Browsing Tag

Hong Kong

Old friends, new memories

While we were on holiday we arranged to meet up with some old friends we hadn’t seen for a while. We all worked together at Rufus Leonard in the late 90’s/early ’00’s and have kept in touch – either on Facebook or occasionally bumping into eachother. Amazingly we all happened to be in Hong Kong at the same time, so a great night was had – cocktails in the Skybar and dinner at Ce La Vie in the California Tower (amazing views), followed by nightcaps at the members-only Foreign Correspondents Club.

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5th January 2017

Travel

Macau – ‘the Vegas of China’

You have to take the ferry to get to Macau, so we checked out of our hotel and made our way to the ferry terminal, which, like most things in Hong Kong, is in a mall. It was a bit of a mad scramble but we worked out how to buy tickets and where to queue for our ferry. We even had a lovely soup before we left.

The journey itself on the Cotai Ferry took about an hour and was really comfortable. Like most places in Hong Kong it had free wifi and as we’d booked first class we got snacks and a drink. The only seats that were left were in first, and we were keen to get there. On the way back we returned in economy and it’s just as good, you just don’t get the box of mystery snacks!

We had also booked to stay at the Grand Hyatt in Macau, and this was even more impressive than the one in Hong Kong – especially as they upgraded us to a suite larger than some of the flats I’ve lived in. However, we did discover one shocking thing – the hotel DIDN’T have a bar. Actually, what we realised pretty quickly, was neither do the casino’s. This is a big difference between Macau and Vegas – although they have similarities and in some cases exactly the same hotels (There’s a Venetian and a Wynn in Macau) the vibe is very different. Macau is about serious gambling, and there is no real drinking/cocktail culture to go alongside that. So we decided to go and find a bar, and didn’t have to go far. Across the road from us was the Wynn Hotel, which you had to get a very cute cable car to.

It went all round the lake, over musical fountains and was really good fun. So, deposited at the doorway of the Wynn we headed for the nearest (and only) bar. And what a bar. It was quite literally, fabulous. A vision of rich gold, jade green and mirrored loveliness. It sounds over the top, but actually it was gorgeous. Very well done and very comfortable. My picture definitely doesn’t do it justice, so I’ve used this one from the Wynn Palace Hotel website.

And they served the biggest Martin’s in the world.

Even the ladies toilets in The Wynn were gorgeously decorated.

Once we’d had our cocktail top-up it was back to our hotel for some time in the Casino. The next day we went out exploring in Macau old town, which was fascinating. It felt very Chinese – different to Hong Kong. There is a strong Portugese influence, dating back to when it was a Portugese territory, so you can get egg tarts everywhere – though it was impossible to find a coffee shop. We walked and walked and came across temples and great shops selling cute tea sets (I really wish I’d bought one) and lovely food. There was even a shop that sold only Portugese tinned fish.

Then it was back to the Hotel and all too soon we were getting up the next morning to head back to Hong Kong for the last part of the holiday.

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31st December 2016

Travel

Hong Kong – the holiday

Our hotel had a lovely rooftop pool, and although it wasn’t really pool weather, I insisted we spent at least a couple of hours just chilling out before we went exploring. The travelling was tiring and needless to say I hadn’t slept well, so I figured a couple of hours wrapped in cosy dressing gowns lying on a sun lounger wouldn’t do any harm. And we even had a quick dip – though it was a bit too cold for a luxuriating swim.

We had 3 days in Hong Kong before we tripped over to Macau, so we mostly spent them walking, sightseeing and eating. Lots and lots of eating.

We visited noodle bars and japanese restaurants, had brilliant Tapas at Jason Atherton’s restaurant and we even had an M&S sandwich at one point. The food in Hong Kong is excellent – there are Michelin starred restaurants nestled next to hole-in-the wall joints and modern, european cafe’s. Wonderful.

As we walked we came across parks, temples, jam-packed streets and lots and lots of sky scrapers.

Then before we knew it, it as time to pack our bags again and find the ferry to Macau, for part 2 of the holiday.

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29th December 2016

Travel

Hong Kong – the arrival

There is so much to say about Hong Kong, that I dont know where to start. So I might let the pictures do the talking:

We stayed in the Grand Hyatt in Wan Chai. It’s a fantastic hotel, although we didn’t realised that parts of Wan Chai are the Hong Kong red light district. So when we ventured out after travelling for 16 hours, jet lagged and bit dazed, it all seemed quite daunting. But I’m glad we went out the first night, even if it wasn’t for long.

We got back to the relative sanity of the hotel, had a look at the pool and took part in our usual Christmas Day holiday tradition – room service dinner with duty free Jack Daniels!

Then it was time for bed, ready for adventures to start in the morning!

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27th December 2016

Travel

Hong Kong – the journey

We usually go away at Christmas, and book something quite far in advance. Last year it was India, however, this year we didn’t really get round to it – I think the delay in going on the Antigua holiday with my parents meant we didn’t really want to commit to something in case it got moved again. Once it was looking like Antigua was going ahead, we realised we hadn’t made any plans for Christmas, in England or anywhere else.

On the spur of the moment and driven by some very reasonable flight prices (a result of the fact most people don’t want to lose their Christmas Day) and use of Avios points, we booked British Airways Business Class flights to Hong Kong, flying out on Christmas Eve and flying right through Christmas Day, arriving in Hong Kong in the afternoon. We finished work on Friday and headed to Mum’s for Christmas nibbles and drinks and presents the next morning, then we got to Terminal 5 with LOADS of time to spare so we could take advantage of the lounge and get into the festive holiday spirit.

We camped out in the lounge, poured ourselves some drinks, helped ourselves to some nibbles, poured some more drinks and generally nobbed about having fun and feeling very happy. We even found time to fit in a trip to Wagamama to try out some soups for Soup is Food.

Then it was time for the flight. We had specifically booked the route with the A380 on – it’s a brand new plane with a really lovely Club Cabin and as soon as the plane took off we changed into pyjamas, and obligatory Christmas headband (me). We ate a full Christmas dinner, complete with champagne, wine and port. Not quite like being at home but a brilliant substitute. The crew were ace, and it really felt like a valuable part of the holiday, rather than the usual feeling of just wanting to get the journey over with. And I got at least 6 hours sleep – perfect.

I definitely wouldn’t hesitate about flying on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day again, I really enjoyed it (and it was much cheaper!)

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26th December 2016