Right now there are great prices YVR to HKG on Oasis Airlines. My sister and I are considering going for a mad shopping/dining/sightseeing week in January.

I checked weatherbase for average temperatures. I am wondering what 15-20C (or 60-70F) temperature feels like in Hong Kong. Would that be warm enough to swim in an outdoor pool?

Also, in January do the shops in Hong Kong typically have after-Christmas sales, similar to other big cities in Europe and N. America?

In my excitement, I have picked up the newest Hong Kong Luxe Guide (ninth edition) but would love to hear if anyone has tried any great new restaurants recently.

Thank you.

The post chrissie sales are fab. in HK. Central has all the big fashion labels. Find the Joyce warehouse. All the previous season labels like Gucci armani etc etc are so reduced.

Stanley Market brilliant for kids and casual fashions.

If you have time take the train to Shenzen where there is a huge mall after you walk across the bridge. AMazing bargains. Fabrics at the top and all sorts of everything imaginable as you go lower. Nice chinese restaurant in there too. I have heard of a kidnapping from the toilets there but I got this second hand. I have been to Shenzen several times and never had any trouble.

Go .Good sales .Mild weather but sometimes wet .Not sure about outdoor pools . Not eaten at new spots but if in the Luxe Guide you will be safe

It's a bit cool in January to swim in an outdoor pool (it will be in the 60s F and can be a bit cooler or a bit warmer), but you can if you want; some hotels close their pools in January for maintenance, some hotels like the Mandarin and Penn have indoor pools and that helps. There are however, a TON of other things to do here and January is generally good weather, can bit a bit overcast but temps are nice. Great for walking. There are sales in the shops, but I live here and hardly ever clothes shop here because there is so much else to do. Sales will be a bit mobbed. The Joyce Warehouse mentioned above is near Aberdeen, the address for it and the Prada warehouse is below. But, to come all this way to spend time saving money on a blouse when you could be seeing a ceremony in a Buddhist temple or hiking in the hills seems kind of silly to me.... Sizes can be small too, as Asian women are smaller-hipped and thinner in general, so beare that in mind. For Shenzhen, remember that you will need a PRC visa and that will cost you US$80 (I think that is price for Canadian citizen, check the website) and must be obtained in advance (can get here but will take 2 days) so bear that in mind. I personally think Shenzhen is a lot of low-quality goods but to each his own.

I have the 8th edition of the Luxe Guide so don't know what the 9th is now recommending, but I generally agree with their restaurant reccos. Their tone is just hilarious. There are literally hundreds of good restaurants here, my personal list is currently over 30 pages. They have some good ideas in there too for fun things to do like boat trips and the Dragon's Back walk (although their directions are appalling).


The outlets below are in Ap Lie Chau, which is a little island near Aberdeen. You can take a taxi in about 20 minutes and cost about US$20; you can also go by bus, ask you hotel for directions. The outlets below are closed on Mondays. You could combine this with a trip to Abderdeen, the Luxe Guide generlaly likes the Top Deck of the Jumbo restaurant there, see http://www.cafedecogroup.com/TOP_DECK/v_TOP_DECK.asp

Joyce Warehouse – 21st Floor
Lane Crawford Warehouse – 25th Floor
Max Mara Outlet 27th Floor
Horizon Plaza
2 Li Wing Street
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong Island

Space
Marina Square East
2nd Floor Commercial Block
South Horizons
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong Island

Space has Prada. Joyce and Lane Crawford are well-known exclusive department stores in Hong Kong, you can visit there main stores which are in Central.

Thanks so much. I have you have helped me seal the deal... Hong Kong here we come! It will be my sister's first time and my third. So you're right... we'll have to weigh in the pros and cons of fighting the hordes at the sales. But it is good to know that that will be an option.

Cicerone, I did find your restaurant recommendations and the hiking suggestions (we'll probably do the "Dragon's Back" hike... my sister and I are city gals but we do love our doses of nature and outdoor activities) on another post and will print those out before we leave. And you're right about the Luxe Guides, the brutal honesty is hilarious.

Last time we were in HK, I loved the Lane Crawford department stores so going to the outlet might be fun. Do they have clothes and make up at the outlet, do you know?

