This place is basically like a giant Etsy shop/Instagram photo opp…read more Came to take selfies in front of the koi staircase. Left with nearly a dozen pairs of cute and unique earrings crafted by HK-based jewelry maker @ashayatheone, for $8 to $15 (USD) a pair. Though I definitely spent more than I would have for souvenirs at the Ladies Market, it was worth it not to feel stressed out having to haggle on the streets of Mong Kok. Plus, I walked out with better quality stuff, supported a local business, and got to check out the current art exhibit ("LONG TIME NO SEE": a set of hand-drawn murals paying homage to the history of the PMQ building).

I'm glad that I decided to come on the recommendation from my friend. I wasn't sure what to expect…read morebut I enjoyed going through the different levels to browse the shops and exhibits from local artists and entrepreneurs. This is definitely not your average mall where it's the same brands and shops like at every other mall. It's too bad that the rooftop garden was under renovation when I went. It would've been nice to sit outside. I liked the exhibit that showed an example of what a home of a police family would've looked like. The video playing in the unit depicted happy tenants that loved living there and got on well with their neighbours. There was also a mahjong exhibit that was quite enjoyable and informative. I wasn't able to see the underground interpretation area, that'll have to wait for next time.

Same ol cheap souvenir goods one stall to the next. They say haggle is normal. Start at 50% of…read moreasking. Walk away as there is another seller a few stalls down selling the same thing. Note that you can find good value (low price) stuff. If you know what you want and what you are willing to pay for it. Buyer beware! Example is designer hand bags. Great looking knock offs for sure. But if you don't need the real thing. This place is a gold mine! The vendors set up and take down the stalls every night it seems. Crazy ton of work but once set up the market is quite busy and worth at least a stroll one evening. Another hidden gem are the brick and mortar stores and restaurants behind the night stalls. Plenty of food and misc businesses back there that are concealed by the night market stalls Don't expect much customer service. Bargain and be confident. Have fun!

This is well known especially if you have read about it in guides online or if you so happens to be…read moreChinese. It is the place for cheap knockoffs. Backpacks, both men's and women's wear, purses, shoes, towels, toys etc. There are several blocks so I would take your time visiting each one to get a feel for it. Don't immediately give in especially the first vendor you visit. Could be selling for too much. Though after a while, do start hassling. If it is too high then move on to the next one and the next one. However if they pull you back, then listen to them. Perhaps it's a good deal. It really depends on the particular vendor. Eventually I did an excellent deal. I recommend it going even once. Just follow the people heading that way. Or when you see it, you know you're in the right place.

Coffee shop within a flower shop, I've enjoyed a nice cup of java here while looking at all the…read morefloral landscapes that this shop offers. the cafe is not as large as others but enough seats to enjoy your breakfast. Other then my latte, they have the best lemon poppy seed cup cakes.

Exceptionally great coffee found in the cafe at the back of the florist! Makes a trip to the flower…read moremarket much more bearable. There is a selection of pastries and cakes on offer as well and some pretty cool Japanese style plants.

Stayed next door hotel that connected to this mall. Quite nite and very clean. Several levels…read morewith plenty of stores plus a supermarket and restaurants on the lower levels. Also it connected to the train stations too. Very convenient to everything from stay, shop, eat and transportation. It's very walking distance to Nathen road and the waterfront too.

Okay, wow--this place is absolute chaos, but in a fun way! We stopped by the Pop Mart here in…read moreKowloon to hunt down a Christmas present for our granddaughter, and I have never seen a store this packed. Apparently, everyone in Hong Kong is obsessed with "Labubu" right now? There were swarms of people specifically looking for those. I admit, I was a little overwhelmed at first because there are just too many choices. Wall-to-wall blind boxes, big figurines, and so many different collab characters I couldn't even keep track of. It took a minute to navigate through the crowd, but we finally picked out a really cute one for her (fingers crossed she doesn't have it yet!). If you're shopping for gifts, this is definitely the spot, just be prepared to squeeze through some serious crowds! Pros: Insane selection, super cute displays. Cons: You need sharp elbows to get to the shelves!

Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. For two MTR Stations' distance, there is a…read morefamous Toy Street named Tai Yuen Street in Wan Chai. No matter how old we are, Tai Yuen Street can evoke our happy childhood memories. It is because every toy from the latest marvel heroes' figures, limited edition Japanese figures to Tin Toy are available there. Apart from toys, there is also a great place to pick up seasonal decorations. In the weeks before Chinese New Year, Halloween and Christmas, they sell festival decorations, party outfits, and accessories. In addition, many people in Hong Kong believe that good Feng Shui can attract prosperity and ward off bad luck. Feng Shui decorating can be found there. Honestly, there are just less than 10 toy stores in Tai Yuen Street, even it is known as a famous toy street. For someone who has a tight schedule during a business trip in Hong Kong Island, the location is perfect.

See, there are many things that I love about Hong Kong - all that density makes up for a diverse…read morescenery, and all that commerce means everyone is at each other's throats for your business. If you are a savvy shopper, you pretty much know where to go for certain things. I know that if you want remote control cars or airsoft guns, you hit Kwong Wa street (廣華街) - if you want Legos, you hit In's Point (現時點). If you want a crap-ton of Japanese figurines, you hit Richmond Shopping Arcade (皆旺商場) or Sino Centre (信和中心). If you like diecast display planes, you hit West Main trading (西幹線玩具) near Prince Edwards MTR. If you want diecast buses, that's 80M bus shop, which has multiple locations in the territory. If you got the money you can try hitting the spiral at Langham Place (朗豪坊) if you want to check out the latest fashion accessories from Shinjuku or Seoul. Me, I like collectibles - stuff like Rement food kits, F-Toys trade models, little double decker buses like the stuff that TinyHK (微影) put together. I enjoy collecting stuff like that for the display cabinet back in New York. Now, normally, you can hit Wonderland Superstores (奇趣天地) all over Hong Kong, but you could end up paying a lot, and their selection is often meh. That brings us to Tai Yuen street (太原街). If you know your Hong Kong history, you would know that Lee Tung Street (利東街) used to be right next door - it's a 3 block long street of little print shops and stores that were the go-to spot for doing wedding invitations. The Urban Renewal Authority of Hong Kong (市建局) tore that entire street down and replaced it with a shopping mall, which gentrified the place but also killed a crapload of those little businesses. The URA is not known for being nice and understanding to the little shop owners, and none of them were invited back. Basically, Tai Yuen is a peek at what that area looked like in the past, and frankly, the place is a freaking jewel. Just wait until past noon if you want to see stuff bloom here. First, check out the intersection with Johnson Road (where the Tramways run), the stalls in the middle sells all sorts of stuff like the Japanese fortune kitties. One of the stallkeepers there also has a really nice diorama of a Hong Kong Dai Pai Dong and a couple of buses, so thats cool. Then there's the toy stores. Well, there's really only, like 6, but if you have to choose one, check out Hung Hing Toys (鴻興玩具), which spans 2 storefronts and has nearly everything, from Gashopons, to Giant Robo figurines, to Legos, and to TinyHK/F-Toys/Rement figurines that I like so much. The others are still rather nice, but not as extensive as Hung Hing. You also got stalls with trinklets, bags, and stuff like that. Note that the usual crapload of cheap gaudy ugly Mainland products (ala Lady's night market) are kept to a minimum here. Next, continue down the block - wanna try some snake soup? Se Wong Sun (蛇王燊) makes a decent meal out of them. Now, if you continue on down, you'll hit the market area on Cross Street - keep an eye out for a classically Hong Kong treat - Smith's Orange Jelly candy (史蜜夫鮮橙花軟糖), which is made by Smith's Candy company (史蜜夫糖果廠) out in the New Territories. It's the flavor that most Honkers grew up with, and there are usually at leas one candy peddler with bags of candies and a scale. They sell them by the pound, and you can mix and match. Smith's makes an Orange jelly, a Melon jelly, and the classic nougat. Keep an eye out for the produce markets nearby. If you want a real Hong Kong treat, hit Cross Street until you get to Spring Garden Lane, and then look for Kam Fung (41 Spring Garden Lane) - it's a decent with fresh out-the-door Bolo and Cocktail buns, and one of the best pre-blended iced milk tea in the Central district. I hope you took photos, because this is probably as good as it can get in terms of outdoor markets. This is also about as good as Hong Kong can get.

