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Hong Kong advice for Trav. with limited mobility - need advice- please

Hong Kong advice for Trav. with limited mobility - need advice- please

Old Oct 1st, 2006, 10:20 PM
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Hong Kong advice for Trav. with limited mobility - need advice- please

Hi,
We had really good advice from everyone here on our last trip to Hong Kong, -two years ago nearly, now we need to see all that we missed the first time!
I have limited mobility, although not using wheelchair, walk slowly and not too far, can do stairs if not too many, don't like crowds - so we didn't use the MTR, but we were happy to use the Star Ferry, or Taxis, or the Ferry to Lantau or Lamma, and the bus to the Buddha and to Stanley. We travel independently.

Last time we didn't do:
Dim Sum
Tea House
Villages/Temples
Escalator and surrounds
Shopping - (we did go to Ladies Market,Jade Market)
Tea at Peninsular

I would appreciate any help with dining, as my husband has a special birthday while we are in Hong Kong would like to spend about £80-100 for that, although for other times we'd like to eat for less! Although my walking is limited we do walk but have frequent stops for drinks or rest so would like to visit those areas we didn't have time for before, we didn't go to Lan Kwai Fong, or Soho - or the Races, what would you recommend in mid December? Last time we ate in the Renaissance Kowloon Chinese Restaurant - not so good, the IC Chinese restaurant - v.good, the excelsior Totts - v.good, - we stayed there on the Exec floor, and also at the Renaiss.Kowloon exec floor. haven't yet booked hotel this time.
Many thanks
tt
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 05:41 AM
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I'll let others help you with high-end dining choices.

As for the visits, keep in mind the Mid-Level Escalators are one-way. Don't go in the morning hours, as it's one-way down. The other times, it's one-way up. From the top, you can easily take a bus or taxi or a green mini-bus back down to the city.

For visits to the temples and walled villages in the New Territories, I think it's probably best for you to join a day tour. They are fairly inexpensive, and they can be arranged from your hotel or the HK Tourist Board (one of its office is at Kowloon Star Ferry). Much easier than using public transportation.
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 07:30 AM
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rkkwan, many thanks for the tips about the escalator, I had completely forgotten that! So I'll go after 12 noon ?
I'd appreciate some dining tips for the rest of our stay though- not high end at all... any recs for dim sum? This time we are on a bit of budget apart from his "day" so recommendations for hotels would also be very welcome, we had thought of visiting Macau, is a day enough or would we need longer, and how to get there?
thanks again
tt
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 08:01 AM
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Many places for good (but not too expensive) dim sum. If you're staying in Tsimshatsui again, try Serenade at the Cultural Center. Run by the same group that does Maxim Palace and Jade Garden, and have harbourview.

I've had tea at a new-age "tea house" only once, at the Heritage Museum in Sha Tin. It's in my dining report for my trip to HK almost 2 years ago:

fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=27&tid=34551643

Read the installment for 12/30 (posted almost a year later, on 12/17/05).

I enjoy visiting Macau a lot. You can take a ferry from Hong Kong Island (Sheung Wan MTR, or about 15 minutes walk west from Star Ferry), or from Kowloon (Canton Road, just north of Harbour City/Gateway). About HK$160 each way. The ferry from HK Island (mostly Jetfoil) takes 55 minutes, and run every 15 minutes; the catamarans from Kowloon take about 65 minutes, and run every 30 minutes.

I always stay overnight there, but it's possible to do it as a daytrip. Macau is small, so just take a taxi to various sites. Portugese forts, churches and ruins, Chinese temples, and do visit a casino there - not to play, but to observe the gamblers from mainland China.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2006, 03:55 PM
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"...do visit a casino there - not to play, but to observe the gamblers from mainland China." LOL!

I miss going to Macau. Less crowded than HK and great food!

Stay away from the Golden Bull Vietnamese Cuisine restaurant in Ocean Terminal, Harbour City. It used to be highly recommended but I went there recently and was disappointed. Food wasn't good, too oily, and over priced. When you sit down, they'll give you a small cup of tea. That tea will show up on your bill for HK$13 per person (US$1.7) I know it is common practice to have a per person tea charge in Chinese restaurants, but Golden Bull serves Vietnamese food.
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Old Oct 5th, 2006, 07:28 AM
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Hi
rkk, thanks for the info on Macau, that will help us plan our trip, and for the link, will check that out now.

travelmug, thanks for the advice, is the restaurant in HK or Macau (the one to avoid)?
tt
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Old Oct 5th, 2006, 04:44 PM
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Sorry I wasn't clear about the location. The Golden Bull is located within Ocean Terminal, Harbour City in Tim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It used to be a good restaurant frequented by locals but now it's just a tourist trap!



