What's New

Here are the latest openings, offerings, changes, and events in Hong Kong.

Planning Your Trip

Oasis Hong Kong (tel. 0844/482-2323 in the U.K.; www.oasishongkong.com), a low-fare, long-haul airline with inexpensive seats even for business class, made its inaugural flight from London Gatwick to Hong Kong in October 2006. Future plans call for extending service from Hong Kong to Oakland, California, and Chicago.

Getting to Know Hong Kong

The location of the Star Ferry in the Central District has moved from its pier next to City Hall to the Central Ferry Piers. While the new location is convenient for transfers to ferries heading to the islands, it's a hike from Central's business core.

Where to Stay

The Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Rd., Central (tel. 800/526-6566 in the U.S. and Canada), which closed for a top-to-bottom renovation, now offers larger, more contemporary rooms. To fend off public outcry, however, it retained many of its beloved institutions -- like the Captain's Bar -- with faithful remakes.

Meanwhile, competition in Central has heated up with the addition of two new luxury hotels. The gorgeous Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance St. (tel. 800/819-5053 in the U.S. and Canada), boasts the best location money can buy, right between the Central Ferry Piers and Hong Kong Station. Also capturing the well-heeled travel market is Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Rd. Central (tel. 800/526-6566 in the U.S. and Canada), a boutique version of its sister hotel with 113 contemporary rooms most notable for huge bathrooms and round tubs.

For new, cheaper alternatives, Causeway Bay is the place to be. Most noteworthy are Express by Holiday Inn, 33 Sharp St. East (tel. 888/465-4329 in the U.S. and Canada), a no-frills chain with decent-size rooms, and Lanson Place Boutique Hotel & Residences, 133 Leighton Rd. (tel. 852/3477 6888), which offers stylish rooms complete with kitchenettes and home theater systems, great for longer stays.

Unable to compete (and pay the high price of rent), the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong has closed, to be replaced by an office building.

Where to Dine

The hottest restaurant of the moment -- for those who can afford its prices and are savvy enough to book well in advance -- is Caprice, in the Four Seasons (tel. 852/3196 8888). Serving the French creations of chef Vincent Thiery, it boasts a dramatic setting, great views, an impressive wine list, and -- a growing trend in the dining experience -- a Chef's Table with an up-close view of kitchen activity.

For fun, relaxed dining, the best newcomer is Top Deck, at the Jumbo (tel. 852/2553 3331), an open-air restaurant atop the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant in Aberdeen. Seafood is its main draw, but the impressive Sunday seafood brunch, children's menu and play corner, afternoon tea buffet, and live jazz Wednesday evenings make this a great destination for any occasion.

Vegetarians rejoice! Hong Kong, which is woefully short on meatless options aside from a few common dishes served at Chinese and Indian restaurants, finally has Life, 10 Shelley St. in SoHo (tel. 852/2810 9777), serving vegetarian and vegan dishes in a laid-back, bohemian atmosphere.

Partyers who want their breakfast at 4am -- or 4pm for that matter -- should hit The Flying Pan, with two locations at 9 Old Bailey St., Central (tel. 852/2140 6333), and 81-85 Lockhart Rd., Wan Chai (tel. 852/2528 9997), both open 24 hours and offering huge American and British breakfasts with bottomless cups of coffee.

Exploring Hong Kong

Symphony of Lights, an 18-minute multimedia light and laser extravaganza shown nightly at 8pm, has now expanded to both sides of the harbor and is projected from more than 30 buildings. In addition to the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, another favorite viewing spot is Bauhinia Square on the Wan Chai waterfront.

Peak Tower, Victoria Peak (tel. 852/2849 7654), has been totally renovated and now features a rooftop observation deck with 360-degree views, an expanded Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, and more options in dining and shopping. Chi Lin Buddhist Nunnery, Chi Lin Road, Diamond Hill (tel. 852/2354 1604), constructed in the 1990s using ancient techniques, now has a garden, styled after famous gardens in Suzhou.

Side Trips From Hong Kong

There are new attractions in the hinterlands as well. The ferry and bus ride to the Giant Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau is a must, but the new Skyrail cable car between the Buddha and Tung Chung (terminus of a subway line) makes for a great 25-minute scenic return trip. Also new near the Buddha are Wisdom Path, a pathway designed in a figure eight and marked by 38 pillars bearing an old Sutra; and Ngong Ping Village (tel. 852/2109 9898), with a museum devoted to the life of Siddhartha Gautama (the man who became Buddha), an animation theater that tells a tale of greed and friendship, restaurants, and shops.

In the New Territories, there's the new Hong Kong Wetland Park, Tin Shui Wai (tel. 852/3152 2666), with a visitor center that explains the importance of wetlands for our planet, along with marshes, mudflats, mangroves, and other habitats, viewable from boardwalks.

Macau

What isn't new in Macau, the Las Vegas of Asia? The Hyatt has closed, but new hotels that have signed on to make their debut over the next few years include a Sheraton, Hilton, Four Seasons, Shangri-La, Conrad, and a whole new Hyatt. A number of U.S.-owned casino/hotel properties will also open over the next year, including Venetian-Macao-Resort Hotel, MGM Grand Macau, and Wynn Macau. Luckily, for those more interested in this former Portuguese enclave's past than its high-dollar developments, Macau's historic center has recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.