The former British outpost will recharge your batteries and remind you why you're alive, writes Anna Healy Fenton
IT'S ALWAYS THE same question. Has Hong Kong changed since the British handed it back to the Chinese in 1997?
Hong Kong remains Asia's easiest city for the first-time tourist. Most of the seven million inhabitants speak English, and, with seven kinds of public transport and cheap, metered taxis, getting around is a cinch.
Most of what's changed since the Brits left is barely noticeable, apart from the demolition of colonial buildings and historic landmarks, such as the old Star Ferry pier, which would have been protected anywhere else. Many changes are less obvious, because they involve changes in attitude and administration that affect residents, not visitors. The enduring legacy of the Brits, apart from potato crisps and postboxes, is equally invisible, because it has to do with the fabric of the place: the efficiency, the still-solid rule of law, and sound civil service.
Mainland China's promise not to meddle has largely been kept, and although a symbolic handful of People's Liberation Army soldiers rattle around in the former Prince of Wales barracks, they are rarely seen.
More than ever, Hong Kong remains a great place to visit. It's an assault on jaded senses, somewhere to recharge your batteries and remember why you're alive. The can-do attitude is a tonic for Europeans - you can have a massage at midnight, and a tailor will knock you up a suit in two days.
For most Hong Kong novices expecting nothing but skyscrapers, the first surprise is the view from the swift 20-minute Airport Express ride into town. The train passes the towering peaks of mountainous Lantau Island and, while parts of the inner city may be among the world's most densely populated, in reality only a third of Hong Kong is built up. The remainder of the 620 hilly islands are rural, with many country parks and numerous walking and biking trails.
Few places in the world offer such spectacular variety in such a compact, 1,100sq km area. There's still great shopping, though designer-brand malls mean bargain hunters have to go farther afield. About 25,000 restaurants serve food of pretty much every nationality, in every price range. Bars, clubs and other nightlife are on a 24/7 basis and the spectacular Victoria Harbour remains one of the wonders of the world.
It's preferable to stay on Hong Kong Island - it's better for nightlife and less touristy than Tsim Sha Tsui, on the Kowloon side. Accommodation is available for all budgets, with Hong Kong Island now offering a new breed of stylish, no-frills hotels, such as Central Park Hotel on the trendy Hollywood Road, with rooms from as little as €60 a night, right up to the swanky Landmark Mandarin Oriental, where prices start at about €235 a night.
Even at the deluxe-plus end, you'll find things less pricey than you might expect. With a half-day spa "Journey" package at the legendary Peninsula Hotel's fabulous Espa, about €170 gets you a two-hour treatment with lunch, plus time in the divine relaxation room, steam rooms, sauna and whirlpool baths, and, best of all, access to a spectacular azure blue pool surrounded by giant white pillars, which, straight from a David Hockney painting, leads on to the poolside sun deck overlooking the harbour.
That said, Hong Kong is hardly cheap. But, unlike in Dublin, you have a wide range of fun options at every price level. You can pay €170 for a Michelin-star standard dinner for two at Amber in the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, or slurp a €2 bowl of noodles at a street corner dai pai dong. Both will be delicious.
The best things in Hong Kong are free, or nearly free: the heart-stopping view across to Kowloon from Lugard Road (which surrounds Victoria Peak) on a clear night, the view in reverse from the Star Ferry as it crosses the harbour, and the tram ride along the length of Hong Kong Island.
Many people visit Hong Kong on the kangaroo route to Australia. Typically, they only stop over for two days, which is a pity. In the decade since Hong Kong was "handed back" to the "motherland", to use the politically correct terminology, many tourism attractions have been added to attract families.
There's Hong Kong Disneyland, which is not the world's biggest but is a fun and accessible day out. You can stay at one of two Disneyland hotels and even get married there. Disney is situated on Lantau Island, near the airport and a short train ride from anywhere in the city.
Then there's Ocean Park on Hong Kong Island, a revitalised theme park preferred by many kids to Disneyland, complete with real pandas and a short cable-car ride.
Hong Kong's best new attraction is the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, which takes a spectacular 20-minute sweep over the Lantau countryside to the Big Buddha, the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha.
No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without some serious eating. The typical local Cantonese neon-lit restaurant with diners bellowing above the blaring Chinese television is not to everyone's taste. The best Cantonese food involves fresh fish. If you want the real deal in fish restaurants, follow the locals to Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island, just 20 minutes from Central by fast ferry.
You'll pass tank upon tank heaving with multicoloured fish, prawns, crabs and clams, all very much alive. Vegetarians beware - in China, fresh often equals still moving. Pick your own or leave it to the waiter.
For less adventurous eaters, even on Lamma there are pubs serving up fish and chips and live English football. No Asian city escapes "Oirish" pubs, and Hong Kong's most authentic are run by Dubliner Noel Smyth. He dispenses Irish grub and a mean pint of Guinness at the Dublin Jack, in Central's bar area - Lan Kwai Fong - and at Delaney's in Wan Chai. In the past decade Lan Kwai Fong has spread into Soho - home to the highest concentration of lively bars and restaurants.
But Lan Kwai Fong pales to vanilla compared with Wan Chai. Less sleazy than Bangkok's Patpong, this is Hong Kong's acceptably wilder side. It's safe to be on Lockhart Road late, and bars such as Neptune Disco II, with its lively Filipino covers band, are the places to head when you don't want to waste good jet lag and everywhere else is closing.
