It might seem a bit ghoulish, but the Sars outbreak means there's never been a better time to visit Hong Kong. Although the Foreign Office's advice against travelling there was lifted in May, tourist levels are still well down on last year, which means plenty of bargains in hotels, restaurants and shops in the former British colony.
If you've just flown in and are suffering from the eight-hour time difference, it's likely you'll be wide awake in the small hours. Avoid the rush-hour crowds and summer humidity and get out and see Hong Kong at its best - after the sun's gone down.
Best night views
Take the Peak Tram from Garden Road, Central (+2522 0922, thepeak.com.hk, HK$30 return, runs until midnight), to the Peak (550m) for the best overall view. For a panorama of the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island (which is more Manhattan than Kowloon, across the harbour on the mainland), stroll along the waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, near the Star Ferry terminal. If you want a views-and-booze combo, Cyrano's Bar on the 56th floor of the Island Shangri La Hotel in Central (+2877 3838), gives good vista along with cocktails and jazz (not Sundays).
Best after-dark harbour cruise
Splash out and go first class on the 10-minute cross-harbour Star Ferry (+2367 2576), a local institution. A one-way fare is HK$2.20 - that's 19p. If times are hard, you can always travel on the lower deck and save 4p. The last one from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui is at 11.30pm, and they start again at 6.30am the next morning.
Best for a bargain
Temple Street night market in Kowloon (open till around 11pm daily) is worth it for the stroll - lots of noise and lights - even if you don't fancy the pirate CDs, watches or bags. Slightly further north in Mong Kok, the Ladies Market in Tung Choi Street keeps similar hours (opens from noon to 11pm) and sells tatty but fun T-shirts, luggage and sunglasses (bargaining essential). For something harder-edged, check out the Rise Building (5 Granville Circuit, Kowloon), which is open 2pm "till late". Inside are young designers such as Maison de Conee (edgy knitwear), Nine Inches (club and street wear) and Déjà Vu (shoes).
Best place to lose your shirt
Horse racing takes place most Wednesday evenings and Saturday or Sunday afternoons at Happy Valley or Shatin between September and June. Typically, there may be seven races, with the last one at 10.30pm. Even if it's not your thing at home, the exuberance, energy and passion of the crowd, coupled with the skyscraper backdrop makes it well worth a visit. Entry to the main ground costs just HK$10 (79p), and bets cost from the same. The Hong Kong Jockey Club (+2508 1234, hongkongjockeyclub.com) is a non-profit-making organisation, so even if all your horses come in last, you can console yourself that your wasted cash is all for charity. The Tourist Board does a Come Horseracing Tour (over 18s only), which, for HK$190, includes hotel pick-up and admission to the betting lounge within the members' enclosure with welcome drinks, or HK$460 for items mentioned plus dinner or lunch.
Best for a meal
Naming all the Chinese eateries would be like listing all the Jones in the Swansea phone book. Follow your nose or ask around, but once inside don't expect anyone to speak English, just point at someone else's dish. Many restaurants are open late, but not all night. One that is open around the clock is Tsui Wah (15-19 Wellington Street, +2525 6338), where fried noodle dishes cost around HK$25.50 each and rice dishes about HK$30.50 each.
Best for a beer
A bottle of beer is around HK$35, so look out for extended happy hours. The main party street is Lan Kwai Fong on Hong Kong Island, where there are more tightly packed bars than you can shake a cocktail stick at. Most shut around 3am on weekdays, 5am or later on weekends. In SoHo (as in South of Hollywood Road), Liquid is worth a look; in Happy Valley, try Green Spot (Wong Nai Chung Road, +2836 0009) for nightly jazz till 3am. On the other side of the harbour, there's the Philippe Starck-designed Felix at the Peninsular Hotel (Salisbury Road, +2366 6251) for a touch of class. For something more down-to-earth, try Chemical Suzy (2 Austin Avenue, +2736 0087) or Organ Bar (Basement, 22 Ashley Road, +2376 0389).
Best for a dance
Bl.ush (56-58 Hollywood Road, HK$100 entry fee on Fridays and Saturdays) is open till 5am daily, while C-Club (30-32 D'Aguilar Street) is just as happening but has a cosier feel. Propaganda (1 Hollywood Road) is the main gay hang out. Entry is free early in the week but can rise above HK$200 on Saturdays when it's open till 6am. Local club aficionado Raymond Kwok says there's a move towards decentralisation, with new venues appearing in previous blackholes like Happy Valley and Causeway Bay. "Just ask around when you get here."
Best place to do it your way
Karaoke is big in Hong Kong. For the ultimate experience, go to the third floor of the Big Echo Karaoke Bar (678 Nathan Road. Open till 6am, entry HK$60pp Monday to Friday and Sunday, after 1am, HK$10 more on Saturday), The entry fee includes two free soft drinks. You can stay at least three hours, but something tells me you won't.
Best place to glam it up
One option for nightlife is to pop over to the former Portuguese enclave of Macao, 44 miles away, where eating and drinking is generally cheaper than Hong Kong. Hydrofoils run throughout the night and the journey takes an hour. (HK$161 one-way, +2859 3333, turbojet.com.hk).
