Hong Kong
I was staggered by just how cheap and easy it is to get to Hong Kong - the net helped a lot. Get your flight here. I picked up a return flight with Virgin for 374 ukps including all taxes etc. And that was direct - these days you just hack straight across Russia, do a right at China (after the Himalayas) and approach Hong Kong from the north in one leap. The flight is 6.5 thousand miles and scheduled to take 13.5 hours, though we knocked an hour off that on the way out and 0.5 hours off on the return. Ok, so you're in with the cargo,
but its bearable. Its also a hell of a lot quicker than the old route from the UK which used to go via the Middle east with refuelling there and in Singapore.
I stayed at the Salisbury Rd YMCA. It's just a regular hotel complete with freebies, room service, aircon, several restaurants etc. etc. It's right next door to the Peninsula, i.e. completely central, handy for ferry and tube (subway, or in Hong Kong called the MTR), but costs a fraction of the Pen's rates. Highly recommended.
So if, like me, you're cheap, stay here and spend that money you saved on glorious junk, or a little shopping trip to Shenzen. If you are not like me and do not enjoy the cheaper side of life, then HK is also a paradise. Stay at the Peninsula next door - a hotel inextricably linked to Hong Kong's history.
Public transport in Hong Kong is an example of what can be done. If you are used to London, then go to Hong Kong and experience for yourself just how much easier everything becomes if you have an efficient transport system. Personally I would never live and work in London again, to me its a city that just doesn't work, but you can't really reach this judgement unless you've experienced the alternative. Hong Kong has the most efficient public transport system I know anywhere in the world, bar none.
From the airport get the train into town (be prepared to have your eyeballs blown out by Tsing Yi, the first stop, which looks like something out of the Jetsons), and then take the free shuttle bus to wherever is convenient. Yes, its free and its convenient. When ensconsed, take the ferry over to the island (2 dollars 50, or 20p), or the brilliant wonderful MTR (or tube). Again, compared to London, this is a revelation. Want a ticket, just press your destination on the map, pay in the cash and your ticket springs out with change. Easy to find the right platforms etc. I managed it anyway. Everything's clean and easy in Hong Kong, even the streets have receptacles at each corner for fag ends, spit etc.
Need a visa? No you don't, at least not if you've got a UK passport. You'll get a 6 months business and tourist visa at immigration in HK. You may have to show a credit card or some proof of having funds. I wasn't asked about this at all, however.