The Orange Line, otherwise known as the Tung Chung Line, is the only MTR line that carries you from Hong Kong Island to Lantau Island. Starting or ending in Hong Kong, the Tung Chung Line only has eight stops - Hong Kong, Kowloon, Olympic, Nam Cheong, Lai King, Tsing Yi, Sunny Bay and Tung Chung. At its start (or end), the Hong Kong stop is somewhat of an epicenter - you have the ICC and proximity to City Super, the Apple Store and you’re walking distance to highlights in Central like Lan Kwai Fong, the Mid Levels Escalator, SOHO, Sheung Wan, PMQ and more. Hong Kong Station is also one of the Airport Express stops, making Hong Kong Station an ideal stop to live by or be accessible to i.e. being able to transfer to it someway or another through the Red Line, Blue Line or Green Line. Unfortunately there aren’t any housing options directly atop the Hong Kong Station. The second most convenient stop is Kowloon Station (not including Hong Kong Island options - we’ll get to that in a later post) - home of the IFC, the W Hotel, the seven tier level Ritz Carlton and an amazing complex of luxurious flat options. We personally adore the Kowloon Station line because it is also directly accessible to the Hong Kong Airport. You can take advantage of checking in at Kowloon Station pending paying a small extra surcharge. You can technically arrive an hour before your flight departs if you check in at Kowloon Station and check in your bags there. The travel time is only 24 minutes. Kowloon Station is also home to the 360 Supermarket which carries similar options to its once station away competitor City Super at the ICC (minus fresh lobster & oysters). Other than this small discrepancy, the IFC (on top of the Kowloon Station) offers the same high-end shops. In addition the W Hotel & the Ritz offer the best brunch & dining experiences in Hong Kong. Most notably, the Kitchen at the W Hotel has an amazing Sunday Brunch with Champagne overlooking the Harbour and the Ozone offers spectacular views of Hong Kong Island (if you do go to the Ozone, please make sure the sky is clear - or else you won’t have a view). At Decor8 we’ve had the opportunity to delivery to every single location at Kowloon Station, from the mall at IFC to the Ritz Carlton to all the amazing Hong Kong Luxury flats there. While the Ritz & the W Hotel may seem like fancy fanfare for a place to live, the Kowloon Station is also home to some practical amenities like having an amazing movie theatre, HSBC and other more affordable food options. We had the opportunity of visiting the Night Market at the Kowloon Station once - a really nice Taiwanese Restaurant with amazing decor. The Night Market seamlessly combines Taiwanese traditional night market flare with an upscale environment at reasonable prices. There’s also an abundance of other food options from American to Sichuan fare. Here's a introduction to some top fare at Kowloon Station. If you have any additional recommendations please send us an e-mail at [email protected].
Food
$$
The Night Market
Taiwanese Restaurant
http://www.thenightmarket.com.hk
Perfect for Power Lunches or Weekday Dinners. Located in the Elements Mall like all the other options listed here, this place gets very packed during lunch hours - no surprise being located beneath the ICC and with a terrific menu.
$$-$$$
The Kitchen at W Hotel
Perfect for the Ultimate Sunday Brunch at the W Hotel with Champagne & Oysters
We recommend reserving in advance by at least a week - also mention you want a seat by the window with a Harbour view
http://www.w-hongkong.com/en/sundaybrunch
Coffee
$$$
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
The L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is an elegant cafe with a European inspired sandwiches & pastries, perfect for a chat with friends. Overpriced, but A+ coffee & macaroons!
$
Starbucks
Good Ol’ Starbucks at Kowloon Station includes one of the larger food selections in Hong Kong with an ample seating area. Get there early - they have really comfy seating and they unsurprisingly tend to fill up early.
FREE
Nespresso
Stop on over to Nespresso for a tasting of one of their capsules. If you do happen to have a Nespresso Machine, be on the lookout for their awesome promotions. We scored an awesome Nespresso Cafe Cup set for free after getting refills for our Nespresso Machine at the office.
https://www.nespresso.com/hk/en/
Things to Do
FREE to $$$
Ozone at the Ritz Carlton
With all its glitz and glamour, the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong perches above Hong Kong with prestige and grace. Within the famous ICC Building - the tallest building in Hong Kong, the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong is also home to the Ozone Bar - a trendy bar & lounge with rooftop access. Best of all there's free entrance. We recommend calling in advance to make sure they're open and don't have any special events going on. While the Ozone is normally open everyday and there's usually nothing to fret about, we have encountered a visit or two where paid public events were being held. So why pay when you can plan in advance and go on any other normal free evening.
