Hong Kong & Shanghai Solo Trip Planning

[gelatoni fan]

If you have time and budget, afternoon tea at the Peninsula in HK is lovely (or at least it was 10 years ago), but there are better views from other hotels where they serve it high up in a skyscraper with jaw dropping views. I also recommend trying to get a nice dinner in the city at a traditional Chinese restaurant (Cantonese would be the local specialty but they also have good restaurants of other regional types if you don’t care for Cantonese food).

I find afternoon tea at the Peninsula to be a tourist trap since it often has long lines, lots of noise in the lobby and inconsistent service. Their Cantonese restaurant is not bad though. The Ritz has the views if you get seated by the window but some items in the afternoon tea seat aren't particularly good so I prefer to do lunch or dinner in their lounge & bar.

Unfortunately, post-COVID, I've found pretty much all the commonly recommended afternoon tea places in Hong Kong to be disappointing but I haven't been to the Rosewood yet.

 

[clappyclaps]

If you have time and budget, afternoon tea at the Peninsula in HK is lovely (or at least it was 10 years ago), but there are better views from other hotels where they serve it high up in a skyscraper with jaw dropping views. I also recommend trying to get a nice dinner in the city at a traditional Chinese restaurant (Cantonese would be the local specialty but they also have good restaurants of other regional types if you don’t care for Cantonese food).

In Shanghai, it might be slightly more challenging to navigate on your own, but if you are up for the challenge, I usually stay at the St. Regis in the city and they have an exquisite selection of Chinese teas in their lounge served in unique and beautiful teapots and cups, it’s an easy walk to a sculpture garden outside their science museum. You could also try to get a taxi to a luxury western chain hotel along the Bund and walk along the river to admire the skyline, if you dine at one of those hotels (we had fantastic meals at the Ritz Pudong), their concierge can assist you with a taxi back to your hotel at SDL.

I find afternoon tea at the Peninsula to be a tourist trap since it often has long lines, lots of noise in the lobby and inconsistent service. Their Cantonese restaurant is not bad though. The Ritz has the views if you get seated by the window but some items in the afternoon tea seat aren't particularly good so I prefer to do lunch or dinner in their lounge & bar.

Unfortunately, post-COVID, I've found pretty much all the commonly recommended afternoon tea places in Hong Kong to be disappointing but I haven't been to the Rosewood yet.

Thank you both for the recommendations and feedback, I'm going to do some planning over the next few months and will have a look into some of these. Thanks

 

[clappyclaps]

Should probably also add, if anyone has any other non-Disney related recommendations, tourist things to see and do then these are always welcome

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I find afternoon tea at the Peninsula to be a tourist trap since it often has long lines, lots of noise in the lobby and inconsistent service. Their Cantonese restaurant is not bad though. The Ritz has the views if you get seated by the window but some items in the afternoon tea seat aren't particularly good so I prefer to do lunch or dinner in their lounge & bar.

Unfortunately, post-COVID, I've found pretty much all the commonly recommended afternoon tea places in Hong Kong to be disappointing but I haven't been to the Rosewood yet.

I haven’t been in years so defer to your assessment, it used to be possible to make reservations at the Peninsula, though maybe you had to be staying at the hotel.

As mentioned, I haven’t spent time in HK (aside from the airport and theme park on a layover) lately, but if you’ve never been, I would recommend one of the hop on hop off bus tours on the top deck, it will give an overview of the different neighborhoods and there’s an audio track that tells you about the history of the city.