Hi

I have booked my RTW ticket and on the way back to Sydney will be in Hong Kong for 4 days in late October.

I am travelling on my own - female let's say, more than 40 yo - and am looking for a hotel( wish it could be the Peninsula but...) and things to see and do.

There seems to be a split among the Fordorites whether to stay in Kowloon area or somewhere else. The Y (Salisbury) seems to get good press regarding views, costs and quality. What are the pros and cons of different areas?

My interests are art(painting, glass and textile), history and gardens.

Is there a publication available on line about what's on in Hong Kong in terms of performances or exhibitions? Are there galleries that showcase emerging Asian artists?

October is such a great time of year here weather-wise, sunny, dry and nice temps in about the 20-25 C range, see weatherbase.com for info. It is really an ideal time to be here. Try to make some time to get outdoors to do some walking or hiking, there are many excellent easy and more challenging trails here, both on Hong Kong Island and in the New Territories. You will not find a lot of gardens here (a lawn is a status symbol; there is a small botanical garden and the nice Hong Kong Park and Victoria Park), but on walks you will see wild jasmine, bamboo, holly, magnolia and other plant life and lots of bird life.

For a list of cultural activities, both free and paid, in Hong Kong, go to http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/cs_prog_week.php and for a list of paid programs, go to http://urbtix.cityline.com.hk/internet/action/index.do. Also try the "Whats On When" website at www.whatsonwhen.com/pages/hong_kong.jml. You can buy tickets to most every thing happening in Hong Kong at URBITX, either on-line or in person. Take a look at http://urbtix.cityline.com.hk/internet/action/index.do and http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Entertainm...t/en/index.php. . Also try the Hong Kong Arts Centre at hkac.org.hk.

Also take a look at the discoverhongkong.com website for info on self-guided walking tours. I am not a fan of package tours, but there is a local historian named Jason Wordie who gives excellent walking tours, not cheap but well worth the price, see www.jasonswalks.com. He has also published several books on Hong Kong, once is called "Streets" which is very good, you can buy them at local bookstores (try Dymocks in Australia and see if they can order them before your trip) that you can use as your own guide.

There are dozens of art galleries in Hong Kong. Most of them showcase emerging Chinese artists, who you probably can't afford anymore (at least I can't). Modern Chinese artists are hot and getting hotter; you can also find Vietnamese and other Asian artists as well as European and American art. Most galleries are open in the evening until at least 7 pm, many have longer night hours. The Hollywood Road area is the best place to look, there are also a few galleries in the Star Street area of Wan Chai. Schoeni, Plum Blossoms, and Zee Stone are three of my favourites, for a list of these and other good galleries, take a look at http://www.hongkongartwalk.com/2007/galleries.html. (This is a charity art walk held each year in March in which many local galleries participate, you will not be here for that, but the info and maps would be useful.)

There was a publication called Art Map that used to give monthly listings, but I don't think it is published any longer.

There is an artist’s cooperate in Kowloon, lots of very avant garde stuff, video art, etc, but who knows perhaps the next Andy Warhol is there and you could be the one to buy his next priceless piece. It is in a former depot for holding cattle, where the artists live and have studios and so is called the Cattle Depot Artists Village. Its at 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, To Kwa Wan, you can take a taxi from the Star Ferry in Kowloon. See http://www.artist-commune.com/.

The Fringe Club usually has interesting exhibits and sometimes offers participatory classes, take a look at http://www.hkfringe.com.hk/.

There are sometimes art and antique auctions here, try ttp://www.christies.com/home_page/home_page.asp and http://search.sothebys.com/. It doesn’t cost anything to attend, and you can go a look at the stuff before the sale which is fun as well...

I don't know about painting on glass, but there is a place that has parties for painting n canvas, see http://www.artjamming.com/, they would also be a possible source for galleries and artists in town.

