Hong Kong Tour Guide - Spotlight On Mel

Welcome to the 4th episode of our "Meet your Personal Tour Guide"! Today we would like to introduce Mel from the Hello Hong Kong Team! When Mel joined our team, we had no idea what a treasure we had found with our very first Hong Kong Local! Being a tour guide already at the age of 16, Mel is very passionate about his hometown and a never-ending fountain of knowledge! Graduating and living many years in the UK, Mel knows how to make even the cloudiest day on a Hong Kong Walking Tour to your personal highlight! Whether you are on a Night Tour of Kowloon, a Private Customised Tour, a Lantau Island or a Food Tour with this "rare breed Chinese" as he likes to call himself, you can be sure, it will be a great experience! Now let's see what Mel has to say:

** What was the funniest thing that ever happened on tour?
-> I think it's the concept of using the chopsticks...
** Chopsticks...?
-> Most guests thought that all Chinese food had to be picked up by chopsticks. I would usually not say anything to them until they start struggling, and then I would tell them to pick up the food by hands or spoons or merely stab the food with chopsticks... Chinese people are not obliged to use chopsticks while eating their food.
** What is your favourite place in Hong Kong?
-> Such an odd coincidence! One guest asked me the same question today... My favourite place in HK is actually wherever I am, and I would always be able to tell some stories to make it everyone's favourite...
** What's your favourite Cantonese word and why?
-> "Ngam" means correct, and it easily sounds like "N... ngam" means not correct... good fun to confuse my listeners...haha
** What's your favourite Chinese food?
->Fresh and well done Chinese food is my favourite!
That leaves only one thing to say: You definitely are in for a fun day when you are with Mel on your Hong Kong Local Tour!
Let us take you on a Food Tour in Hong Kong  Come on a Private Customised Tour with us
#photooftheday #hk #hellohongkongteam #hhkteam #personaltourguide #privateguide #publictour #privatetour  #adventure #welltraveled #tourism #travelbug #lonelyplanet #travelstoke #hellohongkongtours #ilovehk #hellohk #hongkongtour #hktravel #hktourguide
Private Tours Hong Kong - What have you planned for Valentine's Day?

With Chinese New Year approaching in full speed and colours, we have another important date waiting around the corner:

VALENTINE'S DAY!

If you thought Hong Kong's rush for the Lunar New Year would leave the day of Amor behind it, well we got news: That ain't happening! 😃

Romantic Moment on Private Tour

If you are on a local tour in Hong Kong, you will notice typical decorations to create beautiful memories on this special day! Not only decorations but many restaurants, SPAs and hotels will offer Valentine's day special! You can either go with the typical brunch, dinner, cocktail or couple's massage... OR you can do something different this time: How about a voucher for you and your special person for a guided tour in Hong Kong? Whether you want a foodie guide for Hong Kong, a night tour guide or just a private guide to show you the most romantic places in this fast-paced city, we have it all for you! You can even book a voucher for our special: Chinese New Year Fireworks Cruise Tour to watch the 23 minutes fireworks over Victoria Harbour! How much more romantic can it get?

Just contact us here, and we will be happy to help!

Kung Hei Fat Choi and Happy Valentine's Day!

#hongkonger #hongkongese #welovehongkong #explorehongkong #meetthelocals #valentinesday #specialoccasion #loveisintheair #photooftheday #hk #tourism #travelbug #natgeotravelpic #lonelyplanet #hellohongkongtours #ilovehk #hellohk #streetsofhongkong #hongkongtour #chinesenewyear #lunarnewyear #kungheifatchoi #happyvalentinesday

About Hong Kong - Chinese New Year Edition - Part Two

Chinese New Year also called the Lunar New Year is most important holiday for China and many other parts of Asia. Every year has a different presiding animal zodiac, who's turn it is to protect humankind. They repeat their duties every 12 years. On February 16th we will ring in the "Year of the Dog".

