For Filipino travelers, visiting Hong Kong at least once is a must — it has a rich culture, a wide range of dining, neon-peppered sights, endless milk tea, not to mention the fact that it’s only roughly a two-hour flight from Manila and you don’t need a visa.
That said, Hong Kong can be overwhelming for a first-timer. Putting together an itinerary can get pretty daunting — where do you even begin exploring? Hong Kong Island, where the busy Central lies? Kowloon, which comes alive at night? The quieter New Territories with its beaches and wetlands?
There’s more than enough itineraries floating around the internet, so let us tell you about uniquely Hong Kong experiences that you might want to squeeze into your travel plans.
Have an old-style Hong Kong meal experience
Tucked in a street market in Tsuen Wan is a dim sum restaurant called Old Fung Tea House.
From the ‘60s to ‘70s-themed decor to the traditional dishes made from 50-year-old recipes, the diner gives a glimpse of old-school Hong Kong.
Aside from its dim sum, the diner offers a variety of delectable meals — from the easy classics such as siomai and siopao, to its popular Thousand-Layer Cake.
Old Fung Tea House has five branches across Hong Kong.
Morning stroll through the markets in Central
Central is the place where everything happens. As Hong Kong’s financial district, it is naturally busy, and has no shortage of malls, shopping strips, restaurants and cafes, and other establishments.
Nestled in between its buzzing streets, however, are good old markets.
Dried seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables aside, the markets paint a picture of the daily lives of the locals — the food they eat and how they prepare it, their morning routines, their love for chili sauce.
A morning stroll through Central would also take you to the most wonderful views of the city — so long as you can endure the steep streets and slopes.
Try salted Sprite
There’s a nondescript restaurant in Shek Tong Tsui called Wing Hop Sing that offers a great claypot lunch.
The options for the main dish were chicken, beef, eel, and lapcheong, and for beverages the usual softdrinks — and unexpectedly, though, Ho Lee Fook chef Archan Chan suggested trying the ‘salted lemon Sprite.’
Servers seemed to understand without much explanation — they came out with a bottle of Sprite, and a glass of ice. The glass, it turned out, had salted plum at the bottom, adding a dash of deep purple into the drink, and a surprising salty flavor to the fizz.
According to Chef Archan, this drink is ‘very Hong Kong.’ Locals mix either salted plum or salted lemon with softdrinks — interesting flavor aside, it did have the added benefit of reenergizing us after a full morning of walking around.
Wander around Mongkok at night
When in Hong Kong, make sure to stop by Mongkok, preferably at night.
Mongkok is photogenic, whether bathed in sunlight or covered in shadows, but as darkness falls, the streets in the district light up from the glow of neon signs and billboards.
It’s not the only spot in Hong Kong to find this sight, but if shopping and eating are also on the agenda, it’s a great place to knock each of those from the to-do list.
For snacks and dinner, there are endless stalls and shops to choose from. For shoes, there’s a whole sneakers street. There’s the Ladies Market, known for cheap deals. Nathan Road isn’t a far walk from the station, and that route would lead you to even more stores.
Watch a documentary at the Space Museum
If you’re up for a cultural afternoon, there are several museum options — there’s the Hong Kong Museum of Art in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Hong Kong Film Archive in Hong Kong Island, and M+ in West Kowloon.
For something a little different but packs just as much wonder, there’s an egg-shaped building in Tsim Sha Tsui — the Hong Kong Space Museum.
Inside are numerous interactive exhibits and bite-sized information about space and the universe. Every few minutes, there’s a show about the Big Bang that entertains guests at the end of the exhibition hall.
But arguably the most interesting part of it all is the 3D screening of documentaries in the Space Theater. The show is projected onto the dome-shaped ceiling, and with the 3D glasses on, it’s certainly a fascinating experience, and you might just walk out of the museum knowing a little too much about Antarctica.
Learn about Hong Kong gin at The Mills
Also in Tsuen Wan is The Mills, formerly a cotton mill, now a creative landmark. The pet-friendly establishment boasts of a variety of shops.
One of these shops is the Tankyu Distillery, popular for its spirits, particularly the Perfume Trees Gin. They offer what they call “Hong Kong in a bottle” as their gin aims to capture the culture and heritage with its distinct flavor.
Shopping is not the only thing you can do here — the distillery also holds gin tasting classes for locals and tourists alike. The workshops take place regularly, and tourists can book English classes for HK$128.
Fun fact: One of their products, Thence, came in Philippine mango flavor!
Go stall-hopping in North Point
North Point might not be first in mind when it comes to areas to explore in Hong Kong, but it has its gems.
Located on Hong Kong Island, the neighborhood overlooks Kowloon Bay — from the harbor area, it’s easy to enjoy the view of the Kowloon skyline. Walking around the neighborhood, it doesn’t take long for the charm of the old and new to come out.
Aesthetics aside, North Point is home to some great food. Skip the restaurants and head to the market to look for local delicacies — the best egg waffles, rice cakes, and tofu puddings are in unassuming stalls and holes-in-the-wall that are easy to miss.
If you do want to try out restaurants, Fisholics creates all of its food offerings from fish, and the creativity was enough to earn itself a spot in the Michelin guide, not once, but twice.
There are more restaurants — Michelin-starred, Michelin guided, local faves, underrated, unknown. And there are more experiences and more places to see — like popular tourist destinations that are popular for a reason.
Overall, there is no end to the delights that Hong Kong is willing to serve on a platter. There is no right or wrong way to explore — so grab your Octopus card, hop on the subway, and go.
This story was produced with support from the Hong Kong Tourism Board. —GMA Integrated News
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