Rapee-Living is an interesting store. It specializes in home furniture and decorations, of a…read moredifferent variety. It's great because It offers something other than the typical Ikea or Price Rite choices, products that can make a home unique instead of "oh... yea I was going to buy that in Ikea, but I bought something else in Ikea." Before I moved to Mui Wo I was on the look out for a few things to fill up the new flat. Naturally I wanted to travel as short a distance as possible, which led me to Rapee-Living. It's a small store with a big bed in the middle taking up most of the room. What attracted me most about it was the colorful toys, and small decorations that set it apart. They even had a electronic picture frame/ video frame that I thought was pretty cool. I was not allowed to buy it. We ended up getting a couple of stripy bed sheets, a pair of matching pillows and a little toy that seems to be their mascot. The stuffed toy is everywhere around the shop in different designs and colors but its cute all the same. The prices weren't bad either and I can see myself building up a little collection of those stuffed toys (for my girlfriend, not me!) over time. In general Ikea has everything I need, but not everything I want. It is the shops like Rapee-Living that help add a pinch of spice to an otherwise boring apartment. I've noticed that there are a few other RLs around town and I'd definitely have a look in one should I pass by.

I have to start off by saying that this store is essentially the Japanese 100 yen store called…read moreDAISO which in Hong Kong is called "Living Plaza by Aeon", because Aeon is the local distributor of the goods. I have been traveling through this airport for years and I only recently discovered this store on my last trip. So if you need to do a google search for more locations, search under the name "Living Plaza by Aeon". Back in New York, the Daiso chain has finally started to make an appearance on the east coast. Their stores are more concentrated in the west coast with a few in the mid west. The airport location is large for an airport store, with a variety of great products! I tell you this from a standpoint of having been abroad in Japan and having seen some of their Daiso locations myself. I feel the need to give this disclaimer: of course it is more cheaper to go visit Daiso in Japan (everything there will be priced starting at 100 yen). If that is not feasible to you, then visiting this store is more reasonable despite the higher cost. (12HKD = 166 yen approximately). After checking in our bags at Terminal 1, we actually walked back all the way to Terminal 2 with our carry-ons (walk took about 12-15 mins walking quickly) in order to visit this store before boarding our flight. If you time it right on your next trip, you too can have a mini speed shopping spree (save room in your carry-on if you can!). I will call this store a higher end dollar store; a dollar store on steroids if you will. They have travel pillows, typical travel accessories you would really need on your journey, but they also offer a great home section: home decor, home organization, kitchen; laundry section (I picked up a cute laundry bag!), a beauty section and much more. The stationary section is so cute. I couldn't decide which pens to buy so I just walked over to the wall and grabbed a whole bunch! They make great souvenirs too and since they are so unique everybody at work will know this pen only belongs to you and you only! As the other reviewer has commented on, the pricing starts at $12 HKD which is affordable. My laundry bag was on the pricier side of $60HKD but if you compare it to something you would buy at typically Bed Bath and Beyond or Target, then I still think it's better due to quality and price comparison. There is a whole section for toys, dishes/bowls, snacks, hobbies (sewing, gardening, etc) and random tools/gadgets. I had found this baby stroller S hook and a baby stroller blanket clamp to secure the blanket from falling out, something I had been searching for in a few Daiso locations in Japan couldn't locate. I gave these out to my expecting friends as gifts (I don't think it's something you think about or see often in use in the US). If I had more room in my suitcase I would have shopped more. The store wasn't crowded when we stopped by and the cashier was friendly and courteous. I believe they accept Octopus card payment/Cash/Credit Card. Left a hefty balance on your Octopus card? Spend it here! For those of you returning to the East Coast, Daiso currently has two stores open: one in Edgewater, NJ by Mitsuwa Market and another in Skyview Center in Flushing, NY (both stores opened in 2019). I can't wait to return again, it is my new favorite spot to spend my layover time! Safe journeys and happy shopping!

Whether you have hours to kill before your next flight, in need of a quick small gift for someone…read moreyou're about to see, or need some travel accessories for your luggage, be sure to make time to visit this large shop in Terminal 2. No boarding passes are required to reach the area the shop is located in, so you can easily access it if you are at the airport. This store sells everything from socks to pet toys to travel pillows to makeup to plates/bowls/utensils. All made in good quality given its extremely low prices. If items are not marked with a specific price, then it's assumed to be only HK$12! Most other items that are pricier, like a travel neck pillow will run approximately HK$25 and thick nylon tote bags with zippers for around HK$60. All still very affordable for an airport store! The shop is always neatly organized and the employees are polite and speak English. A plastic shopping bag will run you $0.50. I could spend hours here, but alas, there's a flight to catch!

