Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China + Add a trip

Hong Kong offers some great bars and clubs. This is a quick guide to the general scene, rather than a comprehensive review of any one venue.

The top-tier clubs in terms of prestige are Drop, Volar, and Dragon-I. All three are very hard to get into for the general crowd. They play mostly house or techno, some nights with special themes or DJ sets. Personally, I prefer Drop, the entrance to which is basically a run-down alleyway off a SoHo street—the only difference is, this run-down alleyway is blocked by a grim bouncer. Once you're in, you'll find a small but techno-banging club, packed to the max. Dragon-I is quite stylish in an Asian crossover kind of way, and also sports a restaurant. It's a bit larger and plays more house. Volar is perhaps the hardest to get into; it's located in a Lan Kwai Fong basement, and is darker, more techno-heavy, and draws a more local crowd.

In LKF you may also like:

– Hei Hei. Steep cover charge, hip-hop and R&B music, mostly local clientele.

– Club 9. Dramatic but annoying layout, hip-hop and R&B music.

– Kee Club. Small and members “only.”

– Armani Bar. That's right, it's a bar in the Armani building.

For a real treat when it comes to bars, visit Feather Boa on Staunton Street. It’s hard to find, since it has no proper entrance—however, it is a gem, exquisitely Baroque-styled and with a fragrance of chocolate-strawberry daiquiris.

Bars of the slicker kind include:

– Red. Outdoor patio in the IFC plaza, Central.

– Felix. Sky bar at the Peninsula hotel, Kowloon.

– Aqua. Japanese/Italian bar and restaurant, 1 Peking Road, Kowloon.

The night-time view from these, especially the latter, is not to be missed. The hard-to-find Knutsford Terrace in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, features some nice bars as well.

If you don't live in Central, note that the MTR generally stops around midnight to 12.30am. A taxi ride at a negotiated price from Central to, say, Clearwater Bay, is 120–150 HKD depending on the day of the week and your skills.

Checkout Felix at the Peninsula Hotel. A little pretentious but the views are stunning, the menu offers brasserie style fare with a seafood slant and the toilets are not to be missed; the ladies' must have the best view of any loo anywhere on the planet, and the gents isn't bad too!

Staunton Street, Soho

Cute little bar on Staunton Street. Looked for the faded blue wooden door on the left, after the intersection with Peel Street. This bar is a legend in Hong Kong among those in the know. Wicked fruit cocktails. Often packed. Get there early to grab the comfy sofas near the door. The place used to be an antique shop.

Dragon i is my new favourite bar and restaurant in the world, not just Hong Kong. It has comfy booths, great japanese/chinese food, beautiful cocktails and awesome music.

It's great crowd-watching as it seems to be full of models and rock stars (none of whom actually eat, they just drink champagne), all trying to out-cool each other.

Gorgeous interior design and really lovely staff

Lan Kwai Fong

Lan Kwai Fong is a very busy bar and restaurant district on the main island, quite close to the Central Station. Extremely busy and practically only tourists, but quite nice if you want some action.

http://www.lankwaifong.com