Baby Outlet - This store stocks export children’s wear at 50 percent off the manufacturer’s suggested price, as well as an extensive range of products for babies and parents, including bedding and strollers. Baby Outlet only accepts cash and you’ll need to bring your own shopping bag.

Petrus - This place can best be equated with a fine wine: expensive but so pleasing to the palate that it’s worth the money. The decor is opulent—think chateau chic, with crystal chandeliers and swags of curtains, but with stunning views of the harbor—and the ambiance luxurious, hushed and formal.

Boathouse - There’s a touch of California about the Boathouse, perhaps it’s the way your glass of chilled white wine sparkles in the sun, or the shades worn by your fellow diners for a lazy alfresco lunch overlooking the South China Sea.

Bird Garden - Replacing the old Bird Market, Bird Garden has about 70 stalls around a series of courtyards where owners still “walk” their caged pets. Birds are bought and sold here, including mynahs, parakeets and cockatiels. You’ll also find intricately crafted bamboo cages, porcelain feeding dishes and live crickets, grasshoppers and tiny snakes.

Green T. House - This one-of-a-kind restaurant was started up in Beijing by Chinese artist JinR, who turned the dining space into a functioning art piece with its stark interiors. Everything, from the painted branches hanging from the ceiling to the Chinese screen doors and silk curtains with hand-painted flowers is pure white.

Aluminium - This is the place for modern design classics, including Eero Aarnio bubble chairs, 1970s Curve lamps, Marimekko fabrics and Philippe Starck’s Ghost chairs. Its four locations are not exactly spacious, but packed with objects of desire. Shop F, G/F, Queen’s Centre, 58-64 Queen’s Rd East, Wan Chai, 2577-4066,

Tivo - With that economic crap-storm still swirling, it looks like we’re missing out on the true spirit of Christmas this year—shopping! No, this year, we’re stuck with boring ol’ togetherness. You may as well make the best of it. Get three or four friends together at Tivo for some mulled wine.

Top Deck - What was once a mahjong parlor for the staff of the floating Jumbo Kingdom restaurant is now a gorgeous alfresco destination dining spot. Though the giant restaurant boat is generally considered a tourist trap, the Café Deco Group has created a real gem, where you can munch on jet-fresh oysters and Tasmanian salmon while relaxing in huge lounge chairs.

The Bauhinia - A stone’s throw from the International Finance Centre, Bauhinia offers more than 100 one- and two-bedroom apartments, each fully furnished with cooking facilities, household appliances and cable TV. Cleaning service and change of towels and bedding twice a week.

Living Room - The recently opened W Hotel in West Kowloon has put its bar next to the check in area and called it the Living Room. While the super-high ceiling and vast windows might not feature in most Hong Kong abodes, W has tried to install homely details into the otherwise luxurious bar, including magazine racks, comfy couches, books and chess sets. The final outcome?