Hong Kong

Hong Kong is defined by density, harbour light and vertical ambition. Ferries, peaks, markets, financial towers and dining culture create a city whose energy is inseparable from its dramatic geography.

Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1842, Kowloon followed in 1860 and the New Territories were leased in 1898; in 1997 the territory returned to China as a Special Administrative Region. Victoria Harbour lies between the island and the peninsula, crossed by the Star Ferry since the nineteenth century, while the Peak Tram climbs to the ridge above Central for the classic view across the water.

Central and Admiralty hold the banks and the luxury houses; Sheung Wan and the streets around Hollywood Road keep dried-seafood merchants, antique dealers and the Man Mo Temple. Across the harbour, Tsim Sha Tsui has its waterfront promenade, and West Kowloon the M+ museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Around forty per cent of the territory is country park, with hiking trails, beaches and the outlying islands of Lantau and Lamma.

October to December is the finest season: dry, sunny and comfortable, with clear harbour views and the best conditions for walking the Dragon’s Back or the trails of Lantau. Winter, from January to March, is cool and sometimes misty, and Chinese New Year brings flower markets and celebrations across the city. In March, Art Basel Hong Kong fills the galleries, auction rooms and hotels of the city.

From May to September the weather is hot, humid and wet, and typhoon signals can close offices and suspend ferries for a day or two, so plans need some flexibility. Summer is still the season for junk trips to the beaches of Sai Kung and the islands, and for the Dragon Boat Festival in early summer, when teams race across the bays and harbours of the territory.

Hong Kong has some of Asia’s most storied hotels. The Peninsula Hong Kong has stood in Tsim Sha Tsui since 1928; Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong opened in Central in 1963; Regent Hong Kong, for two decades the InterContinental, has returned to its original name on the Kowloon waterfront; Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong sits beside the harbour in Central; and Rosewood Hong Kong rises above the Victoria Dockside development in Tsim Sha Tsui.

LVXE books Mandarin Oriental, Regent and Four Seasons through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, IHG Destined and Four Seasons Preferred Partner — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges each programme attaches to the stay. For The Peninsula and Rosewood, LVXE advises on and arranges the stay. Harbour-view rooms are worth requesting early, above all for Art Basel and Chinese New Year.