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As a Chinese-Canadian who has family living in Hong Kong, I've been to HK every summer. I've been to most of the touristy places, ie. The Peak, Ocean Park, Disneyland, Women's Market, shopping areas, etc etc but it's starting to get boring. What are some quirky shops (selling vintage, handmade or random items, etc), cool cafes (ie. cat cafe in Causeway Bay), places with unexpectedly nice scenery, great eats etc. that you love or find interesting but most people wouldn't know about? (btw, I'm a 20yo female who's vegetarian.)
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Whaaaaat there's a cat cafe!?
Well that's my Saturday afternoon gone. Or Caturday, one might say. Guffaw.
Yes! It's in Causeway Bay - http://www.ahmeow.com/mainpage.html I haven't been so I'm really excited to go when I go back to HK! :D
Thanks for letting me know about the cat cafe. It was a little hard to find because a lot of the locals weren't familiar with it but it was definitely worth going. Great home-style food, smooth Japanese jazz in the background, and the cats were super friendly.
If you haven't already been, I would highly suggest checking out the MacLehose Trail in Sai Kung (Stage 1 and part of 2, I think). The landscape is incredible and there are some gorgeous beaches nestled in the coastline, especially near Sai Wan. The terrain gets a little tough at some points, but I found the views and beaches well worth the hike.
I've never been! I just googled and it looks fantastic! I will definitely check it out. Thank you!
Depending on your hiking skill, I recommend taking a cab to the end of Stage 1 and hiking the full length of Stage 2. Stage 1 is all paved road - Stage 2 is all path, and goes by some great beaches. If you're into walking more than hiking, Stage 1 could be good though.
Many/Most of the interesting and beautiful hikes should not be attempted by yourself for safety reasons. http://www.meetup.com/hongkonghikingmeetup/ join them before you arrive so you can book yourself into 1 or 2 interesting outings with groups of people
Thanks - I was thinking of doing Stage 1 with my family actually, so it should be okay!
The rabbit hole has some of the best coffee I ever drank in my opinion, not even that expensive either.
Cheung Chau island is awesome if you do it right - go cycling, swimming, explore the awesome little town then go to the big cluster of seafood restaurants to eat. Its a tiny island so if you cycled you will know the cluster I speak of! There are also a few small bars there which are really nice and the ferries run quite late.
If you enjoy the drinking but have no like-minded friends in HK there are quite a few public pub crawls which are full of backpackers from all corners of the world, and generally interesting people to meet.
Pui Oh beach is one of the few beaches in HK which doesn't make a Scotsman turn up his nose in contempt - much better with a few friends though as you can camp and cook on the public BBQ pits.
Tried Rabbit Hole. Thought it was awful and expensive. Check out one of the better coffee shops. Barista Jam, Crema, 18 Grams. Easy to find on openrice.com
Thanks I'll look into it. I enjoyed my visit but then I'm used to your average pacific coffee.
I don't know about expensive, I payed about 40 HKD which is what you would pay at starbucks/pacific for what is (in my opinion) much less quality. I have been wanting to find a good coffee place Kowloon side and apparently 18 grams is opening a branch in MK!
rabbithole 8 oz. cappuccino = $40
Starbucks 8 oz. cappuccino = ~$26
Downvoted for posting facts I guess...? I do agree that you get what you pay for.
Why would you go to a specialty coffee shop and order anything but coffee? It's not like the Rabbit Hole can get better milk and sugar than Starbucks. If you're gonna go there, order a damn coffee so you can taste some difference from Starbucks!
Do you have any links to find out more about the public pub crawls? Most of my friends in HK have moved away and now I have nothing to do when I come visit.
If you can stand the haudain attitude, Mid-levels (start around Aberdeen street) has great little shops.
There's a tiny area behind the big library in Causeway Bay which has an ungodly coffee house and great little designer shops, located here. Coffee place is called Unar Coffee. Check out a really tiny hand-made shop called La Belle Epoque in that same area.
inspiration Lake. Pick a nice day, make it a picnic. Have an amazing day out.
Tried the fishermen islands yet? Cheung Chau is very nice to explore for the entire day. Ferry in Central.
Will edit if i can think of some more.
:edit:
there's a yearly design mart with handcraft, it's coming in October this year. Definitely worth checking out if you're here by then (better climate too). Design Mart in Innocentre, Kowloon Tong
Sadly I won't be there in October (Just going for August). I have heard of Mid-levels having lots of small shops, so I will definitely check those, and La Belle Epoque (so cute!) out! Thank you!
Try the two major museums in East TST. The HK History Museum is pretty great, and the Science Museum has some cool exhibits (the house of mirrors is really cool). They're both super cheap, like $10-20 HKD I think. Just an alternative to all the outdoor suggestions, seeing as you'll be here in August and Hong Kong is bloody hot.
Thanks for these suggestions, I totally forgot about the museums. Love history and science so I will definitely visit them this time!
A lot of museums (including the history and science museum listed above) are free admission on Wednesday. Not sure if this is still the case, but two years ago it was!
I just checked and that is still the case. Thanks for the tip! :D
Have you hiked up the hills to the Ten Thousand Buddhas temple from the Shatin train station?
Have you spent a day lounging around the cafes on Lamma Island?
Have you rented a bicycle in Tai Wai and cycled to Ma On Shan?
I love the Ten Thousand Buddhas, also its the location of the opening scene from Infernal Affairs.
I've never done any of these things, so thank you, jotting them all down! :)
Tons of "random item" and local fashion shops in Causeway's many mini malls. They're dotted all around in between the walk from World Trade Centre to Victoria park (go the route via Sogo). "Causeway Plaza" / "La Foret" & a couple of others who's names I forget.
