Family Holidays
Hong Kong is a kiddies’ wonderland and most of its activities are suited to all ages, from days at the beach to theme parks, harbor cruises, interactive museums and shopping. Disneyland has grabbed all the headlines recently, but Ocean Park remains a worthy adversary with its fine setting, rides, shows and pandas. If you don’t want to splash the cash on theme parks there are free but fun options at Hong Kong Park’s Edward Youde Aviary and the Zoological and Botanical Gardens. The Peak also has features for all the family – you’ll find Madam Tussaud’s, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, shopping, fine restaurants, walks, and spectacular views (weather permitting). Even the journey on the Peak Tram is fun. If you’re going to be spending a substantial amount of time in Hong Kong with your children, it might be worth picking up a copy of Adventures with Kids by Sarah Woods (HK$120).
Theme Parks
♥ Ocean Park
(www.oceanpark.com.hk; daily 10 am-6 pm; HK$185 or HK$93 for children aged three-11; bus #629 from Star Ferry Terminal in Central or Admiralty MTR).
Built in 1977, this was Hong Kong’s first theme park and its array of attractions, mechanical and natural,
set near Aberdeen in the rugged south of Hong Kong Island, continue to draw plenty of visitors. The park is divided into several zones linked by gondolas, which soar 100 feet above the mountainside and give great views over Deep Water Bay. In the Lowland Gardens you’ll find long term panda residents, An An
and Jia Jia, who have recently been joined by a new pair, Le Le and Ying Ying, donated by the Central Government to celebrate 10 years of reunification with the motherland.
At the other end of the gondola, the Headland has a few rides, which are fairly tame by modern standards, and nearby Marine Park features regular dolphin shows that continue to be a highlight for many visitors despite a rising worldwide anti-captivity movement. Marine Park also has an impressive aquarium that
includes the Jellyfish Spectacular and a shark tunnel, which might make you think twice about taking a dip outside of the shark-netted zones next time you’re at the beach!
Continuing around the headland, you’ll find Ocean Park’s best white-knuckle rides in Adventure Land – the 196-foot Abyss Turbo Drop might leave you wishing you’d gone a little easier on lunch. Despite the large numbers who assail the park on weekends, lines are seldom longer than an hour and you can often walk straight onto rides during the week.
Ocean Park was established as a not-for-profit organization and remains so today, aiming not only to entertain, but also to educate. To this end there are educational tours, which take visitors to areas that are normally off-limits and allow closer access to the park’s animals, including the opportunity to feed the pandas. These tours run from 1-2:30 pm, cost HK$70 and can only be booked on a first-come first-served basis at the main entrance ticket office from 9:30-11:45 am or from the Pacific Chandlers Souvenir Shop between 11:45 am and 1 pm.
♥ Disneyland
(www.hongkongdisneyland.com; daily 10 am-7 pm, later during peak periods; Mon-Fri HK$295 or HK$210 for children aged three-11, weekends and holidays HK$350/250; Disneyland Resort MTR).
If you’re coming from the US, Japan or France, then Disneyland may not be such a big thing but, once it overcame a few initial hiccups after opening in September 2005, the Hong Kong version has become a big hit with Chinese tourists and is a great place for a break if you’ve got kids or just want to unleash the child in you. Indeed, even those who’ve grown up with Mickey at their back door have good things to say about Hong Kong Disneyland, noting the attractive setting on the ocean and the short lines mid-week, which is when you should try to come.
The park has several themed areas that offer a range of attractions, from the storybook world of Fantasyland, to the thrill-seeking futuristic Space Mountain and shoot ’em up Buzz Lightyear rides found at Tomorrowland. As well as its Jungle River Cruise, Adventureland also hosts a live version of the animated hit Lion King, while Main Street USA harks back to a simpler time and holds daily parades featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy.
