SHOPPING HOTSPOT: RISE ARCADE and GRANVILLE CIRCUIT

Hong Kong

By Ysabel Villaflor

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Just how many times have we heard this saying?  This describes exactly my feelings for this gem of a place called Rise Arcade in Granville Circuit.

I wanted to go somewhere different on my Hong Kong trip. And I wanted to go shop somewhere the travel guides don't mention.

My research led me to a blog by Jerome Lin (http://blog.omy.sg/hongkong/tag/granville-circuit/). He mentioned a place called “Rise Arcade in Granville Circuit”. An old building in the back alleys of Hong Kong. Those words got me hooked. I HAD TO SEE IT FOR MYSELF! 

I had a hard time looking for Granville Circuit- passed by dark alleys and went to some back building places (blame it to having bad direction skills), but as it turned out, I took the long way getting there rather than going the easy route of turning right from Granville Road! But the adventure of looking for it, I must say, added to it's charm. 

I felt victorious when I found it! I can feel the energy already.

Now to find the building.

Rise Arcade is an old building that houses Hong Kong designers.  It may not be obvious from the outside since the building looked run down.. but oh, DON'T BE FOOLED! There were so many surprises inside! It was like finding gold in mud sort of thing. 

Rise Arcade DID NOT DISAPPOINT. It's street, it’s quirky, it’s fun.. and it’s glorious. My head was reeling from all the excitement of finding such an amazing shopping mecca.  It was like finding out a well-kept secret. I can’t wait to go back here next time.  And no fashionista should miss this while in Hong Kong.

If you like street fashion, unique pieces and adventure, you HAVE to see RISE ARCADE on Granville Circuit.

Sorry couldn't take more pictures. Was busy rummaging through the stuff at Rise! :) Also sorry for the poor resolution, the pics were taken from my phone.

And in true Rise Arcade fashion, we went out via the Fire Escape. :)

xoxo

WGYsabs

Granville Circuit itself has amazing shops too. From Lomo Cameras, to OPI nail polish to  Korean  brands.

I was so excited, I forgot to take a photo of the facade of Rise Arcade.
Photo courtesy of http://hong-kong-travel.org/

The adventure begins. 4 glorious floors of Hong Kong Street Fashion and Unique knick-knacks.



SURPRISE!!

Blazers and Sweaters only in this store

 

Shoes! Shoes!Shoes!

Sales Everywhere!

Sales were everywhere!

There is something for everyone. 

Just like Rise Arcade, I bought this Vintage-y Stamp set. It was too quirky and unique to pass up. 

BEER-TRIPPIN’ IN 2011

By Ysabel Villaflor

Every time I go to a foreign country, I see to it that I try to sample their local beer. It’s the best way to find out how the locals celebrate since a party is nothing without some sort of alcohol.

Last 2011 proved to be one heck of a beer-tripping year when I was able to travel to some of the tropical and colorful Caribbean countries (which consist of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire, and Aruba), the emerging Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, and the cosmopolitan Hong Kong for Christmas. Which also meant, I had a sample of their local and not so local brews.

Here are the beers that I tasted this year J

JAPAN - Narita Airport

Our stop over on the way to LA in Narita International Airport gave an opportunity to try our Asahi Beer which I haven't tasted before.

CARRIBEAN - Puerto Rico

Medalla Light Beer, Puerto Rico's own local brew.

Presidente Beer isn't a Puerto Rican Beer, but a Dominican Republic Beer

Our drink of choice when we started our cruise around the Caribbean - Dos Equis, a Mexican Beer. Wasn't able to take a picture of the other beer we often drank on board, Becks - a German Beer.

Drinking our Presidentes at the La Concha Beachfront Resort in Puerto Rico

Drinking our Medallas during lunch at Lonestar Restaurant, Puerto Rico.

Oh, I did dig this one up of Aman with his Becks Beer.

CARRIBEAN – Virgin Islands

My brother got me some Carib Lager to share while waiting on the others with their shopping. Went well with our Baby Back Ribs! Carib Beer is sold all through out the Caribbean and dubbed as " The Caribbean Beer ".

