Hong Kong Island
Usually seen as the glitzy big brother of Kowloon, the island dominates the nightlife scene. The Island can be spilt into two major entertainment districts - Lan Kwai Fong (or simply LKF to the locals) and Wan Chai - the former traditionally the more "respectable" (read: expensive) scene while the latter is usually considered the "grubbier" of the two. Dress-codes, therefore, are correspondingly casual (think flip flops and t-shirts) in Wan Chai and flashy (think killer heels and a lot of "bling") in LKF.
A good place to start on a night out would be these two areas of the island, if you still don't find what you're looking for, Tsimshatsui on the Kowloon side also has a few watering holes worth the 60 HKD taxi ride.
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of a night out in Hong Kong is the number and variety of places you'll end up "hitting" in one night, made possible by the proximity of the bars to one another (in Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai practically all of the bars are on the same street or block). Throw low cab fares and the fact that 90% of places don't demand a cover-charge into the equation and you get the fluid nature of the nightlife scene.
Knutsford Terrace in Tsim Sha Tsui
On a typical night out, you may want to head across the harbour and start your night here, in one of the many stylish bar/restaurants that are all literally lined up one after the other. The Russian restaurant 'Balailaka' on the 3rd floor is a must, not so much for its cuisine (although I've heard good things), but for their legendary Siberia Room, where customers pay for the privilege of being thrust into a giant sub-zero degree freezer where they can knock back a few shots of Russia's finest vodka.
Dragon-i in Lan Kwai Fong
The latest "seen-and-be-seen" hotspot frequented by the likes of Jackie Chan and various other local celebrities. Packed to capacity with Hong Kong's "beautiful people" - especially on Wednesdays which are designated as "Models' Night" - prices are correspondingly extortionate although the bartenders make some mean Mojitos if you're willing to drop the better part of 100 HKD for one. If you find that Dragon-i is a little too swanky or overpriced, or just plain pretentious for your taste, walk down a flight of stairs and join the throngs of people on the main street of Lan Kwai Fong.
On Fridays and Saturdays it's almost impossible to navigate through given that the bars usually reach capacity by 9pm, thus forcing bar-goers to spill out onto the pedestrianised street. This creates a full-on street party whose festive atmosphere is usually enough to make you forget that you're packed in more tightly than a tin of sardines.
Wan Chai
The somewhat seedier district which boasts fewer swanky bars but much more bankbook-friendly prices. Wan Chai's still-lingering reputation as the "Suzie Wong" area of Hong Kong is perhaps merited given the number of strip clubs that line the main street of Lockart Road, but for the majority of Wan Chai-goers the undisputed raison d'être of the area is its ambiance of unfettered craziness.
The more outrageous clubs such as Groovy Mule include bartenders that sing and dance on the bar-top, Coyote-Ugly style, and where at certain times of the night you can have free tequila poured down your throat by these singing/dancing bartenders. For the bolder (or more intoxicated) of us, Carnegies, a split level, mezzanine style bar around the corner lets its patrons dance on the bar themselves - just be sure to hold onto the hand-rail for dear life as pretty much everyone else that goes there will want a piece of the table-top action too!
Ladies Night
For most bars in Wan Chai Ladies Night means free drinks for the ladies every Wednesday night. Whether it's the free champagne in Carnegies, the free vodka mixers in Groovy Mule or the free Cosmopolitans in Venue around the corner, a cheap night out is practically guaranteed. In fact, if you're careful, it wouldn't be unheard of to make it through to 6 a.m. without having spent a single Hong Kong cent.
Jazz Club and Club ING
For those of us less bar-orientated there's still quite a considerable selection of nightly pursuits to keep you occupied well into the night. There are some exceptional jazz venues on the Island which cater to the jazz-loving crowd, the most notable being Jazz Club in Central. For those intent on immersing themselves a bit more in the local culture there are karaoke bars ad infinitum scattered all over the Island and Kowloon.
Be sure to head to club ING in the Renaissance Harbour hotel, a very chic club which is split into 3 main rooms - one of which is the karaoke room in which you'll find a mixture of people ranging from the (surprisingly melodic) hardcore karaoke crooners to the not-so-tuneful after-work businessmen and women. In fact, one of the best things about being in Hong Kong is getting inundated by the confluences and contradictions of a Chinese city with multi-Asian and Western elements. It's this multi-national atmosphere of camaraderie which adds the final touch to the buzzing social scene and that makes each night out a valuable cultural lesson in itself.
Goldeneye Resort
