By Expedia Globetrotters, on May 25, 2015

Travel Diaries: Hong Kong – A City Where Modern Meets Traditional

A travelogue by Expedia Globetrotter from Taiwan, Sophia Lin

 

Hong Kong. One of the top destinations for Taiwanese. Flight time? No more than 2 hours from Taiwan to Hong Kong.

After a short 2-hour flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong, I arrived at a city mixed with old and new cultures! Anyone who loves shopping absolutely must go to Central Hong Kong, which is where you can find the whole gamut of global fashion and luxury brands.

Oldschool Starbucks and Stone Steps

Need a breather between your shopping workout? Have a cuppa at the themed Starbucks in Duddell Street.

Go over the historic stone steps at Duddell Street, which were laid down between 1875 and 1889.  The four gas lamps surmounting the balustrades at the top and foot of the steps are the only surviving working gas street lamps in Hong Kong.

Here you’ll find a Starbucks with a nostaglic theme taking you back to Hong Kong old times called “Bing Sutt” (literally “ice room”). Bing sutt is a term from the old days which refers to a coffeehouse where people would gather to take a break over coffee or tea or a cold drink, and just connect with others in the community. It represented a fusion of styles and cuisine, often between the traditional East and modern West.

This Starbucks is built to re-capture that spirit in an artsy area of Hong Kong, in celebration of Hong Kong’s roots and community spirit.

 

The Peninsula Hong Kong

Travelling in Hong Kong, you must spend a beautiful afternoon in The Peninsula Hong Kong, located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Peninsula opened in December 1928, and is Hong Kong’s oldest hotel. Visit the Peninsula for a classic traditional afternoon tea in The Lobby.

By 1pm there’s already a queue formed, so come early! Afternoon tea starts at 2pm – first come, first served!

We were three ladies, so we ordered a set of afternoon tea for 2 and a third single set for one. We were in a celebratory mood so we spoiled ourselves with glasses of champagne to go along!

afternoon-tea-peninsula-hongkong-3

 

Our Hotel in Hong Kong – Hotel Icon

This time I stayed in Hotel Icon Hong Kong which is located in Tsim Sha Tsui East. Hotel Icon Hong Kong is the teaching and research hotel built for the School of Hotel and Tourism Management by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It is fully owned by the university.

My room in the Hotel Icon Hong Kong for this stay:

hotel-icon

 

City view from the room:

hotel-icon-city-room-view

 

Some of the cool touches in the room:

 

Timeless Lounge in Hotel Icon

The lounge in Hotel Icon is known as Timeless Lounge. I found it has everything you need to pass the time, there’s no problem if you arrive early or need to leave late.

Enjoy some coffee, have a swim or work out in the hotel gym.

Before We Leave…

I couldn’t resist one more round of afternoon tea 🙂  A perfect end to the trip!

Hotel Icon Afternoon Tea

 

Special Thanks to Sophie & the Hong Kong Expedia™ Lodging Partners Service Group.