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Old Oct 5th, 2006, 09:42 PM
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I live in Hong Kong, and have some random thoughts on your post. If you don't already know it, December is perfect weather here, about 23 C and sunny every day, so you have picked a great time. Christmas lights should be up on the buildings as well, an added treat at night.

1. For dim sum, there was a recent post where myself and others listed their favourites. I have topped it for you.

2. Not sure what you mean by "tea house"? Do you mean the Luk Yu Tea House on Stanley Street? This is good for dim sum, IMO better maybe just tea and ambience. It is expensive for dim sum, IMO. This is near Lan Kwai Fong and Central.

3. Villages and Temples - if you have not been to the Man Mo temple on Hollywood Road, this is an easy stop on a Mid-Levels escalator/Soho tour. It is a flat walk along Hollywood Road. I am also a fan of the Wong Tai Sin temple which is the fortune tellers temple. This is in Kowloon. You could take a taxi to it, which should not be overly expensive. The temple is fun, you can do the joss-stick thing or visit one of the dozens of fortune tellers in the "mall" of fortune tellers next to the temple. The temple itself is interesting. There is a little info on it at http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attr...sin_temple.htm. There is a very nice temple on the beach in Repulse Bay that is a nice stop on or back from Stanley market (see below, a flat walk along the beach, although there are some stairs to get down to the beach. There is also a very small temple on Queen's Road East which you could visit as part of a tour of the Wan Chai markets (see below).

I am not sure how to respond on "villages". As you know, most of Hong Kong is quite densely populated. From what I understand from friends who have taken the tours in the New Territories (like the "Land Between Tour" on the website of the Hong Kong Tourist Board), they are quite canned and involve more stops at shops and for lunch than anything else, I would not recommend them. I really like the village of She-O on the backside of Hong Kong Island, it reminds me of an Italian seaside village. However, to really see it and the little lanes with the painted houses requires a good bit of steep uphill walking, and getting to the beach requires stairs and walking over boulders, so I don't know if it will work for you. The ride out by double-decker bus is quite fun and pretty. If you just do that and stay in the flat part of the village by the traffic circle, see the main public beach and have a meal, it is still a nice outing, it can be combined with a trip to Stanley market as well. Two good restaurants in Shek-O are Black Sheep Restaurant, 452 Shek O Village, Tel: 2809 2021. Shek O Chinese and Thailand Seafood Restaurant, 303 Shek O Village, Tel: 2809 4426.

You might consider a visit to one or both of the excellent history museums in Hong Kong which are in restored Chinese walled villages, both of which are reachable by public transport or a combo of public transport and then a short taxi ride. (I don't believe any of the sponsored tours go to these museums, but if they do, then those tours would be worth considering.) Take a look at the links below. I believe there is a free shuttle bus which connects many if not all of these museums, ask your hotel or ask at the Hong Kong Tourist Board office, there is one at the Star Ferry piers on either side of the harbour. hotel. I have read about it in the paper here, but have not seen anything about it on any museum website, the info I saw said "A one-week bus pass with unlimited entry ticket to all museums is available from Hong Kong Toursim Board offices. The special bus runs on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm."

Sam Tung Uk Museum
2 Kwu Uk Lane, Tsuen Wan
http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng...ch_sel_stu.htm

This is a restored "walled village" with examples of courtyard houses. This is accessible by MTR.

Sheung Yiu Folk Museum
Pak Tam Chung Nature Trail, Sai Kung
http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng...ch_sel_syf.htm

This is in Sai Kung a still rural area of Hong Kong and will give you an idea of what life was like before Hong Kong was a city of high rises and malls.

You might also consider going to a place like Cheung Chai island. There is a small fishing village there and a temple. This will require some walking, some of it a little bit uphill. If you don't go on a weekend or pubic holiday however, crowds will be few and you can take your time. Here is some info on it http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/...lk_walk5.jhtml. There is a good seafood restaurant on the waterfront, called New Baccarat Seafood Restaurant, 9A Pak She Praya St, tel 852/2981 0606. For ferry schedules, take a look at http://www.nwff.com.hk, click on "Ferry Schedule" and then " Local Service" and then "Central – Cheng Chau".