If you’ve got kids and want Disneyland to feature in your trip you could stay in one of the park’s two hotels, with rooms starting from HK$1,000 (check the website for details). The Hollywood Hotel is more fun for kids than the Disneyland Resort Hotel. However, unless you want complete immersion into the world of Disney, a stay isn’t necessary. Although the resort is out on Lantau Island, as always in Hong Kong, transport links are excellent.
The easiest way to get here is via the Tung Chung MTR line from Hong Kong station out to SunnyBay and then change onto the Disneyland line for the last stop, a journey of about a half-hour. You can also get here by taxi (around HK$200 from Kowloon or upwards of HK$270 from Hong Kong Island), bus #R11 from Hung Hom (HK$32) or #R21 from Hong KongIsland (HK$38). And a ferry link will soon start running to within walking distance of the park! Ticket prices are listed above and you can obtain them online, at Hong Kong MTR station or at the park gates.
Shopping
Hong Kong is a shopper’s dream: a tax-free zone packed with gleaming shopping malls, busy nightmarkets, traditional tailors, shady electronics warehouses, musty antiques shops, designer boutiques and lively produce markets.
While prices aren’t as cheap as during Hong Kong’s manufacturing era, the variety of choice has increased massively. Brands from around the world are represented, along with goods made in China and more traditional items such as silk, jade and jewelry, antiques, arts and crafts. Although there are frequent sales, in the malls and most shops, prices are fixed. This said, at markets and many electrical outlets, bartering is standard practice. If shopping is the primary focus of your trip to Hong Kong, then you could try and time it to coincide with the annual shopping festival.
For good products and service, look for the QTS sticker, which denotes establishments commended by the government (listing booklet available at most tourist offices).
TIP: For good products and service look for the QTS sticker,
Markets
 |
Like the rest of Hong Kong, its markets reflect both its ancient Chinese past and its technologically advanced present.
So whether it’s antique jewelry or cutting-edge electronics you’re after, you’ll probably find what you want in one of Hong Kong’s numerous markets, even if that’s just some insight into what makes this place tick.
Most markets are in the northern part of Kowloon, but over on Hong KongIsland there are some offerings, including the touristy (but inexpensive) Stanley Market.
For a snapshot of local life you could check out the Bowrington Street produce market, which runs south off Hennessy Road halfway between Wanchai and CausewayBay. |
Bowrington Street
Like the rest of Hong Kong, its markets reflect both its ancient Chinese past and its technologically advanced present. So whether it’s antique jewelry or cutting-edge electronics you’re after, you’ll probably find what you want in one of Hong Kong’s numerous markets, even if that’s just some insight into what makes this place tick. Most markets are in the northern part of Kowloon, but over on Hong Kong Island there are some offerings, including the touristy (but inexpensive) Stanley Market. For a snapshot of local life you could check out the Bowrington Street produce market, which runs south off Hennessy Road halfway between Wanchai and Causeway Bay.
♥ Sheung Wan Western Market, Des Voeux Road, Hong Kong Island (daily 10 am-7 pm; Shueng Wan MTR, Exit B). The Western Market is in a beautiful Edwardian building five minutes from Sheung Wan MTR. It was built as a food market in 1906 and until the mid-1990s its three stories were filled with locals haggling over the price of fruit. It has since been restored and now houses a collection of stalls and shops selling art, jade, antiques and fabrics. It’s also a good place to find trinkets, memorabilia and quirky antiques.
♥♥ Temple Street Market, Temple Street, Jordan (daily 2-10 pm; Jordan MTR Exit A & C2). This bustling market is a must for anyone on a trip to Hong Kong and draws crowds every day. A five-minute walk from Jordan MTR station will bring you to the market, which runs north off Jordan Road just a few blocks west of Nathan Road. Although the market starts in the afternoon, it is best visited in the evening (from 6 pm) when the street is filled with vendors selling anything and everything. You’ll find all the usual trinkets here, wedged between stalls selling DVDs, watches, cheap clothes and sunglasses. Be prepared to haggle your hardest and aim to pay a third to a half of the asking price. There are often fortune tellers perched on the roadside at the northern end of the market and you might see street performances of Chinese opera.
