hong kong has just a tad more than 2 islands… ;)

hongkong island and lantau island.

I stayed on Hong Kong island. Was a lot of fun. Too many American tourists though. : ) I hear that the Kalwoon side is more Chinese. I stayed in a really cool hotel that was like $120 US for the night and that was a cheap option.

The first time I visited Hong Kong (1974), I stayed on the Kowloon side and fell in love with it. I’ve probably stayed there a dozen timse since, although for businss trips I usually had a hotel in Causeway Bay. As above, Kowloon is more Chinese and tends to be less expensive for just about everything. Nathan Road by day or night is fascinating and the side streets are clogged with intriguing restaurants and boutiques. Hong Kong Island is a little more western, and dominated by huge skyscrapers. It’s got a lot of the tourist attractions, from Victoria Peak to Wan Chai and easy access to outlying islands, like Lamma where lots of great seafood restaurants are located. But no matter which side of Victoria Harbour you stay on, you absolutely MUST use the Star Ferry to get back and forth between HK Is. and Kowloon. It’s the cheapest harbour tour in the world, and you’ll want to take an entire roll of photos headed in each direction.

HK island is really cool, but there is the Peninsula Hotel on Kowloon looking out to HK Island – worth going to Philippe Starck’s restaurant for dinner even if you don’t stay there (if it’s still there, it was called Felix, very nice, fab views!).

It’s also apparently worth taking a trip further inland for great shopping bargains; you can go up to the new territories and beyond by train…

It depends how much time you have there but shopping/eating = fabulous!

Here has an updated map for Hong Kong.
http://www.centamap.com/gc/home.aspx

For the stay location of Hong Kong. It is probably that stay in Tsim Sha Tsui or MongKok in Kowloon side.

Or Causeway Bay / Central is the most suitable place for Island side.

If you mean Hong Kong Island vs Lantau – then defintely stay on Hong Kong Island. This is known locally simply as “The Island”. It seems to me to be pointless for a first time visitor with little time, to stay on Lantau.

If you mean Hong Island vs Kowloon side [which is actually a peninsula not an island], then is a hard question to answer.

I grew up in Hong Kong but I haven’t been there for many years now. I would suggest Kowloon – with trips over to the Island.

Peronsally I agree with Kwan. Stay in Tsim Sha Tsui or just north of there – somewhere on or near Nathan Road. You can get to the Island very quickly and easily via the MTR [subway].

If you stay on the Island, Central will be very expensive. Causeway Bay will be better and is still in the middle of things.

A good price will be anything around the same as what you would pay at the YMCA in Tsim Sha Tsui. Prices are higher close to and druing the HK Sevens.

When I think of two islands in Hong Kong usually it’s Cheung Chau and Lantau that come to mind – “Hong Kong Island”, although an island, I often don’t think of it as such since it feels very much part of the mainland.

That said, if you’re only visiting for a few days, I wouldn’t seriously suggest living on the outlying islands. However, I would definitely recommend visiting.

Hong Kong is often forgotten for it’s immense greenery – there’s more to the buzz of Nathan Road and Central. Head to Cheung Chau or the south of Lantau, and you can soak up the more rural atmosphere as well as simply enjoy the delights of countryside Hong Kong. I would definitely recommend at least a day trip, if you have time.

My travel agent offered me Hong Kong Island or Kowloon (peninsula), only I couldn’t remember properly as I didn’t write it down, thankfully most of you guessed.

thanks for your advice so far, it seems both places have something to offer so I might spend one night on HK island and 2 in Kowloon

there’s KOWLOONG and HONG KONG ISLAND.
as being a HK guy, i would say that HK ISLAND have lots of foreigners, and i think it will make foreign tourist to feel more comfortable. how ever, if u want to experience HK life style, i suggest u to spend more time in KOWLOON.
if u hv any problem, just free feel to contact me=)
chungting

Hong Kong island definitely!
I live on HK island and to me, it is the most beautiful island in the world. It maybe crowded and noisy, yeah, but it’s also fun and alive. Most of HK’s history happened on HK island so if u want to have a look at the old buildings(heritage =] ) u must definitely live on HK island.
Besides, there r beaches, hiking sites, shopping malls, etc. which means u can alsmost find everything on the island.