To my knowledge I only know of two stores on Mui Wo that specialize in Furniture. May Art Furniture…read moreDecoration Co. is the more budget friendly one. It's across the road from my apartment so when I first moved in it only made sense to give the place a visit, after all my home as naked of furniture. I walked into MAFDC with a set budget, eager to see how I could fill my living room and roof. I thought, by judging the stores outside, that I could get a couple of things, a table and set of chairs at least. The phrase, don't judge a book by its cover springs to mind. The store offers a decent standard of furniture with nothing (that I saw) under the $500 apart from the odd chair or stool. It's a long store with leather couches filling along the entire way. On either side the walls are lined with shelfs, cupboards, drawers, and a sign reading "custom made!", which I assume just means adding another 0 to the price for a choice of color. I walked from the entrance to the far end where the counter is and asked about outdoor furniture. The lady behind the counter simply pointed to a catalogue filled with all sorts of things. Primarily I was going for a parasol. They had one going for $650 with an average delivery time of 15 days, I have no idea if that's a good price or not, but I figured I'd need a table to eat on first before worrying about pimping up my rooftop! I asked her about her cheapest table and chairs, or if she had any discounts. She obviously wasn't used to dealing with customers like me and I highly underestimated the standard of the store. I left but promised myself to research the price of parasols... I probably should have put a time limit on that promise.

When it comes to buying antique furniture in HK, most would suggest the wallet busting shops on…read moreHollywood Road, or the handful scattered in Horizon Plaza. Alternatively, you could go to Guangzhou, and risk getting proper shafted. Red Hall is a decent compromise between the sharks on Hollywood Road, and the, errr..., sharks in Guangzhou. Based in Mui Wo, it is slightly incongruous in comparison to it's neighbouring shops, being neither an estate agent or a Park n Shop. It is also slightly inconvenient in terms of shipping to HK "mainland". However, don't worry about that, they will deliver your furniture for a cost. The pieces in there are mainly the big ticket furniture items; wardrobes, cupboards, drawers, day beds. There are a few smaller items like kang tables, which incidentally make excellent coffee tables, and traditional stools, both of which you could lug home yourself on the ferry. There is also a rather odd garden furniture section which sells seemingly contemporary items. It is a little bit like they bought a load by mistake and are trying to shift it. Red Hall isn't as "genuine" as Red Lantern up the road, but they do sell "half" antiques. Where Red Lantern sells the genuine article, warts and all, Red Hall primarily does reconditions or copies. It is critical if you buy here to understand that you may not be buying genuine antique furniture, hence the lower prices compared to Hollywood Road. Let me give you an example; I bought a narrow book cupboard, which was reconditioned from an old larder. The original larder was 8ft across and had 16 decorative panels. Only four panels survived, so they rebuilt them into the book shelf that I bought, which is now only 2ft across. The back and sides of my cupboard are new built, only the panels are antique. Of course I knew this at the time, as the staff told me. One thing they are here (unlike perhaps GZ), is they are honest about the provenance. If it is a recondition, it says so on the sales ticket, and the staff will tell you what parts are old and new. They will also indicate what is replica, i.e. a completely new build of an old design. Surprisingly, a lot of the new builds are more expensive than the antiques, but that's HK for you! Only valuable if it's shiny and new...

When it comes to interior decorating, furniture and that lot I'm not the person to listen to for…read moreadvice. If it was up to mean the living room walls would be filled with medieval weapons, I won't go onto my dream bedroom. That being said I was hugely attracted to the wares offered by Red Hall. It is situated in Mui Wo, strange as it sells things completely different to every other store on the island, in terms of price range and products. Upon walking in I was greeted by a giant cat statue. It looked twice my weight, beautiful, and from what I'm told, hand crafted in China. The same goes for everything else on the first floor of the store. The majority of items on sale are drawers, cabinets and shelves. All of which designed as if they were made in one of the Chinese Dynasties. Gorgeous colors of deep reds, blues and greens with chinese symbols adorn the drawers. Further back are some dining room sets - chairs and tables - and the second floor is entirely dedicated to outdoor furniture - sun beds, coffee tables, and that sort of thing. It's times likes these that I wise I took up a 'normal' job in finance as the price tags of these beauties are pretty heavy. We're talking about $3800 for a small shelve or $12500 for a couple chairs and table. I can see the value in the furniture here, and one day when I'm rich I'll be back and buy half a chair, or something.

I can only guess as to why the store is called Soft and Hard shop, maybe because it sells all…read morethings between hard and soft? Who knows! Anyway, the reason that I even know of this shop's existence is because it is located right beneath the building I live in, in Mui Wo. Since moving in, on that most dreadful day of carrying furniture up 5 flights, I've been to the shop at least twice a week. A more accurate name for the shop is "You want it, we got it!" Because when it comes to household, mundane things, little tools and the such they really do have everything. It proved to be our savior in the first week of living here. Multiple socket adaptors, plastic chairs for the roof, light bulbs, a table, super glue to repair the broken plastic chairs, and much more. If I'm not accompanied by a more responsible adult I'll leave the store buying things I don't even need, they just look cool and who knows, there might be a time we need to mix acidic chemicals in this weird looking funnel. The prices are higher than those that you'd find on Hong Kong island or Kowloon but that's to be expected I suppose, being in a isolated(ish) community. I've recently found out that they also provide printing and photocopying services, which saves me hauling up a printer I'll use once a month up 5 stories! At the moment we're trying to fix our shower holder thingy-ma-bob. It's really difficult to wash one's hair while holding the shower head and not trying to flood the bathroom at the same time! Whenever this something missing in our home, the shower holder thing-ma-bob, the first place we look is Soft and Hard, and it's usually the last place too.