The last time I was in Hong Kong I was seventeen – nine years ago. I spent four days there with my family, and we explored the city and did all the touristy things. The one thing we didn’t do was visit the Tian Tan Buddha. At the time it was on my ‘want to see’ list, but my parents weren’t fussed about it and they felt we didn’t have enough time to fit it into our jam-packed itinerary. So this time, despite just one day in Hong Kong, I made it my mission to finally see the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island.
Jasiminne and I managed to conquer Hong Kong just like we did New York City. We packed in Lantau Island, Victoria Peak, the Star Ferry, and three epic meals! And now, at the ripe old age of twenty six, I even managed a Hong Kong night out too!
Thanks to a delayed flight, I landed around 6pm in Hong Kong and got the MTR straight to our hotel, W Hong Kong, where Jasiminne was waiting for me in the bar. So, without further ado, let me tell you how we had the best 48 Hours in Hong Kong, and how you can too…
Pics of me below by Jasiminne, chunky calves and cankles courtesy of years of ice-skating, dancing, and eating chocolate.
Drop your bags and have a quick change, just like Dubai, this is Hong Kong and there is no time to sleep. Jump in a taxi and go straight to The Peninsula for dinner at their fine dining restaurant, Felix. The food is excellent, and the view over the harbour is absolutely breathtaking, and as you’re in HK, this trip is all about those views and that city skyline.
10pm: Drinks at WooBar
We tested out Ozone at Ritz-Carlton for you, but we weren’t fans. It was busy, overpacked, rude snobby staff, and genuine human faeces smeared on the floor of the women’s bathroom (legit, I almost stepped in it before dry heaving and walking straight back out). Jasiminne and I much preferred WooBar, the bar where we were staying at W Hong Kong. It was classy, much quieter, had a great atmosphere, a DJ, and delish cocktails!
Day 2 in Hong Kong
8am: Start your day
Grab breakfast from Pret on your way down from the hotel to the MTR (it’s literally below the W). Pret was super exciting for me as we don’t have it in Australia, I miss it SO much as I had it almost every day back home in London, so I went a bit cray cray and bought all the food. Jump on the orange MTR line to Tung Chung station on Lantau Island. Now, while the cable car on Lantau Island is closed, the only way you can get to Tian Tan Buddha is via a blue taxi. There are only 20 blue taxis on the island, and only the blue ones will take you to Tian Tan.
I recommend using the complimentary mobile phone the W Hong Kong give you in your room, and calling the taxi company to ‘book’ a taxi to arrive ASAP. It’ll save you a lot of time queuing at the taxi rank!
10am: Tian Tan Buddha
So was the Tian Tan Buddha worth waiting nine years to see it? It was certainly impressive, and I can safely say I’m really glad we made the effort of spending a morning there! It shows you a completely different side to Hong Kong away from the busy. smoggy city. The mountains and jungle surrounding the buddha is just breathtaking, and I wish we had more time to visit the Po Lin monastery and fishing village as well (you can see more of the fishing village in Andrea’s post).
12noon: MTR to Hong Kong Island & Lunch at Lee Lo Mei
You don’t really need too much time at Tian Tan (we found an hour or so was enough), so get a taxi back to Tung Chung MTR around 11am/11:30am. and take the orange line to Hong Kong Station. From there get off, and walk up towards Lee Lo Mei, a super hipster restaurant serving typically Hong Kong dishes in tapas style. Jasiminne and I both adored Lee Lo Mei, and every dish we chose was just incredible (and super cheap too!).
2pm: Get a taxi to Victoria Peak
Unless you want to stand in a queue for hours to get the tram up to Victoria Peak, I suggest you do as we did and get a taxi. Only a little more expensive, but it’s about two hours quicker. Make sure it’s a metered taxi though, as there are lots of opportunists who try and quote you $300 to be taken to the peak – do not fall for it, the journey should cost you around $60! If you have more time in Hong Kong, feel free to queue for the tram, but with just 48 hours…ain’t nobody got time for that!
4pm: Get the MTR Back to Kowloon and W Hotel
It’s time to get the MTR back to W, so you can freshen up for dinner. Get a taxi back down towards Hong Kong MTR station, and have a wander around the luxury shops on your way down to the MTR.
6pm: Dinner at Aqua Hong Kong
Head to dinner at 6pm – you have a big night ahead of you, and with the menu at Aqua Hong Kong, you’ll want a good couple of hours to feast on their incredible food. Once again, just like Felix at The Peninsula Hong Kong, the views are beautiful. We met up with Kiran, a friend of mine from London who I hadn’t seen since my leaving dinner a couple of days before my departure last September, so it was SO good to catch up over dinner and plenty of drinks and hear all the latest gossip from our London social circle! Also Jasiminne and Kiran got on like a house on fire, and had great fun making fun of me in Malay and Mandarin. Tch.
