Charmante recently moved to this Wyndham Street location a few weeks ago. They have a satisfying…read morecollection of women's lingerie and swimsuits. I arrived at the end of the season and all swimwear was 50% off. They had a sufficient amount of bikinis and a small quantity of one pieces and cover-ups. Their swimsuits are bright, bold, soft, and forgiving. The fabric is very stretchy and doesn't hug you in the wrong places. I was looking to mix things up and add a one piece to my collection and found two styles I really liked that actually fit. What's even better that instead of $600HKD, I paid just $300! They also have really cute one piece suits the bunch at the waist. These could be perfect to hide some extra pounds in the midsection. Like the swimsuits, the lingerie fabric is silky and smooth. They are made for comfort and even provide a little support. They also have a respectable amount of bras, panties, and nightgowns creatively on display. I was impressed with their small collection of travelling bra holders. They are cute, and will keep your precious bras from being crushed in your suitcase. Charmante is bright and neat which creates an enjoyable shopping experience. I walked out of this shop thinking I probably should've bought more than one swimsuit, and also that the bras are probably just as comfortable. The service here was great and I will be back when I need to update my underwear drawer.

Gigasports is a mega store for sports goods, in fact it is a giga store for sports goods (that's…read more1000 times better than a mega store - whoop!). I particularly like the location in Pacific Place, as it is large, carries a good stock, both on display and "out the back", and often has sales on, on top of their regular discounts. The store stocks all types of shoes, clothing and accessories for sports, primarily; running, fitness, basketball, racquet sports, swimming (which many other sport stores don't cater to), footy, and general outdoor (hiking, etc). It is mainly shoes and clothes, with some things like bags, swimming goggles, medical supports. They don't stock a great deal of kit like balls or tennis racquets, so if you need specific sports equipment, you may have to look elsewhere. The store is well laid out, by sport, department, and brand, so things are easy to find. Staff are on standby to help, and can be helpful to the point of pestering, but they do have to make a buck I suppose. When you buy, always ask for a discount. Nine out of ten, they will apply the 5-10% membership discount, regardless of whether or not you are a member. This store in particular, impresses me with their range of swimming gear. As well as swimwear, they have loads of goggles, including prescription lenses, waterproof mp3 players, and floats and accessories. The stock is large compared to other stores. They also have a dedicated kids department, and a good Columbia concession with loads of wicking clothing.

I was at Pacific Place today looking for a few fitness clothes, as I need to 'renew' my closet for…read moresports clothes. I had been looking around Wan Chai for some of those but the best deals I could get were still not that great value for money (okay design and too pricey for their quality). Wan Chai has great stores for branded trainers; prices are half the ones at Giga Sports, but I suspect they're also from previous collections. However today I was after some tights and sports bras. I was impressed by the size of the store: they have a few sections by brand and sport. There's a specific one on fitness which I went to check out. Unfortunately they only had a couple of tights from Adidas, but they were around 250HKD, which is much cheaper than other stores. Their range of bras is great though, and they have the same price (so it's pretty much average). There were some more clothes on the running section and even the tennis one, but for the size of the store it didn't seem much. They're not a specialized store. Instead they have multiple sections with a few items, including swimming and golf, and a corner devoted to hiking products. There is way too much staff in this place though, but nobody approached me to help, which was fine as I could find what I was after quite easily. I picked up a brochure I saw at the fitness section and I'm browsing through it, got hooked on their Adidas tights and will come back for them!

I think most of us know of H&M, but not many from the states know of Monki. It's own by the same…read morecompany as H&M, but the style and quality of the clothes here are definitely a step up. I'd say Monki is a bit like Urban Outfitters. The clothes are trendy and it caters to people who want to be fashionable without spending a heap of money. This particular location was literally the size of a shoe box, so the selection was lacking compared to larger shops, but I was able to pick up a shirt and a bag. Both of which costs under $200 HKD!

I don't go to Mong Kok very often, but when I do, I try to squeeze in a trip to Monki at Langham…read morePlace. Monki is right next to H&M - and also, in my opinion, the worst H&M there is because it's permanently crowded and they never seem to turn up the air conditioning. So whenever I'm at Langham, I always give the H&M a miss and head straight for Monki. The clothes at Monki range from girly to things you can sort of create a goth look out of, making it a place where everyone can find something that they like. It's one of the few places I know with sizes XXS, so it's great for people who are a little on the smaller size. I've bought everything from nice dresses to basics here and I find that the quality of clothes here is not bad at all. The accessories section at Monki is worth checking out - they have some really cool jewelry like statement necklaces that go great when paired with solid tops. Their stuff doesn't look cheap either. Last year, they were doing a sale on their tote bags, and I was out shopping with a friend from Singapore and she bought 2 back. They were only around $50 each, if I'm not wrong, the designs were cute and the cloth seemed pretty solid and durable. The changing rooms at Monki are really cool - they're filled with mirrors on each side, so looking straight into any one is nothing short of a real life optical illusion! I do wish Monki would have more sales though - usually, they just have one section of stuff on sale and some accessories too. I've never been to Monki and seen that they're having a huge sale. Hopefully, that will change the next time that I am there!

