I think four nights is brilliant, you'll see the main sights!

For me, the "musts" are:

Cross from Kowloon to HK Island on the Star ferry

Take an open topped bus from the isalnd landing to the Peak tram

Take the Tram to the top of the Peak

Whie at the peak, take the Governor's Walk - a really quiet and tranquil park walk

HK Island by night - take the tram down the main drag

Kowloon : go to Mong Kok for the night markets. Nothing much to buy, but great to wander around!

Aberdeen Harbour on HK Island

Stanley Market on HK Island

(do both of these two by regular bus from the Star ferry terminal, or take the MTR)

A good ride out on the MTR to see how an underground railway should be run!

(For something odd and slightly surreal, HK Island on a Sunday morning; all the Filipino maids have the day off and gather on the concrete walkways to meet their friends, and they stake out their patches of floor with mats and flowers, and food, and radios............)

That was quick!
Thanks Sancho.

Speaking as someone who's had 1 x 3 night stay and 3 x 7 night stays in Hong Kong and still wants more, I'd obviously say that 4 nights isn't long enough. Personally, I'd add a couple of extra days and build some relaxing and pampering time into your itenerary so you can unwind from your China tour.

Sancho has given you some great ideas. I'm not sure if the MTR goes as far as Stanley Market, but even if it does, the best way to get there is on the top deck of the number 6 bus from Exchange Square for fantastic views of the island. It's worth the trip for the bus ride alone!

If you've got time, I'd definitely recommend a trip out to one of the outlying islands. Lantau is the biggest and has the most places of interest, but it needs a full day and can be quite tiring. Lamma is a much smaller island and will show you a completely different aspect of Hong Kong than you'll get in the city. It's very quiet and rural and has an easy walk from one side of the island to the other with some lovely coast and countryside along the way.

For other relaxing walks, try Kowloon Park and Kowloon promenade, both are great for people-watching and generally chilling out. The Bird Market is also worth a visit, if only to watch the locals taking their much-prized singing birds out for a walk!

Silk ties and pashminas are dirt cheap and make good presents to bring home, but my best buys this year were 2 pairs of "wrap-around" pants (if you've never seen them, I can't really explain, but they're kind of a cross between a sarong and a pair of baggy trousers) which are great for beach holidays and cost me 25HKD (less than 2 quid!) each from Stanley Market. I saw similar ones in Greece last month, which had been imported from Thailand and cost about 25 euros a pair.

I've not been lucky enough to stay in the Peninsula, but would absolutely love to if funds ever allow. If you're staying there and want a memorable meal for your last night, why not try one of their restaurants? Their Phillipe Starck-designed Felix restaurant seems to get good reviews and has fabulous views of the skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island across the harbour.

Hey Sancho - I'm glad somebody else appreciates seeing the Filipino maids' Sunday morning picnics - I thought it was just me that found it a sight to behold! Hmmm, I've just seen your location - maybe it's something to do with the Stockport sense of humour

Hi xenosuk

I found the Filipino maids' Sunday picnics really bizarre, and all the shops round about are busy with the girls telephoning home or sending money. It's really a well-established ritual, and I wonder about any poor *new* maid just starting out in HK..how on earth does she fit into this highly clique'd group??

I only live in Stockport!

Whereabouts are you, I'm in Heaton Chapel?

Yes we first saw them in 2001 and thought it must be some kind of public holiday that we hadn't heard about. But then we saw them again this year and realised that it was a regular thing.

I'm in Bramhall, but I only live here too I'm originally from Warrington.

have to say I also found the picnic interesting!
Re the bus to Stanley market- would agree its a great trip on its own. We took another bus back and went to Aberdeen harbour. However, we also crossed over and went into the town of Aberdeen itself. It is fascinating- we really felt we were the only tourists there.
If you get up early it is worth a trip to Victoria Park to see the locals do tai chi.
The Museum of History is somewhere you could spend hours- this is how every museum should be!

Thanks guys.

Xenosuk - I know exactly what you mean about those sarong trouser whatsits! I think I'll definitely get a pair of them. The bird market sounds fascinating, as does the bizzare maids picnic. I'd like to visit an island but I don't think we'll have time, besides I think we'll really need some R&R so I'll have to see what treatments the hotel offers.

Fiona - I've heard some people say that Stanley Market is very "touristy". Did you find it so?

Dawn

yes it was touristy but the bus ride there was good as was the trip to Aberdeen on the way back, And the market has better quality stuff than the night markets.

One tip about what NOT to buy at the markets - the chopsticks that LOOK like jade. We knew they weren't real jade from the price, but we didn't expect them to shatter to smithereens the first time they were dropped into the washing up bowl

I forgot about them xenosuk! Ours didn't even survive the journey home!

OK, thanks. Will avoid them like the plague then!

Went to Hong Kong on a 3 day stop over earlier this year we did not stay at the Peninsular but did visit the hotel because the heliport on top of the hotel is used for helicopter rides which take you around the island and give you another perspective of Hong Kong. We booked the flights through our tour operator in the uk.

Hadn't thought about that Nick.
Are the rides worth it? How much are they? Can you book them locally?

You must be able to book locally but I never saw any adverts. I paid £75 per person through premier holidays but they were also available in the other long haul brochures (advertised as a 10 minute ride but was more like 30) I thought it was worth it. The view from the heliport area atop the peninsular hotel is excellent as well.

You can book direct with Heli Express for 800HKD, which works out quite a bit cheaper than going through an agent.
http://www.heliexpress.com/?structure=002&content=96&rnd=7920

We thought about doing it when we were there in December, but the weather wasn't brilliant, so we decided to save it for next time.

What sort of weather/temps can you expect in December (we're there for the new year).

Rob

According to the stats temps should be in high teens/low 20s at the end of December, but last year was one of the coldest on record with temps down to about 10°C. So it was quite mild in Stockport terms, but the locals were all bundled up in arctic fleeces and anoraks!

We were there from Boxing Day to 4 Jan and were really surprised at all the Xmas lights and decorations all over the city. Somehow, we just didn't expect that in Hong Kong. Whereabouts are you staying? We stayed at the Kowloon Shangri-la and their New Year party was excellent.

Thanks for that - we're there in September so I guess we'll see what conditions are like and book it locally.