4. The Mid-levels escalator runs downhill until about 10:30 am; after that the moving stairs are reversed to go uphill. There are dozens of very good inexpensive (and some expensive) restaurants in the Soho area off the escalator, Elgin Street and Staunton Street are good places to wander. There are also some interesting shops. You can get off the escalator at Staunton Street and if you don't find one you like, walk up the stairs under the escalator (a very short flight, not steep) to Elgin Street. Peel Street is another good place, although most of this is quite steep. Some of the restaurants are closed for lunch, it is hit or miss there, call ahead if you want. A taxi can also take you to and from this area from Central or the Star Ferry pier easily and inexpensively, about HK$20 or $25. Other than taxis, these streets are basically car-free.

5 . I personally am not a fan of Lan Kwai Fong unless you are under 30, plus it is built into the side of a somewhat steep hill (albeit you can take a taxi to and from). It is mostly bars spilling outdoors into the street. There are a few good restaurants, but there are so many good ones in Hong Kong that IMO you don't need to go to Lan Kwai Fong just for that. I far prefer the restaurants in the Soho area.

6. The horse races are a GREAT idea and are a lot of fun. I would go to the ones in Happy Valley rather than going all the way out to Sha Tin, again esp as you don't want to use the MTR. Races are held Wednesday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The basic admission price is HK$10, which is for standing-room only. However, you can watch from the more exclusive Hong Kong Jockey Club members' enclosure by purchasing a temporary "member's badge" for HK$50 (about US$6.50). It's available upon showing your passport at either the Badge Enquiry Office at the main entrance to the Members' Private Enclosure at Happy Valley, or an easier way is to go to one of the off-track betting centers like the one near the Star Ferry concourse in Central or on Nathan Road in Kowloon where you can buy the badges up to 5 days in advance. Take a look at the website for the Hong Kong Jockey Club at http://www.hkjc.com/english/index.asp. Click on "Come Racing" and then "Overseas Visitors" in the text. The easiest way to get there is to take a taxi from the Star Ferry and have him drop you at the Members Enclosure Entrance. You can also go to the Stable Bend Terrace and have dinner while you bet, the dinner is extremely average, but the view is great and it is pleasant to sip a drink while you watch the races.

7. I like tea at the Penn just because the lobby is so beautiful, you have the orchestra, the palms the whole ambience is great. It is not cheap, but it is memorable. My visitors always like it. The Mandarin Hotel has just reopened after a lavish redo, and they will also have tea, so that is a place to think about too.

8. Shopping – without knowing what you may be looking for or what you like, it is hard to make reccos. I wrote a very long piece on shopping a few months ago, I will top that for you. (It is called "hong kong guide") I would definitely say go to Stanley if you did not last time, if for nothing else but a fun bus ride over and a good meal. In December with such good weather it is a very nice time to go, stop off at Repulse Bay and/or Shek-O as well.

9. Macau – without knowing how long your trip is, it is hard to make a recco. I liked Macau before the huge amount of construction started on the tens of dozens of casinos they are building. Several huge ones just opened, and many more are being built along a strip which will be much bigger and glitzier than Las Vegas. I don't see the attraction in this. Don't expect a quite Portuguese backwater anymore. The old part of the old town around the church facade is still there, but otherwise there is a lot of reclamation and construction going on everywhere else. Don't go on a weekend, it gets quite crowded.

10. Birthday Dinner - the list could be almost endless here. I see from your other posts that you like Totts, which would have been one of my reccos. With that budget, if you are talking about 3 courses and a drink if not a bottle of wine, then IMO you may actually be out of the range of the restaurants at 1 Peking Road (www.aqua.com.hk) and Felix in the Penn (http://hongkong.peninsula.com), but it might be worth checking, as they are excellent as are the views. Also try Spoon in the Intercontinental (http://hongkong-ic.dining.intercontinental.com), Caprice at the Four Seasons (http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/index.html) and the new restaurant which will open on the top floor of the Mandarin next month (go to ). While a la carte at these places may be over that budget for the foregoing, they may have "tasting menus" which will be prix fixe and therefore a good value.

For pure good food, but no view, and my reccos would be

M at the Fringe
1/F South Block
2 Lower Albert Road, Central
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2877-4000
http://www.m-onthebund.com/at_the_fringe

This should be within the budget, but check. Excellent food, eclectic ambience. This is in the Hollywood Road area.

