I love coming to the swimming pool at the SCAA on weekday mornings! It costs HK$28 per entry to the…read morepool, which is a little bit more than the public swimming pools, but it's worth it (this is an extra fee on top of the SCAA membership fee). The water is just so much cleaner than the Victoria Park swimming, the locker room is much bigger and less cramped. You do need to bring your own amenities: towel, shampoo/conditioner/soap, and a lock for the locker, but it's quite easy to manage. If you want to do lap swimming, there are specific lanes for it - look for "circle lap swimming" yellow signs.

I never realized the value of having a sports club sponsor a rugby team up until recently. I've…read moreplayed rugby for Causeway Bay and for many years all we had was a changing room and a couple of showers. Hong Kong Football Club has... Hong Kong Football club and a few other teams have their own fancy clubs. Some how we managed to get the SCAA on board and since then I've discovered things about the place I would have never imagined. It has a huge range of facilities, including bowling as well as the other more boring sports like badminton... or squash. There are also a couple of restaurants within the complex that cater to different preferences in terms of cuisine and cash flow. Most of the time I go there (with my team) to eat in their new Inside Out restaurant, a simple place that serves great burgers, lots of beer, and has one sports or another playing on big screens. It was obviously designed to support sports teams as it's partitioned off from the rest of the floor, which happens to be a DIY barbecue. It's certainly better off that way, for safety reasons, considering the amount of alcohol consumed during the meal. And there was me, walking by the place twice a week thinking why on earth would people want to join that place just for a driving ranger?! It turns out there is a lot more than meets the eye and still more for me to experience. It's a great place to go with a group of friends for a list of occasions - drinking games while golfing, a hardcore gym workout, or just a meal with the family, it's got it all.

The Observation wheel is a fun ride right next to the ferry terminal. The line is kind of long but…read moremoves quickly. You get to go around the loop three times with a few strangers in the cabin but it's still a nice view. Honestly my main complaint is the windows need to be cleaned more often because it's hard to take pictures through the hazy glass. It's a good deal for 20HKD.

Hong Kong Island…read more.. As a first timer for everything I've experienced on the first few days in Hong Kong riding a ferry to Hong Kong Island was nothing that I've ever experienced...hmmm well maybe visiting relative in Hiroshima at one of the islands but that was years ago so here I am with Nadine and the group to meet up with a friend from the group who has so amazingly taken us on a tour. Getting off the ferry and exiting the pier the first thing I saw is this massive Ferris wheel thing which is The Hong Kong Observations Wheel a stunning way to get a Birdseye view of the island and Victoria Harbor. Not sure of the details but what a stunning feature that I probably would've rode if given the chance...maybe on another trip perhaps! Thank you!

This place is old but functional, completed in Dec 1988 it's still pretty busy and it's become a…read moreneighborhood hangout spot of sorts. It's 5mins walk from Quarry Bay MTR, and If you pass by sometime you'll see elderly folks chatting and chilling at the small garden area outside the entrance. Hikers pass by the building because the entrance to the HK Island hiking trail Mount Parker is outside. So while this place is a bit rusty, it is far from obsolete. The sports center is small compared to other Government Sports Centers, only two floors, 6/f and 7/f. In the two floors, they managed to pack a table tennis room, 2 squash courts, basketball court (convertible into a volleyball court or 4 badminton courts), a dance room (189m2) and a small fitness room (165m2). Like I said, the place is a bit old and visibly so, and the ventilation is not so great in certain areas. But the place is still busy during off-work hours and classes are regularly held in the fitness rooms, so the much newer Island East Sport Center (2001) one MTR stop away has become a good alternative. Staff here are mostly similar to their patrons: old-timers who are friendly and talkative. That also pretty much sums up the sports center, a bit barebones, weathered, but genuine and neighborhood-friendly.

