Lonely Planet Hong Kong: Condensed (Hong Kong Condensed, 2nd Ed)

Rating:
Summary: LP's Hong Kong Condensed is Highly Recommended
Review: My wife and I spent one week in Hong Kong during March, 2004. We found the 2nd edition (published March, 2003) Lonely Planet Hong Kong Condense pocket guide to be a great reference source.

Because the guide is pocket-sized, it fit conveniently in my jacket and looked inconspicuous when I carried it in my hand. I found the fold-out maps on the covers to be handy and easy to use when I navigated the streets of Kowloon and HK Island.

The guide is well organized and broken into categories such as "Highlights," "Sights and Activities" in addition to the obvious ones such as "Shopping, "Places to Eat," and "Places to Stay."

We found the places to visit recommended under "Highlights" and "Sight & Activities" to be worthwhile. For instance, our son, who is spending his junior year of college studying at the University of Hong Kong, suggested we visit two obscure sights: the Chi Lin Nunnery (which has a beautiful Japanese-style garden) and the Wong Tai Sin Temple (a large colorful Taoist temple and garden bustling with activity). Both sites were listed in the guide.

The huge shopping malls such as Pacific Place (on HK island in Admiralty) and Harbour City (in Tsim Sha Tsui) were fun to wlak through.

If I had a single complaint, it would be that some of the recommended restaurants under "Places to Eat" were duds [such as Luk Yu Tea House (past its prime and overrated) in Central and Peking Restaurant(overrated) in Tsim Sha Tsui]. In other words, take the recommended eating establishments with a grain of salt. On the other hand, some of the eateries such as the "Happy Garden Noodle & Congee Kitchen" (located across from the Harbour City shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui) and "Yung Kee" (a famous roast geese restauant located in Central)were great. It should be noted that restaurant meals are quite expensive in Hong Kong. My wife and I found the food courts in shopping centers (where the locals dine) to be good places for inexpensive and delicious Chinese food).