The highlight for some is the casinos - try the Lisboa - but there's much more to Macao than that. For a start, it's a lot more Portuguese than Hong Kong was ever English. Grab a strong Portuguese coffee - ask for "uma bica" if you want a small, black espresso, or "um garoto" if you want it with milk. For traditional pasteis de nata - egg tarts - go to Coloane, where Andrew and Eileen Stow from Essex run the village bakery.
Back in town, A Lorcha restaurant (289 Rua do Almirante Sergio, +313 193) serves traditional Macanese food such as deep-fried king prawns with chilli and garlic, till late; or try Fernando's (Hac Sa Beach, Coloane, +882 531) for similar.
Bars along the waterfront area of Avenida Marginal Da Baia serve beers that are roughly two-thirds the price of Hong Kong. The Macao Jazz Club (Avenida Dr Sun Yat Sen, +519 519) has bands till 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and is a good place to chill. If you'd rather dance, the DD Disco (Avenida de D João Fort, +711 800) is open all night, but be prepared for the playlist to feature the Chinese equivalent of Steps.
Further information: The Macao Government Tourist Office in London (020-7771 7006, macautourism.gov.mo).
Best way to get home
Late at night, jump in a cab. They're plentiful, painted red and white and, as in London, if the roof-light's on, they're available. Relatively cheap, especially when shared between a few of you (initial charge HK$15, then HK$1.4 for every 200m, plus extra tolls for the cross-harbour tunnel). The only hiccup is that most drivers don't speak much (or any) English, so have your destination written down in Chinese. For information on night buses, visit citybus.com.hk, or kmb.com.hk - both have useful search facility on how to get from A to B.
Best ways to recover
If you've had a big night, go to the Ngan Ki Heung Tea Company (290 Queens Road, Central, +2544 1375, open from 10am-7pm every day, except Sunday when it's open from 2pm), and ask for some Iron Buddha tea, from the Chiu Chow district of Guandong province in China (HK$4 for 100g).
If exercise is your preferred way to recover, try tai chi. You'll see locals doing it in parks everywhere from around 6am onwards. If you'd like to join in, the tourist board runs free one-hour lessons on weekdays except Tuesday at 8am outside the Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui (+2508 1234).
For peace and quiet, go to the Chi Lin Nunnery (Diamond Hill, Kowloon, Thursday-Tuesday 9am-3.30pm). Although founded in the 1930s, it's only been open to the public since May 2000. Just 10 minutes by cab from Kowloon, it is a haven of peace in a noisy city.
If a bit of pampering will help you get through your hangover, go to On Wo Tong Chinese Medicine Centre (1st floor, 13-19 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, +2893 0199) for an hour-long foot massage, which costs HK$197. After your feet are soaked in warm water, a reflexologist will pummel them and, simply from that, give you the low-down on your state of health. (Call a few days in advance to ensure an English speaker will be around to help translate.)
Need to know
For what's on in Hong Kong, pick up magazines such as HK and BC, free from bars and restaurants. 24/7 comes with the South China Morning Post every Friday. Also try timeout.com and bcmagazine.net.
Way to go
Getting there: Cathay Pacific (020-7834 8888, cathaypacific.com) flies twice daily Heathrow-Hong Kong from £450pp return.
Where to stay: The Island Shangri-La Hotel (reservations 020-8747 8484, shangri-la.com) has rooms from £250 a night.
Special offers:
Book by July 7 for travel between August 1 and September 30 and three nights' accommodation at a three-star hotel costs £279pp with Travelocity (0870 1117057, travelocity.co.uk). Two passengers must travel together, and the price includes return flights from Heathrow with Cathay Pacific, transfers and UK airport taxes.
Book before September 10 for travel between now and September 15, and Quest Travel (0870 4423513, questtravel.com) has three nights' room-only at the three-star Newton Hotel from £435pp (two sharing), £485 for single. This includes direct Virgin Atlantic flights, transfers and a half-day city tour.
Book by June 30 and Kuoni (01306 747008, kuoni.co.uk) is offering five nights' room-only in Hong Kong from £579pp (two sharing) including return flights from Heathrow with Cathay Pacific and all in-resort transfers, representing a saving of up to £202 per couple.
Travelbag (0870 8901460, travelbag.co.uk) is offering a three-night city break for £450pp for departures from now until August 15. The price includes return flights with Emirates from Heathrow to Hong Kong via Dubai, three nights' standard room-only, transfers and a day city tour.
Asia Direct (0870 8890824, asia-direct.co.uk) is offering a five-night break in September for £599pp (two sharing). This includes return Cathay Pacific airways flights from Heathrow, transfers and B&B accommodation.
Further information: Hong Kong Tourist Board (020-7533 7100, discoverhongkong.com)
Country code: 00 852.
Flight time Heathrow-Hong Kong: 13hrs.
Time difference: +8hrs.
£1= 12.66 Hong Kong dollars.