It seems like every time I come back and visit Hong Kong, this place is a must on my list. The new…read moreaddition this time, was of course the baby panda twins. Even with a timed ticket, there was a wait and crowds of people. Ocean Park is a whole day adventure. I absolutely love riding the cable cars from one end in Aqua city to the other end in Marine World. The waiting line can get very long for the cable cars, and we were fortunate enough to have our own. What I love most about this park is how it feels like a mini Disney World, a mix of looking at animals and also having theme park rides like roller coasters and the raft ride (which you will very possibly get wet!). While my motion sickness limits me from riding theme park rides, I enjoyed the ocean park tower overlooking most of the area, offering spectacular views from the top and the different fun animal exhibits with penguins, meerkats, aquatic creatures like mini jelly fish and sea dragons. Old Hong Kong was a nice walkthrough displaying the 50s to the 70s. The antique shop fronts were beautiful to look at. Usually I would ride the cable cars back to the entrance to leave but this time I rode the Ocean Express which felt like an underwater submarine.

Ocean Park is a classic to Hong Kong. I have heard a lot about it growing up and I always have the…read morementality that everyone should visit at least once when they are in Hong Kong. I am glad we brought our young daughters, 6.5 and 5 years old, on a Thursday in November. The weather was in the mid 60s (approximately 18 degrees Celsius), so we thought it was very comfortable. We went on the carousel and some simple rides. The park was not crowded at all so there were no waits. We also checked off several exhibits: panda, red panda, sea otters, walruses, sharks, and penguins. The panda exhibit was probably the most popular and we had to wait in line for approximately 10 minutes. For food, we really enjoyed what they had to offer at the Old Hong Kong. We shared soy sauce stir-fried noodles, fried fish ball siu mai, fried chicken leg quarter, egg waffles, and iced milk tea. They are very standard, classic Hong Kong street food. I was a bit disappointed that two of the food kiosks were closed because I wanted a bowl of cold tofu pudding. We would consider revisiting when the girls are older because there are several roller coaster rides for older kids by the North and South Pole sections. A few other positive notes: The bathrooms are clean and well maintained. The MTR is super convenient.

Wonderful park with different decor for each entrance on the Nathan side. Love it with the…read moreanimated characters...and painting on the floor. Well maintained and couple or several water fountains. We just walked through but felt safe plus felt not in a city rather in a fun relaxing atmosphere vibe. And it is right in the middle of a busiest street in HK.

A beautiful, well-maintained park with multiple geyser water fountains, lush foliage, sculptures,…read moreand lots of places for sitting and enjoying the ambiance. There's even a hedge maze and avenue of HK comics. It's well lit at night, safe and clean. Excellent place to visit or just walk around.

Stunning lookout! Kowloon Peak is actually taller than Victoria Peak and cooler in temperature than…read morethe city, making it a perfect getaway. To drive to the top, it's a one way mountain road, very windy. KP is definitely less developed and hence less touristy than Victoria. Completely worthwhile for killer views facing Hong Kong Island skyline, overlooking all of Kowloon. PS - top makeout spot for locals.