My other recco is that you should try to get a table at the China Club. This is theoretically a private club, but I have been to numerous corporate functions and birthday parties there, and no one I know is a member. I don't think it is that hard to get a table, ask your hotel as soon as you land on one. It is on top of the old bank of China building and ahs an old-colonial Shanghai decor. The have a nice bar and a library with a little terrace and view. The food is good and there is a guy who makes noodles at your table. A good place for a celebration, IMO.

The China Club
13th Floor, Old Bank of China Building
Bank St
Central
Tel: (852) 2521-8888

Some other places to try that would be within the budget:

Gaia
181 Queen's Road Central
Grand Millennium Plaza
Grand Millennium Plaza
www.gaiaristorante.com

Very good Italian. No view per se, but a very nice outdoor terrace, hung with lights. Very good service. In Central.

La Terrasse
Ground Floor
19 Old Bailey Street
Central
Tel: 2147-2225

Very good French food in a pleasant setting, they have a small terrace at back. In the Hollywood Road area of antique shops, near to Soho. Nice wine list of mainly French wines. Good value set meals for lunch and dinner. Excellent duck confit.


Bistro Manchu
33 Elgin Street
Tel: 25369218

Manchu and Northern Chinese food, with some Russian thrown in as well. Ask what is on their the special for the day, this is usually the best thing.

Tribute
13 Elgin Street
Central
852-2135-664
tribute.com.hk

Their prix fixe dinner is HK$380 (about US$48) and is very good value. Mostly European dishes. This is a "private kitchen" so you need to call a few days ahead to make a reservation.

Ingredients
43 Gough Street
Central
852-2544-5133

Mostly European dishes. This is a "private kitchen" so you need to call a few days ahead to make a reservation.

Yellow Door Kitchen
38 Cochrane St.
Central Hong Kong
Tel: 852/2858-5555
www.yellowdoorkitchen.com.hk

Spicy Sichuan and Hangzhou food.

Really I could go on and on. Do you have a cuisine preference?

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Old Oct 6th, 2006, 09:00 AM
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Hi Cicerone,
Thank you very much for your excellent reply and advice, exactly what I was asking for! Amazing information, I'll try searching for the dim-sum reccos, and will check out the links to the restaurant websites.

Food preferences - love Thai, Chinese, pan Asian, European, so all those suggestions are good. I'm glad you thought that racing would be a good idea, and have printed off all the info to study later.
We are in Hong Kong for about 8 nights, so a trip to Macau would be possible, last time we did 4 nights then into China for about 1 week (Guilin and Guangzhou (to see son) and then Hong Kong for 5 nights. We did go to Stanley on the bus, but never stopped at Repulse Bay which we'd like to do this time, and we definitely want to take the bus again, I just managed to get up the stairs last time!
Shopping - have found another post you made about shopping, I paint,so art and craft items are a favourite, and collectables.
Do some of your dining recommendations include a midprice options for other times?
The information you gave about the museums/villages is just what I needed so those trips are a must.
Thank you again,
Pauline
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Old Oct 6th, 2006, 11:12 PM
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I have some info at home about art and crafts supply shops, I will look it up. The flower market in Kowloon, which is worth a trip in itself, has a good shop, and there are several in the Wan Chai area as well.

Many of the restaurants I have posted have prix fixe dinner options, you just have to check. The "private kitchens" are almost all fixed price places. You can check websites or call and ask. Places like Felix and the One Peking Road restaurants llike Hutoung may also have prix fixe lunch which would be a good value and views during the day are good, albeit different, than at night.

With regard to buses, I was goiing to suggest that if you want to take the double deckers, the best thing for you to do is to go to the main bus terminal in Central and get on the buses where they start their routes and will be parked with engines off. The drivers are not known for their patience once started, and I have a hard time myself climbing the stairs on a moving one...the terminal is located near the Star Ferry pier in Central just behind the Airport Express Train station and the IFC Mall. If you go to Stanely or Shek-O, the buses end their routes there, and will stop and park and you can wait for them to do so, and then come down the stairs. If you want to get off at Repulse Bay, you will have to come down the stairs quickly at the stop, but a good loud shout out to the driver in any language (or try "mmh goy" asked like a question, which is please, thank you and excuse me all rolled into one) should get him to wait for you.

