Recently in Hong Kong Category

Hong Kong is a high-energy city, pulsating with activity at all hours, but if you want to learn the secrets behind what powers this modern metropolis, make your way to the Tsim Sha Tsui East neighborhood. There, the Hong Kong Science Museum will help you unravel the mysteries of energy, aviation, robotics, computers, and dozens of other fields of exploration. The museum is filled with about 500 exhibits related to science and technology, and it's a great place to spend a relaxing and educational afternoon learning about the forces that control the world. An interactive Virtual Reality exhibit, for example, will amaze you with just how realistic a computer-generated world can be. An exhibit on biodiversity in China, meanwhile, illustrates the amazing depth and breadth of nature in the world's most populous country. But the biggest star of the museum is energy itself. The museum's 22-meter-high twin-tower energy machine can be triggered to come alive and produce a series of fantastical effects that illustrate the various forms of energy, how they are created, and how they can be transformed. It's a metaphor for Hong Kong itself. Starwood has three hotels in Hong Kong: the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, Le Méridien Cyberport, and the stylish W Hong Kong.

[image via lcsd.gov.hk]

With its soaring towers and cutting-edge technology, Hong Kong is one of the world's most futuristic cities, but one area has managed to maintain its rural charms throughout the years. The Tin Shui Wai neighborhood was once renowned for its many productive rice farms, which provided residents with a standard of living that was the envy of the city. The fields are long gone, but visitors can catch a glimpse of what life was like for the farmers and merchants with a walk along the Ping Shan Heritage Trail. The one-kilometer trail winds through three villages - Hang Mei Tsuen, Hang Tau Tsuen and Sheung Cheung Wai - which contain some of the most historically valuable buildings in the New Territories.

The trail begins near the West Rail Station, and walkers are greeted with Hong Kong's only ancient pagoda, Tsui Shing Lau, a tri-level structure that dates back over 600 years. Further along the trail, visitors will encounter several altars, shrines, and temples, such as the Yeung Hau Temple, with ornate statues of Taoist deities such as Hau Wong, and the Tang Ancestral Hall, one of the largest of its kind in Hong Kong. Even if you don't know exactly what you're looking at, you'll enjoy some of the finer details of the walk, from the stone walls surrounding the villages (designed to protect them from raiders), to the intricately-tiled roofs that are always adorned by figures and traditional artwork. It's a rare glimpse of the Hong Kong of yesteryear. Starwood has three hotels in Hong Kong: the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, the W Hong Kong, and Le Méridien Cyberport.

[image via hkoutdoors.com]

Everything feels big in Hong Kong, and that includes the temples and monasteries that dot the city. Among the grandest is the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, which is located on a mountain behind Shatin Pai Tau Village. It's a steep climb to the top, but once you make it, you're rewarded with one of the most striking temples in China, as well as a panorama of Hong Kong that's simply breathtaking. The temple isn't very old, dating only to 1957, but the pagodas, halls, and pavilions represent a perfect rendering of ancient architectural styles, and to see robed monks wander the carefully manicured grounds is to witness a tradition that dates back thousands of years. As for the Buddhas, that 10,000 figure is actually an understatement, as the temple boasts about 12,000 statues of the Buddha, each in a different pose representing a different facet of life. It would take forever to inspect them all, so just focus on those that match your current spiritual state and go forth in peace and tranquility. It will be an experience that will stay with you forever. Starwood has three hotels in Hong Kong: the W Hong Kong, the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, and Le Méridien Cyberport.

As the story goes, the spiritual teacher known as Buddha gained enlightenment after sitting under a Bodhi tree and meditating for 49 days. Statues and images of the Buddha in his meditative pose can be found throughout Asia, but there are few more impressive than the Big Buddha on Hong Kong's Lantau Island. Located at the Po Lin Monastery, the Tian Tan Big Buddha graces the top of Muk Yue Peak, and visitors who climb to the top of the three-story exhibition hall to its pedestal are rewarded with a spectacular panorama of Hong Kong as well as the benevolent protection of this 2,500-year-old ascetic. In addition to the Buddha, the monastery has several historic and culturally rich buildings, including the Ancestral Hall, the Lotus Pagoda, and the tantalizingly-named Diamond Cave. You won't find many actual diamonds there - it's the place where Buddhist ceremonies are held - but isn't enlightenment worth more than a diamond? Of course it is. Guests at the W Hong Kong or any of Starwood's Hong Kong properties will enjoy an afternoon exploring this spiritually charged destination.