Dim sum and skyscrapers: Business executive’s guide to Hong Kong

Zoe Li, for CNN
4 minute read
Updated 10:33 PM EST, Mon December 15, 2014
Magnificent Hong Kong often leaves business travelers begging for a flight cancellation. Until that happens, here's how to squeeze in all the fun.
Mini-guide to Hong Kong —
Magnificent Hong Kong often leaves business travelers begging for a flight cancellation. Until that happens, here's how to squeeze in all the fun.
DALE de la REY/AFP/Getty Images
Efficiency is Hong Kong transit's expertise. The Airport Express gets you from airport to Central in 24 minutes flat. And with free Wi-Fi.
Airport Express to city center —
Efficiency is Hong Kong transit's expertise. The Airport Express gets you from airport to Central in 24 minutes flat. And with free Wi-Fi.
Courtesy Hong Kong tourism board
Luk Yu Teahouse serves dim sum that you won't find anywhere else. For traditional faves, such as duck and chestnut pastry, you'll have to pop in before morning meetings.
Luk Yu Teahouse —
Luk Yu Teahouse serves dim sum that you won't find anywhere else. For traditional faves, such as duck and chestnut pastry, you'll have to pop in before morning meetings.
Courtesy Luk Yu Restaurant
The Upper House occupies the top 13 floors of a 50-story building in the heart of Hong Kong's business district. Rooms offer views across the harbor and city.
The Upper House —
The Upper House occupies the top 13 floors of a 50-story building in the heart of Hong Kong's business district. Rooms offer views across the harbor and city.
Courtesy Upper House
K11 mall houses local designer brands. Its own curated selection of designer products can be found at the K11 Design Store.
K11 Mall —
K11 mall houses local designer brands. Its own curated selection of designer products can be found at the K11 Design Store.
k11
Victoria Peak views are sublime, but local hikers head to Lion Rock peak for stunning panoramas that few out-of-towners get to see.
Lion Rock hike —
Victoria Peak views are sublime, but local hikers head to Lion Rock peak for stunning panoramas that few out-of-towners get to see.
Courtesy Janice Wan
Soho has been the king of the bar and restaurant scene for more than a decade. With more tourists heading to the area, hip locals are heading down Hollywood Road.
Soho —
Soho has been the king of the bar and restaurant scene for more than a decade. With more tourists heading to the area, hip locals are heading down Hollywood Road.
Courtesy Hong Kong Tourism Board
In Poho, colonial-era buildings and decades-old shops can be found alongside hole-in-the-wall eateries and unpretentious boutiques.
Poho —
In Poho, colonial-era buildings and decades-old shops can be found alongside hole-in-the-wall eateries and unpretentious boutiques.
Courtesy Po's Atelier
You can take home local flavor in a jar of XO sauce. Every restaurant has its own recipe, but you can't go wrong with the one from the Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop.
Unique gift: Mandarin Oriental XO sauce —
You can take home local flavor in a jar of XO sauce. Every restaurant has its own recipe, but you can't go wrong with the one from the Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop.
Courtesy Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Dim Sum and skyscraper views: A business executive's guide to Hong Kong

Story highlights

Hong Kong's Airport Express gets you to the city center in 24 minutes

The hike to Lion Rock peak offers stunning panoramas of Kowloon and across to the island

Some of Hong Kong's oldest buildings and colonial-era structures can be found in Central and Sheung Wan districts

CNN  — 

As one of the world’s leading financial capitals, Hong Kong is a dream destination for business travelers.

With more skyscrapers than any other city in the world and some of the finest dining on the planet, the city might well leave you begging for a flight cancellation so you can squeeze in an extra day.

To help you enjoy a few of the city’s highlights, here’s a guide to getting into town, eating/sleeping well, buying the best souvenirs and leaving with an expense account you’ll be proud of.

Easiest, most comfortable airport transfer

Forget everything you know about subways – Hong Kong’s Airport Express train service blows away even the most jaded commuter.

Trains are clean, comfortable, spacious, always on time and get you to the city in 24 minutes flat, faster than any car service can ever aspire to.

Better still, the trains are easy to walk to and the procedure simple to figure out upon arrival – there’s virtually no stress about how to get tickets or where to get the trains as you exit the arrival terminal.

At HK$100 per ride, trains depart at 10-minute intervals from 5:54 a.m. to 11:28 p.m. and 12-minute intervals from 11:28 p.m. to 12:48 a.m. daily.

MORE: 10 things Hong Kong does better than anywhere else

Memorable meals

There’s no shortage of Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong.

But finding a memorable local meal you’ll be thinking about for months is far more challenging.

Luk Yu Teahouse has it all: a historic art deco-inspired feel, waiters that have stuck by the place through decades, killer Cantonese food not found anywhere else, a glamorous clientele and a storied past that includes a mob hit in the dining room.

You’ll have to get here early for a breakfast of old fashioned dim sum, such as duck and chestnut pastry.

Luk Yu Teahouse, Luk Yu Building, 24-26 Stanley St. Central; +852 2523 1970

MORE: Hong Kong’s best ‘no reservations’ eats

Centrally located room with a view

For a true home-away-from-home feel, the penthouse suites at The Upper House are a good call.

With more than 180 square meters of understated elegance, wraparound views of Hong Kong and a spa-inspired bathroom, this is the ultimate city stay.

Bonus feature: the chance of bumping into a celebrity in the elevators.

The Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty; +852 2918 1838

Where to get a unique addition to your wardrobe

Hong Kong’s fashion design scene is young, eclectic and fun.

A place to get a taste of it is K11 Mall, dubbed an “Art Mall” for its support of Chinese contemporary art and reputable gallery in the basement.

The mall houses local designer brands, and offers its own curated selection of designer products at the K11 Design Store.

K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 3118 8070

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Where to take a killer photo

Sure, you could ride the historic Peak Tram with the tourists and snap a great photo of Hong Kong at the top of Victoria Peak – it’s foolproof.

But you could also join local hikers (of which there are many) to walk up Lion Rock Peak for the most incredible sweeping panorama of Kowloon, all surrounded by pristine nature.

MORE: The better side of Hong Kong: Top 10 nature reserves

Experience the heart of the city

To see Hong Kong, past and present, in a walkable nutshell, head to the Central and Sheung Wan Districts.

Some of the oldest parts of the city, with crumbling colonial-era tenement buildings and decades-old shops, can be found in these areas.

Gentrifying comfortably, Soho and “Poho” (the neighborhood between Po Hing Fong and Hollywood Road) areas offer thoughtful eateries and unpretentious boutiques.

General directions: Keep walking west on Queen’s Road Central, or the parallel Hollywood Road.

Graham Street is where things start to get interesting.

MORE: Ultimate Hong Kong kung fu tour

Classy, easy-to-pack souvenir

Some of the best memories visitors take away from Hong Kong are centered on food.

To take a little bit of local flavor home, you can pick up a couple jars of XO sauce.

Every restaurant worth its reputation will have its own secret recipe for the mildly spicy local condiment made from dried and often precious seafood, as well as Chinese ham.

We love the one at the Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop ($35/small, $45/large jar).

Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop, M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central, +852 2825 4008

MORE: Hong Kong’s best new bars