Based in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific is the hometown team—and one worth rooting for. “The flight sets the tone for the way a trip is going to be,” Duprie, who travels quite frequently, explains. “So when you board a plane and it’s chaotic and people are cranky, it puts you in a bad mood, too.” On her Cathay Pacific flight, however (the same airline she flew the last time she visited Hong Kong, for her honeymoon five years ago), the mood was noticeably different. “The service is just so outstanding and it’s so obviously different than other airlines,” she says.

“From the wonderful people who help you get checked in for your flight, to the lounge to the flight attendants, it was peaceful and quiet with no undercurrent of stress.”

Physical comfort doesn’t hurt either, and the airline’s lie-flat business class seats (all with aisle access) mean you will arrive well rested. “For this long a flight, the staff does a fine job of knowing when to check in and when to let you sleep,” Duprie adds. “I never felt unattended to, but I felt like I had privacy, which is unbelievable on an airplane. I almost felt like I was at a hotel and I could call down for room service if I needed water or an extra blanket.”

Cheung Chau Island

“My absolute favorite thing I ate during my entire trip was [at] this little dumpling stand, a street food stand, in the fishermen’s village on Cheung Chau,” says Duprie. The tiny island is a 30-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong’s Central neighborhood; once you arrive, you can explore a pirate’s cave, temples, beaches, a coastal path and roads entirely free of cars (vehicles are not allowed here). There’s also plenty to eat. “I strongly recommend visiting because you get an authentic fishing-village vibe,” Duprie explains. “You can walk around the entire island and there’s restaurant after restaurant. You can even walk through the market and see where they get their fish! A little woman was watching us walk down the street as we were taking pictures. She held up a plate with dumplings and I was like, ‘How can I not eat those?’ I still crave them.”

Lan Fong Yuen

Milk tea is the unofficial drink of Hong Kong and the official place to get it is Lan Fong Yuen, a bustling nook on a busy street in Central. Step up to the window to watch the pros pour “silk stocking” tea, filtering it through a long sackcloth bag (stained with tea so that it resembles a nylon stocking) before mixing the rich brew with milk and sugar to create the sweet afternoon pick-me-up that this city invented. “This was the best tea I’ve had in my entire life. It was incredible,” Duprie says wistfully. “I get iced coffee at home now and load it up with milk, but it just doesn’t taste the same.”

Yardbird

Opened in 2011, yakitori-style Yardbird is still one of the buzziest restaurants in Hong Kong. And for good reason. The no-reservations eatery—launched by Canadians Matt Abergel and Lindsay Jang—was a game changer when it came on the scene, elevating humble chicken to delicious heights and drawing crowds every night. Duprie was wowed too: “I’m a huge fan of chicken, especially fried chicken because I’m from the South, and they have this killer chicken.” The vibe remains as lively as ever, she confirms. “It’s really hip and cool,” she says. “It felt like the latest and greatest place to be.” Abergel and Jang have added two more spots to their mini empire: Rōnin, a seafood-focused izakaya, and Sunday’s Grocery, a sandwich, liquor and takeaway shop.

Ozone

How can you visit Hong Kong and not have a drink at the highest bar in the world? Located in the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, on the 118th floor of the ICC tower, Ozone is sleek modern lines on the inside with a jaw-dropping view on the outside, an eyeful that includes Hong Kong’s brightly lit downtown, the suburban sprawl of the city’s Kowloon side and, if it’s not too dark, the necklace of green hills beyond it. (Fun fact: Only 25 percent of Hong Kong city is developed and 40 percent of it is protected parkland). “We had to check Ozone off our bucket list,” Duprie says with a laugh. “It was terrifying. But I did it and it was just out of this world. The view—I felt like I was in outer space.” When you sip creative cocktails at 1,608 feet, a dragon-fruit martini isn’t the only thing that will give you a buzz.

Street Markets

“Go local,” says Duprie. “I loved the street markets. Hong Kong has a lot of stuff we get here in the States and the shopping is absolutely incredible. From Club Monaco to Chanel to Zara, they have it all. But what piqued my interest was walking down the street in Central and finding alleys filled with local stands. We went to Ladies’ Market and Temple Street Night Market, but I preferred the smaller ones tucked into streets; they felt more authentic.” What did she buy? “Zippy pouches and makeup bags for my girlfriends. I also got a tiny little jade sculpture of a monkey—I like to get something for the house so that when I see it, it reminds me of the trip.”

Victoria Peak

To get perspective on the city, head up to The Peak, the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island and one of its most popular tourist attractions. “The view is epic,” says Duprie. “You can see all the islands. There’s no other place where you can take in how huge Hong Kong is as a city.” Ride the tram up (“It’s a little nerve-wracking in a good way,” says Duprie with a laugh. “It’s really steep!”) and survey the skyline sparkling below.

Star Ferry

While Victoria Peak gives you a stunning aerial view of the city, the Star Ferry provides another indispensible viewpoint—from sea level. The ferry line has been sailing Victoria Harbour since 1888 (don’t worry, the boats are much more recent) and is so affordable, you can zip back and forth several times a day. For a real treat, take a crossing at sunset or just before 8 p.m. when the nightly A Symphony of Lights show illuminates the city’s skyscrapers. “This is a must,” notes Duprie. “It’s a picture-perfect view of the skyline of Hong Kong. It can’t be beat. It was one of those moments when you think, ‘I’m in Hong Kong and it’s amazing!’”

World’s Longest Escalator

Hong Kong is built on a steep hill. The ingenious way locals get to and from work every day without having to climb that mountain is via the world’s longest escalator. Connecting the Central and the Mid-Level neighborhoods, it runs downhill in the morning and uphill during the rest of the day, rolling slowly above stepped streets packed with restaurants, bars, offices and apartment buildings. Since it opened, in 1993, the 800-meter series of moving walkways and escalators has evolved into much more than a mode of transportation. It’s also a brilliant way for visitors to see several neighborhoods in one go and to experience a bit of local life as they join commuters during rush hours. “We rode all the way up to the top and I loved that because you can look down over the street,” says Duprie. “It’s free,” she adds, “and it’s just silly and fun and easy to do.”

Man Mo Temple

“You can’t go to Hong Kong without vising a temple,” says Duprie. And the one she recommends not missing is Man Mo. Built in 1847, as a tribute to the god of literature (Man) and the god of war (Mo), this historic site is ornamented with beautiful sculptures and hung with countless incense coils that send tendrils of scented smoke into the air. The effect is wondrous, as Duprie recalls: “There was a beam of sun shooting through an opening in the roof, and the smoke—it created this beautiful ray of light that streaked through the entire temple. You just had to stop and take it in.”