I would have to say Bangkok, you did not say where you are flying from so I am 'guessing A/NZ?
Be careful of fakes as Customs in Europe/ANZ etc are cracking down heavy these days apparently.

As you have a lot of choice they must be on different airlines?

Hi sorry ...
Yeah im planning on going either Austrian via KL or Lufthansa because they dont fly to Australia you have the choice of codeshare to Hong-Kong, Bangkok or Singapore and then on to Frankfurt.

Leaving from Sydney ...

Ok so if it's Bangkok they would be code sharing with Thai from Sydney to BKK, that would be a 747 but no seatbacks TVs yet! Bangkok would certainly be the 'fun' stopover, Lufthansa is the biggest European carrier in/out of Bangkok so lots of flights but I don't think they have seatbacks tvs ( if this matters to you ) yet either. For Singapore you would fly with Singapore Airlines.

Now although Lufthansa via Bangkok means just 2 sectors whereas if you go Austrian you have to get another flight from Vienna to Frankfurt, Austrian uses what used to be the Lauda 777's on the Sydney route which have seatback TVs ( wow..you can tell I like those TV's ! ), KL you would not find as interesting.

So now you can balance those up, I think your best one would be Bangkok, cheap and good accommodation, great food, lots of shopping and nighlife.

Here's an idea, you could do one of the others on the way 'to' Europe and then do Bangkok on the way home and add in a few days of treks or beach!

Bangkok

I think you would enjoy Bangkok as suggested above but don't discard your original idea of Hong Kong. It certainly is safe and fun which you wanted. I have travelled there from Sydney by Qantas, British and Cathay ( I preferred the last) but I don't know if they go on to Frankfurt from Hong Kong. Have fun!

Bangkok and HK will both definately have the fake shopping experience. Singapore will not. KL has some.

2-3 nights is fine for any of these cities. My choice would be Bangkok or HK.

Born and raised in HK, I would definitely recommend it! Having been to quite a number of Asian and European cities, I truely think HK is special and you can't find anywhere alike. 2-3 nights will be enough for you to get most of it as it is such a small city. Feel free to ask further if you need to.

Ok so i spose the best places are either Bangkok or HK... Where are the best places to shop for high quality fakes eg. Watches that arent tinny but steel (High grade) and decent dvds etc.

Also what are some great hotels in BKK OR HK. Middle range basically for HK and I spose splurge in BKK since accommodation is relatively cheap.

Definately BKK- you're money will go far!

I'd try the Metropolitan in Bangkok. Or it you want something very hip try Reflections.

I would have to say Hong Kong. Nothing like a short stay while playing hard in HK. I have never been to BKK but will be "stopping over" in the first week of December. In HK, you can visit the tailors, enough watches, wallets and pocketbooks to keep anyone happy. There is only so much you can buy !!! Take the train into the city, then a short cab ride. Go to (spelling is terrible) Lon Quang Fo, a street where all the nightclubs are. Plenty of from Oz, and from all over the world (not sure of your age but I am 43 and have no problem fitting in. Take in some of the sites, and the best thing is every airline I have flown in and out of Hong Kong was never more expensive to stay the weekend or a couple of days.

I think Subway Scoundrel is referring to Lan Kwai Fong.

Hi all thanks alot for your input at the advice from travel agent and ease of connections it looks like im headin 2 HK ... any input from you all on a nice 4 star hotel on Nathan Road near all the shopping. Also is it worthwhile going to Shenzhen on a day trip, does it have more variety in terms of counterfeits that HK or is it the same stuff merely cheaper and more accessible? (remember the time factor ... only there 3 nights).

I always stay at the Intercontinental-at least stop by for a drink. The harbor view is magnificent.
Yo may want to skip the day trip to Shenzen. It's the same stuff but cheaper. It's not worth the day. You can find lots of knock offs in the Mon Kok (sp?) area off Nathan Road. Mon Kok (sp?) is also a subway stop. They tend not to have the best stuff on display - afraid they will be raided as I have seen done. Just say what you're looking for, or show a photo (better yet) and they will bring it to you.
On another note, I would recommend a day trip to the Cheng Chau - a fishing village for 2000 years. You can easily get there by ferry, it's a wonderful experience. Great outdoor seafood restaurants. I always like the shopping at Stanley market, it can be hit or miss but last year I found some great buys in cashmere sweaters. There are also some good restaurants beside the market, overlooking the south china street. I like to take the double decker bus over to stanley market -great view, fun ride.

Ok thanks all for your great advice. Any further recommendations kindly appreciated ... what do u all recommend is the best time to stop-over on the way to destination or way back?

I would say on your way back. Honk Kong is a shoppers paradise. You don't want to lug around all the stuff you are likely to buy in Hoing Kong. Of course that assumes that on the way back you a) have money left for shopping and b) have enough space in your luggage for all of it!