One night in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a bit like a juxtaposition of Sydney and Bangkok (granted – I have not been to the latter, so maybe more of how like I imagine Bangkok to look like). So if you don’t feel like taking the time to travel to Australia and Thailand then just fly to Hong Kong. No, it won’t be as beautiful and elegant as Sydney or as oriental as (I imagine) Bangkok, but you will get a Kate Spade bag (and muuuuuch more, if you are a shopaholic like me) in a vaguely reasonable price thanks to the plethora of shopping malls sprinkled all around the city.

The shoppapalooza vibe and the hotel I stayed in (more about that in a moment) were probably the only aspects I truly enjoyed about Hong Kong. It is crowded and hot (but not hot enough at this time of the year to go for an evening swim at the outdoor rooftop hotel swimming pool) and humid. The humidity results in me looking like a poodle most of the time, and while I find that acceptable in beach resorts, where I usually rock beach/natural hair (with help of hair mousse and multiple hair oils), Hong Kong is a city of sleek-looking fashionistas. Bottom line: do consider a Brazilian blowout (otherwise known as keratin treatment, otherwise known as putting the potentially cancerous substance on your hair to make it look pretty) if you don’t want to stand out in HK.

But enough whining for now. ICON – the lovely hotel I stayed at for the 5 nights in HK is definitely worth mentioning. From the mobile phone they provide you with in the room, to help you avoid heartbreaking roaming charges when you n e e d to instagram your food, to the subtle but attentive staff – everything was perfect. The hotel is owned by a hospitality school, which might be why the service is so good (after all, didn’t we all try much harder at school ;) )

All in all, Hong Kong is definitely worth visiting, even if only for the shopping malls and that nowhere-else-in-the-world feeling of not sticking out as super weird when you take pictures of a b s o l u t e l y everything (it’s Asia, remember). But maybe for 1-2 days only…

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Hong Kong przypomina mi trochę Sydney… z elementami orientalnego bałaganu (Bangkok?). Jednak jeden z (naj?)ważniejszych aspektów tego miasta wygląda bardzo znajomo – centra handlowe. Są tylko ładniejsze, większe i bardziej zatłoczone niż te europejskie. I można w nich kupić to, czego na pewno nie dostaniemy w Polsce (mówiłam już jak uwielbiam Kate Spade? :D ). Poza centrami handlowymi nie jestem fanką HK… Tłumy, upał (jednak nie wystarczający, żeby nocą popływać w basenie na tarasie hotelu) i wysokie budynki, gdzie w malutkich mieszkankach żyje po kilkadziesiąt tysięcy ludzi (tak, w j e d n y m bloku).

Jedno co mogę polecić, to hotel, należący do szkoły hotelarskiej, gdzie testowane są nowatorskie rozwiązania (np. telefon komórkowy z internetem dołączony ‘do pokoju’, żebyś z każdego miejsca w HK mogła wrzucić fotkę jedzenia na instagram ;) ). Ale nawet w nim – 1-2 noce wystarczyłyby w zupełności.

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