A group of friends and I (five of us in total) went to Life Memory Icon for a photo shoot after…read moreseeing an attractive deal on Groupon for it. We had seen many similar photo shoot offers on Groupon before, but this was the first we had seen that was located in Causeway Bay instead of somewhere in Kowloon, which was more convenient for most of us and was the main deciding factor for us in purchasing the deal. Overall, we enjoyed the photo shoot and were able to leave with some pretty good pictures. The building that Life Memory Icon is in is towards the end of Lockhart Road (kind of at the point where Wan Chai becomes Causeway Bay), and the studio is at the penthouse floor of the building. The service at Life Memory Icon was very good and the staff were patient with us - we actually arrived about five minutes late, and had to wait around for ten more minutes for our last friend to arrive. The staff told us it was fine and that there was no rush, and that we will just begin when everyone has arrived and changed. The photographer was very skilled and gave us many ideas for poses, and was patient with us too. We had brought three sets of clothes to change into and the photographer gave us sufficient time to change. The center had many props and backgrounds for us to photograph with as well. My only complaint was that of the over hundred photos that we took, we were only allowed to choose 25 photos of the bunch to keep. If we wanted more, we had to pay extra, which is just an obvious money-making tactic. Also, they informed us that we can only come back to review and collect our photos after three weeks. This is a pretty long wait considering that it's just photo files being retouched and transferred to a file, and it meant that one of our friends who was going to be in the UK by then wouldn't be able to review the photos with us. Though we initially thought 25 photos was very little, we actually didn't have a hard time narrowing down the photos as we were pretty picky with our shots. Still, I do wish that they would increase the limit as I can imagine that other people who come here would have trouble choosing.

This is a shared work space that has a comfortable working environment for when you need to get…read morethings done outside of home. They have conference rooms, private office spaces, lounge areas, and an outdoor space for events. You can either pay per day or pay a membership fee to use it on a regular basis. You can work there, hold meetings, or network with other members. In fact, they encourage networking between their members from all branches, including the Wan Chai branch, but also their international branches like Singapore and Bangkok. They have an in-house cafe where they sell coffee, tea, beer, soda, and cake slices. They host regular events like movie nights or tastings which you can check out on their website. Non-members are also able to rent their spaces for their events. The one thing to keep in mind is there is virtually no parking on site. They have like 3 parking spaces in front of their building, which are always taken up. There is currently parking across the street on the construction site, which will go away soon. I suggest you transport here or walk.

I'm a huge fan of the Residence G in Hong Kong! The "G" girls provide consistent outstanding…read moreservice from the time you enter the 2nd(?) floor front desk, to anytime you enter the lobby. There are fresh croissants, coffee, and juice waiting for you in the morning all complementary! The hotel is squeaky clean, beds are extremely comfortable by American standards. Starbucks and other "American" fast food is just around the corner. Kowloon is not a typical tourist area of Hong Kong which actually makes it nice. Its a short taxi ride from the Airport Express stop and very convenient to the Jordan subway station and Tsim Sha Tsui Station. Hong Kong Island and all the touristy destinations are just a short Water taxi or Subway ride away! I also really cant speak highly enough of the "handy" cell phone/internet device which is yours complimentary during your stay! How comforting to have a local device without worry of data roaming or having to find a wifi hotspot on your own cell phone. The "Handy" is just that Handy! We took it everywhere to find restaurants, subway information, even to take pictures after our own cell phones died! We simply connected it to the cloud and was able to transfer the pictures to my DropBox! I haven't tried their new downstairs restaurant but hear good things! The rooms are quiet spacious and the rates are extremely competitive. Bottom line is if you are an American venturing to Hong Kong for the first time (or the 10th) give the "G" a chance! You will be pleasantly surprised!

Tian and Di are actually two separate function rooms inside the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Tian is…read morea larger space that caters to a bigger reception. I was here for a press event with a Hollywood celebrity because on my own, I wouldn't be able to afford to rent out the venue as it is the most exclusive function room in town. First off, this function room was hard to find. When I was inside the hotel, the staff didn't understand when I said I needed to go to "Tian and Di", and instead directed me to the hotel room elevators. At some point, I was thinking "does this place even exist?" because no one knew how to get there. I walked around for about 15 minutes and saw that it was on the same floor as Amber (consistently ranked the best restaurant in the city), so I just popped on an elevator and press the 7th floor. Getting off the elevator, I took a peek at Amber to my right, knowing that I would have to blow serious dough just to afford an appetizer there. Upon entering the venue, I sensed the intimate nature and privacy of the place. It was really quiet, classy, and exuded luxury like no other function room that I've been to. The staff in charge of tea and confections were highly trained, moved fast, and were rarely seen as they seem to blend with the surroundings. The carpet was exquisitely velvet and the chair comfy as a cloud. As I sat down, I received the press release for the event and the rundown, which they happily gave to me in Chinese while a woman who sat next to me had both the English and Chinese version. Overall, if you've got the greens to book Tian, Di or both(!), go right ahead as the venue is truly stellar and totally discrete. I find this place perfect for high-level corporate meetings and exclusive gatherings.

ABC Stationery is just down the street from where I used to live, and I would pass by it every time…read moreI walk home. I loved that it was so convenient to go there, because if I needed to buy pens, erasers or any other stationery, I wouldn't even need to go out of my way to get them because I would pass the stationery shop anyway. The shop owner is a very nice woman and if she's not busy helping another customer, she will always help you with what you're looking for. I remember once, I was buying two correction tape refills. When I brought it up to the cashier to pay, the lady told me that if I'm going to buy two, I might as well buy this value pack that comes with two refills inside it because it'll be a dollar cheaper. I thought that was pretty nice of her! The shop is quite small though and everything is extremely packed, which makes it hard to find what you want sometimes. And if there are other customers in the shop it's a bit hard to move around as well, but rent in HK is expensive so this can't be helped!

Stepping through the main gate of the Mui Wo in is like stepping into a movie set, the genre being…read morehorror. During the day it's not so bad, still a little creepy, but at night it can be a little bit scary. Not scary for me... *cough* I mean could be scary for others... In the hotel's front patio there are a number of alabaster-white statues with missing limbs dotted around the place. I'm pretty sure they were meant to add some sort of artistic value but I think they are freaky. Don't judge a book by its cover, so I've been told! Inside the Inn it gets better - less scary, more normal. I noticed a restaurant on the ground floor though I never ate there, instead I chose to check in and go straight to my room. It was a garden view, the cheapest of the lot, and didn't offer much other than a bed and bathroom. The air-con and fridge were working, just at monstrous levels. Not a problem for an HK kid like me, where by if I don't have a certain level of noise it becomes too quiet to sleep! So what, I thought, I got this room on Groupon or something, what could I expect? I slept pretty well that night and it was the next morning when I fully realised the value of this place. Location, location, location. It is literally thirty seconds from the beach. Waking up and being able to hear the waves of the sea, have a stroll on the beach, or simply look out at all the islands puts the price of the place in perspective. We stayed a total of two nights, spending most of our time away from the actual hotel and on the beach, or nearby beaches of Lantau, but no nasty stuff to report. A great place for a weekend getaway out of the city, I can tell you, but don't expect any frills.