Lane Crawford and the other outlets sell clothes, but I have not seen makeup on sale. There is an Espirit outlet that does have some of their Red Earth makeup products, it is very conveniently located in Tsim Sha Tsui near the Star Ferry, the Peninsula and the Chinese Arts and Crafts Shop, so it is very easy to pop in quickly:

Esprit Outlet
Basement
Kaiseng Commercial Centre
4 Hankow Road
Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon)
Tel: 2721-3318

I would be very wary of discount brand name cosmetics in Honjg Kong (you will see them in shops in places like Nathan Road and along Queens Road), they are likely to be counterfeit. The only place you might try are a brand of shops called Sasa which does sell legitimate brand name products at a bit of a discount, they don't carry all items of a line, but you might try, see http://web2.sasa.com/SasaWeb/splash.jsp for locations. Note that some brand name items here are MORE expensive than in the US, as the brand commands a higher price here.

If I get time before your trip, I will post some better directions for getting to the Dragon's Back walk and how to do it best (parts of it are actually boring and in the woods, parts are sublime, there are ways to skip the boring parts). I would lean at this point towards foregoing a meal in Shek O (where the Luxe Guide probably reccos The Black Sheep or Chinese Thai Restaurant) and going to Big Wave Bay and having a meal at the beachside Blue Room with a lovely water view. (Big Wave Bay is an absolute hoot, you can see the Chinese versions of Gidget and Moondoggie hanging out there...hang ten baby)

Blue Room
Tel: 2809 2583
Big Wave Bay Beach

Thanks so much Cicerone! Sorry when I asked about the Lane Crawford outlet, I meant to ask about bags/shoes, not clothes... my mistake. I thought if I manage to get a nice pair of Jimmy Choos there I might not feel so bad that the clothes are too small for me! (I'm a size 7 so should be able to find shoes there)

You're right the best prices for cosmetics is the US. But I kind of think HK might be cheaper than here in Canada, we get killed by the taxes. Plus last time I was there, the selection there was so much better than here and had a lot of brands that we do not get here, like Paul & Joe, Benefit, etc.

Looks like we fly into HK the first weekend in January so if you do have a chance, I would love to read about your recommendations about the Dragon's Back walk.

The Sasa chain is really worthwhile looking for. They have so many outlets, you cannot help but fall over them. Do not make the mistake to think if you've seen one you've seen them all. All stores have the current top-runners, but other than that offerings vary wildly. So one shop may have Givenchy Ultramarine For Her, and others won't. Discounts also vary - though not between shops. Dior was only 10% I believe (off whatever), while Bulgari was 40%. Hermes was not available at all. "Older" fragrances will often be more highly discounted. To give you an idea, good deals are 300 to 400 HKD per 100ml EdT. Whether that is cheap in Canada is for you to know.

There is a similar chain, fewer outlets, by the name Bonjour.

Hendrik

Just got back from HK on Sunday. It's already too cold for an outdoor pool, so I don't think you'll be doing much of that. However, shopping is great. Be prepared for millions of people on the streets. I thought it was the NYC of Asia. In terms of prices on western stuff, I don't think you'll find many bargains. Everything we saw was priced about the same as in LA. If you're interested in knock-offs, that's a different story. And there are some pretty good ones. In general, the prices of western goodsand restaurants were pretty similar to LA, if not only slightly cheaper (most of the people I know who live there pay similar rent prices to NYC and London too). Lots of options for all kinds of great food though.

Kooba, I have not forgotten you, and will be posting a LONG and probably overally-detailed series of reccos for various walk options for doing the Dragon's Back on Monday. I want to check the bus schedules in person tomorrow (and walking out there myself on Sat), as they change on weekends and I don't really trust the websites. Will post on Monday.

Some sales have started already, so I don't know what will be left when you get here....

Thank you so much Cicerone. Looking forward to your write-up.

My sister and I are SO excited about our upcoming trip. I will be sure to write a trip report when I get back.

Kooba, I posted it as a new thread, as it turned out to be quite long, and I also thought it might be useful to others, look for it under "Cicerone's Favourite Hong Kong Walks III: The Dragon's Back"

Weather is GREAT here now for walking!!