When I think of Hong Kong, I see a junk boat with red sails and the city buildings in the…read morebackground. I'd argue that it's one of the most iconic pictures of Hong Kong and I was excited to see Aqua Luna offering various types of cruises in the junk boat. We originally bought our tickets online but because of a typhoon, all cruises were cancelled. Luckily, we had the option for a refund or reschedule and we chose refund for flexibility...just in case we couldn't make the reschedule. We managed to find time later but I wasn't able to finalize the purchase before sales closed on the website. I was able to call them and they told me to just show up at the pick-up location and pay in person. Credit card accepted! Every night at 8PM, the city puts up a light show with music. You can watch that on either side of the harbor but being in the waters sounded like a unique viewpoint and you can switch sides whenever you want. The Symphony of Lights cruise has two pickup spots, one at Tsim Sha Tsui Pier 1 (7:30PM) and the other at Central Pier 9 (7:45PM). If you want the best seats, go to the Tsim Sha Tsui Pier 1 pickup and head upstairs. You'll want the seats on the right side of the boat. The cruise itself was pretty fantastic. The city lights reflect on the water and it makes for a great picture. It was a August summer night, right after a typhoon, and the weather/temperature was way more manageable. However, the light show was really anti-climatic. The picture on Aqua Luna's website makes it look so grand but what we saw was just some flashing lights, some sparse lasers. It's like they spread out the special effects across the buildings too much. But that's not Aqua Luna's problem, they're just providing a means and they did a great job at that! Each ticket also gets you a drink!

One of the things I really wanted to do in Hong Kong was ride one of the traditional junk boats,…read moresince those red sails are such an iconic part of Victoria Harbour. I'm glad we chose the Aqualuna Harbour Cruise because instead of the typical modern yachts and boats with neon lights, this actually feels like you're experiencing a little piece of old Hong Kong. We took the early evening cruise, which was perfect. It's around 45 minutes and comes with one drink, plus there's a bar onboard. There's also an upper deck where you can sit outside and enjoy the breeze. The views are spectacular because you get to see both sides of Victoria Harbour as the skyline starts lighting up for the night. The boat itself was really my favorite part. The wood interiors, red lanterns and huge red sails give it so much character, and it's very different from just taking another regular harbour cruise. My only comment would be the music. It was a bit of a hodgepodge and didn't really suit the setting. Something more relaxed and atmospheric would have made the cruise even nicer. Still, I'm really glad we did it. If you're going to cruise Victoria Harbour, riding one of Hong Kong's iconic red-sail junk boats makes the experience much more memorable.

The amazing boat tour in Hong Kong that you have to go! Day time cruise is cheapest at $71HKD…read more(~$10USD), and night time cruise $175-$200HKD. I would recommend the day time because 1) it's a lot cheaper, 2) it's a nice breezy getaway during the hot day, 3) the views are gorgeous during the daytime! There are cheaper ways to use the Star Ferry to get across for less than $1 but it specifically only takes you one path. This tour takes you from all corners of Hong Kong Bay for about 1 solid hour. I paid for the 360 view and you also get a free drink and snack as well! I would say if you're a born sea lad (or lassie like me ;) you should definitely pay for this harbour tour. TBH it's cheaper than any boat cruise tour you'll ever go on in America. Can you imagine an American cruise tour for $10USD?! Haha enjoy scenic sea lovers!

I've taken many Star Ferry rides between Central, Tsim Sha Tsu but never the Harbour Tour until my…read moremost recent trip. We had a change of plans one day and were left looking for something to do. With the heat of the summer, we wanted to be on the water and decided to check out the Harbour Tour, and it was a perfect choice! For under $15pp, we enjoyed an hour-long cruise around the harbor. The nice thing about the tour vs. the regular Star Ferry trips is it goes around the whole harbor and has commentary. With your ticket purchase, there is a free soda/water/snack, and beer is available for purchase. The boat is beautiful, restored Star Ferry. Another perk is that there is an indoor air conditioned section which is perfect on the hottest of days!

You know how Hong Kongers love to whine about living in the city and how expensive it is here?…read moreWell... those people should come here where you can a) escape the hustle and bustle by paddling/windsurfing your way to a secluded beach b) rent kayaks from as little at $40. Seriously... $40! What a bargain! So the staff at Aqua Bound are not that helpful unless you're going to take a class but they will happily take your money and point you towards the ocean. They'll even lend you a life jacket if you ask nicely (and you should). However, I do LOVE that they have zero qualms about letting you pack you pug (or any other type of dog) into your kayak or will happily dog-sit your hound should the waves appear too intimidating for the little pooch. Aqua Bound also rent out SUPs which are a blast as well as a fantastic way to get a tan on a nice day. The sea is calmest first thing in the morning so skip the lie in and make the most of Hong Kong's glassy waters. Trust me, it makes balancing a whole lot easier.

