Causeway Bay

This minimalist boutique hotel, with its elevated, Scandinavian vibe, was created by Hong Kong interior team, Design Systems. Outfitted from stem to stern in grey monochrome marble, concrete, and natural timber, it’s got an immaculately clean, refined appearance throughout, making it the sort of place you'll be pretty happy to call home. The bathrooms, decked with oxidized brass fixtures, are stocked with luxury products; the lighting is perfectly ambient at all times; and it’s well-located, too, with the MTR, Causeway Bay, Victoria Park, and Tai Hang all close-by. In fact, it’s so well-integrated into a happening (but not-too-happening) part of town that, along with its inviting yet no-frills atmosphere, it is the perfect place to stay for an authentic experience of the city without skimping on luxury.

When you've maxed out on dim sum and just want a simple café where you can tuck into the paper, and maybe a bagel and lox or some avocado toast, Classified is a nice choice. So welcome, in fact, that there are something like nine outposts scattered across the region. They do a reliably great English and Irish breakfast and the coffee is better than what you'll find in most joints. Other locations include Happy Valley, Stanley, Wan Chai, Repulse Bay, Sheung Wan, and Central.

"Lane Crawford is a beautifully decorated, incredibly well-selected specialty store. It’s the only place in HK where you’ll find varied brands like Acne, Elizabeth and James, Moncler, Vanessa Bruno, etc. It was definitely my favorite find at the IFC with its beautiful displays of contemporary art and huge and equally well-edited homeware department." —GP

While there are many of these streetwear-inspired shops scattered across Hong Kong Island (Causeway Bay) and Kowloon (multiples in Tsim Sha Tsui), we like the multi-story outpost in Central best: There you’ll find an ever-so-slightly more out-there edit than you’ll ever see in the states, all carefully selected from labels like Stella McCartney, Preen, and Anne-Sofie Beck. (There’s a lot for guys, too.)

While its name might evoke the concept of basic little black dresses, everything in boutique is more exuberant garden party than formal affair.

It may seem strange to shop for Scandinavian labels in Hong Kong, but the edit here is so spot-on—from stand-out lines like Humanoid, Hope, by Malene Birger—and the palette is so clean and muted, the racks prove irresistible. Besides being unisex, there's also a nice range of home goods from similarly Nordic designers like Hay and Skultana.