Causeway Bay

I go way back with Causeway Bay, as back in the day, I used to work there, which makes it one of the first places I got to know really well when living in Hong Kong.

The above photo was taken with perfect timing, across Hennessy Road just as the lights on the crossing outside of the Sogo department store were about to change, the rain stopped and even the traffic cooperated.

Located on Hong Kong Island, it's basically a suburb full of shops, both the smaller local ones, the massive international chains and even a street market. Yes, just about anything you could want is close by.

Getting There and Navigating Malls top

Getting there is about as simple as it gets, with the usual selection of buses, taxis, MTR, and one new one, the famous Hong Kong trams.

In my case, after fuelling up on breakfast, it was MTR time. Getting to the Causeway Bay station and heading for the surface, the heat was like walking into a superheated wall. Well, it's summer, so it's not unexpected, and me being me is no problem.

If you are not like me and the heat is a problem, no need to avoid visiting, as there is air conditioning everywhere, plus plenty of places for hydration and food.

Now, while I like wandering around checking things out, if large shopping centres, of which there are several, are more your thing, you can go for Times Square, which to me is one of the better ones.

Talking of Times Square, there is a supermarket on one of the lower levels, plus a Shake Shack that does killer hot chips; then comes the MTR entrance, so just about anything you need.

Some of the others you will like are: Hysan Place, Island Beverley Shopping Centre, and Windsor House.

Accommodation & Landmark Department Stores top

Here's some trivia: when visiting Hong Kong, one of the hotels I usually stay at is the Park Lane located in Causeway Bay, in a near perfect location, very close to the MTR, with a supermarket underneath, the Windsor House shopping centre over the road, and just about everything else close by.

While on the subject, the Park Lane Hotel may be a little older than most, but it is very comfortable, with some of the best service I have experienced. In short, if you are looking for somewhere to stay at a reasonable price on Hong Kong Island, give them a try.

Check out this photo, which I took in the middle of the day during the week; top right is the Park Lane, and on the bottom right is the supermarket.

Back to the shopping, remember I mentioned Sogo earlier? Yes, it's the one in the photo at the top of this page. Well, after years of living in Hong Kong, I had never been in there. Each time I tried, the crowds were so bad that I could not get in the front door.

In my June 2024 visit, I visited Causeway Bay several times, and yes, it was crowded during the week, but not so bad that I would recommend you avoid visiting. Anyhow, I finally made it into Sogo, and it was not what I expected.

I was expecting high-brand everything with even higher prices, and yes, on some of the lower floors, this did seem to be the case, but as I moved to the upper floors, things changed, and it was like any of the better department stores I had visited all over the planet.

Jardine's Crescent Street Market & Specialty Shops top

Sogo, being originally a Japanese-owned store and remembering visiting department stores in Japan, I was expecting the quality to be better, and from what I found, this was the case, and surprisingly, the prices were not as high as expected.

Yes, higher than some of the local stores, but by no means painful.

Now, before heading for the lunch meet-up with my friend, there was time to visit the street market located in Jardine's Crescent.

I have a very long history of visiting this market, as back in the day, when I worked in Causeway Bay, I used to get lunch very close to the market. Most days, I would wander through the market to get some hydration, snacks, etc.

As for the market, it's similar to many of the others in Hong Kong, if better organised, actually having a real roof, rather than just plastic sheets, so in the rain, you can still visit. To me, it's not critical, but it's still nice to see.

The stalls sell the usual collection of clothes, souvenirs, food, etc., and yes, the feeling of being better organised does cover the stalls also.

While heading for lunch with my friend, I was wandering through one of the many smaller shopping centres and found a very interesting specialist store, which sold nothing but jigsaw puzzles.

Yes, really, jigsaw puzzles, now, while I have seen specialist stores before, this is a new one for me.

Regardless, I went in and spoke to the staff, as I have a friend who is visiting Hong Kong later in the year and is very into this sort of thing.

The staff were friendly and allowed me to take photos, and yes, I did pass on the store details to my friend.

Talking of details, the store's address is Shop 205A, 2/F, Causeway Bay Plaza 1, 489 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, HK.

Anyhow, if you are in Hong Kong and want to shop until you drop with just about anything available, head out to Causeway Bay and wander around.

Remember earlier, I talked about the crowds, and yes, Causeway Bay can be crowded, but not even close to as bad as Kowloon. For a visit, I recommend avoiding weekends and visiting late morning or early afternoon. Yes, a perfect time to get some food, and yes, you can get just about anything ranging from street food to, if you have to ask, you cannot afford it.

When it comes to food, even with my dietary restrictions, I can find something good to eat; you will not have any problems other than deciding what to eat and trying to avoid being driven insane by the food smells. According to my friend, the food smells are to die for.

My final thoughts on Causeway Bay are: incredible atmosphere, excellent shopping, great food, in short, a really good place to visit.