THere are many good Thai places, I will post addresses at a later date.
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Old Oct 7th, 2006, 12:59 AM
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Cicerone, thanks for the advice about the bus! that is exactly what happened! Luckily on that occasion my son was with us for two days and his partner who is Chinese was able to ask the driver to wait, it was hilarious to see I'm sure , but I was determined to make it to the top of the bus, luckily it wasn't busy (March time).
I shall take your advice and board at the terminal, maybe we could just take a taxi from Stanley to Repulse Bay, but we really wanted to go on further, never having been to Aberdeen.
I tried some of the links from your other posting this morning for performances of the Philharmonic, or the Dance Co. which we would very much like to do, nothing listed for the Philharmonic in December for our dates 9-15th, and I was unable to find anything listed for other concerts, or for the Dance, maybe it's a quiet month, but I'll try again before we go, just in case I'm able to find something.

thank you again,
Pauline.
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Old Oct 7th, 2006, 02:31 AM
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twotravel:

Here's one list of what's going on in arts performance you can check on.

http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalSe...date/index.php

Not exclusive, so you may want to search further. Like from here:

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/...ndar/index.jsp

Cicerone's suggestion about getting on the bus to Stanley/Repulse Bay at the Exchange Square bus terminal is a good one. Note that if you want the most exciting ride, take #6 or #61 (#61 to Repulse Bay only). The other ones - 260 (single deck), 6A and 6X - go through the tunnel instead over Wong Ngai Chung Gap.

There is no direct bus service between Central and Shek O. You need take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan, and take bus #9 from there. From Stanley, you can take bus #14 (infrequent), and then switch to #9; or take a taxi.

No direct bus between Stanley/Repulse Bay and Aberdeen either. For this route, best way is to take a green 16-seat mini-bus.
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Old Oct 7th, 2006, 05:48 AM
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rkkwan, many thanks for the information on the bus routes and the links to the events calendar, which I will check out in a minute, have saved the info to my new "Fodors Hong Kong File"

Pauline.
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Old Oct 15th, 2006, 06:10 PM
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I know of two choral performances that might interest you:

December 12th – Welsh Men’s Choir at St Johns Cathedral in Central, which is a benefit concert for a local hospice. I think this will be Christmas- oriented and is in conjunction with the tree-lighting ceremony as it has been in previous years. This is a wonderful men’s choir, singing mostly Welsh songs but other popular songs as well, and the Cathedral is very lovely. Tickets have not gone on sale yet, but check http://www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk/upcoming.html from time to time for info. The cathedral has evensong the second Sunday of each month which is also a nice reflective evening. FYI they have a good bookshop with proceeds going to charity and sell card, writing pager, some books, fair trade food and at Christmas they sell Christmas cards and other items. The Cathedral is located across the street and down a few yards from the station at the bottom of the Peak Tram.

December 11, 12 and 13th – various performances by the Kassia Women’s Choir. This is a group of expat and local women who put on great shows, mostly of popular songs; and these are their Christmas concerts, one of which is in conjunction with the men’s choir. Take a look at http://www.katterwall.com/choir/women/Home/eng/. Tickets will be available through Urbitx (go to http://urbtix.cityline.com.hk/internet/action/index.do) but are not on sale yet. Their concert on the 13th is not on the website yet, but that is the one with the children’s choir (I have friends in the choir).

Also, if you like arts and crafts and will be in town in mid-December, you might want to go to the new Borrett Road Market, which just started last month and is an open-air arts and crafts and food market held once a month up in mid-Levels. Take a look at http://www.borrettroadmarket.com/main.htm for what is on offer and how to get there by public transport. The number of vendors will grow each month and I expect that in December you will find lots of Christmas items on offer. This could be combined with a walk on Bowen Road, which is a flat pedestrian-only road in mid-levels offering some great views of the city and Happy Valley; this would require going down some stairs to reach Bowen Road (or a short taxi ride down to Bowen Road from the school at Borrett Road where the market is held), but once you get down to Bowen Road, it would be completely flat for about 2 miles out and back (or you could take a taxi or bus at the point where Bowen Road comes out at Stubbs Road).

I am working on a reply on good walks on the Peak that don’t involve hills, if you have not already done it, of course a good walk is the Lugard Road/Harlech Road walk which is flat and gives some good views.

I will also have some other restaurant reccos for you on another post.