8:30pm: Star Ferry to Mandarin Oriental
Walk the short walk to the Star Ferry terminal and get it across to Hong Kong Island. When you go to Hong Kong you must take a trip on the Star Ferry – it’s been running since 1888, and at around 30p for a ticket you have no excuse not to! I think it’s much better to take it at night than during the day – just look at the pretty lights!!
9pm: Cocktails at Mandarin Oriental
The Mandarin Oriental is old school Hong Kong, and a must visit. Head up to M Bar, and try their signature cocktail, the Hong Kong Legend, a fruity mix of rapberry and lychee.
10:30pm: Cocktails and clubbing at Ce La Vie
Andrea recommended Ce La Vie, and my oh my did we have a blast! There was a huge queue of people but we couldn’t work out who was organising it all, so I did my usual thing of walking to the front and inquiring in my English accent about what we had to do to get in. The guy smiled at us and led us to the elevator, much to the horror of those in the queue. Oops. Don’t ask you don’t get, right?! We got to the top and after a quick look at the rooftop, we went downstairs to the club and danced the night away with overpriced drinks (£30 for a double vodka and coke…fml).
2am: Back to W Hong Kong for Schleeeeeep
Jasiminne and I were having a hard time staying awake after our busy day, so we said farewell to Kiran and got a taxi back to our hotel, where I apparently made this very drunken room tour of our room at the W. Lolz. Classic.
Day 3 in Hong Kong
Rise and shine, it’s time to depart! If your flight isn’t until later in the day – lucky you! Go out and explore some more. If like us, your flight is at midday, get yourself to the airport via the airport express and spend your flight wistfully dreaming of the crazy 48 hours you’ve just had!
There is so much more to Hong Kong, most of which I saw when I last visited back in 2008. Sadly we didn’t have time to do those things, but if you do have time, add them to your list:
Hong Kong Park
Hong Kong Museum of Tea/Flagstaff House
Peak Tram
The Temples (sooo many to choose from – have a Google and see which one you like the look of)
Stanley Market
Elevator Walkways
Aberdeen Fishing Village (just watch out for a little lady in a red hat)
Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of Content Marketing at Amazon by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.
I am so impressed with everything that we did in such a short time and even more so that neither of us flared up with one of our trademark hanger tantrums! THIS IS PROGRESS ahahaha. Round 2 for Hong Kong Disneyland? 😘
I seriously want to go back to Hong Kong!! We loved Aqua too!
Catherine Lux
June 6, 2017 / 10:14 am
OMG I KNOW RIGHT! I defo thinks it's because we both made sure we were fed at all times, hahaha! #PretForLyfe
Ermm, Shanghai DisneyLand!?
C x
Posh, Broke, & Bored
June 6, 2017 / 10:34 am
Hell yes! Even more impressive if we can wrangle Shanghai for right after Borneo – have a look at the suggestions I sent you and let me know your thoughts! x
That dress is so cute on you! It looks like you had a lovely time. I was in HK for a couple of days recently (after not having been for 11 years) and loved it just as much as I did when I visited every summer as a child. It has such a special place in my heart and I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Lux Life London is a part of Lux Life Media LTD, a registered UK company, company number 11385669. Company address: 167-169 Great Portland street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF.
Disclaimer
Lux Life London is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I am so impressed with everything that we did in such a short time and even more so that neither of us flared up with one of our trademark hanger tantrums! THIS IS PROGRESS ahahaha. Round 2 for Hong Kong Disneyland? 😘
Tiny Traveller: Little Girl vs. World, a 7 year old's Europe road trip – Posh, Broke, & Bored
I seriously want to go back to Hong Kong!! We loved Aqua too!
OMG I KNOW RIGHT! I defo thinks it's because we both made sure we were fed at all times, hahaha! #PretForLyfe
Ermm, Shanghai DisneyLand!?
C x
Hell yes! Even more impressive if we can wrangle Shanghai for right after Borneo – have a look at the suggestions I sent you and let me know your thoughts! x
Tiny Traveller: Little Girl vs. World, a 7 year old's Europe road trip – Posh, Broke, & Bored
That dress is so cute on you! It looks like you had a lovely time. I was in HK for a couple of days recently (after not having been for 11 years) and loved it just as much as I did when I visited every summer as a child. It has such a special place in my heart and I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you! We had the best time! x
I wanna go back too now haha! x