TRAVEL [CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Part 3] | A Day in Hong Kong | Cut and Copy

Travel has always been an essential part of the holidays. With Christmas and New Year's around the corner, it's about time to reveal the little gems of Hong Kong for those coming over for the holidays.

Head over to Hong Kong Island just west of Soho towards Sheung Wan - a place where you truly get the sense of a neighbourhood (unlike the typical busy districts that house commercial shopping malls). Standout stores include Po's Atelier (70 Po Hing Fong, Hong Kong) where you can find artisan bread freshly baked out of their cool-looking bakery/store.

Down the hill, you'll find squarestreet (15 Square Street), a hip design store with 2 in-house Swedish designers, David Ericsson and Alexis Holm, at the helm of VOID watches and gram footwear. For the ladies, we have Chum5 (5 Tai Ping Shan Street) who stock unique and one-of-a-kind footwear from Italyand Spain. They've also got some chic accessories and bags last time I checked so definitely be on the lookout! Rest your feet at one of my all-time favourite café's Teakha (18 Tai Ping Shan Street) that serves Masala Chai and their own special blend of classic Hong Kong style milk tea.

For those of you itching to go to Causeway Bay, perhaps I can interest you in a trendier and more laid back district called Tin Hau? It's an upcoming neighbourhood with several edgy stores and concept restaurants popping ups so do make a detour if you have time! (Check out my article here if you want to know more about that area!)

Over on Kowloon, you'll find yourself on the busy streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, sprawling with designer stores wherever you go. Importer of many well known international brands, Lane Crawford's flagship on Canton Road serves as Hong Kong's answer to the likes of ready-to-wear brands from Alaïa to Alexander McQueen, and also as a lifestyle store stocking a wide variety of stylish furniture.

Homeless (L8, The One, 100 Nathan Road) brings together tongue-in-cheek humour with creative design to create items that are both desirable and affordable. If you ask me however, the one place that I wouldn't want to miss are the narrow streets on Granville Road with many Asian imported apparel and local stores offering random commodities from hair products to Taiwanese tapioca milk tea. Don't forget to browse through the hidden gem, Rise Shopping Arcade, to see the latest fashion items that can be bought at a steal!

If shopping alone isn't enough to satisfy your desires, Hong Kong is also a mecca for international cuisine. Available on the 24th and 25th of December, FINDS, a fine dining restaurant named after Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, is celebrating this holiday season Nordic style with Executive Chef Jaakko Sorsa preparing a seven-course Christmas and New Year Menu featuring traditional Nordic recipes and classic preserving methods that shouldn't be missed!

Both lavish seven-course Christmas and New Year Menus (at HKD 888/HKD 988) incorporate Chef Jaakko’s homeland traditions with premium ingredients. Now who could honestly resist some Nordic mulled wine with a wild Finnish lingonberry sorbet to finish?

What's even more convenient is that FINDS is neatly tucked away at the über chic Luxe Manor in Tsim Sha Tsui - an urban sanctuary that's only seconds away from my favourite shopping street Granville Road. Opened in 2006 and refurbished in 2011, The Luxe Manor is a cozy boutique hotel that features a rich and eclectic mix of Oriental and European decor.

Surreal yet comforting, the lobby and rooms remind me of Hotel Costes with its rich velvet and ultra chic bar that's famous amongst the fashion crowd.

Of course there's also the newly opened and hyped property off the harbour called Hotel ICON. The tea sets at the soaring Café Green is a must for those who want a relaxed environment besides an indoor vertical garden - it's a sight not to be missed!