Like so many Hong Kongers, I have really bad eyesight. It's awful. Fortunately, I managed to find…read moremy way to Lenscrafters, where I got a pair of decent glasses for a reasonable cost. To be fair, it is a chain store that sells specs. Not much more, not much less. The service I got in the Wan Chai store was very good. The staff were pleasant and friendly, starting with the optician, who was thorough in his examination of my eyes, through to the floor staff who did well not to snigger when I picked frames that made me look like Chinese Elton John. What I did like was the ability to come back repeatedly to adjust my frames. I get that all opticians will do this until they fit right, and then there is the argument that they should just set them up properly in the first place. For my last pair of specs, they just could not seem to set the frames up properly without them dropping off my face, or cutting off circulation to my brain. They did get it right eventually, but after three attempts. The turn around time for appointments and glasses is good. You can pretty much walk in for an appointment, and so long as the optician isn't at lunch, you can be seen. If your requirements are simple, just frames and lenses, you can get a pair in a few hours, or certainly the next day. If you are like me and go for high index transitions etc., expect to wait at least a week, if not two. As with most of HK, the glasses are very reasonable (again, especially if they are standard). A regular set of specs will only set you can a few hundred HKD at most. For me, I spend into the multiple thousands of HKD, but that's because I am so lazy I don't want to have to move to put on sunglasses, let technology shade my eyes for me!

I am a fan of Uniqlo, but I am not a fan of this location. This Uniqlo is at New Town Plaza on the…read moresecond floor, which is actually one level below the main floor of the mall and MTR Sha Tin Station entrance. This store is moderately sized so the selection is decent. However what I don't like are the insane crowds here on the weekends. Really difficult to get around the store here. Like I said above, I like their products. Specifically their basic product lines like AIRism and HEATTECH which offer functional clothing at reasonable prices. AIRism is perfect for HK as it keeps you comfortable on warm weather days which this city has plenty of. Although there was large crowds, the line to pay was orderly and the service here friendly in spite of the chaos. If you live in the NT, this Uniqlo is perfectly fine. Just plan accordingly since this store is at New Town. It might be better to go to another store just to avoid the mall crowds here.

Great eye glass frame store. They carry many of the harder to find brands such as Lindberg.read more

Today it's a wonderful day already. I suck for boutique style shops, hidden, exclusive and unique…read more I've developed an eagle eye for not on ground level shops. Hong Kong's buildings are full of these and I had no idea until I started to look up and realized that lack of space it's a reality in this city and business look for places anywhere possible. That's how I found out this shop. I wasn't attracted first sight to their advertisement at street level but something told me they were especial. Oh yes! What a cool shop they are! It's a Hong Kong designed and handmade sunglasses shop. The place is big enough foe such a shop and it's decorated with a ton of COOLNESS and thought. They have a small space for eye sight measuring (they not only do sunglasses, but 'normal' glasses too) and they have pictures glued to the wall of people wearing them. Their brand is called Glamour Monster and it's well known among a hyspter circle of artists and other celebrities. All their pieces are handmade, they take about two days per piece so that you can wear an exclusive item in your pretty face. And that means their collections only have a few pieces (100 per model, around 8 per model and color). The guy at the shop explained the rational of this: besides being handmade and limited production, they want to keep it real when it comes to wearing some unique. And you would expect them to be expensive right? Not really. They are more affordable than chain production branded glasses. That's up to you but I'd save my money for this HK brand an wear something everyone else can find anywhere in the world. I've decided not to take pictures of this place because they like to keep it 'hidden' for their products. And added value, their staff is as cool as their glasses. They will advice you on best item based on your style and face type. How much cooler do you think they can be? Go see it with your own eyes!

This is really a beautiful in-door shopping center with every category of merchandise you could…read morepossible need. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Baby Dior and so on. Extremely well maintained with high end designer stores - although a bit intimidating because there didn't seem to be a lot of shoppers actually buying things. I was happy to see a Pret-A-Manger on the street level for fast food, because the Chinese restaurant on the upper floor seemed too much.

In the middle of a super hot Causeway Bay on a weekend, that's probably the only shopping mall…read morewhere you can go to get out of the crowd and breathe a little bit. There's a reason why the crowds aren't piling into this mall, there really isn't that much to see here. There used to be a nice coffee shop upstairs that I enjoyed going to, that was the only place where I didn't have to fit off 10 people for a table, however since the coffee shop closed, I never really set foot there anymore. There's nothing to see, the shops are overflowing with mainland Chinese (namely Louis Vuitton and Chanel). It kind of defeats the purpose of going into a shopping mall. I believe they went through a bit of renovations a few years ago, possibly a rebranding exercise, I don't see much difference. I think they could possibly do a little better positioning the mall. The shops itself are decent, just for some reason, they haven't managed to bring the right crowds.