For Aberdeen and other parts of the “back side” of Hong Kong Island, in terms of distance from Central, the order goes Aberdeen, then Repulse Bay, then Stanley. So, the more logical order would be to go to Aberdeen first, then Repulse Bay, then Stanley, then Shek O if you want. It would be cheaper to take a taxi first to Aberdeen (esp as the only way really to get there is via the tunnel, and even more so if your hotel is somewhere in Wan Chai or Causeway Bay where the tunnel starts). From there you can take another taxi to Repulse Bay and so on. There are also direct buses that originate at the Central bus terminal and go to Aberdeen. From there you could take a taxi to Repulse Bay if you wanted to avoid "moving bus" issue. FYI, there is actually a direct bus from Central to Shek-O, but it only runs on Sundays. It is #309. As you will be in town one Sunday, you may want to go out there on that day, as the bus ride is a good long one with great views and then you can have lunch in the litle village as well.


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Old Oct 18th, 2006, 01:14 AM
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OK, some more suggestions for you:

1. Since you like to paint, you might want to go to Artland, which is a pretty big painter’s supply shop. They have brushes and paints, and all kinds of other painting supplies; not sure how the prices would compare to your home shop, but it might be worth a look. They have a pretty big selection of sable brushes and other brushes. They also have beautiful caligraphay brushes and stands that are pretty to display and use. You can see what they have on their website (no prices). They also have an art gallery with exhibits at their shop. The shop is in Wan Chai, near the local fresh food markets and some good inexpensive restaurants (see below for restaurant addresses). You can take a taxi from Central or the MTR to Wan Chai. From Kowloon, you can take the MTR or the Star Ferry to the Wan Chai pier and it is not a far walk from there, it is near the Grand Hyatt and Convention Centre. They are closed on Sundays.

Artland Company Limited
3rd Floor
Lockhart Centre
301-307 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Tel: ( 852 ) 2511 4845
e-mail: [email protected]
www.artland.com.hk

You should also definitely go to the Hong Kong Museum of Art, which is on the waterfront in Kowloon. Its it the complex of pink buildings right by the star ferry. A small museum with good permanent and changing exhibits. They have a good gift shop. http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Arts/index.htm. It is closed on Thursdays, otherwise admission is like US$1 and is free one day, I think Wednesdays.

2. Birthday Dinner/Prices - I went to Caprice over the weekend for dinner, and also took the opportunity to look at their lunch menu and prices. It was of course very good, only you can decide if the prices are worth it. Prices are between HK$300-400 for lunch, but they have set lunches at HK$380 for 2 courses and HK$450 for 3 courses which would be a good value. Dinner appetizers average around HK$250, and entrees average about HK$500 (but are all over the map from HK$380 to HK$700). They have prix fixe dinner at HK$780 for 3 courses. They have a tasting menu for HK$1080, but all diners at a table have to order the tasting menu. Finally, they have a chef’s table in the open kitchen where the chef cooks in front of you a set meal he picks and the price is HK$8,000 per person (that’s just over US$1,000 and while I believe that includes wines I don’t think I will be ordering that one too soon myself….) I think the menu and prix fixe prices would be similar at the other restaurants in town like Hutoung, Spoon, Felix and the new restaurant at the Mandarin.

If you don’t want to pay those prices, I would go with Gaia, which I ate at last week and again really enjoyed. Great food and great service, very nice out on their terrace. I also love M at the Fringe. No view at either, but really good food.

Also, a new restaurant has opened at the Peak:

Pearl on the Peak
Level 1, Peak Tower
128 Peak Road
tel: 852-2849-5123

This is a branch of the Pearl restaurant in Melbourne. I went to the soft opening on Friday. As it was literally their first night, I am still keeping my judgment open. The views are really stunning, the space is very nicely done up. Make sure you DON’T get the table by the big air conditioning unit; request one over the tram tracks for maximum views. Nice little bar. There will be an outdoor space which would be quite good, would be very nice for lunch esp on a winter day. On the opening night, there were only 5 entrees on offer, 4 appetizers and ALL the deserts (my kind of place). Food was quite good, it is “Australian cuisine” whatever that means, basically Continental, and happily very little Asian-fusion. The service needs work, but on their first night, what can you say. I hope they add more seafood, as the chief is an Australian, Geoff Lindsay, who is known for his seafood. Very good deserts, with unusual selections. I really, really hope this place works because an elegant restaurant on the Peak which serves good food is really desperately needed. Prices around HK$300 for entrees and around HK$220 for appetizers. Nice wine list, predominately Australian. It would certainly be a memorable birthday place.