I treated my brother-in-law with St. John Brewers Tropical Fruit Ales. I got the Tropical Mango while he got the Island Hoppin.

While we might look crazy in this picture, I'd have to be honest and say that this was my least favorite of all the beers I tasted during this trip. It's too strong for my preference and the mango taste reminds me of medicine for some odd reason. hehe

CARRIBEAN – Dominica Republic

Me and my Kubuli Beer, right in front of our Caribbean home -the Caribbean Princess. :)

Another round of Kubuli before going back to the ship for early lunch. We can't bring alcohol in the ship.

Yet, another round of Kubuli Beer after we trekked going around Dominica National Park and Hot Springs late in the afternoon.

CARRIBEAN - Bonaire

Polar Beer is actually a Venezuelan Beer.

For once, I wasn't carded. YES! I bought a bucket of Polars to bring to the beach in Bonaire.

Enjoying the beer right on the beach with my cousins Arnel and Robere.

CARRIBEAN - Aruba

Balashi Beer, Aruba's Finest. I loved this beer so much I got myself a Balashi Shirt as a souvenir.

CARIBBEAN

While I loved all the beers I tried, what the Caribbean is actually known for is White Rum. Since we couldn't bring in any alcohol on board the ship, we got a bit more -- let's say, creative. It made up for a lot of happy memories while on board the ship.

VIETNAM – Ho Chi Minh

Too Bad wasn't able to taste Saigon Beer. But it will be first on the list when I come back to Vietnam, which I hope will be soon :)

HONG KONG - Kowloon

Tsing Tao, always a favorite. Even on the nth time in HK! :)

Only pic of Hite Beer that I tasted off my brother's. Hite Beer is Korean.
Photo Courtesy of Kreme Seen :)

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2011 has been an amazing year for discovering new beers.  

I hope you find your own "thing" when visiting a foreign land. It adds to the experience :)

More Beer Adventures in 2012!

Much love, Ysabs

ANOTHER BUDGET HOTEL TO CONSIDER: 
YWCA - ANNE BLACK GUEST HOUSE, Hong Kong

BY: Ysabs Villaflor

LOCATION: it's in the quiet part of the most densely populated place on Earth, Mongkok.  It's a few minutes walk to Nathan Road (try 15 minutes), 3 Night Markets which include the Ladies Market and Langham Place the newest high-end mall in MongKok.

FEEL:  it's basic, simple and no frills

PERSONAL: I was there last November 2010 with a friend for my nth time in Hong Kong and first time in Macau


THE WELCOME MAT: very basic with comfy couches for the guests to check their email since there is ready Wifi in the lobby.

THE ROOMS: Standard with enough room for luggage and storage for clothes.  The beds are comfortable and it's clean.  It doesn't have carpet so it doesn't have that stuffy smell or feeling.
We had a great view of the hotel across the street, The Metro Park.


My only complaint is that the Air-Conditioning unit that was in the room was giving out conking noise but, I only realized it when I wasn't dead tired from going out.

sorry for the mess! hehehe

THE BATHROOM: has a separate area for shower and toilet, shower curtain, with toiletries, It has hot and cold.  I'm pretty satisfied with the bathroom since it's clean and bright (mainly due to the frost-effect windows in the bathroom)

THE COST: We paid around US$ 63 or around Php 3,087 per night for TWO (which means US$31.5 or Php 1,543.15 each person per day).  This is a good place to stay if you just want to sleep after going out.

THE FOOD:  there is no complimentary breakfast but there is a restaurant which serves international cuisine.and free wifi services in the shop.

THE SERVICE: we had no problems checking in with the hotel since we pre-booked our rooms via agoda.com.  The service was swift and friendly.

OTHER AMENITIES: a lobby with wifi, a basketball court outside, a pool.

RATING: 3 out of 5.  The location can be a great draw but you can do better around Nathan Road.

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Click HERE if you want to know what are the places to see in HONG KONG.

Click HERE if you want to know places to EAT on CANTON ROAD, HONG KONG.

Click HERE if you want to know about another place to STAY in HONG KONG.

Click HERE for SHOPPING destinations and HERE for shopping HAULS from HK and Macau.