1 It’s 11pm, you’ve been on the plane all night, you’re wide awake. Time for a drink. The best place in the Far East to get blotto is Felix, the Philippe Starck-designed, double-height cocktail bar on the 28th floor of the Peninsula Hotel. It has harbour views to make you cry, urinals that look out across Kowloon and an I’m-a-movie-star bar area.

2 It might be nonsense in Notting Hill, but the ancient Chinese art of feng shui is worth an hour of your time in HK. Every Thursday at 10.30am in Kowloon, Alex Yu gives a free lesson on what to put where and why. So you can move things for the better when you get home. Call to register on 00 852-2398 9788 (Flat C, 14/F, 39-41 Argyle Street).

3 Dim sum and a cup of organic tea to soothe away the jet lag? Settle in at the Moon Garden Tea House in Causeway Bay (Hoi Ping Road; 2882 6878, www.moongarden.com.hk; open daily, noon to midnight).

4 Obvious is best: take the Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. It costs peanuts and it’s the best ferry ride in the world.

5 Go clubbing. HK does small, pretentious, boutique nightclubs better than most cities. Try to get past the door at Drop (39-43 Hollywood Road) and One Fifth (9 Star Street, Wanchai). It’s best to claim you’re a UK reality-TV star.

6 Walk up Nathan Road and you will be accosted by a thousand men with tape measures and offers of tailored suits for less than £100. You get what you pay for, so go to Sam’s (92-94 Nathan Road; 2367 9423, www.samstailor.com) and pay a bit more. For about £250, you get a suit that won’t fall to pieces on the way home. Mine’s lasted four years.

7 You need a bracing walk. A few clicks from all those downtown skyscrapers is real mountain country, undeveloped because it’s just too damn pointy. Try a bit of the MacLehose trail, which has good blood-clot-busting climbs and spectacular ridge views back to the city. Visit www.walkhongkong.com.

8 Or don’t bother, and spend an hour in altogether more enjoyable cramped conditions. The antique double-decker tram from Causeway Bay to Admiralty is almost as essential as the ferry.

9 You can go broke just ordering a round of drinks in Hong Kong. To make sure of it, go to the races. Sha Tin, 20 minutes by train from Kowloon, seats 80,000 and it’s a great place to watch two elements of Hong Kong society at work: drunk expats in school blazers, and Chinese gamblers gambling. Buy a tourist ticket (about £10) beforehand from one of the many Jockey Club shops — you’ll need a passport. For more details, see www.hkjc.com.

10 Staying long enough to sleep? For classic style with all the modern comforts, The Peninsula (2920 2888, www.peninsula.com; doubles from £245) is the best address in town — although the well-located new Four Seasons (3196 8888, www.fourseasons.com; doubles from £267) gives it a run for its money.