Shopping experience…read more.. Retail therapy is my best relief and here in Hong Kong's Fa Yuen Street Market it definitely was something that I'm so glad to have visited. Nadine and so proudly figured out to navigate our way to this huge area that seem to have the dedicated space for this market which took the whole street. Walking through as I browsed each vendor there seem to be the same of many items which made me confused if it was the same seller or different though some of the prices and various other items differ I wasn't the greatest at bargaining though it was easier if it was just out of curiosity versus a want it was really fun looking through the various items with everything from household to electronics, towels and plushies. Taking the train was definitely fun and easy just find your way to Log Kok Station and there are signs to guide you the way...happy shopping! Thank you!

Fa Yuen Street is another "Night Market" shopping experience…read more The street is blocked off from vehicular traffic and both sides of the street are lined with vendors that block the regular brick and mortar shops along the way. That means there's four rows of shopping! The outdoor ambiance was fine for an October day. The sky was a bit overcast, so we were not burning in the heat. Some stalls weren't set up by noon, but most were open. Vendors didn't bargain much since prices were quite reasonable. Example: I got a pair of socks for 10 HK$ while I got another pair for 12 HK$ at a different place yesterday. Yeah, it's only a few cents difference, but hey... it's the principle. Fa Yuen Street had more fruits, towels, and household goods as compared with the Ladies Market. I saw pillows, curtains, chair covers, blankets, and scissors here. Other merchandise included luggage, purses, tote bags, reusable bags, Thai-style clothing, umbrellas, sunglasses, socks, underwear, and more! For us, it was worth the trek over. We got off at the Mong Kok Station... same one we used for the Ladies Market!

I purchased a few jade bracelets here on my last trip. My HKg GF came with me. It is a clapboard…read moreshell with rows and and rows of stalls full of jewelry products. Much of the stuff looks the same. My friend spoke in Mandarin and did all the haggling. Yes, buyer beware. The sellers at all the stalls love cash and the USD was favorable over HKD. I was pleased with the 3 braceletsI got ($40), even though I wasn't sure if it was quality jade. Recently I had to restring a beaded bracelet and asked if the jade was "real." Turns out that my pieces are of decent quality nephrite and could retail here in the States for much more. Just experience of shopping there was worth it!

I'm not entirely sure whether you can consider a market to be a tourist attraction, though in a way…read moreit is probably better that, say going to a shopping centre, namely because then tend to be so much more alive. Yeah, this is basically the situation with this place, it is alive, despite the only thing that they sell is jade. Honestly, it didn't impress me all that much, particularly since every second vendor is attempting to flog off some over priced trinket to you, though of course you do have the option of talking them down.

Temple Street Market is a must-visit in Hong Kong. The vendors are incredibly friendly and clearly…read morelove to bargain, which makes the experience fun and engaging. There's an endless variety of merchandise to browse, along with plenty of food stalls offering tempting local eats. The area felt safe, lively, and was very easy to get to with a quick Grab ride. A great spot to soak in the energy of the city.

Temple Street Night Market / Kowloon (Hong Kong) -- By the time Jamie W and I made it here on our…read morevacation, we visited two legendary night markets in relatively quick succession, Raohe Street in Taipei (review: https://yelp.to/iQFcRkmz6h) and Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur (review: https://yelp.to/5ShCfX6Vhg). Both were bustling cultural microcosms full of a wide and diverse variety of culinary delights. My expectations were set high. This is my roundabout way of saying I found this market to be on the meh side. Even though Temple Street might be the most organized of night markets, it came down to a lack of enthusiastic energy on the part of the thirty-plus hawkers and purveyors here. They didn't help motivate us as much to try anything that looked appetizing beyond one grilled octopus skewer (photo: https://yelp.to/ZmGraLPefh). It was pretty good for what it was. The food stalls took up just the first block of Temple Street. The rest of the market consisted of tents and stalls where they sold gadgets, toys, electronics, cheap souvenirs, and T-shirts of which Jamie bought a couple from an enterprising senior (photo: https://yelp.to/caewEJ9-pR). I've read that lingering COVID restrictions may have caused a change in the dynamics of the market. If true, the impact apparently snuffed out much of the unique character it might have had. RELATED - Exploring Hong Kong? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3AGgadg