CHINA Hong Kong
For skyscrapers and sandy shores
The city bit
Honkers’ must-sees peak with The Peak, HK island’s highest point, with all the views (it’s reached by a steep funicular railway, no need to pack climbing gear). Set your phone to film mode for A Symphony Of Lights – each night at 8pm Victoria Harbour’s skyscrapers light up to music like an urban Disneyland. Watch for free on Kowloon waterfront, but it’s best seen cruising around the bay on the deck of Aqua Luna, a traditional red-sail junk boat with a bar. Shopping here is incredible, so pack light. Mega malls such as IFC have everything from Tom Ford to True and Religion, while cool streetwear can be found from the Korean boutiques on Granville Road. But our favourite is the giant Lane Crawford (Hong Kong’s answer to Selfridges) outlet, a 15minute cab ride out of town with discounts of up to 70% on every designer you can think of – plus there’s a Prada outlet down the road. For great gifts, hunt out Goods Of Desire in PMQ, a former police headquarters now filled with artists and designers. Want an experience that’s more off the beaten track? Book a Wanderlust Walks street-art tour in Old Town Central (£98, Wanderlust walkshongkong.com).
Destination refuel
Make like a local and sit at the counter of Little Bao to feast on sharing plates of truffle fries, pork-belly baos and fish tempura. Queue for a table at Tim Ho Wan to sample the city’s best dim sum (the steamed shrimp dumplings are insanely good) and some of the cheapest Michelin-star food in the world. Mott 32 serves modern traditional dishes (applewood-roasted Peking duck, smoked black cod) in sexy surroundings, and for a feast of blow-out Mediterranean cuisine (beef carpaccio, spaghetti lobster), great cocktails and an unbeatable view of HK harbour, try Paper Moon.
The beach bit
Take a taxi just 20 minutes out of Hong Kong Central and you’ll find yourself in Repulse Bay: white sand backed by lush hillside, dotted with the priciest property on HK island. Swimming in the warm(ish) sea and brunching at hip little seafront cafés like Classified (with its swinging chairs, veggie burgers and fresh juices), you’ll forget the hum of the city entirely. Kwun Yam open-air temple at one end of the beach sorts your life out in 10 minutes – walk over the little red Longevity Bridge (each crossing gains you three days’ life, apparently) then throw a coin into a giant fish statue’s mouth for prosperity and luck.
Check in at…
The Peninsula, one of HK’s oldest and best addresses. You’ll love, in no particular order, RollsRoyce airport transfers, diving into its pool surrounded by decadent columns and statues, drinks overlooking a movie-like skyline at Felix bar, a 15-minute helicopter tour from the hotel’s rooftop helipad and the dim sum cooking class. They’re as fiddly to make as they look, so be prepared not to want to social-media the results.