Hong Kong - A Vacation Like No Other

I have stayed at some of the best hotels in the world and the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong remains at the top of my list.

Before you arrive I recommend getting in touch with the concierge staff as they are a wealth of information when you are planning your trip. Jake Mchugh and his staff can help with dinner recommendations, sightseeing, shopping, and even getting a hard found reservation with Hong Kong's best tailors.

When you arrive in Hong Kong after a 16 hour flight I highly recommend arranging for a hotel limo to get you into Hong Kong. The hotel has a desk and staff at the airport who will greet you, get your luggage and whisk you to the waiting limo.

I personally only stay on the Grand Club which is around $40 more than standard room but the benefits and service are among the best in the world. Upon arriving at the hotel you will be taken to the Grand Club lobby on the 30th floor. It has an amazing view of the harbor and Kowloon. Staying on these floors get you a very nice room, free breakfast (we are not talking the usual stale role and cereal here) and free cocktails in the evening.

The rooms are modern and simple but do have western plugs, English TV channels, custom made beds, an attendant who will get anything you need, and large bathrooms.

While much of the population of Hong Kong does speak some English, you will come to rely on the concierge staff as you travel through the city as they can write your destinations in Chinese so any cab driven can get you to your destination and the back of the card has the hotel address in Chinese for your return trip. This simple thing makes getting around Hong Kong so much easier.

The Plateau Spa is the best in Asia and I recommend the hour and a half Plateau massage which is out of this world.

The hotel even continues to impress even after you leave. I filled out a comment card before I left and was floored to arrive home to find a personal letter from the hotel manager. In a time when form letters and mediocre service have become the norm, seeing people who have this level of personal attention and pride for their product is profoundly refreshing and why this hotel remains at the top of my list.

If you love amazing unique food, with one of the best views of Hong Kong, then you have to make a reservation at Hutong.

I would recommend using your hotel concierge to make your reservation and be sure to request a window table. This is your best hope for getting one of the highly sought after window tables, otherwise it will take something just short of a miracle especially on Fridays and weekends.

Hutong is located on the 28th floor in Tsim Sha Tsui, which is on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. It is an amazing juxtaposition of the modern glass and steel lobby against a restaurant decor that blends the dramatic Chinese antique feel of the Beijing courtyard neighborhoods.

You exit the elevator to find a dim reception area lit by red Chinese lanterns. You are taken to your table where you will be presented with one of the largest menus I have ever seen. The menu is hand written and changes often but covers a huge spectrum of Asian cooking.

Don't be too proud or shy to ask your server to be your guide through this huge selection. Some of the food is hot so let them guide you to the style of food that will best suite your tastes. I usually try a selection of dishes to get a range of tastes and because it all sounds so good. My personal favorites are the crispy deboned lamb ribs served with style on a long wood board and the crispy soft-shelled crab with Sichuan red chili—this is hot. These two dishes are their signature ones for a reason and should be part of any visit. There is a minimum charge of HK$300 per person for dinner which is around US$40 but this no problem for any regular sized dinner. I was surprised that the pricing is very reasonable for a restaurant of this caliber and we were able to have a large dinner (6 dishes) with drinks for under US$200.

Hutong is an amazing blend of cuisine, presentation, unparalleled view of Hong, atmosphere, and service. To do it right you should carve out at least 2 hours so you can take in the view and enjoy a nice relaxing dinner.

Whether you are a nature lover or not, spending a morning in the Hong Kong flower market is one of the most amazing sites you will ever see. Not only because of the amazing variety of flowers that range from something as common as a rose to variety that you have never even seen before.

Flower Market Road in northern Kowloon is packed with stores and stalls who multi colored contents spill out into the streets for blocks. Local favorites like orchids come in sizes that look more like a small bush than a large flower and at a small fraction of the price you would ever see in the U.S.

You can also make a short walk to the Goldfish market which is also lined with an amazing assortment of fish and animal stores.

The Jade Market, located on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, is a very popular tourist stop. I normally run like the plague from things like that, but this is just too much fun to miss.

The Jade Market is made up of two open-sided buildings that are packed pull of small stalls and card tables covered in jewelry, antiques and pearls. This is a market where the smart and savvy traveler can find amazing deals, if they can pick their way through the fakes and knockoffs abound. Do yourself a favor and find out how to tell if jade and pearls are real to be sure you get the real deal.

Take our time and stroll through the small stalls, which are packed with goods, and make sure you look through everything. Sometimes, the best things hide under the table or behind smaller objects. Once you see something you like the real fun begins. Everything is negotiable, and money is the international language no matter what language you speak. Some of the vendors to speak a little English but most will negotiate though their calculator. This means that when you point to an item you like they will pull out a calculator and punch in the price and show it to you. Take the calculator and make your counter offer—recommend starting at about 25% of the price they offer. They will looked shocked and start saying "no, no" and will counter offer a small amount lower than their original offer. Stick to your guns and keep your price low—if you hit an impass, don't be afraid to walk away. If you do, then suddenly you will find then willing to haggle down to that low price rather than lose the sale.

