Hong Kong

From the floor-to-ceiling harbor-view suite at The Rosewood Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui (HK$8,500 per night), Victoria Harbour appeared as an epic kinetic theater. Double-decker Star Ferries plowed green waters while the soaring glass towers of Central mirrored the passing clouds. Hong Kong has a kinetic energy that pulses like high-frequency trading—sophisticated, glamorous, and relentlessly fast.

I spent my first morning riding the vintage Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak (HK$88), taking in the breathtaking panorama where dense jungle-clad mountains plummet into dense clusters of steel skyscrapers. Down in Central, I rode the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator, hopping off along Hollywood Road to explore antique curio shops and contemporary galleries before lighting fragrant coil incense at the historic Man Mo Temple.

Dim sum here is a culinary religion. At Duddell’s, surrounded by museum-grade modern art, I indulged in truffled prawn har gow and Iberico pork char siu buns (HK$680). For a more grassroots thrill, I braved the bustling atmosphere at Lin Heung Kui, waving down rattling metal dim sum trolleys to grab piping hot bamboo baskets of steamed chicken feet and juicy siu mai for HK$35 a dish.

By night, Hong Kong shifts into unmatched decadence. I crossed the harbor on the historic wooden Star Ferry (HK$5) as the Symphony of Lights painted the skyline in laser emerald and magenta. Afterward, I ascended to the 30th floor of The Ritz-Carlton's Ozone or nestled into DarkSide bar at Rosewood for a vintage Cognac cocktail accompanied by live jazz. Hong Kong’s skyline never sleeps, and neither did I.