Words by Sally Meeson
I’m gazing down on Hong Kong’s grand Victoria Harbour as the sunlight glistens off its deep waters and sleek surrounding skyscrapers. A 60-metre Ferris wheel packed with tourists eager to capture a similar view appears small ahead of me with toy-like cars and boats passing below. I’m capturing this expansive scene from the window of my hotel room, high up on the ninth floor of the luxurious Mandarin Oriental, an iconic five-star hotel on Hong Kong Island.
I was welcomed into its rose scented, black marble lobby minutes earlier then whisked beneath its famous long Venetian chandelier, shimmering in its spiralling stairwell. After taking in the contemporary luxury of my room I was thrilled to pull back the curtains and be greeted by Hong Kong’s panoramic skyline. It’s clear that I’m based in the heart of this vibrant metropolis, the perfect spot to explore the eclectic and exotic region beyond.
First, I need to fortify myself with one of Hong Kong’s most famous dishes; Dim Sum. I find the encouragingly named Dim Sum Library, a contemporary Art Deco style eatery in the pristine shopping mall Pacific Place, then order an assortment of delicious dumplings containing seafood in white pepper lobster broth and scallop and beetroot. Then after washing this feast down with tea I make my way past myriad designer stores containing perfect shelves of shiny goods, through the equally sparkling Shangri La hotel lobby and out into the Hong Kong sun. I’m instantly enveloped in humid 32-degree heat which makes the direct air conditioned passageways I’ve just taken through hotels and adjoining stores make immediate sense in this practical and easy to navigate place.
I venture away from the hustle and modernity of Hong Kong’s retail centre towards Victoria Park, a tranquil space filled with soothing water features, a lake filled with graceful coy carp and intrepid terrapins and even a waterfall high in a rocky cliff side. Wandering beneath colourful Chinese lanterns gently swaying above this grassy oasis I find another green gem, the Victoria Peak Tram, a charming vintage vehicle, painted a jolly racing green, which climbs passengers to the top of the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island. After hopping aboard its wooden seats and beginning to clunk along the tracks I start to wonder if jet lag is setting in as the high rise blocks alongside me appear to be leaning at an angle, then quickly realise this is an optical illusion caused by the extreme steepness of the mountain.
After alighting, and winding my way up a few escalatored floors crammed with souvenir stores I walk across a vast terrace to be greeted by an epic, and arguably the best, view of Hong Kong. I pick out my hotel, which now looks tiny beneath the skyscrapers and verdant hillsides, and follow the harbour’s ribbon of water as it flows out into the South China Sea.
After this breath-taking pursuit it’s time to relax back at the hotel. If there’s one thing the Mandarin Oriental is famed for it’s its luxurious spas and treatments. I’m ushered in my fluffy bathrobe, through low lit corridors, flanked by peaceful statues and cascading water walls, into a dark spacious room with two treatment beds. My therapist explains she’ll be using the hotel’s signature oils, including frankincense and ginger, to awaken my senses during an hour long deep tissue massage. But once this tiny woman begins to unknot my muscles with the force of someone twice her size it’s clear no added aromas had been necessary to revive me. I leave kneaded and refreshed, with a body thoroughly untangled after my earlier 12-hour flight.
Not that the fight itself had been a chore. Far from it. I’d started the day in the First Class Cathay Pacific Lounge at Heathrow airport, a calming space with natural wood, soft lighting and floor to ceiling windows with sweeping views of the runway. Since Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong it was no surprise to find a Noodle Bar there, but I opted to order breakfast from the a la carte menu. Then after a glass of champagne it was quick, priority boarding onto the plane itself.
With its crisp white interiors and lightning speed cabin crew it’s no surprise that Cathay Pacific is repeatedly voted the world’s cleanest airline. As I settled into my spacious booth in business class I was quickly offered more champagne and then a stream of delicious dishes including poached prawns, grilled parmesan-crusted cod and vanilla bean panna cotta with passion fruit jelly followed. Then after enjoying the free business class Wi-Fi and watching a little in-flight entertainment it was time to stretch out on a surprisingly wide bed, snuggle into a Banford duvet and sleep until touch down at Hong Kong International Airport.
