Hong Kong is easily one of my favourite Asian cities and with fantastic shops, bars and restaurants it’s a luxury lovers heaven! The British Colonial past is evident throughout but the strong Chinese identity is inescapable and makes the city unique and fascinating to explore as there are contrasts to be seen everywhere. Unfortunately both times we visited we didn’t have much time and the weather was terrible but even so we loved it! Here are my top ten luxurious things to do in Hong Kong.

1. Stay at the Upper House

Now trust me, I’ve been to Hong Kong before and I’ve ‘investigated’ several of the luxury hotels and I still found The Upper House to be the very best. Chinmoy Lad, the Virtuoso agent that I booked through actually lives in Hong Kong and it’s his favourite too.

The hotel is modern, understated and just super cool, with gorgeous views across Hong Kong, a beautiful bar and restaurant and absolutely excellent service. The only one tiny down side is that there’s no pool, whereas The Intercontinental where we stayed the first time has one on the roof top.

2. Eat Michelin-starred dim sum

Mr S and I met our Virtuoso agent and friend, Chinmoy Lad at the Michelin-starred Lei Garden in the IFC Mall for a fantastic dim sum lunch and it’s a place I’d definitely recommend visiting.



For the very best dim sum lunch in town, check out three-Michelin star Lung King Heen where we ate on one night of our stay. I’d also highly recommend Michelin-starred Yan Toh Heen at the Intercontinental Hong Kong, which we visited on our last trip.

However, if these are a little out of your price range Hong Kong is actually home to Tim Ho Wan, the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. You can’t book though so be prepared to queue at one of the five branches!

3. Visit some of the world’s most luxurious hotels

Hong Kong is home some of the world’s leading luxury hotels; many have outstanding views, world-class restaurants and exceptional service. We loved our hotel, but we also had a good snoop around some of the other leading five-star hotels. We visited The Four Seasons Hong Kong for dinner and The Intercontinental Hong Kong for drinks…

We also had a good snoop around the gorgeous Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong which was the brand’s first ever hotel. Down the road is the more modern The Landmark Mandarin Oriental which houses Amber, one of the world’s best restaurants. But of all the hotels, The Peninsula is definitely worth a look as it is consistently ranked as one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. It’s incredibly beautifully appointed with opulent surroundings and an awe-inspiring grandeur.

Honestly though, I preferred the discreet luxury of The Upper House as The Peninsula was full of people just coming to take a look at the hotel and long lines for the afternoon tea.

4. Cocktails with a view

Hong Kong is a high-rise city so there’s no shortage of bars and restaurants with a brilliant view-point of the cityscape. We absolutely loved the sophisticated vibes of the Café Gray Bar on the 49th Floor of The Upper House which had an incredible view of the harbour.



You can pull up a chair at the 14 metre stone bar or tuck into one of the comfortable nooks for a bit more privacy.

On our first visit to Hong Kong we loved Aqua, a multi-functional space containing a cocktail bar, a Japanese restaurant and an Italian restaurant. We loved the food, the view and the place had a fantastic atmosphere; next time I’ll definitely be trying the infinity brunch with unlimited Veuve Cliquot. And if neither of these are high enough for you, Hong Kong is actually home to the world’s highest bar. Ozone is located high in the sky on the 118th floor of the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong, and if you’re feeling brave there’s a terrace where you can take in the spectacular view.



An alternative to these vertigo-inducing views is the bar at The Intercontinental Hotel Hong Kong, with a perfect position on the waterfront you can see right across Victoria Harbour. At night you can witness the Symphony of Lights, Hong Kong’s famous laser show.

5. Take a Ride on the Aqua Luna

We loved our trip aboard Aqua Luna is one of the last surviving traditional red sail Chinese junk boats.

From your relaxing seat on board, you can sit back, have a glass of wine and sail around Victoria Harbour watching the high-rise sky-scrapers of Hong Kong go by!

6. Go for Afternoon Tea

A lasting tradition from the British occupation, Hong Kong is also a great place to indulge in afternoon tea. The tea at The Peninsula is famous but they don’t take reservations so be prepared to queue for two hours at least! However, Katie and Kelly have both been and highly rate the service and food!

Though I didn’t try it (and yes I did lean over to take a picture of someone else’s food #bloglife) I actually thought the tea at The Intercontinental Hong Kong looked better than The Peninsula. The tea takes place in the gorgeous lobby lounge with sweeping views of the harbour and live music. Also check out reviews of afternoon tea at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong on La Jolla Mom and The Upper House on Journalist on the Run.

7. Go Shopping!

Hong Kong really is simply amazing for shopping whether fashion, art, antiques or jewellery is your thing there are places to find what you want. We loved the Pacific Place shopping centre which was beautiful architecturally and contained some gorgeous designer boutiques…and a Harvey Nichols…

The IFC shopping centre has pretty much everything under one roof, shops, cinema, dining and one massive Apple Store! Though we didn’t visit, all the guide books recommend a trip to Causeway Bay for high-end products and a large concentration of shopping centres such as the famous Lee Gardens. For a more authentic experience and to grab a few bargains, check out the Ladies Market located in Kowloon, despite the name it sells clothes for men and women. And if nothing is quite good enough for you, Hong Kong is home to many express tailors who will custom make bespoke pieces in super speedy time.

8. Check out Hong Kong’s Super-Cool Dining Scene

As well as the Michelin-starred restaurants, Mr S and I love to check out the latest hot spots with a lively atmosphere and stylish interior. We loved the atmosphere of sleek basement restaurant, Mott 32 which serves Modern Cantonese food with ingredients straight from the farm.

Our first time in Hong Kong, we absolutely loved our dinner at Aqua, which is divided into three parts; Aqua Tokyo (a Japanese restaurant), Aqua Roma (Italian) and Aqua Spirit (the bar).



Our limited time in Hong Kong meant I didn’t have much chance to try other restaurants but also recommended was Ho Lee Fook for inventive Chinese, 22 Ships for modern tapas, Yardbird for Japanese chicken and the gorgeous Café Gray Deluxe at The Upper House. For more great recommendations check out food blogs That Food Cray, Sassy Hong Kong, Hungry Hong Kong as well as this guide by renowned London Instagrammer, Clerkenwell Boy.

9. Visit Victoria Peak

Despite having visited Hong Kong twice, Mr S and I have never visited Victoria Peak, one of Hong Kong’s most popular spots. At 552 metres it’s the highest point on Hong Kong island where you can enjoy sweeping views of the city as well as shopping and dining. Due to terrible weather we avoided the peak as there would have been zero visibility anyway.

10. Go to Nobu Hong Kong!



Ok, so I know I’m a bit obsessed, but Nobu Hong Kong is located right in the Intercontinental Hotel and you can eat great food while taking in the stunning harbour views.

After you finish the delicious bento box lunch, head upstairs to admire the view from the hotel’s famous rooftop pool.

These are my top ten luxurious things to do in Hong Kong. What are yours?

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