Triangle Trip

As a frequent visitor of Hong Kong, below is quick read on what to do there. Hong Kong Island is probably half the size of Manhattan and you can probably explore it in less than four days. It has great public transportation, especially the modern subway. Traveling by train is probably the best way to avoid traffic congestion on buses.

Central – The central business district. Lots of people. Lots of shopping – probably the most Chanel, LV, Armani, etc. store per capita in the world. There’s a building called IFC2 by the pier. It has lots of food and hip bar: Isola, Red, etc. IFC2 has a ferry terminal that can take passengers to Kowloon Island – the Star Ferry.

Lan Kwai Fong (LFK) – located in Central. It’s got a lot of historical houses built on slopes. It’s a place where Westerners go for happy hour. Tons of hip restaurants and bars. Very diverse crowd.

Soho – a 10 minute walk from LFK (more like elevator ride). It’s got more restaurants. More trendy…

Victoria Peak – Located in Central. Take the cable car up to the top of the mountain and get a panoramic view of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Causeway Bay – probably the busiest intersection in Asia. Causeway Bay has a Time Square. It’s the area where locals and foreigners shop.

Aberdeen – located on the other side of HK island (HK is separated by a large mountain). Arberdeen has great seafood.

Repulse Bay – a resort like area near Aberdeen. It’s got a nice beach and very quiet. It’s where the locals go to get away form City life. You can take a bus from Admiralty or Central to get to Repulse Bay. It is also on the way to Stanley.

Stanley Market – a walking flea market where you can pick up local art work and enjoy local food. It’s also off the beach. The Murray Building is one of the landmarks – old government building that was moved from Central. Not too far from Repulse Bay.

Kowloon Island is located across the channel from Hong Kong Island. I highly recommend taking the Star Ferry (US$2 or less) which takes you from Wai Chai or Central (IFC2) to Kowloon. At one point, the ferry was the only way to go from one island to another. While in Kowloon, check out:

Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade – the Star Ferry will drop you off at the Promenade. There are museums and shops along the Promenade. It also offers a great view of the Hong Kong skyline, especially at night. There’s also the Kowloon Walk of Fame (not quite Hollywood).

The Old Railway Tower – a landmark of Hong Kong is also located along the Promenade. It is also a concert hall and great place to get a panoramic view of Hong Kong Island.

Tsim Sha Tsui – perpendicular to the promenade are filed with shops – from brand names to local designers. The top floor of the Peninsula Hotel offers a great view of HK at night. They serve drinks and dinner up there. Felix and Aqua (on One Peking Road building) is good spot for drinks and view.

Temple Street Market or Mong Kok Market – it’s a flea market worth checking out. It has pretty good street food as well.

Tian Tan Buddha – located on Lantau Island (by the airport) would be a good hiking experience. You’ll have to take the ferry from HK to get there.

Amusement parks: HK Disney, Ocean Park.

Demonstrating the depth and breathe of our travel experience, Terminal D and Captain G have put together the best practices for business travel in Dothan, AL. Where exactly is D-town? See the map below:

Below is a list of our recommendations:

Where to stay?

1.  Hampton Inn

Believe it or not, this is the nicest place to stay in town, if you can get a reservation.  Built within the last few years, it’s managed to stay fairly clean and has free wifi.  It’s recommended that you bring your own pillow.   (For a true best practice, steal a pillow from the Fairfield Inn by Marriott)  And don’t let those Hilton points expire!

2.  Courtyard Marriott, which happens to be connected to the Fairfield Inn, is our number 2 pick. We recommend the Courtyard because it is slightly cleaner, but “clean” is a very generous word in this case.  Only stay here if you are a true PW.

(Warning: Don’t be confused if your morning paper and coffee is interrupted with a bill.  The breakfast is not free!)

3.  Sleep Inn is next to the Hampton Inn. It’s fairly clean but clearly in 3rd place.

What to eat?

1.  Long Horn Steakhouse – it is the best restaurant hands down. It also has a great wine by the glass selection which is unheard of in D Town!  They have a St. Jean Cab!!  Woohooo.

2. The Bistro – A great lunch place located at the heart of downtown D-town! It has good food and nice pictures of Europe – probably the only place where you could find such pictures.

3.  La’Le Mediterranean Cafe & Bistro – A great lunch place offering classic greek and similar cuisine.  Odd hours, random closings and a difficult-to-find location may anger you the first 3-5 times, but it’s worth holding out for.

4. Atlanta Bread Company – We know, but it’s the only place you can get fresh fruit and $3 coffee — although Starbucks recently opened at Target which doesn’t open until 9:30AM.

5. Applebee’s – And you thought #4 made us look dumb.  Don’t go here for the food, but the bar is nicely stocked, it’s packed with locals every night, and its proximity to the Mariott makes it a great place to wash away the memories of this terrible visit.

5a. TGI Friday’s – This is a toss up with Applebee’s. Hence the 5a rating. They have karaoke night like 2x a week. It is probably the only karaoke place where you will find zero Asians.

We love to hear from you. You can reach by leaving a comment or via email:  captaing@triangletrip.com or terminald@triangletrip.com