By Andy Wong, on 11 May, 2015

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Part 2. The Modern City Life

Night stroll at Victoria Park; Studio room that I stayed at the Somerset Hotel Victoria Park

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Part 2. The Modern City Life

Night stroll at Victoria Park;

Somerset Hotel Victoria Park

Night stroll at Victoria Park; Studio room that I stayed at the Somerset Hotel Victoria Park

Somerset Victoria Park Hong Kong

My joyous stay at Tsim Sha Tsui ended within a day and eventually moved to the Somerset Hotel Victoria Park. The hotel is located at Tin Hau station which is around 3 to 4 stops away from the central district but all the better (close to Causeway Bayfor that matter!). Located in a quiet residential area and a five-minute walking distance, the hotel was quiet with a marble bathroom. Most importantly, the bed was so comfortable I fell asleep within a couple of minutes every time I laid down. A night stroll in Victoria Park is definitely recommended as there are less people in the park enjoying their peace and quiet: a contradicting atmosphere where in the afternoon the park is filled with local people grouped into five or six, sitting on the floor and spending their afternoon away (which was definitely a crowd I had never experience before).

View from Peak Tram

Hong Kong City from the Peak

Peak Tram passing through the park

Victoria Peak

As I arrived early morning at the hotel and had a couple of hours before check-in, I decided to tour myself around the central area. The first destination was Victoria Peak. As per many recommendations, I went up to Victoria Peak with the Peak Tram and came down with Bus No. 15. The Peak Tram was a historical transportation that helped us reach the peak within a 10 minute ride with the beauty of Hong Kong city behind. People the best views are when the sky is sunny, but I enjoyed more of the cloudy view as it represented the mystical and complex part of the city. The bus ride on the second deck was thrilling as the bus drivers really had their talent in making a bus trip like a rollercoaster!

Central Piers Ferris Wheel

Sunny Causeway Bay

From SoHo to Central Piers to Causeway Bay

Getting off at the central district, I enjoyed a long walk at Queens Central Road. My first destination was the Central-Mid-Levels Escalators which passed through SoHo. The SoHo area had a western touch to it with many pizza places and burritos and lots of nice open bars. With the heat burning me, I made my way to the IFC mall for the cold breeze and a good bite. The IFC mall is a great place for window-shopping as the place had so many nice brand shops. Since the mall was close of Central Piers, despite having no boat trip planned, I made my way to the Piers with the pedestrian overpass. Interestingly, the Central Piers was having a farmers’ market where many locals brought fresh products to be traded with the bypassers. When heading back to the hotel, I made sure to get off at Causeway Bay to walk around the shopping areas – the Times Square mall and Hysan Place had more than enough shops to satisfy a shopaholic.

Harbor Corner View; Living room area of the Suite

Harbor Corner View; Living room area of the Suite

EAST Hong Kong

As a hotel enthusiast, I always try to randomly visit hotels in different cities. There is that inspiration a hotel gives with their service and their architecture and EAST Hong Kong has been imprinted on my mind along with my HK trip. Whilst visiting for a second-round afternoon tea, I had the opportunity to visit the standard rooms and suites. Their modern décor and high-tech amenities were very attractive (an iPod Touch provided as an amenity – how awesome is that!). Instantly fell in love with the Dinosaur and Bubble chair exclusively provided in the suites only, hoping that someday I would make my return trip.

***Special Thanks to Nawon Sohn & the Hong Kong Expedia™ Lodging Partners Service Group for providing this blog post.***