China
Other suggested itineraries
Hong Kong, Macau & South China Sea
The following are examples of our recommended activities that can be incorporated into your custom-made itinerary.
Destinations include: Hong Kong & Kowloon, Macau and South China Sea Islands.
Hong Kong & Kowloon
Hong Kong is one of the most exciting cities in the world, outpacing even New York, Tokyo and London at times. However, to enjoy Hong Kong in all its glory, it is best to slow down some – its real charm lies in quiet, residential alleyways, leisurely afternoon tea breaks at Hong Kong-style diners, or chachantangs, or a sunset stroll along Victoria Harbour’s waterfront to admire the architecture, which includes masterpieces by I.M. Pei (Bank of China Building) and Sir Norman Foster (HSBC Building).
In a cityscape as modern and highly developed as contemporary Hong Kong, it can be difficult to imagine what the city, originally just a cluster of fishing villages, looked and felt like a century and a half or more ago, before it became the bustling international center of commerce, culture and cuisine that it is today. At first blush, it appears that all remnants of its architectural past have been razed, but in fact hidden pockets of Hong Kong’s history do remain.
Go on a one-day historical tour of Hong Kong via walking and other forms of transit that are symbolic of the city – the Mid-Levels escalator, the world’s largest outdoor escalator system; and the Peak Tram. Your expert guide will take you through the neighborhoods of Central, Wan Chai, the Peak, and, after crossing Victoria Harbour on the iconic Star Ferry, Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon. Using a wealth of historical anecdotes, he will illuminate the evolution of this international capital over the past 150-plus years.
An important part of your historical tour leads up to Hollywood Road, where some of the best Chinese art and antiques can be found. Meet gallery owner Oi Ling at her boutique, specializing in fine Chinese antiques, for a private tour of the collection.
Visit a local artisan and have a “chop” carved out of stone or marble with your Chinese name on it. Chinese names are usually comprised of three characters, although some people have two-character names. All names start with the person’s surname, followed by their given name. Parents try to choose qualities that they wish their children to have in determining their names – intelligence, integrity, health, serenity, etc. Once completed, the chop is presented in a lovely silk box with a small dish of vermillion-colored ink that you can use to elegantly stamp letters and other personal effects.
Meet with the chef of a celebrated private fusion kitchen and go grocery shopping with him at a wet market, which is where most locals – even actor Chow Yun Fat has been spotted doing his grocery shopping at one – get their produce, seafood and meat for the day. Convivial butchers greet regulars by their nicknames, and baskets of Chinese vegetables are laid out in front of women young and old who spend the day selling their wares and gossiping. Explore the market with the chef as he creates his unique daily menu, then go back to his restaurant for a lavish dinner on the ingredients you’ve just helped pick out.
With your expert guide, walk through Tsim Sha Tsui’s Chungking Mansions, made a household name by Wong Kar-Wai’s film Chungking Express. The Mansions buzzes with activity morning, noon and night.
Stay up late and have a midnight snack at a dai pai dong, where patrons feast on congee, noodle soups or hearty stews at tables and stools in alleyways and on sidewalks.
Take the iconic Star Ferry. On the ride, you will see Hong Kong island’s skyline from a picture-perfect vantage point, and also be able to peer upon the museums lining Kowloon’s waterfront and the new developments on Western Kowloon.
Meet a curator for a privately guided tour of the Hong Kong Museum of History, home to the permanent exhibit “The Hong Kong Story.” As its name implies, the exhibit details Hong Kong’s progression on several levels, including its natural development over 400 million years and its evolution from fishing village to financial hub.
Visit the immaculately designed Chi Lin Nunnery, which dates back to the 1930’s but was completely renovated in 1990 and reopened in 2000. Now the grounds include a beautifully landscaped garden whose design was based on a Tang-Dynasty garden in China.
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Macau
Jaunt to nearby Macau by helicopter, a quick trip over the coast of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong’s small outlying islands and fishing villages. Macau was once a Portuguese colony – it was only returned to China in 1999 – and it has a dramatically different ambience from Hong Kong, between the ornate architecture of the old city and the Las Vegas-style glitz of its high-rolling casinos. Its trilingual signage (Portuguese, Chinese and English) lets you know you’re in a unique land indeed.
Spend the morning exploring some of Macau’s historical architecture. Visit the Buddhist Kum Yam Temple and the ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, a 16th-Century Portuguese basilica built by the Jesuits of which only the Baroque facade remains. Then, take in the stunning vistas afforded by the bell tower at Penha Hill Church in old Macau.
