chinese pavilions, traditional courtyards, water features, sculptures and bonsai trees. The garden is divided into ten scenic areas, including a Moon Pond.
The architectural structures of this garden are mainly built in the corners and linked together by porches and corridors which can provide a nice shade for visitors as they stroll along the corridors. After walking around the bustling market areas, I enjoyed taking it slow here again amidst the green surroundings. The pavilions, pebble walkway and chess garden felt very peaceful and serene. Since it was secure and secluded, I was able to set up some solo timer shots with a tripod, which I couldn’t do on the busy streets.
How to get there: Take the MTR to Mei Foo Station and alight at Exit A. Walk to 1 Lai Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon.
Hike up Garden Hill
I wanted to make the most of the good weather, so I headed back to Sham Shui Po in the late afternoon for an easy nature hike to Garden Hill, an overlooking spot where you can enjoy the view and breeze. After climbing a small hillock located behind Mei Ho Youth Hostel for about 15-20 minutes, I was rewarded with a panoramic view of Western Kowloon and the cityscape below.
Garden Hill is a peaceful spot where you can just enjoy the breeze and view of the skyline. The site is popular with photographers during sunset. While most of the public parks I visited don’t allow visitors to use tripods or drones, I spotted some teens flying a drone here. It’s a pretty good vantage point with unobstructed views.
How to get there: Ride to MTR red line to Sham Shui Po station. Walk to Mei Ho Youth Hostel and climb the stairs behind it for about 15-20 mins.
Explore Old Town Central
Old Town Central best exemplifies Hong Kong’s unique East meets West influences. You can find century-old monuments, modern art galleries, street markets and high-end malls, local cafes and international bars all next to each other. Walking around here, I spotted a wide range of items being sold from costumes and props on Pottinger Street to vintage goods, vinyl records and film posters in charming boutiques. Aside from Sham Shui Po, this is another great area for street art spotting. You can find an array of quirky artistic landmarks and street art and graffiti along buildings and alleyways.
The historic neighborhood of Hollywood Road has its share of photogenic street art and graffiti in some of the streets and alleys that intersect the road. It’s a great destination if you want to discover heritage, food, arts and hidden treasures in the different streets and alleys. It’s also a great place to enjoy authentic local eats.
While in the Central area, I was looking for Lan Fong Yuen, a staple at Graham Sreet Market which operates a sit-down cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style café) right by the stall, where you can enjoy dishes such as pork chop buns and instant noodles with chicken and scallion oil, however it was closed when I passed by. I ended up in Ser Wong Fun Restaurant, a favorite in the Central area, which is apparently known for their snake-based dishes! Because the serving sizes were quite large and I was feeling a bit queasy about eating snake, I just settled for a Pork Chop Rice meal.
While walking around the Central area, I also stopped by Kung Lee Herbal Tea Shop, a local teahouse which serves herbal tonics and interesting drinks like Sugar Cane Juice, Sugar Cane Tea, Five Flowers Tea and Sour Plum Tea. Peeled and steamed the traditional way, the sugarcanes are pressed with an antique juicer to produce a refreshingly sweet beverage that is best enjoyed chilled, especially during the summer.
How to get there: Ride the MTR to Central Station, Exit at D1 or D2
Learn about history in the Kowloon Walled City Park
One of the most interesting spots I visited on my last morning in Hong Kong was the historic Kowloon Walled City Park, a beautiful and peaceful Jiangnan garden studded with Chinese pavilions and ponds. The park is divided into eight landscape features, namely the Yamen, Old South Gate, Eight Floral Walks, Garden of Four Seasons, Garden of Chinese Zodiac, Chess Garden, Mountain View Pavilion as well as the Fui Sing Pavilion and Guibi Rock. It was a very peaceful spot, where seniors were just practicing tai chi in the wide open spaces.
What makes it interesting is that the park sits on the the site of what was once the most densely populated slum settlement known as Kowloon City. You can learn more about the history of the city in the documentary and news clips on display as well as the interactive exhibition rooms that recreate the narrow streets and tight alleys of the walled city complete with audio commentary and ambient sound as soon as you enter.
How to get there: Take the MTR to Lok Fu Station, Exit B, and then walk to Tung Tau Tsuen Road.