Despite some odd punctuation usage in their brand name and logo, Z.T Bags does what it says on the…read moretin. It sells bags. With seven location dotted around HK Island, Kowloon and the NT, you will never be short of a bag shop again. Their main focus is on functional bags made from water resistant materials. They carry a large stock of sports bags and small rucksacks, as well as camera bags, computer bags, fashion bags (for the ladies), etc. I particularly like their bags that are super functional, a sort of rucksack, courier bag, laptop case, all in one. The brands they hold (Musou and ZOF) are not particularly known, so no Prada or LV, but they are of good quality and quite cost effective. Really, at that price, if it falls apart after a few months, just get another. They have a website with all of their products, but the site is a bit buggy and you can't actually buy from it (even though it does give you the option to). It does, however, actually show the products and has a bolt load of information both in English and Chinese. Check them out, the shop staff are really pleasant and ready to help.

I like this shop because it's a bags only shop. Quite convenient if all you're looking for is a bag…read moreright? That's my case at the moment! I have been to various sports shops in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay just looking for a rucksack and they all had the same problem: little selection, they are more focused on other sports items, especially clothes. I happened to walk by this shop today and decided to have a look inside. Good decision...they have all kinds of bags: sports, laptop, casual...I'm not very keen on the design of the casual ones and wouldn't buy one of those for myself, they look too 'pragmatic'. But that's all I need for my rucksack as I'm planning to use it for hiking and backpacking (light lugagge). I found the perfect one, thanks to the help of one members of the staff; she was spot on with my bag picking one that's within my price range (470 HKD), water resistant, quality material, big enough for possibly a week of backpacking and perfect as a hand luggage. The only decision that remains to be done is color! As I wanted to buy an unisex for use by a few at home. I'm going back tomorrow for the yellow one finally. The options are broad and variety is great. Looking for a functional good quality bag? This is the place.

Fancy going to a bookstore, get your books, and also pick up a new pair of eyeglasses, a necklace,…read morea bubble tea; a head of lettuce, a bag of quinoa and some sauces for dinner, a loaf of bread for tomorrow's breakfast, along with a toaster oven and coffee maker; some soap, incense, a potted plant for your home, and finally a caricature of yourself. Yes, you can do all that and more at this Eslite bookstore. While many bookstores carry some stationery, paper goods, toys and coffee, this place totally bring it to a new level. The store is somewhat divided up into stations like department stores, and as you walk around you will see a stall selling ceramics, then one selling cookies, another with leather goods... There was a lady making jewelries behind counter, one sampling her cakes, and another water-coloring on a table. There are quite a few booths promoting products designed in Hong Kong, with some local flair that makes for good souvenirs too. With so many things to see, this is a great place to spend some time, and you are unlikely to walk away empty handed. However, if you expect to find two storeys full of books, you may feel a bit disappointed. They do have a good selection of both English and Chinese titles, but not as extensive as I'd expected, and the organization is somewhat loose, making it hard to navigate around if you are looking for a specific title.

Summary: This place is beautiful but maddening if you are pressed for time. The large selection of…read moreknickknacks is also mystifying. Over a very sprawling two floors you can find (almost) everything you'd want - fountain pens, honey, baked goods, paper goods, nail polish, eyeglasses, tote bags, jewelry - oh yes, and books. Tons of books. This is a huge improvement from the hodgepodge of neglected shops that used to comprise Star House. The store is never totally crowded, and you have to wonder who is actually buying the beautifully arranged (but useless) expensive knickknacks all over there store. I've never actually seen anyone buy these things. Shoppers may be frustrated because the store is SO large that a quick in-and-out trip is nearly impossible. It's very easy to lose your bearings among the maze of books and displays - hence four stars not five. A personal highlight for me is the Ten Ren tea concession (2/F, near a bakery and the escalator entrance in Star House) - where you can get one of Hong Kong's butter cups of tapioca milk tea.

This location has several floors and offers a huge selection of men's, ladies' and children's…read morefashion. They even have a clearance floor at the top. The prices are very good, the clothes are good quality and the staff is helpful. We stopped in for a look and ended up spending $900 HKD to get $200 off. We got about 10 items ranging from pants, a jacket, a few shirts and two sweaters. The second time we stopped in (two days later), the promotion ended however, there were discounts on certain items throughout the store. The deals were so good, we wanted to buy more but our suitcases were too full already. I would definitely shop at this store again the next time I am in Hong Kong!