Seeing Hong Kong Through 2008 Eyes

When my family suggested a holiday getaway to Hong Kong this Christmas — apart from our usual tradition to head off to Plantation Bay Spa & Resort for some other R & R — I suddenly got nostalgic. The last time I had been in Hong Kong was in 1998 as a young college student, with my two cousins and my Aunt Mayen and Uncle Danny. We frequented Nathan Road and Mody Road then, looking for clothes, shoes and equestrienne equipment as horseback riding at that time was our hobby. This time, we were going with the same group, except that my cousins were now bringing their two year old daughter and 6 month old son! How things have changed in just a decade – we were now the grown ups, this time around!

Since we were bringing the children, the most natural thing to do was to head off to Hong Kong Disneyland (we had already done the usual Hong Kong tourist stuff many times before: Ocean Park, Victoria’s Peak, and the Jumbo Floating Restaurant). We were there for the first two days of our trip, and the last two days were spent in Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel in Kowloon.

Aside from being with family, there were nine sterling places, shops and restaurants during this trip that made the whole experience truly enjoyable and memorable. They are as follows:

1. Cathay Pacific Business Class – non-stop serving of food, flowing beverages, Haagen Daz ice cream, Lindt chocolates…need I say more? This made going to Hong Kong and coming back to Cebu extremely hassle free…a highly recommended travel indulgence once in awhile…

2. Hong Kong Disneyland, Lantau Island, Hong Kong – Since it was my first time to be in any Disneyland property, I felt like a child all over again oooh and aaahing with my niece and nephew as our well-loved Disney characters came to life. Hong Kong Disneyland really offered a world-class, unique family entertainment experience inspired by Disneyland in California. Upon entering its enchanting gates, we were told to “leave your troubles behind and enter a world of yesterday, tomorrow, adventure, and fantasy.” 

We started our adventure in Main Street, U.S.A., where at exactly 8 PM, it started to “snow,” much to the delight of the little ones. Walking on the cobbled stone streets, we were fascinated by its quaintly designed shops such as the Apothecary, Midtown Jewelry, Crystal Arts, Mickey’s Christmas House, and the Market House Bakery. A beautiful fireworks display ended our first night in Disneyland. Bright and early the next morning, we decided to check out Adventureland first. We managed to catch a show, Festival of the Lion King which is a colorful pageant of music and dance inspired by and celebrating Disney’s animated classic “The Lion King.” We also took pictures of Tarzan’s Treehouse and waved to tourists onboard the raft for the Jungle River Cruise. For lunch, we sat down at the River View Café, enjoying a set menu inspired by the South East Asia and China regions.  

After a leisurely lunch, we proceeded to Fantasyland, lining up for Mickey’s PhilharMagic, immersing ourselves in a magical 3-D adventure. Then we soared high aboard the ride, Dumbo the Flying Elephant. We posed for souvenir photos with Daffy Duck, Winnie the Pooh, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty, walking through her castle into a timeless realm of happily ever after. A must ride is “it’s a small world”; we took a journey through “the happiest cruise that ever sailed” as children of the world sing and dance to the song “It’s a small world.” After which, we continued on for dinner at the Royal Banquet Hall which offers an international food selection. Since we were running out of time to check out Tomorrowland, we decided to head back to Main Street, U.S.A. and ride on the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad, which took us on a grand tour of Hong Kong Disneyland aboard an excursion-style train.

A day and a half passed all too soon, and it was time to proceed to the city for some shopping and sightseeing.

3. Disney’s Hollywood Hotel Hong Kong – We stayed at this hotel while we were in Hong Kong Disneyland. From the moment we set foot at its doors, we were treated to Disney-style hospitality. This is a very modern hotel, reminiscent of Hollywood style and glamour. Recommended restaurants which we tried: Chef Mickey – great for international buffet, but requires prior reservation; Hollywood and Dine – quick-service restaurant with open display cases so you can view the food. This was where we had breakfast everyday. Studio Lounge – located just off the main lobby, this had an art deco theme. This is a place to relax and enjoy the view over the lawn through the floor-to-ceiling windows. This was where we enjoyed our night caps. We also found this hotel an ideal place to stay while in Disneyland, as it provided regular shuttle services to and from Disneyland to the hotel.

4. Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel – After two days in Hong Kong Disneyland, we headed to this hotel for the last leg of our trip. We were escorted to a beautifully appointed suite on the ninth floor which provided us a spectacular view of Victoria Harbour and nightly performances of neon and architectural lighting. What I found to be truly convenient about our hotel location was that on the 3rd floor was direct access to the Lane Crawford shopping center, which featured huge sales on quality brands such Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, and many more. We also enjoyed the wide selection offered during breakfast buffet at Café Marco during our stay.

5. Celestial Court Chinese Restaurant, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers – This was a restaurant recommended to us by the concierge at the Marco Polo. He mentioned that it was well known for its dim sum lunch offerings. Indeed, it does not disappoint. It is a culinary award winning restaurant located in the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, fitted with quality table settings, discreetly placed antiques, delicate ornaments and expensive Chinese ambiance. Aside from its famous dim sum selection, there are some innovative dishes featured on the menu such as its award winning braised bean curd skin roll filled with assorted vegetables and mushrooms and the baked stuffed fresh crabmeat with shark’s fin in a golden shell. Other specialties are braised golden duck stuffed with eight treasures, shark’s fin dumplings in superior soup, braised mushrooms with sliced black chicken and frog and deep-fried vegetarian spring rolls. A big disappointment our group experienced was our missed chance to eat Peking duck due to the ongoing bird flu epidemic.

6. Santa Lucia Restaurant & Lounge, Hotel Panorama – My aunt, Mayen, took us to this scenic restaurant located in the 38th floor of Hotel Panorama by Rhombus, for Christmas dinner. We had a magnificent view of Victoria Harbour while enjoying our steaks and wine. With its modern design, décor and floor to ceiling glass windows, Santa Lucia basks in natural sunlight during the day and transforms at sunset to a serene canopy of stars and city lights. The restaurant is also proud of its Chef Peter Bakker, leading its team of international culinary experts committed to creativity, innovation, and using only the freshest of ingredients. Moreover, its Filipino staff was very friendly and accommodating towards serving us.

7. ZUMA Restaurant, The Landmark – We had a sumptuous lunch at this restaurant during our last full day in Hong Kong, recommended by my cousin, Allen. ZUMA, London’s award winning Japanese restaurant and bar concept, is located at Hong Kong’s most prestigious address, the Landmark in Central District HK. This restaurant brings award winning chef and co-founder Rainer Becker’s completely new take on Japanese dining to Hong Kong, with a sophisticated twist on the Japanese izakaya style of informal eating and drinking. The 10,000 sq. ft. restaurant is located on Level 5 and features three dramatic open kitchens: the main kitchen, sushi counter, and the robata counter. Both the sushi counter and robata counter invite guests to watch their meals being prepared from freshly selected ingredients. At the robata counter, a fine selection of quality meats, poultry, seafoods and seasonal vegetables are grilled and served with ZUMA’s signature sauces, while the sushi counter tempts diners with a variety of market fresh sashimi, nigiri and maki sushi. Outdoor dining is also available on the exclusive terrace. ZUMA says its dishes are authentic but not traditional, with emphasis on simple presentation and flavor through quality ingredients. There is no protocol on ordering from the menu, instead dishes are designed with the concept of sharing in mind. Recommended items to order: sushi, ebi tempura, tiger prawns, sirloin steaks.

Moreover, the restaurant interiors are modern and minimalistic, with the use of glass. Its bathrooms are also quite impressive, utilizing modernity, style and function in its design of the wash areas and toilets.

8. Panash Bakery & Café – We discovered this delightful little bakery and café at the basement of the Lane Crawford mall for last dinner. Affordable and appetizing, Western cuisine is their main offering but they also serve Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Indian dishes depending on their Chef’s favorite menus, which we were told changes every week. They also come up with fusion dishes such as charbroiled tofu mixed veggies sandwich or the Tokyo style roasted salmon with tofu & mozzarella cheese, a fusion of Japanese and Italian cooking. The coffee is quite good here too, and they have a bakery on one side of the restaurant that bakes fresh bread, cakes and dessert throughout the day.

9. Marks & Spencer, Bossini, H & M – These brands offered huge holiday sales, so we enjoyed shopping for our favorite items at half the price!

I truly had a great time with my family in Hong Kong for this holiday season. I’m sharing this list with you in the hope that you might have the same rich, wonderful experience, dear reader! All the best for the New Year 2009!