If you are on a sightseeing in Hong Kong, you will notice the festive red and gold decorations weeks before the actual Lunar New Year. The colours are very important as it is believed that red will scare away the evil along with the loud noises of the red crackers, and the gold colour will bring good luck and prosperity.

Buy your red and gold for Chinese New Year

Traditionally, the first and second day are the most important. These days are planned for family and to welcome the new year. The third day is called the "Red Mouth" and is considered to be unlucky to have visitors or go to visit anybody for the fear of falling apart with them. So, people rather visit temples and have their future told as it is a rather beneficial day for ones future!

Should you be on a Walking Tour of Hong Kong, from the fourth day onwards you might see a lot of friend and business gatherings and luncheons to celebrate the new year and, more traditionally, to welcome the gods.

In Hong Kong, we celebrate the second day of the Chinese New Year - the beginning of a new year - with a 23 minutes long fireworks over Victoria Harbour! Book your spot on our Chinese New Year Fireworks Cruise on February 17th, to secure your unblocked view of this spectacular event!

 

#hongkong #china #hk #chinesenewyear #hellohongkongtours #ilovehk #hellohk #hkfestivals #culture #lunarnewyear #yearofthedog #chinesezodiac #traditions #temple #gods #redandgold #newyearscruise #fireworkcruise #chinesenewyearcruise

 

 

Broadway meets Hong Kong
What better way to finish your day than a cultural highlight after your sightseeing tour of Hong Kong?
Come spend a night with two of Broadway’s finest actors, Chelsea Williams (Mamma Mia, In Transit) and George Psomas (Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific), as they perform classic and modern Broadway hits accompanied by the former music director of Hong Kong Disneyland, Rony Fortich. Two of Hong Kong's most talented stars, Corinna Chamberlain (TVB and The Voice of Stars) and Jordan Cheng (Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and Sinfonietta) will be making a guest appearance during the concert, joining the Broadway actors in some fantastic songs!
January 31st and February 1st at 8:00PM Y Theatre Youth Square $300 / $150 Student and Senior For ticket information click the link below.

http://www.urbtix.hk/internet/eventDetail/34404

Featuring performances of Broadway classics old and new including Oklahoma, Sound of Music, and West Side story to Hamilton, Mamma Mia, and Wicked. Come join us for a night to remember!

The performers have been dazzling audiences across America. Chelsea Williams’ most recent credits include Sophie, Mamma Mia (Broadway), Kathy, In Transit (Broadway), Betty, White Christmas (US National Tour). George Psomas’ most recent credits include Perchik, Fiddler on the Roof (Broadway), Ensemble, South Pacific (Original Broadway Revival Cast), and a solo performance in Carnegie Hall.

Chinese New Year in Hong Kong - Chinese New Year Fireworks Cruise

After welcoming 2018 with a successful New Year's Eve Cruise, we reckon the best way to start the Lunar New Year can only be a cruise to watch the fireworks ringing in the Year of the Dog! Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is magical! It is the city’s biggest and most colourful festival! It is a great time to book your Hong Kong Package Tour and share the spirit of the festivities.

Although the celebrations last for 15 days (!) straight, the fireworks welcome the Lunar New Year on the second day of Chinese New Year Celebrations.

Firecrackers/Fireworks are a crucial part of Chinese tradition. The belief goes that they scare away the evil spirits and bring the good luck for the new year.

This is reason enough for us at Hello Hong Kong to set up yet another cruise to be part of this spectacular ceremony. Come with us on our junk boat and enjoy a delicious dinner buffet with unlimited free flow drinks. Watch the 23 minutes fireworks from the best spot at Victoria Harbour at 8 PM.

Ring in the Year of the Dog on our Chinese New Year Cruise with an unobstructed view, avoid the crowds and enjoy your drink watching the fireworks with a "front seat" view!