To give you an idea of the deals that can be found, I bought a 24" jade necklace made up of large jade beads for about $50—it was just appraised at nearly $3000, due to the size and quality of the jade that is rarely seen in this country. We got similar amazing deals in high quality turquoise, pearls, and Chinese antiques.

Hong Kong is famous for great tailors and Linda Chow is one of the best. Her shop is located a short walk from the Star Ferry terminal on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong in the Universal Commercial Building on Peking Road. After a short ride in the small elevator to the third floor, you will arrive at Linda's shop. Two of the walls are crammed floor to ceiling with bolts of fabric, and the third wall is covered with pictures of her clients which range from Jennifer Lopez, Jet Lee and almost every admiral in the U.S. Navy.

Linda is a wonderful woman who is a master at her craft and just fun to be around. After one visit you, like everyone else, will calling her Auntie Linda. On your first visit I recommend bringing photos of the style of suit and shirt you would like. You then can leaf through hundreds of fabric samples to pick out the perfect one. Linda will then get all of your measurements.

I had a suit coat and two pairs of dress pants made with Loro Piana fabric which is one of the best brands in the world. I recently looked at having this same suit custom made at Neiman Marcus, and was given an estimate of $12,000. Linda made it for under $1,500. Customer shirts run from $80 to $200-plus, depending on the fabric. You can specify everything of your suit and shirts down to the smallest detail.

You will have two more fitting either at her shop or she can arrange to come to your hotel. After that the final clothes will be delivered to your hotel.

I highly recommend Linda. My wife and I both have had her make a lot of clothes and love all of them. After our second fitting she was gracious enough to take us out to lunch a locals Hong Kong dim sum restaurant which was fantastic. I recommend contacting her before you arrive to schedule your first appointment which can be done over the phone or by e-mail.

The best part is that once you are a client you will be notified when Linda is in the U.S. and coming to your city. She is usually there for a few days and you can make an appointment to see her and get more clothes.

Take a train out of the main station in Kowloon for about 30 minutes outside of Hong Hong and you will arrive at Sha Tin. A short walk from the train station (head to the left out of the main exit) the following small signs and will arrive at a small dirt path down the side of the large commercial building. At first I was convinced this was the wrong way, but a small yellow plastic sign proved me wrong.

Following the sign you arrive at over 500 twisting steps that snake up the side of the mountain out of Sha Tin flanked by hundreds of gold colored statues leading to the temple and monastery of 10,000 Buddhas. You emerge from this hike to find a sight that is nothing short of breathtaking.

The grounds are made up of pagoda, a pavilion with statues of Vitasoka and Kwun Yam, a vegetarian restaurant and the main temple building.

The main temple building is astounding as it houses the embalmed body of the monk that founded the temple and over 13,000 unique gold Buddha statues. The statues cover all four walls of the main temple building from the floor to up the wall well over 30 feet. You can take photography on the grounds but be courteous and thoughtful of the people who are there praying. Some Chinese people will get very mad as they feel that the camera could effect the spirits of their departed family members.

Take the time to wander around the grounds and learn about all the statues and customs. Many locals are very happy to explain the the different statues and traditions.

I would pass on the vegetarian restaurant as it is simple and fairly bland food but it is great for a cold drink if you are there in warm weather.

Of our entire 2 weeks in Hong Hong this was my favorite excursion. We did not see another western face the entire time we were there. We had some wonderful conversations with some of the kindest local people and learned a lot.

Goods of Desire, which is shortened to G.O.D. was the best shopping surprise for me in Hong Kong. There are 5 stores throughout the city but the one in Harbor City is the largest and best one. G.O.D. store can only be found in Hong Kong and this one is tucked away on the second floor near the entrance of the Hong Kong Hotel and you could easily miss it if you aren't looking for it.

The shops are a blend of modern style with funky Chinese culture. They have everything from modern furniture to flip flops. Much of the lighting and home accessories are packed flat for travel and easily fit into any suitcase.

The Chinese mailbox magnets are one of my favorites and a great small gift for friends. You will find the Chinese symbol of luck, double happiness, is also popular at G.O.D and can be found on everything from magnets to coasters and all in Chinese red of course. Do yourself a favor and make sure you check it out.

One of the other reasons why I stay at the Grand Hyatt is that it is a quick 5 minute walk to Hong Kong's best transportation, the Star Ferry. The ferry is far and away the best way to see Hong Kong and for about $2 U.S. each way you can't beat the price. The boats are an iconic half white and green and arrive to any of the piers about every 5-15 minutes depending on the time of day and runs between several points on Hong Kong island and several points across the harbor. I find it a very easy way to get across the bat to Harbor City or any of the shopping in Kowloon.

The terminal will have a waiting area where you will stay until the next ship arrives. Try and stay close to the gate so you can get a seat on the rail of the boat and get the best view.

One tip so you don't look like a tourist is that the ships don't have a front or a back as they can travel in either direction. As a result the backs of the seats are hinged so they they can face either direction or movement. When you get on and get to your seat be sure and push the back of the seat backward so you can sit down facing the right direction.