Hong Kong is an overcrowded but glorious mixture of slick America, quaint 1950s England and the beguiling Orient. The hotels are sophisticated and they work.
Swimming or Sunbathing
Hong Kong is not a place for serious swimming or sunbathing. Hotels mostly do not have swimming pools – space is too precious – and they rarely have outdoor sitting areas. There are beaches around parts of the islands but they are not set up for sun-worshipping. Anyway, everyone is too busy shopping.
Language
Although many people in Hong Kong – especially shopkeepers and hotel staff do speak English, taxi drivers often don’t. But they usually know the names and whereabouts of the hotels. If you need to take a taxi somewhere, ask your hotel receptionist to write the address in Cantonese which you can show the driver.
Crowds
Office workers have a six-day working week, with only Sundays off. This means that the parks and the ferries to the outlying islands are jam-packed every Sunday. In Hong Kong and China jam-packed takes a whole new meaning, do take into consideration when planning out your trip.
Eating Out
It is easier to get the full range of authentic Chinese food in Hong Kong than it is in China. You can dine, at a price, in luxurious surroundings in the many swish hotels (whether or not you are staying there). You can queue for the world’s cheapest McDonalds. You can also fill up on American Club sandwiches and Coke at the office shop in every hotel. You can feast in any of the many modest to not-so-modest Chinese restaurants, or you can eat at a rickety table and stool at a pavement or market cafe. If you can’t be bothered with chopsticks, the waiter will find you a spoon and fork.
Shopping
If there is a particular item you are after, let your fingers do the walking. Local phone calls are free (although you may well be charged something if you make them from your hotel room). Use the yellow pages to shop around for the best price. Always tell the shopkeeper you are shopping around – it is amazing how the price can come down.
You can use just about any strong foreign currency and any credit card in Hong Kong. Sometimes you can negotiate a better price for cash. Some shops, especially those selling “designer” clothes straight from the factory, are not in conventional shopping streets but tucked away in office blocks. The Hong Kong Tourist Office has a list of addresses and opening times.