 

 

Hong Kong Tour Guide - Spotlight On Richard

To follow up on our introduction of the Hello Hong Kong Team, today we would like you to meet Richard! Richard has been living in Hong Kong for the past 20+ years. He calls Lantau Island - "The Lungs of Hong Kong"- his home and is quite an expert when it comes to our Lantau Tours. However, chances are you will meet this Hawaii flower shirt-enthusiast on our food tours or private customised tours too! Like the other members of our team, when it comes to creating a once in a lifetime experience for your sightseeing tour of Hong Kong, we can definitely say, you can always rely on Richard's expertise on the "Must - See" places of Hong Kong.

Here is our quick interview with Richard:

** What was the funniest thing that ever happened on a tour?

-> Several. However, one sticks out in particular! I initiated a man to propose to his girlfriend without a ring on the Peak. (We dedicated a whole blog to that one 😉 Check it out here!)

** What is your favourite place in Hong Kong?

-> Lantau Island

** What's your favourite Cantonese word and why?

-> Bing! Means Ice (Onomatopoeia)

** What's your favourite Chinese food?

-> Seafood

Well, the only thing left is to book your local tour of Hong Kong and let us help you create your Best Hong Kong Tour!

Romantic Moment on Private TourHere is the magical moment on Richard's tour!

Travel on the Peak Tram on your Private Customised TourHere is Richard on another Hong Kong City Tour

 

TripAdvisor " 2017 Certificate of Excellence" for Hello Hong Kong Private and Small Group Tours!

When you look back to an almost finished 2017, what are your personal highlights? Maybe you moved to a new place, maybe you finally managed to stick to your New Year's resolution or maybe you were on a local sightseeing tour of Hong Kong with us or even on a food tour. 😃Our highlights were the many, wonderful moments on our city tours of Hong Kong with our guests! Things like going up to #VictoriaPeak to enjoy the breathtaking view of this place, riding the #StarFerry to visit #TsimShaTsui and take a stroll through #LadiesMarket or #NightMarket, to name a few. We enjoyed sharing stories of Hong Kong's rich culinary culture over Dim Sum breakfasts on our Food Tours. We loved talking about the dark side on our Night Tours of this city. We have so many fond memories that we would go beyond the length of this blog. 😉 We simply loved having our guests on our walking tours and be able to share our love to Hong Kong with them. We are all the more happy, to see that we were able to provide a positive experience for our guests on our Hong Kong Local Tours and were rewarded the "Certificate of Excellence" for the third year in a row from TripAdvisor! This award "accounts for the quality, quantity and recency of reviews submitted by travellers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period".

Here comes our New Year's Resolution for 2018: We will carry on providing one of the best Hong Kong tours, and we will share our love for this city with you on your day tour of Hong Kong!

Thank you very much from all of us in the Hello Hong Kong Team for your continuous support and Happy New Year!

During your night tour of Kowloon we discuss the history of the Kowloon Walled city fort. Pictured here are the remains of the flagstone path that led into the city. Ruins of the Walled City on our Night Tour of Kowloon

take a private tour with us and get our top tips on the best view from Victoria Peak. View from Victoria Peak on our Private Customised Tour

our hong kong food tours are immersive experiencesDim Sum breakfast on our Food Tour

 

'Tis the time of the year - Christmas in Hong Kong

If you liked the skyline of Hong Kong before, get ready to be mesmerised by the sparkling Christmas decorations of the whole city. Most buildings are dressed up for the festive season and you can't help but let the Christmas spirit get you. One of the highlights by far is the Light Show in the evening. What a nice coincidence that our Night Tour of Hong Kong ends at one of the best spots to watch it, away from the crowds! Some other highlights during this time of the year are the beautiful decorations and Christmas trees when taking one of our Private Customised Tours or our Food Tours. Make sure you take your camera with you and have your phone handy when crossing the streets, to take photos of the Christmas decoration everywhere - one prettier than the other. Here are some pictures that are our personal favourites:

This pretty tree was spotted in the Mandarin Oriental prior to the pick up for our Private Food Tour.