The Hong Kong Art Museum, is a good small museum which can be "done" in a few hours. Take a look at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Arts. It is open every day but Thursday and admission is something like US$1.25 (free admission on Wednesdays). They have a good gift shop for Chinese souvenirs, scrolls, CDs of Chinese music, art books, etc. Good selection and prices.

For history, the Hong Kong History Museum is quite good, esp. on the early history and non-Han Chinese settlers. There are two museums in old "walled villages" out in remoter parts of the New Territories showing what life was like before the British arrived that are interesting, take a look at
http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng...ch_sel_syf.htm. This could be combined with walks in the New Territories, where there are some very good walks. I would especially recommend a trip out to the Sai Kung area to visit to the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum walled village museum and then a walk in this area, which is really beautiful. You can have a meal in Sai Kung which is an interesting little kind of dumpy waterfront town with some good restaurants and little shops.

The Asia Society, of which I am a member, offers evening lectures on a myriad of topics, many are art-related, and non-members are always welcome to attend (there is a fee for all lectures, usually around US$15). Most lectures are held at the Hong Kong Club right near the Star Ferry pier in Central. Go to http://www.asiasociety.org/visit/hongkong/, click on "Calendar".

Here is my five cents on which side to stay on: when you see a picture of Hong Kong it is invariably taken from the Kowloon side and is that wonderful shot of the harbour, the tall building on Hong Kong Island on the other side of the harbour, and then the backdrop of the mountains behind the buildings. There is no doubt that that view is spectacular, both day and night. However, very few people actually have that view from their hotel. You can see that view for free from the Esplanade walkway along the waterfront, or pay for it by having a meal at several very good restaurants with fabulous views. In addition, you are going to do most of your sightseeing, most of your shopping and, if you know good food, most of your eating on the Hong Kong side. The Peak and the Peak Tram, Central, Stanley, Aberdeen, Wan Chai (Suzie Wong), the Hollywood Road antique area, some great local markets, and the bar and restaurant areas of Lan Kwai Fong, Soho, Hollywood Road, etc are all on Hong Kong Island. There are also some spectacular and easily-accessible walks, including several from the Peak and in the Stanley area. The very small Hong Kong Art Museum and the Hong Kong History Museum are on the Kowloon side and is across the street from the Peninsula and the Salisbury Y. However, that is no reason to stay on the Kowloon side, as you can easily get over by the very pleasant ferry. Virtually all the art galleries are on the Hong Kong side, and the Fringe Club and other performing arts venues (other than the Cultural Centre which is a performance hall also across from the Penn) are also on the Hong Kong side.

So what it comes down to for me would be this: if you don’t have a harbour view room on the Kowloon side at either the Peninsula, the Intercon, the Salisbury Y, the Sheraton or possibly the Kowloon Shangri-La (although the location of the latter is just a bit out IMO), then I would stay on the Hong Kong side. I would go over to Kowloon for a meal at night at one of the harbour view restaurants, and/or during the day for a walk along the Esplanade, a visit to the Jade Market or Flower Market, and a visit to one of the temples. I would take the Star Ferry over and/or whenever I get the chance just for the fun of it and the views.

Do you have a hotel budget, as that is helpful for making recommendations. The Salisbury Y, which does have THE view at a fraction of the prices of the Penn, is a good choice if you want to stay on the Kowloon side, you might start there at www.ymca-hotels.com (this is the website for all YMCA hotels, you want The Salisbury, but check out some of the others if you want as well, locations are not as good in most case). If you want to be within yards of some good art galleries on the Hong Kong side, then try the LKF Hotel, a bit pricier than the Salisbury Y but a nice hotel and excellent location (no views really to speak of) see http://www.hotel-lkf.com.hk/. A good budget hotel that would be quite accessible to the pedestrian escalator and the galleries of Soho and Hollywood Road on the Hong Kong side would be the Bishop Lei, see http://www.bishopleihtl.com.hk.

Cicerone

Thank you so much for answering my questions and providing the most useful information. I am going to have much fun checking out the spots you have described.

