Christmas is coming and there are few better places to do your shopping than Hong Kong. Louise Ho spots some of the best places to shop until you drop.

Lion Rock Road shopping street 狮子石道购物街

If you want cheap clothes but dread popular brands like Giordano and Uniqlo, check out Lion Rock Road. The shops on the street sell as wholesale price, so expect at least 50 percent savings compared to retail shops. Besides T-shirts, dresses, pants and jackets, wedding gowns and evening gowns can also be found on the street. If you want to look for a nice dress for evening wear, take a look. Kowloon City itself is worth seeing too as it was a historic district that was not under British rule during the colonial period. From the 1950s to 1970s, Kowloon Walled City, part of Kowloon City, was a notorious hangout place for drug users and prostitution.

Address: Lion Rock Road, Kowloon City

Route: Take MTR and get off at Lok Fu station exit B. Walk along Wang Tau Hom Road E. to Junction Road until Nga Tsin Wai Road and turn left. Total time walking from MTR station to Lion Rock Street is 15 minutes.

Food tip：

Kowloon City is also a famous place for food, especially Thai, Chiuchow cuisines and desserts.

Islam Food 清真牛肉馆

Address: 1 Lung Kong Road

Tel: (852) 2382-2822

They have the best beef wrap(牛肉饼).

Chiu Chow Hop Shing Dessert 潮州合成甜品·

Address: 9 Lung Kong Road

Tel: (852) 2383-3026

Nam Kee Restaurant 南记饭店

Address: 4 Nga Tsin Long Road

Tel: (852) 2716-1221/2383-5011

Nam Kee is one of the best Chiuchow restaurants in the area.

Campo Thai Restaurant 金宝泰国菜馆

Address: 15 Nga Tsin Long Road

Tel: (852) 2716-7318

Specialty: shrimp sashimi Chocolate Rain

Chocolate Rain has made itself a local brand for DIY accessories. It's a bit like walking into a dream as owner Prudene Mak said her childhood dreams provided the inspiration for the store. The hand-made jewelry features oriental aesthetics.

Its signature doll, Fatima, was created by Mak, and is very popular among young women. If you want to try making accessories or even Fatima yourself, you can join their handmade workshops. It's 650 yuan (US$102.18)for two hat making classes and 1,020 yuan for four classes. Works include a felt British-style cap and a French lace retro hat design.

An antique jewelry class includes making chandelier earrings, a crystal necklace and bracelet and a lace brooch. The price is the same as the hat making class. You can apply online at their website: www.chocolaterain.com.

Greenfield Bookstore 田园书屋

"If there is no publication industry in Hong Kong, there will be no cultural roots and historical truth." This motto of Greenfield Bookstore has served as its mission to bring culture and history to its customers. Launched in 1976, the bookstore is a well-known place among locals if they want to find good Chinese books on arts, culture and history.

If your trip to Hong Kong goes beyond getting the latest Apple gadgets but books that are hard to find in the mainland, this place is for you.

Me & George 美芝时装店

A fashion import shop, Me & George is somewhat of a secret among vintage-look lovers in Hong Kong. At first glance the place looks like nothing more than a granny store. But the trick is to rummage through piles and racks to uncover some treasures. Every visit to Me & George is like a treasure hunt. Many stylish women, even celebrities, shop for one-piece dresses here. Prices are only 10 yuan (US$1.57) to 30 yuan a piece. A Vintage Van baseball jacket is around 150 yuan. Japanese edition Edwin jeans were 350 yuan. There are so many clothes here, but it can be a bit dusty.

Zhu Wing Kee 朱荣记

Although it sounds similar to the name of former premier Zhu Rongji if pronounced in Mandarin, rest assured the vintage grocery store has nothing to do with the former Chinese leader. The store sells Hong Kong household goods from the last century such as red piggy banks, old water bottles and water pipes made of bamboo. The shop is a gem to glimpse into the lives of the old Hong Kong.

Fook Lee Figures Shop 福利模型

While women may love shopping more than men, in Hong Kong, shopping is indeed for everyone. Fook Lee is going to bring back lots of childhood memories for men. Here guys can find lots of figures like Ultraman, Gundam toys and even old models of ships and planes. The shop is close to Golden mall, which sells computers.

Address: 66A Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

Tel: (852) 2386-0233

G.O.D 住好的

G.O.D, short for Goods of Desire, is known for creating vintage-style household goods and furniture with Hong Kong characteristics. Its products use a lot of characters and pictures that can only be found in Hong Kong, like bags and cushions that look like classified ads in the 1960s. Their most talked about product is the "Delay No More" T-shirt, a Cantonese homophone for a certain word that starts with the letter F in English.

Address: Leighton Centre, Sharp Street, Causeway Bay

Tel: (852) 2890-5555

Opening hours: 12-10pm

Travel info

News and Events:
Charter Flights to Guam
United Airlines is operating charter flights to Guam from Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and Dalian from January to early February 2012. This decision was made in anticipation of the growing travel demand during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday. Flights will be operated using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which feature 14 business and 141 economy class seats.

'Magical Canada' Adventure
Spectacular winter scenery, skiing and once-in-a-lifetime experiences are being offered to Chinese travelers with a choice of "Magical Canada" packages. The winter wonderland tours extend from Alberta and British Columbia to Ontario and Quebec. British Columbia offers exceptional skiing and dramatic alpine scenery at Whistler with world-class shopping in Vancouver. Alberta is the gateway to experiencing the mystical northern lights. Full tour package details and images are available at explore.canada.travel.

Fly With Less CO2 Emissions
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the World Wide Fund for Nature in the Netherlands will continue to cooperate toward creating a more sustainable airline industry. They have expressed the ambition to develop an international market for sustainable bio-kerosene within a four-year period. During this period, KLM will be investing in measures to reinforce its position as an international leader in CO2 efficiency and fuel savings. By 2020, KLM hopes to have achieved a 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions for every kilometer flown in comparison with 2009 figures. KLM has been working toward developing biofuel since 2007 and joined forces with North Sea Group and Spring Associates to establish SkyNRG in 2009.

Airline Promotions:
Korean Air
A round-trip flight from Shanghai to Los Angles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, Vancouver, Honolulu, New York, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta or Dallas is only 5,500 yuan (US$867), excluding tax and fuel surcharge. The offer is valid on departure dates from January 25 to March 31, 2012. For more information, please check www.koreanair.com.

Air India
Until December 15, Air India is offering discounted fares. Shanghai-Delhi is 2,390 yuan and Shanghai-Mumbai is 2,490 yuan. Tax is extra and conditions apply. Log on to www.airindia.com for more details.
China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines now has a special offer for a four-day/four-night trip to Kagoshima in Japan starting from 3,390 yuan. This small island is famous for its hot springs, delicious Japanese food and ancient gardens. Kagoshima is on the southern coast of Kyushu island.

Hong Kong Airlines
Until March 31, 2012, Hong Kong Airlines is offering discounted fares. Shanghai-Hong Kong is 1,130 yuan and Shanghai-Bali is 4,320 yuan. Taxes are extra and conditions apply. All three daily flights departing from Shanghai are new Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft. Visit www.hkairlines.com for more information.

Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines is offering promotional fares from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen or Hong Kong to Paris, Rome, London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. The promotion runs from now until December 15 with the travel period continuing until February 29, 2012. The all-inclusive fare is from 3,871 yuan (one way) and 6,400 yuan (return). Visit malaysiaairlines.com or call a Malaysia Airlines office for more details.