♥♥ Yaumatei Market, Reclamation Street, Kowloon (daily 6 am- 8 pm; Jordan MTR, Exit A). This is
one of Hong Kong’s biggest fresh food markets and offers a great chance to see local produce including
unusual looking fruits and vegetables, local herbs and dried teas, although you may have to hunt
around for an English speaker to help determine what they all are! The main market runs along Reclamation Street while the indoor fish market is at the end of the market by the junction with Kansu Street and a number of surrounding streets hold the overflow.
♥ The Jade Market, Kansu Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon (daily 6 am-8 pm; Yaumatei MTR, Exit C). Spread through two covered enclosures, north off Kansu Street, Hong Kong’s Jade Market is a lively and colorful place, filled with jade, pearls, beads, antiques and replicas. The market is Hong Kong’s main center for jade trading and is often packed with locals, armed with magnifying glasses, intensely examining stones and artifacts – jade is a serious business! As usual, it can be difficult to ascertain quality, but it is said that the finest jade should always feel cool to the touch.
♥♥ Yuen Po Bird Market, Yuen Po Street, Kowloon (daily 7 am-8 pm; Prince Edward MTR, Exit B1). Hong Kong’s bird market is well worth the walk and is right next to the flower market just off Prince Edward West Road. In 1997 a traditional-style Chinese garden was built to house the market and offers a pleasantly shady and restful retreat. The garden now holds about 70 stalls filled with birds and everything associated with them; there are even a number of insect stalls and for once they’re not for human consumption! The market is popular with locals who you’ll see enjoying the serene atmosphere and shade provided by the garden.
♥ Flower Market, Flower Market Road, Kowloon (daily 7 am-8 pm; Prince Edward MTR, Exit B1). This fresh flower market offers the opportunity to see a vast collection of Asian flowers and is a real feast for the eyes.
Shopping Malls
Just about anywhere you go in Kowloon or on Hong Kong Island you’ll find legions of air-conditioned shopping malls where you can flex your credit card. In these places you’ll find everything from sports shops to designer boutiques, as well as a generous helping of restaurants, cafés and sometimes free Internet access posts. Some of these places are so big it can be tricky to find specific shops or restaurants, but fortunately there are information counters and maps dotted around.
- Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty (daily 10 am-8 pm; Admiralty MTR, Exit C1).
- Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay (daily 10:30 am-9 pm; Causeway Bay MTR, Exit A).
- IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central (daily 11:30 am-midnight; Central MTR, Exit A).
- Harbour City, 3 Canton Road, Kowloon (daily 10:30-9 pm; Tsim Sha Tsui MTR, Exit E).
Tailors
Unlike mainland China, even large Westerners will find sizes to fit, but if you can’t there are a host of tailors out there just waiting to take your measurements. Hong Kong is famed for its tailors, many of whom are of Indian descent.
♥ Sam’s Tailor, at 94, Nathan Road
♥ Sze Sze, at 83C Percival Street near Causeway Bay MTR,
Electronic Goods
In the past, as a mass producer of electronics, Hong Kong was renowned as a great place to buy the latest technology at bargain prices, but as manufacturers have moved north over the border to Shenzhen and other mainland Special Economic Zones, this is no longer the case. However, while Hong Kong is no longer the electronics bargain hunter’s paradise it used to be, it still offers an enormous variety of the latest technology at competitive prices and, if you stay away from the wheeler-dealers, you can make sure you get the right language settings and warranties for your purchase.
Fortress sells everything from cameras to laptops and is one of your best bets for reliable service. There are branches of Fortress throughout the city, including one on Peking Road and another on Queen’s Road in Central. It’s also worth having a look around some of the other larger chains such as Broadway (Times Square) and Citicall (5-8 Queen Victoria Street). You can find good deals at Mongkok Electronic Goods Market.
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