I know what you mean about prices now commanded by Chinese artists and similarly the Vietnamese painters when I visited Hanoi after some years since the first visit.my

As far as hotels are concerned, while a view is nice how long do you spend standing at the window watching the view? I enjoy good quality accommodation where I can rest in between my ramblings around the area and also to have a good night's sleep ready for the next day. So I will check the hotle you suggested and if there are any others I would gladly take recommendations.

One more question- B am not sure if you are familiar with Bangkok but my daughter will be there for three days in June on the way back to Australia.

As part of her birthday present we said we would pay for her accommodation in Bangkok so looking for a good quality hotel but not the top of the range, more the mid range.

There are so many listed that it is difficult to decide.

Also if there are any reputable spas with which we could surprise her.

For Bangkok, do you have a budget, "mid-range" is hard to decipher is can mean different things. I really like the Bangkok Marriott, on the river, and know that many people on this site have usually been able to get good prices there, via the hotel's website and via agent's websites. You might do some searches for recent posts on that hotel and see if there are links to agents, and then compare it to what the hotel is offering. For a person alone and first time in Bangkok, I like being on the river (frankly I prefer it all the time anyway), as you can use the hotel's boat to get around to places.

I also think that the Marriott Courtyard is quite a nice hotel, that is probably more "mid-range" and is near a Skytrain stop so is quite convenient. Not on the river so not quite as atmospheric, but overall fine.

The Old Bangkok Inn is very popular on this site and would be in the mid-price range, see http://www.oldbangkokinn.com/index.php. I have had dinner at the Chakrabongse Villas and thought it was very charming, on the river in a good location across from Wat Arun. Take a look at http://www.thaivillas.com/. I believe there have been some posts here about street or river noise, you might search there or on tripadvisor (see below).

Another very small boutiquish hotel which I do not know personally but which as received some good reccos on this site is the Ibrik Resort, take a look at http://www.ibrikresort.com/river/index.html. I would choose the one on the river versus the one on Sukumvit Road. The Davis Hotel may be a thought, I don't know it, but some posters here have stayed, see http://www.davisbangkok.net/. Not as crazy about that location (not safety just convenience.).

Finally, try tripadvisor.com which I find helpful for reading reviews and locating hotels and you can search by price as well.

Sorry, on spas, I know that the Face Spa is very popular on this site. I have never been, but the website is at http://www.facebars.com/bg/main.htm. I think that the spa at the Oriental Hotel is outstanding, one of the very best I have been to anywhere in the world (and I am something of a spa junkie). Their aryuvedic treatments are better than many I have had in India. I don't know that you can book treatments if you are not a guest, but you may want to try; see see http://www.mandarinoriental.com. The spa at the Bangkok Marriott is very good. The Peninsula hotel has a new spa as well, which I assume is good as well. The Banyan Tree hotel spa would also be a good choice.

If you book her into a hotel with a spa, I would try to book a treatment there. Part of the whole relaxation phase of a treatment, IMO, is being able to go over and back from your room in your robe and also being able to relax after a treatment. To have to change back into street clothes and plunge into the chaos of Bangkok street traffic after a massage or other treatment kind of takes away from the experience a bit.

For textiles, I would not say that Hong Kong is a haven for textile making or exhibition. The Hong Kong Museum of history has some nice examples and is worth a stop. Also, for sure stop by Teresa Coleman Fine Arts (79 Wyndham Street, the Hollywood Road area in Central) and look at her wonderful Chinese robe and textile collections. You can get an idea at http://www.teresacoleman.com/. Most of her things are in drawers and you have to be shown them, but she or her staff are happy to do so even if you are just browsing. The robes are quite expensive, but really beautiful.

There is also Cloth Haven in this same neighbourhood, run by textile major. http://www.clothhaven.com/contact.htm She has an exhibition of textiles, and you can apparently also now do some of your own weaving. She has a very limited amount of merchandise.

Places like the Chinese Arts and Crafts shops have more downscale modern versions of textiles (for locations all over, go to : http://www.chineseartsandcrafts.com.hk (click on “E” for English).