Hong Kong: Central perk
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Hong Kong’s Central district is upping the shopping, leisure and entertainment stakes |
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When Angelina Jolie’s stunt double leapt from the top of Two IFC – the tallest block of Hong Kong’s spanking new International Finance Centre – for the latest Lara Croft flick, the whole city stopped and stared.
During preceding months the 420-metre skyscraper had gradually taken shape above the harbour. As the cameras rolled it was almost as if the building – the fifth tallest in the world – was holding an unofficial opening ceremony. What’s more, suddenly Hong Kong had a new, new icon.
The IFC, built like so much of the city on reclaimed land, has become the premier hub of the Central district – the island’s main business, retail and entertainment area.
The building soars above the Airport Express station (just a 23-minute ride from Hong Kong International Airport), an underground railway station and the ferry piers to Hong Kong’s outlying islands, as well as a bus depot and the neighbouring 180-metre office block, One IFC.
The complex houses some of the city’s hippest shops and restaurants, which is some feat considering what the city already has to offer in the way of shops and eateries. These days it’s easier to locate an Italian-made suit in Hong Kong than a packet of cigarettes. The city even boasts an Armani ‘concept’ store – the second largest outside Italy.
Anyone who wants to catch Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life can do so in the plush, hi-tech surrounds of IFC’s Palace Cinema. Hong Kong has always been one step ahead when it comes to streamlining technology, so it comes as no surprise to find tickets can be paid for using IFC’s touch-screen system, using the same ‘stored value’ card (similar to London’s Oyster card). It is valid on public transport, as well as in numerous retail outlets.
Two IFC, which houses the Hong Kong Monetary Authority among others, is off limits to non-tenants and guarded by dapper receptionists backed up by former Gurkha soldiers.
However, visitors are positively encouraged to roam around the rest of IFC, a testament to gleaming modernity with its dazzling array of boutiques.
Ranging from A Testoni to Zara, via Gieves and Hawkes and Salvatore Ferragamo, there’s even a free concierge service modelled on traditional hospitality. Kids receive balloons and sweets; porters will carry heavy purchases and the concierges themselves will scan a document, recharge your mobile or render first aid, and are a mine of information when it comes to shopping or dining recommendations.
Ben and Jerry’s and Starbucks cater to one end of the food chain, while at the other you’ll find the likes of Isola, which is currently Hong Kong’s most sought-after restaurant, serving chic Italian food. Running to a monumental 7,000sq ft – square footage is calculated in gold bars in tiny Hong Kong – the restaurant features a main dining area adjoining the show kitchen, a broad terrace overlooking the harbour and an upstairs bar that’s the last word in cool. Reservations are a must.
The IFC and its surrounding area have proved a magnet for visiting celebrities. Last year saw a host of musical stars – from the Rolling Stones to the Three Tenors – hit town to take part in a one-off Harbour Fest event, and others have followed this year.
David Bowie was spotted window shopping in the IFC between concerts, and operatic maestro Andrea Bocelli also visited – and took advantage of Hong Kong’s premier tailoring.
Hong Kong Tourism Board UK trade marketing manager Jas Anand said new developments in the city are changing its character and making it more interesting. "The Central district has traditionally been a favourite with business travellers, but the IFC development has focused attention on what the area offers for leisure visitors to Hong Kong."
Next year’s opening of the six-star Four Seasons hotel should prove to be the icing on the IFC’s cake. Just under 400 rooms including 54 suites will each contain 106cm plasma televisions and broadband Internet access, while the hotel’s ‘destination’ spa will comprise 14 treatment rooms and two VIP suites. In a prime location and right on top of the Airport Express link, the
Four Seasons Hong Kong is set to ruffle a few feathers among the city’s top-notch hotels.Covered, air-conditioned walkways link IFC with the popular nightlife zone of Lan Kwai Fong, and the malls en route are transforming rapidly. Two recent arrivals, the flagship Armani concept store and Asia’s largest Prada store, will shortly be joined by a branch of Harvey Nichols. And the very traditional Mandarin Oriental hotel is adding a junior partner in the shape of a 114-room boutique hotel called the Landmark.
Central’s most rambunctious after-hours zone is being given a tweak too, with the opening of Lan Kwai Fong Tower. Restaurants and bars – including a rock ‘n’ roll supper club called the Cavern – will occupy the lower floors of this office block, linking two of the district’s streets and spreading the Fong’s lively borders just a little wider.
Central can be seen as one of Hong Kong’s acupuncture points, and with Two IFC acting like a giant needle, the area is undergoing a mini revolution.