Hong Kong is fun, affordable and safe, but pick your time of year. From June to September it's like living in the spout of a simmering kettle. Visit between October and March and you should enjoy the best weather of the year.
Go there
The lowest fare from Ireland to Hong Kong this month is with
KLM (
www.klm.ie) via Amsterdam, for
€490. Air France (
www.airfrance.ie), via Paris,
starts at €503.
Slatterys Escorted Tours (1890-200625, www.slatterys.com) has a trip that visits Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong over 10 days from €1,879. Joe Walsh Tours (01-2410888, www.joewalshtours.ie) will prepare an independent itinerary for travel to Hong Kong.
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go on your trip
Where to stay
Top end
Peninsula Hong Kong. Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,
00-852-29202888,
www.hongkong.peninsula.com. Luxuriate here in classic colonial
elegance and ultra-modern rooms with free wireless internet and
flat-screen TV. Beautiful pool with harbourside sun deck and
stunning views from the tower rooms. Rooms from €330.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Connaught Road, Central. 00-852-25220111, www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong. Hong Kong's other famous hotel, recently renovated, with great bars and fantastic location. Rooms from €330.
Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel. 15 Queen's Road, Central, 00-852-21320188, www.mandarinoriental.com/landmark. New and überfashionable boutique sister hotel of the MO. Popular with media and movie stars. Rooms from €370.
Budget
Central Park Hotel. 63 Hollywood Road, Central,
www.centralparkhotel.com.hk, 00-852-28508899. New, stylish and
basic, five minutes from Soho. Often has great deals of about
€60 per night.
Bishop Lei Hotel. 4 Robinson Road, Mid-Levels, 00-852-28680828, www.bishopleihtl.com.hk. Compact rooms. Just a few minutes down to Central on the Mid-Levels escalator. Low-season rates can drop to about €60.
Ice House. 38 Ice House Street, Central, 00-852-28367333. Central's best-kept secret, these modern, serviced apartments are roomy, with self-catering facilities, beside Lan Kwai Fong. Rooms from about €80 per night, with great deals for longer stays.
Where to eat
American Restaurant. Ground Floor, 20 Lockhart Road,
Wan Chai, 00-852-25277277. Under €20 a head. This place has
survived for decades serving tasty northern Chinese food and
terrific Peking duck. Waiters will provide guidance.
Shui Hu Ju. 68 Peel Street, Soho, 00-852-28696927. Mid-priced Sichuanese cuisine. No concessions here for novice Chinese foodies. Cosy traditional authentic dining room with wooden screens and easy-to-order menu. Food can be feisty.
Luk Yu Tea House. 24-26 Stanley Street, Central, 00-852-25235464. Mid-priced. Traditional tea house serving Hong Kong's best (if not cheapest) dim sum. The stars of Cantonese food, these bite-sized morsels are eaten for breakfast or lunch, but here are served all day.
Song. Lower Ground Floor, 75 Hollywood Road, Central, 00-852-25590997. Mid-priced. Song is down an unmarked alley between Peel and Aberdeen streets. It serves refined, contemporary Vietnamese food, well worth the effort to find it.
Zuma. Level 5/6, The Landmark, 15, Queen's Road, Central, 00-852-36576388. Serves authentic but not traditional Japanese cuisine. This recent import from London is the place to be seen, with a robata (charcoal grill) counter, sushi bar and terrace. Pricier at about €50 a head.
Shopping
A few steps below Hollywood Road, opposite the Man
Mo Temple, is the treasure trove known as the Cat Street Market, on
Upper Lascar Row. Browse for bargain-basement curios and
knick-knacks such as lacquerware, calligraphy brushes, Mao
memorabilia, old posters and photographs, watches and clocks,
jewellery and much more.
Temple Street Night Market. Signposted from Jordan MTR station. Go between 7pm and 10pm and haggle for cheap clothes, watches, electronic gizmos and great street food.
The Ladies' Market. Follow signs from Mong Kok MTR. Go during the day. Similar goods to Temple Street.
Stanley Market. Catch the 6 or 260 bus from Exchange Square Bus Station, Central, for scenic ride and great shopping: cheap children's clothes, watches, T-shirts. A must-do.
Shenzhen shopping
Do what Hong Kongers do. Get your Chinese visa as
soon as you arrive and take a short ride on the Kowloon-Canton
Railway to the border with mainland China. Opposite is Lowu
Commercial City, five floors of 1,500 shops, selling everything
imaginable (much of it fake). Bargain hard.
Go racing
Happy Valley Race Course lit up for night racing is
magical. Meetings are usually on Wednesdays, but check local
press.
Hit the peak
Only on a clear day or night, take a taxi or the
Peak Tram from Central to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels. Look
for the entrance to narrow Lugard Road, alongside the Peak Lookout.
The 40-minute stroll circles the peak, with all of Hong Kong spread
at your feet.
To avoid
Touts luring tourists with fake goods on Nathan Road
and Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Buying electronics, computers and cameras without a worldwide
guarantee.
Paying the asking price - always haggle.
The wet season: it pours between May and August.
Big Cantonese restaurants with yelling diners.
Rush hour: forget trams and public transport during rush
hour.
Being naive or greedy - if it seems too cheap to be real, it
is.