{"id":23028,"date":"2017-06-02T16:00:41","date_gmt":"2017-06-02T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=23028"},"modified":"2021-10-28T17:03:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T17:03:34","slug":"6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/","title":{"rendered":"6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each time I visit Hong Kong<\/a>, I\u2019m drawn to its yin-yang magnetism. Both a\u00a0metropolis\u00a0counting some of the world\u2019s top hotels and restaurants, and a tropical escape rimmed by lush hills and sugary beaches, the Pearl of the Orient has a certain pull (just ask my passport).<\/span><\/p>\n

To take full advantage of its city-meets-country lifestyle, I\u2019ve rounded up six Hong Kong<\/a> hints to enhance your visit. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stay on stilts
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"InterContinental<\/p>\n

In the city of skyscrapers, many hotels offer an outlook, but only one stay can boast about its position perched\u2014quite literally\u2014over Victoria Harbor. With half of the hotel built on stilts, saying the 503-room InterContinental Hong Kong<\/a> has iconic views is an understatement. From two-thirds of the rooms, as well as most\u00a0restaurants in the foodie-centric hotel, the vista is 100 percent sea and skyline. Couple this panoramic perspective with in-room smartphones featuring city-wide connectivity, 24-hour butler service, Wi-Fi, and poolside\u00a0tai chi classes with Master William Ng, and you may not want to return home\u00a0once you check-in.<\/p>\n

The dim sum scene<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

\"dim
\n<\/b>
\nWhen visiting Hong Kong, you\u2019d be at a culinary\u00a0loss if you didn\u2019t take part in a dim sum brunch. Meaning \u201cto touch the heart,\u201d the small bites were originally created as a snack food for travelers. Today, dim sum is a central part of local culture and family celebrations. Spanning\u00a0cheap to chic, hundreds of dim sum restaurants are scattered around town, from the once-cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, Tim Ho Wan, to the gorgeous and local hero-helmed, Yan Toh Heen<\/a>. Here, Executive Chef Lau Yiu Fai is \u201cthe\u201d guy you want folding, frying, and obsessing over your steamed pork and prawn dumplings or Peking duck\u2014and not just because he\u2019s yielded two Michelin stars and five stars by Forbes Travel Guide<\/em> for the restaurant. Practicing the art of Cantonese cooking in famous Hong Kong kitchens since the age of 14, Chef proves that with passion and skill you can reach the stars.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Hike-worthy hills\u00a0 <\/span>
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"hiking<\/p>\n

Each time I fly into Hong Kong<\/a>\u00a0I\u2019m struck by the greenery and rolling hills. Turns out, the destination’s\u00a0iconic cityscape photos only show a small part of its landscape\u2014just 25 percent of the metropolis is a concrete jungle, while 40 percent of the surrounding land is dedicated to country parks and nature reserves. As a result, hiking is a common local pastime. If you have a friend in town, head to the hills with them; if you don’t, contact Sam the Local<\/a>, a bespoke tour company offering personalized activities by in-the-know residents.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Sky-high sips<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"hong<\/p>\n

With more than 8,000 towers huddled into Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient has numerous locations for a sky-high sip. One not-to-miss nest is SEVVA<\/a>: 13,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor bliss where haute-couture cocktails and cuisine are served to international influencers. Once you reach the 25th-floor entrance, head straight to the wraparound terrace where the city\u2019s hues and heartbeat are on full display. Add in a Ginseng and Pink Grapefruit Cosmopolitan\u00a0and I dare you not to snap a pic of your sky-high sip.<\/p>\n

International outposts<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Rech
\n<\/b><\/span>
\nA number of best-in-class restaurants make their international debuts in Hong Kong. As one of the world\u2019s major landing pads for celeb-status chefs\u00a0(hello, Nobu, Gordon Ramsay, and Jamie Oliver), two more tastemakers have arrived on the it<\/em> list.<\/span><\/p>\n