3. Asian restaurant reccos, inexpensive to mid-price:

Mum Chau's Sichuan Kitchen
5th Floor
37 D'Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Telephone: 2522 0338

Spicy Sichuan, this is a “private kitchen”, it is in an apartment in Lan Kwai Fong. There is often no menu, just take what is on offer. Excellent, if you don’t want it spicy, say so.
Very inexpensive.

Malaymama
Shop C
Shining Building
477 Jaffee Road
Causeway Bay
Tel: 2117-2122

Good spicy Malay food. Good prices, basically everything is less than US$10, most main entrees are around US$7. Very casual.

Pasar Singaporean Flavor
197 Johnston Road
Wan Chai
tel: 3168-2057

If you like Singaporean/Malay food, this is the place. Excellent pepper crab and char kway teow, hot spicy laksa. Very casual, basically picnic tables, but great food. Crab can be expensive, other things are more medium priced. This is walkable to Artland.

Thai Basil
Lower ground Floor
Shop 005
Pacific Place Mall
Tel: 2537-4682

My favorite “upscale” Thai place, has some really unusual parings of ingredients. Modern clean-lined décor, the real shame is that it is in a shopping mall (albeit a very nice one) or it would be more of a special occasion place. Great for lunch (you do most often need a booking), good for dinner. Medium to higher priced than the other places here.

Wyndham Street Thai
G/F, 38 Wyndham Street
Central Hong Kong
Tel: 2869 6216

Probably the best Thai food in Hong Kong.

Thai Lemongrass
30-32 D'Aguilar St
852/2905 1688
www.lankwaifong.com

In Lan Kwai Fong, the bar district. This and Wyndham Street Thai are a bit pricier than the others here.

Chili Club
First floor
88 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: 2527 2872

Cheap and cheerful Thai food. Very casual. This is walkable to Artland, is on the same road, a few blocks closer to Central (when coming out of Artland, turn right).

Ashoka
G/F, 57-59 Wyndham Street
Central
Tel: 2524-9623

India. Great value for money, they have a set lunch that is very good. In the Hollywood Road area, good for a break at lunch, or nice for dinner.

Khana Khazana
20 Luard Road
1st Floor
Wan Chai
Tel: 852-2520-5308

Indian vegetarian. Very modest décor, but great food. This is in the old Suzie Wong area of Wan Chai, close to the Hyatt. Prices are good, about HK$70 for a thali, things like dosas, kormas etc run about HK$35-55. They have live music on some evenings. The entrance to this restaurant is actually on Jaffe Road, go around the corner and look for the side entrance into the building. Take the lift to the first floor. This is not a bad walk from Artland.

Branto
9 Lockhart Road
Kowloon
Tel: 852-2366-8171

This is a sister restaurant to Khana Khazana. This is behind the Penn and the Kowloon Hotel. Even more modest than the Khan Khazana, but very good food too. A bit cheaper, the menu also has things like grilled cheese and pizza for people who may not like Indian food.

Woodlands
Ground Floor
61 Moody Road
Mirror Tower
Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon
Tel 852-2369-3718

Indian vegetarian. This is just across the street from the Kowloon Shangri-la. Modest in décor, but does have a view onto some greenery. Very good food and prices. Thalis start at HK$60, dosas and most other entrees average about HK$40. You can take the MTR and get out at the Mody Road stop, door P2.

4. Peak Walks

The traditional flat walk on the Peak is the Lugard Road/Harlech Road circular track. This is a very easy walk which gives some great views, and takes about an hour as it circles from Lugard Road to Harlech Road and back to the Peak Tram station. To start the walk, standing with Victoria Harbour behind you, the Peak Tram station on your right, the brown Peak Galleria Mall on your left, and the Peak Lookout Restaurant in front of you, look to your right and see the three streets leading off to the right of the Peak Lookout Restaurant. Take the narrowest road on the furthest right, this is Lugard Road, and just follow it around as it circles back to the Peak Tram station where you started. (At one point during the walk it turns into Harlech Road, but you won’t even notice.)