Where Aqualuna departs. Close to Ferris wheel and circus. Fishermen fish under the pier with…read morebread which was kinda interesting. Sheltered from rain. Few seating benches.

I'm not a tourist, I live in Sheung Wan, but this tourist thing to do is AWESOME! I kept seeing…read morethe mysterious red junk boat in the harbor from time to time, but just thought "oh a tourist thing." Which it is, but we really had a great experience of taking the Aqua Luna red junk boat from Central to Stanley on a Sunday at noon. My husband and I thought we might go over to Stanley to bump around on a Sunday as a simple summer thing to do and spend the day. We were inclined to take a cab, because we do not like lines with the bus situation. I took a peak on line to see if there was a water option on getting from Central to Stanley and Aqua Luna was the main thing that kept popping up. I am sure that there might be one or two others, for in Stanley, we saw people waiting on the docks, but based on my search on-line, there are not many options Aqua Luna offers evening harbor cruises, a Hong Kong harbour discovery tour and Stanley weekend cruises. We took the Stanley weekend cruise that departs from Central at noon every Saturday and Sunday (these are the only two options at all during a week). If you get to Central and get to the Central Piers, go to Pier 9 and you will find a Aqua Luna rep and at one of the docks down the pier a bit. Although it appeared to highly encourage an on-line booking, we simply showed up about 20 minutes early, checked in with the rep, they had space for us that day, queued up in line and we were good to go. Queuing up early is key if you wish to sit or rather lounge on the rattan couches on the open air upper floor and/or have interest in your seat selection (I believe the lower deck in fully enclosed and air conditioned, not certain though because I never went down there). Once the boat leaves the dock, the staff walk around and gather payment, which we paid by cash. We bought a one way ticket, with the intention of taking a cab back, and it cost $250HKD for one person and includes a drink. Also, know that once the boat leaves from Central Pier 9, it travels across the harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui Piblic Pier 1 for pick up those passengers at that Aqua Luna departure point before it departs for Stanley. So if you board from Tsim Sha Tsui, you get second pics on seating (because all the people from Central Pier boarded before you) and guaranteed to most likely not sit up top. It was a beautiful day, although hot. Once the boat gets going, there is a natural breeze that cools things down a bit. We were in shorts and t-shirts, which was the way to go with the heat on the boat ride. The rattan open air top level was so comfortable, relaxing and cozy as we kicked our shoes off, curled up and enjoyed our beer (juices, beer, wine, water are beverage options). The views and seeing the surrounding islands on this 90 minute voyage really is a great way to experience Hong Kong away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. We were most impressed by the staff who were all welcoming, kind, smiling, appreciative, attentive and focused on the safety of passengers at all moments, from each person who boarded the step to safely get on the boat to each person walking up and down the staircase during the trip when waters were choppy or people's sea legs were not properly underneath them. What a great experience! We would highly recommend Aqua Luna and the mysterious red junk to anyone interested in seeing Hong Kong from a different vantage point.

Diving Adventure is a full service scuba diving centre and shop in Causeway Bay, and by this I mean…read morethey run diver training courses, fun diving, boat trips, other dive travel and a retail shop. The diving trips they run out of HK are a little more expensive than some dive operators, but they are well organised and don't tend to be too over subscribed. Word of warning, when you dive as a fun diver (especially if you have booked space onto their boat via another dive operator), you will be given a lower priority than their students, and this can be a bit unpleasant, especially if you are tired, cold and wet after diving and have to rest on the wet dive deck, rather than in the boat lounge, which is for their guests only. Where they do excel, is their retail shop. They have an excellent range of products, from lots of different brands. The prices are reasonable, but make sure you ask for a discount, as they are often willing to give quite generously. in fact, the last time I went in there to buy a bag, the shop staff gave me the price, then the discount price in the same breath. I didn't even have to ask for it. If you buy more than HKD2000 of kit, you can join their membership which gives and additional discount (5% on my last visit) The shop itself is a bit cluttered, so you may have to have a good dig around or ask for help, but the staff are knowledgeable, most of whom are divers anyway. They will also bend over backwards to answer the most difficult questions, including searching online and calling the manufacturer - I only asked them about stopwatches! Definitely a good place to shop, but just be wary of their local dive trips. You may have a better experience than me...