At night, don\u2019t miss the just-opened (February 2017) Rech by Alain Ducasse<\/a>, lead\u00a0by one of the\u00a0world\u2019s most celebrated chefs with double-digit Michelin stars. As the first international outpost of the famed Paris seafood institution, Rech\u2019s ocean-focused cuisine is enhanced by its mouth-watering location perched over Victoria Harbor. Here, the exquisite dining experience epitomizes contemporary gourmet with specialties such as Alain Ducasse\u2019s private-label Champagne; pan-seared sole hand-picked from a small catch of fisherman in France, a whole wheel of Camembert made by the Mons, France’s famous cheesemaking family; and the XL \u00e9clair (crafted with chocolate from Ducasse\u2019s own confectionary).<\/p>\n

If your tastes skew a little more boho, check out Potato Head Hong Kong<\/a>\u00a0transplanted from Bali’s high-design hotspot, Potato Head Beach Club. Making its urban home in\u00a0Hong Kong’s dynamic Sai Ying Pun neighborhood in 2016, this low-key space combining a coffee bar, shop filled with Bali finds, \u201870s-style audio room, an all-day dining space teeming with tropical greenery, and the\u00a0Balinese eatery Kaum, makes for a sure-thing escape within the Hong Kong cityscape.<\/span><\/p>\n

Light show<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"InterContinental<\/p>\n

At 8 p.m. nightly Hong Kong\u2019s already spectacular skyline ups itself a notch with a free light show featuring a \u201ccast\u201d of more than 40 buildings. Reflecting over the calm waters of Victoria Harbor, A Symphony of Lights<\/a>\u00a0(crowned the \u201cWorld’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show\u201d by Guinness World Records)<\/i>\u00a0pairs lights and laser beams with music in a 13-minute ode to\u00a0the city\u2019s spirit. The best part: All you have to do is show up to witness the Pearl of the Orient\u2019s wow-factor.<\/p>\n

Have you been to Hong Kong? What surprises did you uncover?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Select photos courtesy of InterContinental Hong Kong<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Uncovering the Pearl of the Orient\u2019s pull<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1794,1814,1782,1816,1912,1859,1780,1788,1797,1781,1776],"tags":[31],"authors":[2232],"class_list":["post-23028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","category-city","category-destinations","category-food-and-drink","category-hong-kong","category-hotels","category-inspiration","category-interests","category-luxury","category-travel-tips","category-type-of-vacation","tag-sightseeing","authors-trip-styler","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong | Expedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Uncovering the Pearl of the Orient\u2019s pull\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Expedia Travel Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-02T16:00:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-28T17:03:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/58-Presidential-Suite-Terrace-Swimming-Pool.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1228\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"356\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/\",\"name\":\"6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong | Expedia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/58-Presidential-Suite-Terrace-Swimming-Pool.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-06-02T16:00:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-28T17:03:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/58-Presidential-Suite-Terrace-Swimming-Pool.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/58-Presidential-Suite-Terrace-Swimming-Pool.jpg\",\"width\":1228,\"height\":356},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Explore\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Destinations\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/destinations\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Asia\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/destinations\/asia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia Travel Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e\",\"name\":\"Jamie McNeely\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jamie McNeely\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong | Expedia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong | Expedia","og_description":"Uncovering the Pearl of the Orient\u2019s pull","og_url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/","og_site_name":"Expedia Travel Blog","article_published_time":"2017-06-02T16:00:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-28T17:03:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1228,"height":356,"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/58-Presidential-Suite-Terrace-Swimming-Pool.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jamie McNeely","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jamie McNeely","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/","name":"6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong | Expedia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/58-Presidential-Suite-Terrace-Swimming-Pool.jpg","datePublished":"2017-06-02T16:00:41+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-28T17:03:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/58-Presidential-Suite-Terrace-Swimming-Pool.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/58-Presidential-Suite-Terrace-Swimming-Pool.jpg","width":1228,"height":356},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/6-wow-factor-hints-visiting-hong-kong\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Explore","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/destinations\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Asia","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/destinations\/asia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"6 wow-factor hints for visiting Hong Kong"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/","name":"Expedia Travel Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e","name":"Jamie McNeely","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jamie McNeely"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23028"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57274,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23028\/revisions\/57274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23028"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=23028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}