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Hong Kong and Beyond for the Holidays
Hong Kong has always made an immediate impression from the moment you touch down at Chek Lap Kok airport. The extraordinary setting is nothing short of mindblowing, with skyscrapers framed by mountains and harbor. But so do its neighborhood noodle shops, bustling markets, cool art galleries and Michelin star restaurants. For a festive escape, spend several days in the city before continuing into southern China, Thailand, or Vietnam. Each offers a different way to extend the adventure from remote villages and limestone peaks to elephant encounters in northern Thailand and leisure beside the Andaman Sea.
HONG KONG AND BEYOND FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Hong Kong has always made an immediate impression from the moment you touch down at Chek Lap Kok airport. The extraordinary setting is nothing short of mindblowing, with skyscrapers framed by mountains and harbor. But so do its neighborhood noodle shops, bustling markets, cool art galleries and Michelin-star restaurants. For a festive escape, spend several days in the city before continuing into southern China, Thailand, or Vietnam. Each offers a different way to extend the adventure from remote villages and limestone peaks to elephant encounters in northern Thailand and leisure beside the Andaman Sea.
BEGIN IN HONG KONG
Victoria Harbour
Hong Kong easily rewards a few days, with good reason to leave room for discoveries along the way. In Central, historic alleyways and traditional medicine shops sit amid contemporary art galleries, trendy boutiques, and glass and steel skyscrapers. Across Victoria Harbour, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok keep the energy up with vibrant night markets, tasty street food, and old-school dim sum shops.
For a glimpse of Hong Kong’s maritime heritage, board a private wooden sampan in Aberdeen, where traditional fishing families still live and work on the water. Then settle in for a delicious dim sum lunch, working your way through baskets of dumplings over fragrant tea.
Between meals and neighborhood explorations, retreat to The Peninsula Hong Kong, Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood Hong Kong, or Upper House Hong Kong, with the city’s spectacular setting never far from view.
ONWARD TO SOUTHERN CHINA
Cormorant fisherman in Guilin
Southern China makes a natural continuation, exchanging Hong Kong’s vertical cityscape for the limestone peaks around Guilin and Yangshuo. Here, the pleasure lies in slowing down enough to appreciate the gorgeous scenery. Traditional bamboo rafts carry passengers through valleys beneath towering karsts, with each bend revealing another arrangement of water, rock, and countryside.
Continue to Longsheng, where the Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces trace elaborate contours across the hillsides. Carved over centuries to cultivate otherwise difficult terrain, they have an accidental artistry: a landscape created for practical purposes that has become extraordinary in its own right. Exploring on foot brings the scale of these terraces into focus, with small villages providing places to pause along the way. A visit to the Red Yao tribal community of Xiaozhai adds another dimension, introducing local customs and traditions, including the elaborate hair-coiling rituals for which the women are renowned.
The region offers a variety of distinctive accommodations including Banyan Tree Yangshuo and Shangri La Guilin, with Li An Lodge providing a characterful base in Longsheng.
SOUTH TO THAILAND
Phi Phi Islands
Thailand offers an exciting progression from city exploration to northern countryside and an unhurried beach finale. Settle into Aman Nai Lert Bangkok or Capella Bangkok before heading out to explore the capital’s gilded temples, flower markets, and Chinatown food stalls. A private cruise through the historic canals reveals waterside neighborhoods behind the capital’s busy thoroughfares.
In Chiang Mai, make Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai or 137 Pillars House your base for exploring the old city and getting acquainted with northern Thai cooking. A private class focused on Lanna cuisine introduces regional herbs, vegetables, and dishes prepared over a charcoal stove. Continue to Chiang Rai for mountain scenery and elephant encounters, then head south to Phuket. Here, Amanpuri, Trisara, and Andara Resort offer very different bases for a beach finale, with the Andaman Sea setting the pace for a few unhurried days.
ONWARD TO VIETNAM
Trang An, Ninh Binh
If Vietnam is your preferred next stop, we suggest beginning your Vietnam journey in the old French-influenced city of Hanoi. Explore the capital’s historic streets while staying at Capella Hanoi or the new Fairmont Hanoi. Then head into Ninh Binh, where small rowing boats follow waterways beneath limestone cliffs and through caves. Country paths and rural villages invite further exploration by bicycle.
The water opens out at the stunning Ha Long Bay. A private overnight cruise allows time to linger among the karsts, explore by kayak, and enjoy a delicious Vietnamese dinner aboard before settling into your cabin. Continue to Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai for days exploring Hoi An’s trading history and lantern-lit streets, then finish at Park Hyatt Saigon amid the bustle of the exciting and vibrant Ho Chi Minh City.
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