Go on a food trip of local delicacies
Hong Kong is a great destination for adventurous foodies! From roadside stalls to world-class and Michelin Star rated restaurants, Hong Kong offers a wide variety of choices when it comes to eating out. I enjoyed sampling some of the best local dishes at the EatStreet, Pentahotel’s all-day dining experience which features market-style food stations offering authentic local favorites.
EatStreet serves everything from Dim Sum, Hong Kong roasted goose, roast pork, roast chicken, Char siu (a Cantonese style of barbecue pork), brisket noodles, pork chop rice / noodles, fish balls and many more. But there was also a lot to sample in the street markets.
While in Sham Shui Po, I tried Lau Sum Kee Noodle, a small restaurant which displayed a lot of photos of Anthony Bourdain in the space. Founded more than 60 years ago, this old-school restaurant is known for making their noodles from scratch. Third-generation owner Lau Fat-cheong carries on the family tradition of kneading dough with a heavy bamboo pole to create a firmer, more textured noodle. The lo mein (dry noodles) is a must-try, and is famously served with a massive portion of dried shrimp roe for a huge umami punch. Lau Sum Kee Noodle.48 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
For those who love sweets, Hong Kong is known for yummy and delicious treats like egg tarts, gai daan jai or egg waffles, pineapple bun and milk tea, to name a few. I tried the egg tart and milk tea in Sun Wah Cafe in Sham Shui Po, a local cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style café) which is famous for its fresh-out-the-oven egg tarts. They also serve some savory dishes on their menu such as satay beef noodle, which I was too full to try. Sun Wah Cafe. 334 Castle Peak Road, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon.
Door Door Bakery is another place to buy sweets and souvenirs. Opened in 1975, this Mei Foo institution is known for their house-made nougats, soft and chewy delicacies available in a range of flavors like original peanut, coffee and black sesame. Aside from these signature nougat candies, Door Door also bakes up a delicious selection of butter cookies and cakes. It’s a good place to stop by if you’re visiting Lingnan Garden since it’s just outside the MTR station. Door Door Bakery, 65 Broadway Street, Mei Foo Sun Chuen, Mei Foo, Kowloon.
One of my best meals before heading home was from Pentahotel’s Pizza Bar. The pizzeria serves brick-oven pizzas topped with local flavors. I tried the the Pizza topped with Fried Dace with salted black beans, a popular canned food of Chinese origin, which tastes sort of like anchovies. They also have Pizza topped with Char-grilled pork, pasta dishes and sandwiches. They serve a range of mainstream ciders, but I paired it with some interesting drinks I found in the grocery.
Suntory has a range of Horoyoi or low-alcohol (3%) sweet and fruity alcoholic drinks perfect for hot summer afternoons. I haven’t come across these in the Philippines, as they have a limited release in countries like Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong.
Hunt for craft beer
The main highlight of my visit to HK was hunting and taking home local craft beer. Before my trip, I plotted out various craft beer spots which I planned to check out. The craft beer scene is booming in Hong Kong, and it’s always good to sample the local brews when you travel, right? While walking around the Old Central area, my feet brought me to HK Brewcraft, a homebrewing supplies store hidden on the 4th floor of a building on Cochrane Street.
The shop was a gem of a find as it sells 350+ craft beers including local Hong Kong brands Moonzen Brewery, Yardley Brothers, Gweilo Beer, Yong Masters and more. I was actually looking for a bar that served craft beer, but I couldn’t say no to just buying stuff to take home instead.
The posters and design of the craft beer labels alone made me want to buy everything in the store, but I decided to limit my purchases to just a few bottles of mostly Hong Kong brews. I admit it was tough walking back to the train station carrying a whole bunch of bottles and cans of beer, but it was worth it. 🙂
For unique food-based souvenirs and drinks, I always check out the local 7-11 convenience stores and grocery stores! Aside from Suntory, I found a few other local brews and interesting food products in Mikiki, a grocery store in a shopping mall in the neighborhood near Pentahotel where I was staying.
Hong Kong is always a great place to visit, shop, eat and explore. While there are a lot of other tried-and tested Hong Kong classics for first-timers that you can do, I hope you find these relatively new attractions and activities useful for planning your trips there.
NOTE: This trip to Hong Kong was made possible by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Singapore-based travel search engine Wego. For travel bookings, visit: www.wego.com.ph
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