Looking for a swim suit that fits well is a challenge. And this is where Sabina Swims helps me out…read more You can mix and match the sizes for the bottoms and tops. For example, If your cup size is A, but your bottom is heavier, you can get a size 1 for the top and a size 3 for the bottom. The quality of the suits are fantastic and will be long wearing! On average, each bikini piece is about $470 HKD. Yes, it's a bit pricy. But they do have promotions that are emailed if you get on their email list. The last bikini suit I bought, on promotion, I paid $370 HKD for my bikini top and got the matching bottom suit for free! The promotions aren't posted on their website. Also, their suits are also fantastic for pregnant women! If you're not comfortable with a bikini during pregnancy, the tankini's are so comfy, accentuate curves and cover up in all the right places. Lastly, the service in store is great. There's usually only 1 or two ladies who are in. And you may be the only guest in the small boutique, but you definitely don't feel like she's hovering around you and making you feel pressured to buy anything. She will come around to help you with sizing and finding the right fit for your body type. In my experience, she just looks at my body, tells me that I would look good in "this" or "that" fit, suggests I just try it, and she's right!

This is the coolest swimsuit store! Their concept seems so simple, yet it doesn't happen often, if…read moreever. They have their basic patterns for swimsuits. There a three one piece styles. All you have to do is find your size, and then you have about 5-10 color patterns to choose from. Fabric designs included chevron, floral, plain, and traditional Chinese prints. There is also 1 tankini, and numerous bikini styles to choose from. If you find your perfect swimsuit, you might even be able to choose a reversible matching purse or a cover up which they have available in select fabrics. They also have little girls' suits, which you can choose to match your own! If you can find a suit that fits you here, it can make your bathing suit shopping a piece of cake. The hardest decision you'll have to make is deciding what beautiful print you want.

This store is originally a Japanese brand of home goods called Daiso. For some reason in Hong Kong…read morethey are known as Jusco Living with more of a focus on home/living goods. I am unsure if this was due to more focused branding. There is a good variety of home goods. My first Daiso experience was in Little Tokyo in LA and I would definitely return. Everything is the same price unless there is a sticker/sign indicating otherwise. I enjoy buying bowls and cooking utensils/ items to change your lifestyle.They have molds for heart shaped sushi rolls, onigiri, and cute bowls and jars. There is a section on grooming/accessories/cleaning/cooking/stationary.... need I go on? It is fun to just peruse the aisles. This particular location is in the basement; we walked around in circles before we were able to locate it. Once you walk inside it is like a wonder of products waiting to be discovered. This chain is basically a 100 YEN store, similar concept to a 99 cents store. However, unlike most 99 cents stores, the product quality is better (with the exception of Dollar tree which does sell some brand name products). I highly recommend going to a location and checking it out.

I have once said to myself that if there was a day I was shopping around for cooking utensils- then…read moreI must be getting old. This is true as of now, a few weeks back I found myself looking glass jars for preservatives; that's when I truly realize that I have completed my role from being a twenty-something free man to an early middle aged family man. This is the beginning of my downfall, the end of my wild days- days of suburbia. What has it got to do with the shop? Well, this place very much sells stuff that a family needs- not likes- needs. You will find kitchen items, study essentials, pre packed snacks for kids; all the stuff that you really need if you were to start a family from scratch. Why has it got 5 stars? That's because every time I was instructed by the almighty to find items that I had no interest and no knowledge of finding, I would find it here. Lids for jars of different size? Checked. Cover for the ironing board? Checked. Plastic boxes for organizing stuff at home? Please choose your colour. Its a really convenient place to find stuff like that and its just so good that I don't need to make 10 trips to find them in different places.

Do you know how your vegetables get to your table, from countries as far as Spain or Chile? Do you…read morecare? Then keep on reading. I asked myself this question while I was working on a report and ended up with a detailed piece of research about the wholesale markets in Hong Kong. As you may know Hong Kong imports almost everything food related from abroad and in the case of fruits and veggies, some of them go through wholesale markets before they get delivered to your local shop or supermarket. I asked for an interview and guided tour in the Western wholesale market, which is the biggest ones and what started with some curiosity turned into an experience I learnt a lot from. There is a 50% chance the apple you have at your desk or the veggies you had for lunch passed by this market. And there's a 90% chance that those veggies came from China, unless you went for locally grown ones (then the chance is 2%). But the wholesale market not only deals with fruit and veggies; fish, meat and eggs are also traded on a daily basis. After the interview they took me on a really fun tour around the market: it was around 11am, so the busiest time was over (it's usually in the early morning). Although I missed that, I could imagine how crazy it could get in there. There are 512 stalls! And if you are good at figures, you may picture how much 103,600 tons of fruit is. Well, that's how much fruit they traded during 2013! The people at the market were extremely kind and attentive and I had a great time with them! Now every time I have a piece of fruit I wonder...how did this arrive to my fridge?