Friday, May 7, 2010
A surprisingly good sleep. No jet lag whatsoever! Up at 8.30 am and off for breakfast in the Club lounge. Great selection of wonderful breads and pastries. Catherine was particularly impressed with the almond croissants! The service at the Inter-Continental is probably the best we have experienced anywhere - the concierge in the lounge even took it upon herself to make up a sightseeing package for us without us even asking. We went to check out the outdoor pool deck and were amazed at how wonderful it was. This place is truly an oasis in one of the great cities of the world. Upon deciding today would be Hong Kong Island day, we jumped on the world famous Star Ferry for the trip over to the island and took the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak for some breathtaking scenery of the city below. The extensive shopping facilities at the Peak were completely unexpected and over the top! After taking in the view from the observation deck, we set off on the 3 km Peak Trail hike. The hike took just under an hour and was the highlight of the day. Lush vegetation and wonderful views of Hong Kong. We took the tram back down and then walked over to the Garden Street shopping area. Felt like London but with thick vegetation and tall buildings. After a stop at M&S, we made our way to the Mid-Level Escalator system. We took the escalator the whole way from bottom to top, stopping in the Soho district for a late lunch. Upon reaching the top of the escalator system, we walked back down again and wound our way through the elevated pedestrian system back to the Star Ferry for the trip back to Kowloon. Had a relaxing cup of tea back in the Hotel Club lounge with some snacks for dinner. Time to rest up for tomorrow’s walkabout.
A surprisingly good sleep. No jet lag whatsoever! Up at 8.30 am and off for breakfast in the Club lounge. Great selection of wonderful breads and pastries. Catherine was particularly impressed with the almond croissants! The service at the Inter-Continental is probably the best we have experienced anywhere - the concierge in the lounge even took it upon herself to make up a sightseeing package for us without us even asking. We went to check out the outdoor pool deck and were amazed at how wonderful it was. This place is truly an oasis in one of the great cities of the world. Upon deciding today would be Hong Kong Island day, we jumped on the world famous Star Ferry for the trip over to the island and took the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak for some breathtaking scenery of the city below. The extensive shopping facilities at the Peak were completely unexpected and over the top! After taking in the view from the observation deck, we set off on the 3 km Peak Trail hike. The hike took just under an hour and was the highlight of the day. Lush vegetation and wonderful views of Hong Kong. We took the tram back down and then walked over to the Garden Street shopping area. Felt like London but with thick vegetation and tall buildings. After a stop at M&S, we made our way to the Mid-Level Escalator system. We took the escalator the whole way from bottom to top, stopping in the Soho district for a late lunch. Upon reaching the top of the escalator system, we walked back down again and wound our way through the elevated pedestrian system back to the Star Ferry for the trip back to Kowloon. Had a relaxing cup of tea back in the Hotel Club lounge with some snacks for dinner. Time to rest up for tomorrow’s walkabout.