HONG KONG

The Girard-Perregaux World Time Tour: Every GP WW.TC dial lists 24 cities, at least two from each continent — and these cities will be our focus. We know that while traveling on business, many people leave themselves just one day to play tourist. 

So rather than another overstuffed city guide, we offer you “One Perfect Day” in the cities we visit. We’ll highlight the best each has to offer and the experiences that make it unique, beyond the standard “where to go and what to see” —  although occasionally we’ll include that too. — The Editors

THE GREAT CITIES of the world vibrate, buzzing on different frequencies of frenetic energy: the pulsating thrum of New York, the staccato backbeat of London, the melodic chorale of Paris. But it’s the bright, electric crackle of Hong Kong to which the world’s eyes have lately turned — this tiny archipelago in the South China Sea, with China behind it and the spread of modern Asia before it, a frenzied blend of colonialism and innovation, commerce and romance.

A perfect day in Hong Kong samples a little of all of these, crossing Victoria Harbor between Kowloon and Hong Kong islands. It’s the day after a long week of meetings and work, before the trek to the airport to make your next stop. Based at theInterContinental Hong Kong for business, entertaining clients at Yan Toh Heen for lunches and Spoon by Alain Ducasse for dinners, you’ve kept the fast pace Hong Kong demands and now earned some relaxation.

Spoon by Alain Ducasse

InterContinental HK Presidential Suite

Begin the day by strolling down Salisbury Road for dim sum brunch at Serenade, a Chinese restaurant just behind the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, with harbor views and beautifully crafted dumplings and desserts. It’s a leisurely but exciting morning, watching the sun burn the fog off the mountains as basket after steaming basket of culinary delights arrives at your table.

When you’re well-fortified, exit into Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong’s legendary shopping district. Retail is a contact sport here, from the high-flying flagship luxury boutiques (most of the watch stores are along Nathan Road) to the high-rise tower malls. Chungking Mansion and its ilk are worth walking through as a cultural experience alone, watching teenagers cavort and discovering hidden treasures among the stalls.

Brother and Sister

Stop in at Brother and Sister for lunch, where siblings Gilbert and Cindy Yeung mix stylish watches and jewelry, limited-edition sneakers, luxury design collaborations and various other tasteful favorites with a light lunch menu and a coffee/cocktail bar.

Then spend the afternoon exploring Kowloon’s contemporary art scene. Osage Kwun Tong, Hong Kong’s largest contemporary art space, is here on Hung To Road, and the Cattle Depot Artists Village and the Jockey Club Creative Arts Theater are worth visiting for their creatively reimagined industrial locales as well as their assortment of creative spaces. There are also more-traditional gallery-style options nearby, including an outpost of America’s Savannah College of Art and Design called Moot Gallery, featuring up-and-coming student work.

A Suite @ UpperHouse

Grab your luggage and head across the harbor (byStar Ferry or car) to Admiralty to check in at theUpper House. Designed by architect Andre Fu, the ultra-luxe boutique hotel sparked a rash of stylized imitators when it opened in 2009, but none of them come close to the original’s location or spacious, minimalist rooms with epic views. If you want to spend an hour (or a lifetime) soaking in the corner tub of your suite, watching the sun set over Victoria Harbor, we don’t blame you a bit. But do get dressed (and dressed well), because Hong Kong isn’t ready for bed yet. You’ll be diving into Central, where billionaires in sports cars and college students teetering in stilettos share the streets until the wee hours.

The Quinary

Go for drinks at The Quinary, a high-tech cocktail bar serving a martini full of spherified Earl Grey pearls to the beautiful people at the long black bar. Mixologist Antonio Lai will whet your appetite for dinner atCelebrity Cuisine, in the Lan Kwai Fong Hotel. It’s a two-star Michelin restaurant with a secret — among the cuisine favored by tycoons around the world are hidden home-style local favorites like minced bean-curd fritters and fish-head clay pot. 

Within the same neighborhood, there are Cantonese spots with more glitz (like Fook Lam Moon and its legendary suckling pig) and equally elegant European-style cuisine (Gold, with its wild boar ragout tagliatelle with melting organic egg and shaved pecorino cheese), but there’s something about the intimate 40-seat treasure that keeps us coming back.

Afterward, the night is yours. Personally, we’d head to the new Armani/Prive nightclub and happily float back and forth between the sexy, posh lounge and the rooftop terrace bar — but where the night takes you after that, only the electric city knows. - KW