Try out new places to eat in. Buddhist chinese restaurants are great for vegetarians serving vegetarian favourites as well as "mock meat" replicas, which as a vegetarian I personally love. It also means that you can try out a full range of dimsum without eating any meat or seafood. My family prefers Three Virtues Vegetarian in North Point, but this place can get really crowded on some days so expect to wait. There is also "Din Tai Fung" in Causeway Bay - not a vegetarian restaurant but most of what they serve here is excellent. It's also Michelin starred and still a cheap and casual atmosphere.
Seconding the suggestion of Inspiration Lake that someone else gave you.
Have you tried some of the beaches? Big Wave Bay and Shek O are usually good bets for a balance between quiet and populated. You can also try out beaches on the outlying islands such as on Lamma - this one is massive and usually has tons of space if you walk far along enough.
Go on hikes as someone else suggested. Dragon's Back is really scenic as well - full view of Repulse Bay. It gets very windy at the top but I think the trail is beautiful and just the right length (about 2 hours on one route).
Go around New Territories for a change of scene. Shatin is a pretty mixed place. Nice big shopping mall with decent restaurants and a really long canal outside. You can rent bikes and go cycling along the canal (the cycle track itself is a several hour stretch, don't go the whole way unless you're an exceptional person).
Thank you for your suggestions, writing them all down! :) I was looking on openrice and found VeggieSF - vegetarian western-style (burger, pasta, etc) restaurant that seemed atypical of vegetarian restaurants in HK, as they are mostly Asian-style. ! Have you ever been there?
I haven't been to VeggieSF before, but it sounds interesting! There are quite a few little restaurants like that dotted around HK. The good thing is most of them serve really fresh food, none of that frozen stuff you tend to get abroad (such as in most pubs in the UK). I do worry about the taste though but do let me know how it turns out :)
I've been to VeggieSF many times. It's a fun little place to eat, albeit a tad on the expensive side. Their vegetarian burgers are great. Excellent lunchtime spot, although it can get busy during the week.
Ng Tung Chai (梧桐寨) is a good choice for hiking on a hot day as it's mostly shaded. If you wake up early enough you can combine it with a trip the Kadoorie Farm.
cheung chau is great! smaller museums are nice too like the museum of costal defence on the mountain or the teaware museum in the park.
take out 1000hkd, buy a red white and blue bag, and see how much crap you can buy on the street in sham shui po
Hike down from Dai Yue San to the airport. There's a trail and you'll go past people's backyards. Neat to see the rural part of HK.
Not sure how well you'll do if you're vegetarian (and wouldn't touch broth that may contain meat scraps), but you might be interested in Shing Kee 盛記 at Lek Yuen Estate, Sha Tin. It's noodles in the morning and afternoon, and hot pot at night. I'd describe it as the intersection of "quirky shop" and "cool cafe" and the people who run it are particularly nice.
Wow, that looks so cool! You're right, all the pics of food seem very meaty, but I will try to find out more if there are veggie options. Thank you! :)
CENTRAL: Try MANA at 92 Wellington Street for delicious vegetarian food. Their salads are really really delish and super filling. http://www.mana.hk/. I love the Baba Ghanouj but they give you like a CUP's worth instead of just a dollop.
Then go to Me & Gee at 9 Li Yuen Street West (it's an alley whose entrance is across from the H&M on Queen's Road - if you're walking away from the H&M, it's on the right-hand side). They've got tons of vintage Japanese stuff (second hand/overstock? who knows. It smells used sometimes) and if you dig you can find really cute dresses. But you really gotta dig.
TAI HANG: the area behind the library, where Unar coffee is, is called Tai Hang. It's got tons of dessert places (I'd mosey over to Tin Hau too for desserts!), Vietnamese restaurants (Locomotive), and a fab Japanese restaurant with a rather reasonably priced lunches (Sushi Shin. Dinner is much more $$$$$$$).
WANCHAI: Kapok on Star Street always has really nice perfumes and stationery, and cute clothes too.
BEACHES AND STUFF: If you're too lazy to get off HK island, then South Bay Beach is really nice - you can't reach it by public trans, but it's like a $20 cab ride from Repulse Bay Beach. It's much less crowded than Repulse Bay. And cleaner too.
I have heard of MANA so I will definitely try it. The other shops sound great, especially Me & Gee. Thank you! :)
This HK guide done by Moustache (clothing store) is great! Lots of off the beaten path suggestions!
http://moustachehongkong.com/eng/guidebook.html
Wow, this is a great find! Thank you so much :D
Also, you should check out Ned Kelly's in TST! Live Jazz band fronted by an Australian, Lots of fun!
This article has a list of 10 very obscure shops in Hong Kong. I'm thinking of giving the glasses store a visit next weekend.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/jun/30/top-10-shops-hong-kong
I'm not too sure about the other stores, the description makes it sound like it would be more interesting for foreigners rather than me, I find them a bit typical. But I think I will visit the glasses store too, sounds cool, and didn't know that was where all those unique glasses came from! Thank you!
My friends and I found this board game cafe which have a wide variety of board games. Owner is cool. Talk to him!
We have something similar in Toronto where I'm from. I will definitely check it out with my friends in HK! :D thank you!
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Not a big drinker but I'm sure someone would find use in this suggestion! Sounds like a cool place.
It seem every time I ask people what there is to do in Hong Kong besides tourist spots, without fail they say hiking. How about some non-hiking options?
Well I did ask for places with nice scenery, so I guess hiking does go hand in hand with that. There are many other suggestions here that are new to me as well! :)