Kang Ha Neul’s Hong Kong Travel Diary

Having caught the travel bug early, KAYAK Brand Ambassador Kang Ha-Neul has always been a keen explorer. We’ve previously chatted with him on everything travel – this time we wanted to see just what he gets up to when he’s on holiday.

Just before enlisting in the military in his home country, South Korea, Ha-Neul deliberately slotted in a mini getaway to Hong Kong between his hectic movie promotion schedules around Asia, in order to visit his favourite local spots one more time. Luckily, he was kind enough to bring us along for the ride, giving us an inside view into what he got up to during his stay.

While in Hong Kong, Ha-Neul loves staying at hotels overlooking the Victoria Harbour – places like the Renaissance Harbour View Hong Kong Hotel – so he can take advantage of the best views, both during the day and at night.

Kang Ha-Neul’s favourite Hong Kong experience – beyond the city life

Apart from its million-dollar night view and skyscrapers, many visitors don’t realise that Hong Kong is full of secret gems hidden around every corner, right in the heart of the city. Ha Neul’s favourite first thing to do in town is to take the Peak Tram (best seats are on the right side of the tram) up to the Peak early in the morning, because nothing beats starting off a day of discovery in the luscious-green Peak Circle Walk.

Following the morning walk, it’s time to enjoy all the amazing food Hong Kong has to offer.  Celebrating authentic Cantonese cuisines, Dynasty, the award-winning Chinese restaurant, offers a menu of classics including favourites like the barbecued pork and the signature southeast-Asian lobster in fragrant chilli sauce with fried mantou, alongside a selection of not-to-be-missed dim-sum.

Ha-Neul’s food journey doesn’t just stop after dim-sum. Next, he visited all his favourite eateries for local delights like egg tarts from Tai Cheong Bakery and Hong Kong craft beer from 65 Peel. He also checked out nostalgic special drinks and innovative desserts such as Mango & Pomelo, served with coconut nitrogen, at Lee Lo Mei.

As an actor, Ha-Neul is always looking for new inspiration, and to that end, he spent a good part of the afternoon musing around the hipstery PoHo area and the PMQ, a Grade 3 historic building built in the 1950s, originally serving as the living quarters for Hong Kong’s police and now preserved as an iconic landmark for local creative industries. PMQ houses over a hundred local “create-preneurs” and designers in Hong Kong, and is now a place for creative lifestyle experiences.

To further fuel his creativity, Ha-Neul checked out the ‘LONG TIME NO SEE: A Virtual Encounter with Neighbourly Nostalgia’ Exhibition, and visited Obellery , a contemporary Jewellery Studio, to learn from the master how to make ‘wearable art’. A quick learner, Ha-Neul fashioned himself a silver ring which will be the perfect memento for his latest visit to Hong Kong.

After an afternoon full of local surprises, unwinding along the Central Harbourfront is the best way to enjoy the evening outdoors. Plus, as any good photographer knows, the ‘magic hour’ – the moments just before the sunset when the sky is still bright – is the best time to capture that special photo for your collection.

After taking a breezy stroll along the harbour front, Ha-Neul visited Mirage to chill out, where he cheekily stole the bartender’s show, shaking up some amazing cocktails – the perfect way to end the day.

KAYAK makes travel easier – so you can enjoy all the more

Ha-Neul got the most out of his Hong Kong trip thanks to KAYAK’s Trips feature. With automated reminders and flight updates, Kang knew he had the latest info on all his bookings right at his fingertips, so he could focus on enjoying his trip, safe in the knowledge he wouldn’t miss any last-minute changes to his bookings. 

Download the KAYAK App and try Trips now: https://www.kayak.sg/mobile

Finally, we would like to wish Ha-Neul all the best of luck for his military service!