Traveling with Cathay Pacific and Royal Caribbean, I ventured from Hong Kong to Japan, discovering both destinations by air, land, and sea.
I arrived in Hong Kong the way most people do, wide-eyed, over-caffeinated, and full of curiosity. But within hours, the city began to set its own pace. Invited by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, I spent five immersive days exploring the city before continuing on a seven-day Royal Caribbean sailing to Japan, flying in and out on Cathay Pacific’s new direct first-class routes.
Hong Kong made an immediate impression from our base at the JW Marriott in Admiralty, perched above Pacific Place and plugged directly into the city’s transit arteries, shopping, and business core. Mornings started calmly with generous breakfasts before the city revealed its layered personality through culture and cuisine: the Hong Kong Palace Museum, where Chinese imperial history unexpectedly intersects with global civilizations like Ancient Egypt; the M+ Museum, one of Asia’s most important contemporary art institutions, bold and challenging by design; and meals that showcased the city’s depth from Michelin starred Cantonese dim sum at Man Ho to sustainable, zero-waste fine dining at Roganic.
Evenings unfolded over precision cocktails at Bar Leone, consistently ranked among Asia’s best bars, while iconic experiences like the Peak Tram, dinners highlighting regional Chinese flavors at Jija, and a day trip to Lantau Island complete with the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, the Big Buddha, a monastery meal at Po Lin, and the stilt-house fishing village of Tai O revealed a city constantly balancing vertical ambition with deep-rooted tradition.
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The journey then shifted from city streets to open water aboard Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas, where Hong Kong’s skyline dissolved into the horizon and time slowed. Life at sea felt like a floating city in its own right, with everything from skydiving simulators, bumper cars, robot bartenders, and observation capsules to theater-level productions like Silk Road and the high-energy Showgirls—easily among the best entertainment at sea.
Ports of call added contrast and color: Okinawa welcomed us with turquoise water, buzzing fish markets, local donuts, and shopping along Kokusai-dori, while Ishigaki delivered one of the trip’s most surreal moments, a 200,000-year-old limestone cave illuminated like another planet, followed by lively markets and local treats. The experience came full circle with a seamless return to Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific’s first-class ground and air service: three distinct lounges at HKIA, each offering dining, rest, and wellness, followed by a first-class seat that transformed into a bed, thoughtful service, and meals designed with intention.
Somewhere between museums, monasteries, sea days, and sky lounges, I was reminded that travel isn’t about how far you go, it’s about presence, and Hong Kong’s presence, on land and beyond it, lingers long after the journey ends.