Our three-year wedding anniversary is just around the corner. Crazy, right? Naturally this time of year always gets us reminiscing about past travels and anniversaries we’ve celebrated. It’s specifically hard to believe that it has been a whole year since we celebrated our two-year anniversary in Hong Kong and Macau.
We were living in Taiwan at the time of our visit, and everyone kept asking us why we had chosen Hong Kong over some other tropical destination like Thailand or Indonesia. We weren’t really sure what it was about Hong Kong that appealed to us at first. Honestly, it might have been the cheap airfare. But now we can easily say that Hong Kong is a gem of a destination that warrants as much time for exploration as possible.
Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city, featuring luxurious hotels, prime shopping and unsurpassed fine dining. But we were also pleased to discover the rich, unique, and at times chaotic experience Hong Kong offers to travelers. .
Perhaps one of the best times to visit Hong Kong is during the summer. There’s much to be enjoyed in the sunshine, especially if you know you have a nice, air-conditioned room to come back to. Here’s a bit of inspiration to get you started:
Hong Kong Foodie Tours
Hong Kong Foodie Tours offers in-depth tasting tours that introduce the unique and authentic flavors of Hong Kong. Foodies can choose a culinary exploration of either Sham Shui Po or Central neighborhoods for good eats and genuine Cantonese cuisine; the perfect serving of history, architecture, and culture is served up on the side. Be sure to come on an empty stomach — you’re going to want to savour every last morsel! If you’ve ever wanted to taste Hong Kong like a local, than this is the tour for you. You can read about the entire experience here.
The Big Buddha
Tian Tan Buddha, or simply the Big Buddha, is one of the largest Buddhas in the world. Serenely nestled on the hills of Lantau Island, it takes a bit of a time commitment and hundreds of stairs to access the Buddha’s smiling face, but the journey is worth it in the end. Try to time your visit to the Buddha on his birthday to increase the attraction’s cool factor (admission is free that day, too). Just be sure to bring some water along if it is a particularly warm summer day.
Go Island Hopping
Although it might not be the first thing that comes to mind, Hong Kong has a staggering number of 234 islands to explore. Regular ferries stop at the Central Ferry Pier, or you can opt to hire a junk to take you exploring for the day. Lamma Island and Cheung Chau are just two popular destinations of the many to choose from. What better way to get a summertime tan?
Chi Lin Nunnery
The nunnery is a Buddhist temple complex made all the more memorable by the juxtaposition of surrounding skyscrapers. The Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Gardens are free to enter, and unquestionably warrant a visit if seeking a bit of solitude from the neighboring urban jungle. There is also a vegetarian restaurant at the nunnery that we’ve heard great things about. If you’re looking for a serene place to wile away the summer’s day, then look no further than the nunnery.
Take Time to Photograph the View
While exploring, we found ourselves stopping in our tracks again and again in an effort to absorb just a little more of the man-made beauty surrounding us. Each vantage point offered a different perspective of the city, mixing old and new, history and progress. Add to that the boats slowly cruising by or the majestic Peak providing a natural contrast to the concrete, and it’s no wonder we were happy to spend hours wandering, cruising, hiking and dining with the view. Of course, taking it all in over a bottle of wine was also a must. We recommend saving time to amble around the city to take photos of your unique finds; the skyline is sure to be a featured image.
For even more inspiration, Travel Associates has some fantastic advice for the perfect Hong Kong summer holiday. They’ve also provided this fun and colorful infographic to keep the travel planning juices flowing:
Have you ever visited Hong Kong? What’s your favorite part of this vibrant and energetic city?
We haven’t been to Hong Kong yet and I keep hearing good things about it. The architecture suppose to be great and the food tour sounds good to me, since we left Asia I miss Asian food so much.
Franca recently posted…Is It Time To Ban The Love Lock?
Ahhhh Asian food! We’ve passed a lot of great asian restaurants in Paris, and though we know we should be eating French food, we’re really tempted to dive into some dim sum or pho :)
I live in the Philippines and have been to almost all countries in Southeast Asia. However, I’ve never been to HK. Somehow it hasn’t appealed to me. Your list makes me want to reconsider though!
Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com recently posted…5 Stories of Kindness on the Road
I think a lot of people feel that way actually, but we really loved Hong Kong! It definitely warrants a visit, even if just for a weekend to eat dim sum! :)
My favourite part of HK was definitely the dim sum restaurants! ;)
Sarah recently posted…What’s in Macau?
I could definitely go for some dim sum right now!! :)