Hong Kong - luxury on a budget

Bustling and lively, Hong Kong is a shopper's delight with the pound strong against the Hong Kong dollar. Regardless of your budget, you'll find plenty to do here, whether you're stopping over if it's your final destination

If it's shopping you're after, head to Kowloon. Tsim Sha Tsui at the tip of the peninsular hosts many malls and designer shops where you'll find every trinket, gadget, or designer outfit your heart could wish for. It's also home to many hotels and restaurants and is a good place to base yourself for a visit.

Trawling the Golden Mile

Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare and is lined with shops and malls offering goods of varying quality. Nicknamed the 'Golden Mile', it's a treasure trove for magpies like me who are drawn to shiny things and gadgets of all kinds, but it's mind-blowingly busy.

Oceans of people surge past and share the same irritation of tourists as locals trying to navigate Oxford Street during school holidays. Close by you'll find the Ladies Market where you can buy clothes (for men as well as women), handbags, luggage and accessories. Temple Street Night Market is another must-see destination with its trinket stalls, fortune tellers and local street-side restaurants selling good seafood.

Another unusual market is the Goldfish Market with its rows of different size and colour koi carp. Believed to bring good luck, goldfish are favoured by Feng Shui followers who place their aquaria in specific spots in their homes to ward off evil energy and encourage wealth to their doors.

Stanley Market on Hong Kong Island is a different type of shopping destination. This touristy market offers plentiful baubles, as well as clothes and arts and crafts, but is located right by the sea. There's even a sandy beach with good swimming within easy walking distance. Repulse Bay, just down the road, also has a great beach for swimming.

Climbing the Peak

When you're shopped out, take the Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Peak, the location of some of Hong Kong's most expensive homes. The Tram is really a funicular railway that inches its way up the incredibly steep slopes. There are ridges in the floor to help standing passengers keep on their feet. If possible, time your visit for a clear day and you'll be rewarded with great views over the harbour and Central area of Hong Kong.

The buildings themselves are stunning. Huge skyscrapers dominate the skyline, dwarfing the older colonial-style buildings, and jagged corners jut out at threatening angles, which Feng Shui practitioners believe jeopardise the good energy of other buildings. Careful measures are taken to protect the buildings from the bad energy, with rounded edges and mirrored glass to bounce it away, but rival firms can add a whole new dimension to town planning!