Have lunch at a casual local restaurant such as Fernando’s, a family-style Portuguese restaurant located on Coloane Island. Here, only Portuguese wine is served and the menu includes chorizo, feijoada, charcoal-grilled chicken, pork ribs, suckling pig, seafood and salads. The bread all comes from the restaurant’s own bakery.
Take the plunge from Macau Tower’s SkyJump, where the same technology used in special-effects falls for films allows you to plummet 765 feet before you slow down and cruise to a safe landing.
If you enjoy games of chance, use your adrenaline rush to hit the gambling tables at some of Macau’s splashiest new Vegas-caliber casinos, The Wynn, The Sands and The Venetian.
Have dinner at The Wynn, where the choices include gourmet Japanese at Okada and refined Cantonese in extremely opulent surroundings at Wing Lei.
Return to Hong Kong in the evening by helicopter (or alternatively by high-speed jetfoil).
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South China Sea Islands
Though Hong Kong moves at the rapid pace of international business, the surrounding areas of the South China Sea have a relaxed, almost tropical feel, and it is possible to imagine that you are quite remote from a major urban center only a short distance outside the city.
Spend a day exploring Hong Kong’s outlying islands aboard your own luxurious, motorized Chinese junk. Dating back millennia and still in use today, the junk is a type of traditional wooden fishing boat whose innovative sail and hull designs would later influence Western shipbuilding.
The waters around Hong Kong are filled with islands large and small, some with small fishing villages or relaxed communities of ex-pats and locals, others home only to lovely isolated beaches and coves where you can pause for some swimming, wake-boarding and sunbathing.
Stop on Tung Lung Island, to the east of Hong Kong island and largely uninhabited. It’s protected as a special park region, with a lovely landscape and great hiking and rock-climbing opportunities.
From Tung Lung, sail up to Sai Kung peninsula and optionally go windsurfing at the spectacular Big Wave Bay (Dai Long Wan), which with its wide strand of beach and dramatic mountainous backdrop is a popular destination for surfing and other water activities. Windsurfing is the only sport for which Hong Kong (independent of China) ever won an Olympic Medal, when Lee Lai-Shan took home gold from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Spend a morning outdoors on Lantau Island, Hong Kong’s largest island, more than half of which is National Park land with popular hiking trails. A marine park off the north coast of the island was established to protect the water’s Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins, which are more commonly known as Lantau’s “pink dolphins.”
Have a delicious lunch with champagne prepared for you aboard your junk – or as an onshore picnic.
Sail to Lamma Island, which has become an outpost for Hong Kong’s creative, bohemian community in recent years. Dock at the waterfront at Yeung Shue Wan, where small boutiques, cafés and Western-style bars mix with traditional seafood and produce vendors. Explore the island’s several small communities, which are linked only by a series of footpaths that cross lovely open hills with views over Hong Kong and the surrounding waters.
If you’re feeling peckish, try a bowl of sweet tofu custard, which can be served hot or cold with a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. The mom-and-pop shops serving this dessert have been doing so for generations and all are intensely proud of their secret recipes made entirely from scratch.
From here, hike to Sok Kwu Wan; it is about 1.5 to 2-hour hike with some incline (though not very steep) along the way. One of the points of interest on the path is a series of tunnels cut into the foot of the hillside near Sok Kwu Wan – the Kamikaze Grottoes. They’re said to have been built by the Japanese when they occupied Hong Kong during World War II, and to have housed speed boats that were supposed to launch kamikaze attacks on Allied shipping freighters.
Arrive at Sok Kwu Wan, which is lined with restaurants serving the freshest of the day’s catch. Try Rainbow for a boisterous traditional Cantonese seafood dinner. Dishes you shouldn’t miss include scallops steamed in their shell with fried garlic and rice vermicelli, salt and pepper calamari and a whole steamed fish with scallions, ginger and soy sauce. If you’re still hungry, try the local specialty food – baked egg rolls, which are freshly made and really delicious.
Spend a day in the scenic Shek O peninsula area in the southeast part of Hong Kong island.
Head to the Dragon’s Back for a nice, leisurely hike that feels like a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Although the neighborhood of Shek O is populated by both locals and expats, it still has the look and feel of an old fishing village. Views on the hike, which could last up to three hours if you choose, include the South China Sea, as well as Shek O’s unique, colorful low-rise residences. This is one of the few places on Hong Kong island where residents live in houses rather than apartments; you’ll also see this in the New Territories and other remoter parts of Hong Kong.
Reward yourself after your hike with a meal at Black Sheep, which serves lovely wood-fired pizzas, fresh seafood, and sangria.
Shoot 18 holes at the exclusive, par-65 course at Shek O Golf and Country Club, whose fairways offer vistas the various uninhabited islands dotted in the South China Sea.
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