Dear PURE Hong Kong team, ATTN: Ms Theresa Shan, Managing…read moreDirector PURE Singapore I am traumatized and disappointed by my experience at PURE Singapore clubs and would like to inquire whether the same hygiene standards are being applied to at PURE Hong Kong as well. During my visit to the gym today, I was appalled when I caught a whiff of what smelled like a foul, sour stench of dried sweat emanating from the "clean" set of workout attire I had picked up at the changing room. I immediately discarded it into the dirty laundry bin to spare another member from this uncomfortable experience. Unfortunately, the next set of attire I picked had the same rancid stench. After a similar issue with the third set, I gave up as I did not want to be wasting any more resources and begrudging wore the third set of attire. No amount of deodorant spray could mask that putrid sweat odor that oozed from the attire that was hugging my body. What a distressing experience. Since PURE Singapore's decision to move laundry services in-house (was this decision co-approved by PURE Hong Kong?), I had repeatedly encountered instances of malodorous workout attire. Even though it mars my workout experience, I have previously tolerated this as I respected Managing Director PURE Singapore's business decision. However, today's experience has crossed the line, as the reeking stench of the attires on display today was reminiscent of the combined stale sweat of a thousand laborers. This is highly concerning. I would like to draw the attention of PURE Hong Kong and Managing Director PURE Singapore that there are health risks associated with this issue. Sweat can carry fungi (such as ringworm), bacteria (such as impetigo) and viruses (such as herpes), all of which can be transmitted through contaminated clothing. If the attire is not properly cleaned, this poses a significant health risk to the members of PURE Singapore. Given that PURE Group is a lifestyle brand with a purpose to inspire and help people to lead healthier, happier lives, it seems contradictory to allow members to wear contaminated clothing, potentially exposing them to harmful infections. Additionally, I find it puzzling that PURE Singapore invests in monthly deep cleaning of the gym facilities yet fails to ensure the cleanliness of the most basic equipment: the workout attire. It is also disheartening to see PURE Group, as a premium lifestyle brand, make members who pay a premium to enjoy a world-class facility and experience, put on rancid attire that stinks of other members' stale sweat. This is literally a slap across your members' face. Is this decision some sort of sadistic joke? Again, while I recognize the importance of cost-saving measures, it should not come at the expense of PURE members' health and overall experience. At this point I respectfully request that PURE Singapore to take one of the following actions: 1. Reverse this terrible decision to do laundry in-house and outsource to a professional, reliable laundry service provider that can ensure proper cleaning and hygiene of the workout attire 2. If outsourcing is not an option, I kindly ask that Managing Director PURE Singapore Ms Theresa Shan personally address this issue with a public clarification, perhaps, using a social media video; taking a whiff of the current workout attire and provide a clear POV demonstration of how she enforces strict hygiene standards in in-house in personally washing the attire, performing a smell test in the end to demonstrate that she approves the current hygiene standard. I expect a resolution to this matter (with one of the above two actions) within the next 2 weeks. Should this be not addressed as per my kind request, the matter will be further escalated. Thank you.

I've a lot of friends who frequent PURE so I figured it was about time to give it a shot. The…read moreservice is great - folks working there are accommodating and patient. Carefully (but not too much) walked me through the forms to sign for a guest pass, gave me the WiFi password, the works. The gym itself is pretty darn crowded even without the number of people there. They have too much equipment IMO and there's just no space. More is better, but sometimes less is more. PURE IFC has great views and offers towels and even workout clothes (including socks!) which is pretty nifty. They have great shower facilities, great odor control and in general everything you need to freshen up after a workout. I'd probably come back just because our offseason routine needs TRX and my own gym doesn't have that, but the place could definitely be less congested.

Hong Kong Disneyland is very small, compared to the other Disney parks, but it's very easy to do…read moreall the rides and see some shows all in one day! We did not need a fast pass (we went during a slow period), though we did do early entry (which cost extra) but probably could have accomplished everything without it. I am a former Disneyland pass holder and have been to the parks in Florida a few times. In comparison, HK Disneyland is very easy to get to since they have an MTR station that stops right at the park. We stayed at the Explorer's Lodge and were able to use the free shuttle bus to the park. With early entry, we were able to do the Frozen Ever After, Wandering Oaken's Sliding Sleds and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride all before the park opening. My daughter wanted to do a character meet and greet, which we queued up for as soon as we got into the park. The Disney parks in Asia have a set of characters unique to these parks and the character meet and greet waits can go up to 2 hours, so this was a bonus. We made sure to ride Mystic Manor, Frozen Ever After and the Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway MineCars twice since we don't have these in Anaheim. Food was a mixed bag. Some places were closed so we ate at the Explorer's Club, which had a semi-buffet. Food was ok but it was nice to have a sit-down lunch. The snacks were better - like the Lotso waffle sandwich, Korean grilled squid and the HK-Style Flavored Tea Slush with soft serve. We even caught a couple of shows - Festival of the Lion King and Mickey and the Wondrous Book. They are both good, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Mickey and the Wondrous Book. If you are a family with small kids, this is probably the easiest of the Disney parks to visit!

I came on a Saturday and was very pleasantly surprised by the wait times. The longest lines were…read moreonly 30 minutes, the average wait time was only 15 minutes. It's a much smaller park than the California Disneyland that I grew up with, but that was really nice as well; nothing felt rushed. We arrived at opening and by 2:30 had gone on just about every ride. They had a lot of character interactions and many shows around the park. It's not as expensive as US Disney parks either - that's a huge perk!