Decoration spotted on pick up prior to a Walking Tour

Our guests Ed and Camilla found this one during their 8 Hours Private Customised Tour:

During their 8 Hours Private Customised Tour in Hong Kong

Prak and Shai had time to quickly have taken this picture with this beautiful tree during their Public Food Tour:

Discovering a tree on the Public Food Tour

Of course, our team enjoys their tours during the festive season, too! Here are some pictures of our very own Hello Hong Kong tour guides having as much fun as our guests on their tours.

Here is Mel with our guest Fabian enhancing their selfie with this shiny Christmas star on a Hong Kong package tour!

5 Hours Private Tour during Christmas

Here is Don, channelling the Christmas spirit and sending you Season's Greetings after a city tour of Hong Kong!

Season's Greetings after the Local Tour

Here is one of our latest additions to the Hello Hong Kong Team, Amy (Amandine) rocking the reindeer outfit!

Christmas spirit on Hong Kong Package Tour

And last but not least, our founder and director Laura sending Merry Christmas wishes to you and your family. We are not sure what is nicer: the Christmas tree jumper or the actual Christmas tree :-)

Greetings from Hello Hong Kong Tours

If you think we all are already in Christmas spirit, then you are right! But what about you? Have you everything prepared for your Christmas? If you just remembered that you have forgotten that one last Christmas present, don't worry! We are here to help! A voucher from Hello Hong Kong for any Hong Kong Guided Tour is booked and printed quickly! Get in touch with us here!

 

How the arts and culture scene has changed in Hong Kong

How the arts and culture scene has changed in Hong Kong

Fascinating art and culture ensure that you will have an unforgettable experience when you are in Hong Kong. The arts are growing at an astounding rate, so you can expect plenty of surprises, even if you have visited in the past. If you are interested in what this vibrant city has to offer, then take a look at the following to learn how the arts and culture scene in Hong Kong is growing and flourishing.

Change in Hong Kong

Since Hong Kong transitioned from British to Chinese rule, culture has boomed. Art enthusiasts can rejoice because the art scene has thrived and grown into something quite remarkable.

Part of why art and culture have taken off is due to a rich creative environment and ample funding. This year, the government agreed to utilize over four times more funding for art and culture initiatives than at the time of the government transition. Companies have also been helping fund the arts with their investments.

Types of art to see

The environment in Hong Kong has provided an excellent opportunity for the arts to grow, with over ten times as many commercial art galleries open today. No matter what type of art you enjoy, there is probably something for you here.

Hong Kong hosts first-rate events, festivals, museums, theater and more. From ancient to alternative forms of art, you will find it here.

clock n flap festival in Hong Kong

Clockenflap Festival Hong Kong - Photocredit: http://madbuzzhk.com

Where to find art

Culture surrounds you when in Hong Kong, but if you hope to visit all the best art hot spots in the city, you need to know where to go.

West Kowloon Culture District is an area along the waterfront that is dedicated to visual and performing arts. It boasts new and developing art centres, including a theatre, museum of visual culture, and an upcoming museum filled with one-of-a-kind ancient Chinese artifacts.

Art Futures Group is a must-see gallery focused on Chinese contemporary art. They are at the forefront of the burgeoning contemporary art scene. Art Futures Group hosts special events such as art fairs, art sales and gallery openings, with year-round opportunities to meet artists in person and mingle with others who appreciate contemporary art.

SoHo is a district located south of Hollywood Road where you can find art galleries, tourist attractions, antique shops, excellent restaurants, nightclubs and more. This is the spot to go for dim sum or street food featuring international cuisine. This area hosts astounding temples, nightclubs and comedy clubs.

Hong Kong’s Cultural Centre is a breathtaking modern building that hosts outstanding classical music. Here you can listen to some of the best orchestra and opera music around.

visit the hong kong cultural centre on a hong kong tours

Hong Kong Cultural Centre - Photocredit: http://www.hkculturalcentre.gov.hk

Alternative art

As the art scene grows in Hong Kong, you see more diverse street art on display. Vivid street art energizes otherwise bland monochromatic structures, and you will find that the majority of large-scale street art is as complex and robust as pieces that you might see in an art museum.

