My family is arriving in Hong Kong today. They are at the NAIA waiting to board their plane along with a group of 20+ colleagues of my brother-in-law Alvin Geli. My sister, Ria, is sending me SMS-es. Mostly about shopping.
With the Philippine peso getting stronger and stronger, many Filipinos are travelling to Hong Kong these days mainly to bring their kids to Disneyland and Oceanpark and to shop. Recently, I have been asked for information on park ticket prices and how best to get to these parks. Thanks to the internet, I usually just give them the links.
Disneyland
Oceanpark
For shopping, here are some of my favorite haunts:
All4U in 3, Chiu Lung Street, G/F, Yu Tao Sang Building, Central. If you are on Queen's Road, this is right up the alley across the street from Esprit. Here you can get designer samples like Chloe, Marni, MaxMara, and Diane von Furstenberg at around HK600 (PHP3,000) per piece. My pinay girlfriends and their husbands/boyfriends love this place. Conclusion: Filipino men still like to see their women in dresses. Their website is in Chinese but there are pictures!
If you have the time and patience, there's the wholesale garments' district in Sham Shui Po. The best way to go there is to take the Tsuen Wan (Red) line, get off at Sham Shui Po station. Take exit D1 or D2. There, you will see blocks and blocks of wholesale shops. Many of the shops will consider selling one or two pieces. Usually these stuff are on racks right on the sidewalk labelled HK10, HK20, HK30 or HK40 per piece. I was there with Cousin Grace on Saturday. I bought a pair of faded black stretchable denims for HK30 (PHP165). A real bargain! But, 98.5% of the stuff is c*** so think of this as an adventure. (If your hubby is nice enough to accompany you, reward him by sending him off to the electronics mall while you are digging into piles of clothes.)
If your time is limited, go outlet shopping in the Tung Chung Mall. Adidas, Nike, Quicksilver, Vivienne Tam, Benetton, I.T. and Seven for all mankind. Take the Tung Chung Line all the way to Tung Chung(about half an hour from Central). Definitely worth the trip. And much more comfortable than Sham Shui Po. But, be prepared to spend more $$$.
Fairly recently, Massimo Dutti (IFC Mall), Club Monaco (IFC Mall & Queen's Road), and H&M (Queen's Road) have come to Hong Kong. These are musts if you are looking for trendy items at reasonable prices.
Hong Kong is on sale now. For the high end-shoppers, now is the time to visit all those luxury houses and old favorites like Lane Crawford and On Pedder St. Your credit cards will be (ab)used!
Have fun!
This piece on shopping reminds me so much of Maita's (and my) last adventure with you. Was All4U the store where I slept in the sofa while you and Maita bought some dress? I endorse your recommendations to husbands and boyfriends.
ReplyDeletehi lj, yes, that's the store! let's bring maita there again next time!
ReplyDeletesee you on friday,
missy