Queensway

"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. There are also outposts in Tsim Sha Tsui, IFC, and Causeway Bay. This one in Pacific Place is focused on home goods." —GP

This sleek, boutique-like hotel—which offers spectacular views of the city—is inarguably one of the Hong Kong's best. Streamlined, but supremely luxurious rooms are just the first step: Each room offers a free mini-bar, replete with snacks and drinks, Café Gray up on a sky-scraping floor, and a great gym with floor-to-ceiling windows.

While you might not typically gravitate to a Harvey Nichols in Asia, there’s a lot here that you can’t get back in London (or in the U.S. for that matter). While they’ve bought deep into labels like Victoria Beckham and 3.1 Phillip Lim, we were most enthralled with the labels from China, Japan, and Singapore, which we had never seen before. Ultimately, it’s an amazing store for discovering new talent. There's also a location in the Landmark.

When a popular boutique springs up, it seems to be the way that many are soon to follow: One such success story is Initial, a burgeoning empire of other-worldly spaces that feel like 19th-century ateliers. There are home goods (West Third Brand candles, Areo terrariums, Puebco diaries), a house line of clothing, plus labels like Tucker, Karen Walker, and Rachel Comey. There are also two locations in Causeway Bay.

Since 1971, Joyce has been sourcing the most interesting and forward-thinking labels in the world, and bringing them to Hong Kong. Balenciaga, Altuzarra, and Balmain mingle with Frame Denim, Mawi jewelry, and The Elder Statesmen cashmere. While the pricetags match the pieces, we’ve heard that there are incredible deals to be found at the Joyce Warehouse in Horizon Plaza in Aberdeen (there’s also a Lane Crawford outlet there). There's also a separate Joyce Beauty, as well as locations in Central and Harbour City.

If you can’t make it up to The Peak, breakfast at Café Gray, the Gray Kunz restaurant on top of The Upper House (one of our favorite Hong Kong hotels), is a good stand-in. You’ll get a sweeping view of the harbor from the 49th floor while you munch on shitake and watercress omelettes or steamed pork buns and crabmeat congee.