Back at the Mandarin Oriental, still soothed from my massage, a relaxing hotel dinner is in order. I start off with a gimlet cocktail in its sky-high cocktail bar, The Aubrey, before heading next door to its Michelin-starred restaurant Man Wah. With its stately royal blue walls and Chinese embroidered art panels I can see why it’s often referred to as Hong Kong’s most beautiful restaurant. Then seven courses of gastronomic genius – from steamed grouper fillet with crab meat, tomato, broccoli and ginger to Japanese somen noodles with chilled matsutake mushroom soup – arrive as we watch the skyscrapers light up in the balmy night sky.
The following morning it’s time to leave urban high life for the wilds of the surrounding coast and countryside. I take a cab an hour out to Sai Kung East Country Park on the Sai Kung Peninsula, through coastal scenery which starts to resemble the Caribbean. Since it’s a national holiday, the area surrounding a vast man made reservoir called the High Island Reservoir East Dam is packed with visitors enjoying their free time. I hike away from this busy tourist spot, down a winding road with breath-taking coastal views then veer down a rugged pathway until I hit Pak Lan Wan Beach. After cooling off with a paddle I restart my hike over the cliffs then down the hill to the fishing village of Pak Lap Wan.
I pass the small Hin Tau Temple and rustic urchin fishing huts hovering above the sea on stilts until I find the High Island (Yau Ley) Seafood Restaurant. This laid back family run restaurant with its basic wooden tables surrounded by white plastic chairs, pleasantly surprises with the colourful variety and many flavours of its freshly caught seafood. I enjoy deep fried squid with chilli and garlic, fried clams in black bean sauce and plump green mussels with spring onion, swilled down with cool beer. Then I hop on a small boat and blast across the waves to the bustling Sai Kung Hoi Pong Square before catching a cab back to the hotel.
After freshening up it’s time to sample some Hong Kong nightlife. I head to Duddell’s, a Michelin star restaurant in Central Hong Kong, as famed for its art exhibitions as its modern take on Cantonese cuisine. I order a delicious Venus cocktail, which contains Belvedere Vodka infused with goji Berry, Chambord black raspberry liqueur, homemade falernum syrup, lemon juice and lychee. Then I dig into eight courses including crispy crab meat roll with black truffle, sautéed prawn with lobster broth and fried rice with scallop. I’m informed similar dishes are available on my return business class flight with Cathay Pacific as part of their Hong Kong Flavours menu in partnership with the restaurant. Then I head to a nearby buzzing courtyard of elegant bars, in what was once the Central Police Station Compound, for a lychee martini before bedtime.
On the final day of my short trip I try to pack in as much local culture and history as possible with a walking tour. Arranged through the Mandarin Oriental, I’m met by Michael Tsang from Hong Kong Free Tours who introduces me to the hidden delights of Hong Kong only locals are likely to know about. We start at a small gallery in the Tung Wan area called the Blue Lotus, with photography exploring Hong Kong’s history, culture and identity, from the mysteriously dark Walled City of Kowloon, a densely populated and largely lawless enclave of China before its demolition in 1997, to crumbling abandoned villages and their haunting beauty.
I follow the musky scent of incense into the ancient Man Mo Temple, hidden between towering modern tower blocks. After hitting the entrance gong three times to announce my arrival to the Gods, I drift past lanterns and candles to an altar heaving with citrus fruit clustered as sacred offerings to the colourful deity immortalised as a statue above them. Then it’s time to visit some of Hong Kong’s craft and tradespeople. I head to the 70-year-old Kwong Wah Printing Company on Sai Street to meet its owner Yam Wai-san in his compact workshop packed with metal blocks embossed with Chinese characters, stacked in wooden boxes, to operate in his printing presses. He demonstrates using his original hand operated Heidelberg Platen Press, which clacks and whirs as it churns out sheets of text.
It wouldn’t be a trip to China without sampling some tea. I head to the Mee Heung Cheun Tea Company, an old tea shop which has stood on Gili Man Street for over 50 years. It sells teas which are almost as old as it is, packed and stacked into flat round pancakes which, just like vintage wines, often sell for thousands of pounds. Then after an afternoon browsing the shops of Hong Kong, from rickety stores packed with vintage memorabilia to sleek rows of every high end brand imaginable, I head to the Mandarin Oriental’s sister hotel, The Landmark. I’m taken to its two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Amber, for a seven-course dinner and even get to meet chef Richard Ekkebus in his impeccable kitchen, gleaming with polished brass and an aproned team running as efficiently as an army of ants.
As I hit the skies the following morning, watching the hill tops of Hong Kong steadily disappear along with my final glass of champagne courtesy of Cathay Pacific, I feel I’ve experienced enough in three days to keep me dreaming of it for a lifetime.
