EXACTLY ONE hour and 45 minutes from Clark – via Cebu Pacific, of course – Hong Kong beckons. Fly of your choosing, morning or evening – CEB flies daily from the majestic Clark International Airport. Hassle-free too, no traffic, unlike that airport in the congested metropolis.
Inflight meals are available for pre-order – Chinese-style Char Siu chicken over steamed rice is always a good choice.
Arrival and all travel procedures at the HK International Airport is a breeze. And yes, the city is mask-free, all health safety protocols are past, past. Normalcy is back, with a very fresh start,
and putting all the protocols behind. Indeed, tourism in HK is in the comeback to normalcy and welcomes tourists with a fresh start. You just can feel it soon as you arrive.
DAY 1 starts with a hearty breakfast at Best Western Plus Hotel Kowloon. HK is better than ever after the pandemic, it has reinvented itself to spectacular attractions that capture the imagination and experience like no other.
The exploration begins with a multisensory experience at West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). This is one of the most ambitious cultural projects in the world, settled on 40 hectares of reclaimed land with close ties to its neighboring community. The District offers the best of eastern and western, traditional and contemporary arts and culture to reinforce HK’s position as a centre for East-meets-West international cultural exchange. Welcoming two new museums: M+ and Hong Kong Palace Museum.
M+ is a showcase of pre-eminent collection of 20th and 21st century visual culture within an Asian context, encompassing the disciplines of visual art, design and architecture, and moving image from HK, Greater China, Asia, and beyond.
Works drawn from the M+ Collections as well as new commissions are presented in exhibitions across 33 galleries and other display spaces such as the Main Hall, Found Space, and The Studio, introducing the chronological developments and multifaceted narratives of visual culture from the 1950s to the present day. These displays emanate from a uniquely HK perspective coupled with a global vision.
While you immerse yourself further in the creative and wondrous works, visit special exhibits of world-class artists like the well-celebrated visual artist, Yayoi Kusama.
Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now
Discover this visionary artist’s groundbreaking career and witness the power of art to connect and heal. Yayoi Kusama has pursued her art passionately for more than seven decades. As a young artist, she left her native Japan for the United States. She found early success, as well as notoriety, amid New York’s avant-garde scene of the 1960s. After returning to Japan in the early 1970s, Kusama persevered through a lack of recognition and while living with a mental illness to become one of the best-known artists of her generation. Despite facing personal and professional challenges throughout her life, Kusama created a body of work that continues to regenerate, showing us how art can sustain and uplift.
Exhibition period: 12 November 2022 – 14 May 2023
Hong Kong Palace Museum is the newest cultural landmark in WKCD, officially opened on July 3, 2022. It is a collaborative project between WKCD and the Palace Museum in Beijing. Featuring over 900 precious treasures from the Palace Museum, including 166 grade-one objects. In addition, more than 100 works on loan from local museums and cultural institutions, together with 13 important artworks loaned from Musée du Louvre in Paris, has been displayed in the opening exhibitions. It fosters international partnerships and position HK as a hub for arts and culture exchanges between China and the rest of the world.
Cartier and Women is a very special exhibition that every woman should visit – regal, glamour, and power – all stunning in one gallery.
Cartier and Women
Organized and curated by the HKPM with the support of Cartier, this is the world’s first major exhibition on the unique role and influence of women in Cartier’s history. Featuring approximately 300 stunning treasures created by Cartier, the exhibition showcases precious jewelries, timepieces, objects, accessories and archival records from the 19th century to the present day, and unveils fascinating stories of the close relationship between women and jewelries. It also highlights how Chinese art, along with art from other parts of the world, has inspired the jeweler in terms of style and decorative motifs, as well as techniques and materials, and how Chinese aesthetics have influenced women’s lifestyles and global fashion.
Exhibition Period: 14 April to 14 August 2023
After leisurely hours of exploring whimsical art museum and galleries on the WKCD, followed by a walk at IG-worthy Art Park featuring an open lawn and panoramic views of Victoria Harbour, and a well-appointed lunch at The Palace Restaurant for sumptuous Cantonese cuisine and fresh seafood, it is only fitting to enjoy a splash of retail therapy like a local at Harbour City, Hong Kong’s largest mall.
The most diverse shopping mall in HK, offers a wide range of shopping, dining, entertainment and sightseeing options. It houses 450 shops, 90 food and beverage outlets, an art gallery, an observatory deck, three hotels and a cruise terminal – affirming its position as the leading mall in all HK. The vibrant vibe and wholesomeness give warm welcoming atmosphere and friendly smiles – plus a quick stop at Café & Meal MUJI Harbour City for a hot cappuccino and fresh strawberry tart is more than enough to end a productive day!
DAY 2 starts with a classic HK-style breakfast at Sam Chaan Café at Catham Road Tsim Sha Tsui. The atmospheric little café in a quiet neighborhood serves the best egg sunny-side-up with chicken fillet and special sauce, toast with condensed milk and hot coffee – perfect to begin the magical day!
Just a short walk is Rosary Church Kowloon and Granville Road, home to lively small boutiques and shops. It will be well into lunchtime when you emerge from the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hence, an early lunch at the famous Nichigyu Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki Restaurant at Mira Place, the best option in Kowloon for hot pot serving quality meat, fresh vegetables and many broth choices including collagen broth.
And the time has come to reignite the magic in HK!
HK Disneyland Resort
Following the easing of pandemic curbs in HK, guests and fans can finally hop on flight to reignite the magic at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Get ready to rediscover familiar rides, relive moments of pure joy with beloved Disney friends, and reconnect with all-new surprises throughout the Happiest Place on Earth. Special tickets and hotel offers are ready to make your experiences even more fun-filled.
Be enchanted by the reimagined Castle of Magical Dreams – home to a fully refreshed “Follow Your Dreams” daytime musical stage show and the all-new nighttime spectacular “Momentous.” The shining beacon of Hong Kong Disneyland, The Castle of Dreams draws inspiration from 13 stories of Disney princesses and queens, the architectural design embraces unique characteristics through the interpretation of color, icons, symbols, patterns and cultural features.
Never in Disney history has an existing castle undergone so grand a renovation as this, and guests can now walk through the structure, meeting your favorite princesses and queens at The Royal Reception Hall and revisiting Enchanted Treasures. The first-ever Castle of Magical Dreams commissioned Chow Tai Fook Jewelry store as Royal Jeweler for all the kingdom’s magnificent keepsakes and treasures.
Disney pals could not be more excited to see you. Mickey Mouse, and the Marvel Super Heroes to Duffy and friends, including their newest pal, the lovable fox LinaBell have prepared brand-new surprises especially for you. At least that’s how it felt to me.
2023 is bound to be an even more magical year with line-up of immersive activities and events at the resort, from celebrating the 100th anniversary of Disney to the long-awaited opening of the first-ever Frozen-themed land, World of Frozen, in the second half of the year. Brand –new Disney magic awaits you!
The two-day amazing rediscovery and stunning moments in HK will keep you smiling and give you a fresh new perspective as you make your way back to the airport…and say yes! It’s worth it and its time to revisit Hong Kong! With PR