The only other flat walk I know of on the Peak is to walk to Matilda Hospital, which will give you some very good views of the “Southside” of the island, and there is bench when you get to the hospital grounds, which is a good rest point (just over a mile from the Peak to the bench). At the hospital, there are really excellent views of the South China Sea and the little outlying islands, you could almost get vertigo the view is so high and endless, on a clear day you can almost see Japan…. To do this walk, standing with Victoria Harbour behind you, the Peak Tram station on your right, the brown Peak Galleria Mall on your left, and the Peak Lookout Restaurant in front of you, look to your left and take the road leading off the left, this is Peak Road. Stay on the left side of the street on the sidewalk. Follow this as you pass by several entrances to the parking garage and bus station below the Peak Galleria Mall. Just past the last and third such entrance, there will be a brick wall, and there is a staircase on the left here in the wall. Go up the stairs (a short flight). At the top of the stairs, turn right. You will see three streets here in front of you. Take the MIDDLE road. (You don’t want the uphill road which has Plunkett’s Road painted on it, and you don’t want the road leading downhill to the busy road with the white line painted down the middle where the buses are whizzing by.) There is a small black and white sign on the road you want that says “Peak Road”. The road you are now walking on will parallel the other busy Peak Road for a while and will pass a shopping centre (see the realtors office with the red awnings on the left, check out the prices for rental and sale flats). Continue on this road through a traffic light, keep going until the road ends at the T junction, turn right and go over the bridge which passes over the busy road below. After you cross the bridge, keep going straight, you will now be on Mt Kellett Road. The road will wind around a little bit, giving some good views off to the left. (You are in the high rent district now; in fact when you crossed the bridge, off to the left at 101 Peak Road is the most expensive rental apartment of know of, at US$52,000 a month for a 3 bedroom 2500 square foot house. Your house is probably bigger and not on a noisy road…). Anyway, follow Mt Kellett Road until you come to another T junction, and go right here, when this road ends in another T junction in about 100 feet, go left. You will be in some deep woods here and passing some very, very high priced houses indeed, if you can see them. My favorite is 62 ½. You will follow this road for maybe a quarter mile or a bit more and then it will open up into great open sea views and the bench will be in front of you on the right with the Matilda Hospital just beyond. When you have had enough, you just reverse the route to get back to the Peak. If you don’t feel like walking back, just walk into the grounds of Matilda, and you can either take a taxi back to the Peak or down to Central (about HK$50) or take a green minibus to either the Peak bus station or the bus station in Central (Bus #1 in any case, fare is HK$8 down to Central; if you are trying to get back to the Peak, make sure the bus has not just come from there, the bus makes stops on both ends of the route I believe).




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Old Oct 18th, 2006, 07:30 AM
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Cicerone, Thank you so much for the information on the other restaurants,
and especially the new restaurant at the peak, that looks promising (also my kind of place).
You mentioned the food markets, that would be good, just browsing, and Artland, will definitely try to get there, I've pencilled in the Hong Kong Museum of Art on my list of "must Do's". Will have a look at the websites for the concerts later, thank you for that information too.
Re: The walk, absolutely will try to do , your information is always so detailed and extensive I'm sure we won't get lost.
thank you,
Pauline.
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Old Nov 13th, 2006, 10:42 PM
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Cicerone, re your information for the Welsh Male Choir at St Johns, I keep checking but cannot find any reference for tickets yet on 12th Dec, we are in Hong Kong from 8th-16th December.
has the date changed?
thanks
Pauline
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Old Nov 13th, 2006, 11:35 PM
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I just called the church, the concert is still scheduled for the 12th, but the tickets have not gone on sale yet. Neither the church office nor the bookshop (which I also called) could say with any certainy when they might be going on sale. The best thing to do would be to e-mail the bookshop (where they will be selling the tickets) and check yourself. You might be able to reserve tickets:

Concert is the Hospice Christmas Charity Concert on 12 December 6 pm - 9 pm

[email protected]

Tel. (852) 2868 2848
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Old Nov 13th, 2006, 11:37 PM
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Sorry, also meant to add that if you want to listen to Chinese music, try the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra at hkco.org. Or if you want to see a Chinese opera, try the Urbtix listing at http://urbtix.cityline.com.hk/internet/action/index.do, the Academy for Performing Arts (http://www.hkapa.edu), or the Sunbeam Theatre in North Point on Hong Kong island, which has opera many nights a week; they list on Urbtix above.


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Old Nov 14th, 2006, 03:28 AM
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Many thanks Cicerone, have emailed the bookstore, and bookmarked the others.
Pauline
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