I almost never book tour guides when I travel, but I was looking for things to do while in Hong…read moreKong and stumbled across Mandy and Apple in Trip Advisor and every client raved about them. I met Mandy just outside of the station on Nathan Road. Immediately I felt very comfortable with her as if I were meeting an old friend. She is extremely personable, friendly and genuine. She has an enthusiasm about Hong Kong that I hadn't gotten from others and was eager to take me to some of the places that other tourists don't see. I won't go into detail about all the places we visited or food we ate, but let me give you a few good tips. You'll want to try an egg tart at Tai Cheong Bakery. Also try the Dim Sum at Chung's Cuisine. She will help you order some really tasty treats. The best thing about Hong Kong Getaway with Mandy and Apple is that they will create a custom tour for you based on what you prefer such as a food tour, a cultural tour or even if you just want to see the main sites, they will know the best times to avoid the crowds as well as the best way to get around. Even after my day with Mandy, she knew I was going to be in Hong Kong for a few more days so she kept emailing me other ideas on where to go and what to check out. If you are visiting Hong Kong, I highly recommend you use Hong Kong Getaway as your personal tour guide.

This was my second tour with Hong Kong Getaway!…read more This is by far the best tour of Hong Kong (shoot, maybe of any place). First, Mandy customizes the tour to your interests. She is uncanny in her ability, in a few questions, to know exactly what to recommend. And she's quick to pick up on when it's time to change the agenda. Second, her knowledge of Hong Kong, both history, culture, and layout, are extensive. But don't expect a history lecture. She'll tell you what you want to know, in a way that enhances the visit. Want detailed historical info? She can do it! Want a 2-minute overview encapsulating the background? Done, with all the important info included. Third, Mandy makes each tour like a visit with a good friend. Her warm, friendly personality is absolutely the best! For this tour, Mandy knew I like seeing and doing things locals do. She arranged a visit to the New Territories, a boat ride and visit to a fishing village, and many more stops. Chatting with her made the time fly! I recommend this tour!

Diving Express is the big daddy of dive operators in Hong Kong, and by this I mean they seem to…read morehave their hooks in most of the consumer market here. They are indeed big, I believe they own three boats, one overnight boat out two day boats. They also have a shop in TST, but judging by the setup of the shop, you would have thought they are a mom and pop store. Diving express is definitely known for their local dive tours and overseas by travel. Their local dive tours depart from Sai Kung, and every Sunday you can see the volume of customer throughput they have, simply by looking at the number of divers they jam onto each boat. There are many other dive operators in Hong Kong, but you may be surprised to find that most of them book their boat diving on the Diving Express boats. If you are interested in diving in Hong Kong, you are better off making a beeline directly to diving express, as you will invariably end up on one of their boats anyway. They also have a well stocked shop in TST. Like their boats, it is a bit of a cramped space with piles of diving equipment stack up on top of each other, but they do hold many products and most of the brands. The staff are knowledgeable (ask for Denny), most being divers themselves, and are willing to give advice as required. They also have a reasonable selection of diving camera accessories, which can sometimes be hard to find in Hong Kong. The dive kit is reasonably priced, and what they don't have can be ordered. As with many of these specialist dive operators, whether it be retail or travel, you are better off doing some research beforehand, or going with a buddy. Diving express unfortunately suffers from the sausage factory approach, which means as a novice diver you may be somewhat intimidated by crowded boats and shop. Take care, and dive safe.

This really unassuming roast meat shop is considered to have one of the best char siu in Hong Kong…read more Chai wan is not a place you would visit unless you live in the area, which is a good thing as the lines are reasonable and the prices aren't inflated. There is limited seating so it's best to come in a small group or do take away. Food: 4 stars Value: 4.5 stars Overall: 4.25 stars Recommendations: char siu, goose, duck leg It is definitely one of the better versions I have had and is comparable to the more high end iberico pork versions served in the Michelin restaurants. The char siu is not sweet at all and you get that nice touch of sweetness from the dipping sauce which is very good here. The consistency is not as thick as most places and has the right level of sweetness. I also had the duck leg here and that was also great. For a place with this type of reputation the price point is quite low. Usually when places in HK have a following the prices are at sit down restaurant levels. So I would be dissuaded by the fact that the price is slightly higher than in the cooked food center. Next time I do want to try the suckling pig.

I wanted to come here because of Lucas Sim but sadly it did not live up to it. There are only 2…read moretables for dine in so you'll have to wait if you want to eat in. Most people take away. I heard that they only roast 3 times a day and that's when you can get the best cuts. Otherwise you get the mediocre cuts. I ate in and ordered the 3 meats - duck, suckling pig, cha siu. The cha siu was 80% fat and had a big tendon across it. The suckling pig had super thick meat and the skin was more towards the burnt side. The duck was dry. I also don't see them advertise for the special cha siu cuts like 一片天，三粒叉，第一刀 so maybe it's a secret menu for the people in the know.