I recently got back from a quick trip to Hong Kong. I’d say Hong Kong is up there in my list of top ten favourite destinations, so I am always happy to go back!
The flight time was not ideal, as we left Dubai in the evening, flew overnight and landed into Hong Kong international around 5:30am, so by the time I got to bed it was around 8am. I’d arranged to meet my friend Kirsty later on in the day, so after a few hours sleep she came to meet me at my hotel.
The weather was looking pretty miserable, with foggy clouds covering the sky and a fair bit of drizzle. I was glad I’d left my scarf in my suitcase from my last trip to Oslo!
Our first stop was to get some lunch, and Kirsty remembered a restaurant, “Tai Woo” that she had visited with her dad (who used to work for British Airways) over 10 years ago. Somehow she recognised the manager, Raymond, who was still working there!
We ordered an array of dim sum, fried rice, steamed broccoli, pork and chicken dishes, and soon realised we might have gone a little overboard!
After a delicious lunch we took the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui, which is on the Kowloon Peninsula.
There are lots of pretty colonial buildings located here, and the first one we spotted was the infamous Peninsula Hotel. It’s well-known for it’s sumptuous afternoon tea, although I’m certain you have to book in advance and we were absolutely stuffed after our dim sum feast, so gave it a miss this time!
We strolled along the path towards the Clock Tower, which is the only remnant of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway.
It’s built out of red bricks and granite and is 44 metres high…and covered in scaffolding! Normally you can climb up the staircase inside, but it looks like for now it’s under renovation, which is a real shame.
The clock tower is just a short walk from the Star Ferry terminal. The Star Ferry was founded in 1888, and if I’m not mistaken, has remained the same price ever since!
We climbed up a lookout area, which offered a great view of the harbour. I’m sure the view is even better on a clear, sunny day, but at least the fog didn’t completely cover all of the buildings.
We walked back along where we came from, towards the 1881 Heritage building. This is the former Marine Police Headquarters, which was constructed in 1884, and is now one of the 4 oldest remaining government buildings in Hong Kong.
It’s been re-developed into a hotel as well as many shops and restaurants, but the old beautiful buildings, as well as the signal tower and the stable block, still remain today.
The signal tower is quite interesting, as it was originally constructed so that ships arriving in the harbour could re-adjust their clocks to the correct time after being away at sea for so long. We climbed up the spiral staircase inside and had a look at the original time ball inside.
We strolled past the lovely buildings and decided to cross the harbour on the old Star Ferry. It’s only a short journey, which I was happy about as I tend to get pretty sea-sick on boats!
The view coming into the other side is lovely, and there’s a real contrast of the old pier and the new skyscrapers.
We walked up towards the IFC mall, which is a luxury shopping mall in Central with a few restaurants and bars as well. We were both in the mood for a coffee, so headed up to the top floor where there is a lovely roof terrace with a gorgeous view out across the harbour.
We popped into ISOLA Bar & Grill, which was bustling and had a great vibe. Since it was already early evening, most people were having after-work drinks…and it didn’t take much persuading for us to change our minds from coffee to prosecco!
Definitely the best way to end a lovely day out in Hong Kong! There’s always a new area to discover every time I come back, and even though it was a drizzly, foggy day, it was spent in wonderful company which makes it even better.
Cheers to another great layover!
P.s. Follow me on Instagram & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! π
Hi Rachel I like your blog sooo much as I’m reading this non stop from a quite long time.. I heard that Emirates gives their cabin crew some money for spending on each layover.. if that so is it really enough to eat and buy anything? ThanksβΊ
Author
Yes we get an allowance when we check in to the hotel…it’s most definitely enough, could be anything from 50 – 100 Euros depending on the destination! π
Hey Rachel love your blog so here is a question i will be in Dubai in 2 months time i will be on a 90 day visit visa but i wanted to know if EK holds open/assessment days in Dubai or any other emirate would love to attend. I attended an AD in SA but didn’t make the cut.
Author
Hi Laurel, glad you like my blog! Yes they do hold open days in Dubai, your best bet would be to check the recruitment website and I’m sure they will have all of the dates and information!
Hi very beautiful city i hope one day go to hong kong , i dont speak very well english but your blog help me a lot to read π
Author
I’m glad I can hep you out Celma! Hope you enjoyed the pictures of Hong Kong as well π