Hong Kong has transitioned into an art and culture centre. This city allows you to immerse yourself in a variety of history, cuisine, music and art. The entire world will continue watching Hong Kong to see what comes of this amazing revitalisation of art and culture.

street art as seen on a hong kong walking tours

Hong Kong street art

Advice for families moving to the Hong Kong region

Advice for families moving to the Hong Kong region

There are numerous reasons why you might be considering a move to Hong Kong. Considered a great place to work, Hong Kong is ranked among the top five leading international finance centers, and boasts a vibrant culture, a bustling nightlife, and plenty of opportunities to rest and play. Hong Kong is so much more, though; despite its reputation for high-rise buildings and crowded streets, it has vast natural areas that are ripe for exploration. Its friendly people, low rates of taxation and booming trade districts certainly sweeten the deal for expats.

Where east meets west, Hong Kong is the kind of place you can never be lonely, or bored.

A little advice to complement your move

Whether you’re moving in order to pursue a career change or because you fancy the adventure and incredible culture, there are a few things you need to know if you’re going to be living in Hong Kong. We’re a friendly bunch here, but it pays to be prepared for your new life, after all.

Do your research

How much do you really know about Hong Kong? It’s vital that you conduct a little research prior to your big move, whether that’s simply to ascertain the kind of accommodation you can expect, or your means of traveling around the busiest areas. Hong Kong’s streets are busy, to say the least. Public transport, such as the buses, trams, ferries and the Mass Transit Railway offer the best options for travel. You should also be prepared for smaller apartments than you’ve perhaps become accustomed to, and for a subtropical climate that’s humid all year round.

Understand cultural differences

Hong Kong’s culture is a rich and dynamic, offering tastes of eastern and western influences. Its religious background is a multi-faith one, where Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus come together in a melting pot of beliefs and practices. Indeed, the territory plays host to numerous festivals and celebrations throughout the year that you’ll want to be a part of. The predominant language spoken in Hong Kong is Cantonese, and while most businesses will use English in their operations, it will certainly help to learn some basic phrases in the local language that will become useful throughout daily life.

Explore your educational options

Hong Kong is a wonderful place to raise a family. However, you’ll want to consider your educational options if you are planning on moving the whole family. Hong Kong’s educational system comprises private, government, and subsidized or international schools, each with their own merits. Many expats will try to get their children into an international school in Hong Kong; such an establishment offers a basic and yet enriched curriculum, which will allow children to develop a deeper understanding of new cultures and experiences – while meeting and befriending children in similar circumstances.

Get to work

If you’re considering a move to Hong Kong due to a promotion or job offer, then there’s a good likelihood your career aspirations are already established. The territory is a great place to meet new people and to network; if you’re prepared to work hard, you’ll be rewarded with some fantastic opportunities. If you’re seeking work in Hong Kong, you must have the correct paperwork, which will involve researching your right to work. The banking and financial sectors are particularly prominent, although you might also look for work in IT, marketing and administration.

Become a part of the expat community

To really thrive in Hong Kong, it’s worth seeking out and becoming a part of our expat community. We’re a small, friendly bunch, but will no doubt become a huge part of your life here. The Internet is a veritable treasure trove of social groups and advice, of course; you’re never very far from someone with valuable advice for fellow expats. While those already living and working in Hong Kong will do all they can to make you feel welcome, it’s worth seeking out the experiences of those who have gone before you.

Hong Kong boasts a rich, dynamic culture, which you’d do well to become a part of. While many of its traditions and practices are perhaps different to what you are accustomed, the friendly nature of Hong Kong’s people will help you to settle right in. With a lot of research and some dedicated planning, you’re sure to feel at home in no time.