Get lost in shopping heaven

By WILLOW DUTTGE

updated 6:48 p.m. ET Oct. 3, 2006

HONG KONG - A whirlwind day of shopping in Hong Kong can take travelers from some of the world's glitziest malls to shady back-alley rooms selling Louis Vuitton knockoffs, from clusters of souvenir shops hawking Mao Zedong watches to the twinkling blue waters of the South China Sea.

A good place to begin a shopping spree is at Pacific Place, a chic mall near the central business district on Hong Kong Island. Just looking at the shopping center's store directory can give a shopaholic goosebumps. There's Prada, Hermes, Chanel, D&G Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and more.

Walking down the mall's wide and airy walkways is like being inside the glossy pages of Vogue magazine. It's a wardrobe wish-list. The boutiques boast an excellent collection of couture, but not low prices.

After a couple hours of shopping quality rather than quantity, shoppers can walk to a bus terminal from the skybridge to hop on a double-decker bus to Stanley Market on the south side of Hong Kong island.

Take a seat on the bus' top level for the best views. The bus will leave the city and follow a curvy, tree-lined mountain road. Stunning views of the sapphire South China Sea will come into view throughout the excursion.

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The trip to Stanley only takes 30 minutes. The beauty of shopping in Hong Kong is that all the malls and shopping districts are relatively close together.

Once at Stanley, a shopper can weave around tourists and pop into shops selling everything from beaded purses to a watch with a waving Mao Zedong and a North Face jacket. Some stores specialize in selling factory seconds with minor defects.

Once or twice a year, businessmen can be seen with their arms full of Brooks Brothers dress shirts. A shop intermittently gets a truckload of the designs and sells them for $10.

After a stint shopping at Stanley, have lunch at one of the area's many cafes and pubs, then hop a bus back to central Hong Kong to scourer a traditional street market. The Tai Yuen street market in Wan Chai is a gritty neighborhood near central made world famous by the 1960 movie "The World of Suzie Wong" - a love story about a prostitute and foreign painter. But the 'hood has a hot shopping spot.

Bras, socks, purses, jewelry and pet turtles are displayed from street stalls. Shirts piled in bins sell for as low as $1.29. Also take a peek at clothing stores near the markets, which have even more fab finds.

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