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- hong-kong
With its fabulous hotels, excellent restaurants and wide-ranging activities from sailing to horse-racing, Hong Kong remains China’s most sophisticated city both as a regional hub and as a bridge between East and West. However, Hong Kong, whose name translates as “Fragrant Harbour” was not always so appreciated. In March 1895, The London Times, describing Queen Victoria’s latest acquisition, commented: “The name of this noisy, bustling, quarrelsome disconnected little Island may not inaptly be used as a euphemous synonym for a place not mentionable to ears polite.”
Whether boarding a sampan to retrace the original landing of Lord Aberdeen through a fleet of Hakka boatpeople that still call this harbour home or standing atop Victoria Peak, you will breathe in the salty sea air of one of the world’s largest transport hubs. Like a sort of Asian New York, Hong Kong seems to have room for everyone, providing safe harbour to peoples as disparate as Sikhs, Jews and Filipinos for decades to name but a few. Today, all live together in great proximity and relative harmony: different religions, different races, all ready to welcome and complain about the newest wave of arrivals.
hong-kong HIGHLIGHTS
A selection a some of the many incredible experiences that await you
It was lovely to be driven in a beautiful Mercedes in Hong Kong! We arrived at Victoria Peak in style.
Custom Itineraries
Explore hong-kong through the eyes of a local
Walking through Hong Kong, the city with the most skyscrapers in the world, you will feel as though you are walking amongst giants – the downtown a mosaic of nationalities. For its savoir-faire and as a bridge between China and the West, Hong Kong is hard to beat.
We customize each of our itineraries based on your interests and traveling style. The itinerary below forms a base to start the conversation.
Luxury Accommodations
Hong Kong uniquely combines the best of East and West in some of the highest quality and most iconic hotels in the world,
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Peninsula Hong Kong
Although undoubtedly the world's most iconic heritage hotel, you would be mistaken to assume it has not kept up with the times. One of the first properties to use Ipads in room technology, it retains its classic flair with its fleet of green Rolls Royce, helicopters and yacht.
Rosewood Hong Kong
The Cheng family which owns the Rosewood brand is a Hong Kong family. This property is their calling card. Only 400 rooms fills a property large enough for double that number in a city where space is at a premium. Each floor has its own lobby. Each room has a double shower. You get the idea.
Four Seasons
With excellent service & dining facilities, the Four Seasons is located in the International Finance Center, a skyscraper a ten minute walk east of Central. The views of Victoria harbor, especially from the outdoor swimming pool, are fabulous.
Ritz-Carlton
Occupying the 102nd - 118th floor of the tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, the Ritz-Carlton is not short on amazing 360 degree views of the city beneath. If you arrive by car, it will pull up at the arrival lobby on the 9th floor - incredible!
Upper House
Perched atop a tower at Pacific Place, a 5 minute car ride west of Central, Upper House gives a refreshing alternative to the "Grande Dame" style of hotel. Small, contemporary, vibrant, Andre Fu has created a design-led property that is as stylish as it is warm and welcoming.
Mandarin Oriental
In terms of classic Hong Kong, the Mandarin Oriental remains the best-located of the luxury hotels on Hong Kong Island. As such it retains its significance in the daily hubbub of the city. The property's views of the harbor are as immediate as its access to Central.
Your Personal Traveling Concierge
Our China Hosts
Our China Hosts are part of what makes us unique; they help explain our success for over twenty years. Our China Hosts have been hand selected and expertly trained to provide you with the most unforgettable journey. From seamlessly ensuring flawless logistics, to deepening your cultural immersion, to effecting last minute adjustments, in the words of a guest, they take a trip "from excellence to perfection". Before you travel with us, it's hard to imagine what a China Host brings to the party. After, it's hard to imagine traveling without one.
Fine Dining & Authentic Cuisine
Experience the finest in Chinese and Western cuisine
The Cantonese kitchen is the best known outside China, especially for its sophisticated snacks or dim sum. However, this cuisine goes well beyond this narrow confine, characterized by a wider variety of ingredients than almost any other Chinese kitchen, a focus on the freshness of its produce and a remit of subtly enhancing rather than overpowering the foods' natural flavors.
Demographics
- Recognized as a Special Administrative Region under the state of China
- Population: 7.4m (2017)
- Population Density: 6,544/km2 (16,948.9/sq m)
- Literal Meaning of Hong Kong: Fragrant Harbour
Brief History
- 1513 – The first European explorer arrives here, Jorge Álvares from Portugal
- January 2, 1841 – British take possession of Hong Kong
- August 29, 1842 – The peace Treaty of Nanking is signed between the Qing Empire (China) and the United Kingdom to end the First Opium War
- October 18, 1860 – The Convention of Peking is signed between the Qing Empire (China) and the United Kingdom, France and Russia
- June 9, 1898 – The Extension of Hong Kong Territory is signed marking the beginning of the 99 year British lease on Hong Kong
- December 25, 1941 – August 15, 1945 – Hong Kong is under the military occupation of the Imperial Japanese military
- July 1, 1997 – The United Kingdom transfers sovereignty back to China
Geography
- Located on China’s south coast and surrounded by the South China Sea, Hong Kong is comprised of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories and over 200 offshore islands, the largest being Lantau Island.
- Highest Elevation: 957m (3,140ft)
- Main Body of Water: South China Sea
- Total area coverage: 2,755km2 (1,064m2)
Recommended Destinations
After your time spent exploring hong-kong you may want to consider these other recommended destinations
Help Me Decide-
Guilin
Craggy limestone towers bestride a lazy river meandering through this lush rural paradise.
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Lijiang
A colourful, eclectic & charming border town on the Tea and Horse Route, home to more than 10 ethnic minorities.
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Shanghai
The Yangzi river divides the colonial mansions of the French concession from the dizzying skyscrapers of Lujiazui.
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Xi'an
China’s capital for 11 centuries boasts the Terracotta Warriors and a Muslim quarter that dates to the time of the Silk Road.
