2.5 Days/3 nights in Hong Kong - Advice.

daveg

We have 3 nights, 2 full and a half day in Hong Kong. So much to do in so little time. Would really appreciate advice on the must do and see activities. I'll be travelling with my wife and 6 year old son. Were staying in the renaissance harbour view hotel. We arrive new years eve - has anyone been to HK for new years? **

So far we have been advised:

- Visit the peak one evening pre dusk to see the view at sunset.
- Visit the giant Buddha.
- Stanley (night) market.
- Take a walk around Wanchai and the Causeway Bay area.
- Get the ferry over to Kowloon and visit the Imperial Hotel. Supposed to be the best view whilst taking a whizz on the top floor.
- Ocean park (is this worth a visit?)

Whilst in HK we want to buy a good camera and camcorder. Will HK prices beat anything I can buy on line here (say from the German site http://www.computeruniverse.net/*)? Would also like to pick up some clothes. Any advice on where to shop? I have been told only to buy from electrical stores displaying a HKTA sticker and not from the markets where you can get ripped off..

not_sure

Hey daveg i was in Hong Kong last September and it is a really worth your while to go to Ocean Park.

When you go over to Hong kong Island you can get a bus to a place called Rocky Bay or Deep Water Bay. From these beaches you can see the cable cars that circle the whole of Ocean Park. They must be a thousand feet high and over look the whole of Hong Kong habour. Once you see them anyway you will definately not leave without going up there.

I would tell you about the brottels we visited but since you have a wife and kid i think il spare you....

finlma

Make sure you go up to the peak - the view is amazing. Its a bit of a trek to the Giant Buddha and there's nothing that special about it. I spent a few days strolling around the markets and I visited a few temples. Its so hot there though.

If anyone dressed as a monk approaches you ignore them flat out. They will try to get money from you. Also, you'll be pestered on the street by guys trying to sell you stuff. I did pick up a really nice tailored suit for cheap though.

davros

daveg wrote:

Get the ferry over to Kowloon and visit the Imperial Hotel. Supposed to be the best view whilst taking a whizz on the top floor.

That would be the Felix bar at The Peninsula Hotel. Very upmarket and expensive. Afternoon tea in the Peninsula lobby is worth considering but go early - there can be queues.

I'd have to recommend lots of wandering up and down streets. Up the hills behind Central, and Causeway Bay would be my top two spots. I always manage a walk or two from Central to Causeway Bay as well. Which would take you through Wanchai. That's a long walk though, and probably not suitable for your son. Since you are staying in Wanchai, you could break it up. If you are doing things on foot, don't neglect the third dimension! There are pedestrian routes above your head and through huge shopping malls.

Public transport is cool in itself - Star Ferry, trams and underground.

If you do go up to the peak, it's well worth getting out of the peak building and walking along the path. For a good distance, all you can see are trees but then suddenly the view opens up and you can see a much wider vista than you could see back at the peak tram terminus. Spectacular at night.

For buying cameras, stick to Fortress and Broadway, both chain stores you will see all over HK. Research the prices here so you'll know how much of a bargain you are getting over there. When I bought a camera there a few years ago, I reckon I saved about a third. I didn't look at electronics this year but I did quite well on clothes, CDs and other bits and pieces.

For Chinese crafts and products, Yue Hwa in Jordan is good.

The basement of Silvercord shopping centre on Canton Road is a good place to eat, if you are around Tsimshatsui at feeding time. It's a food court with lots of Asian specialties attractively displayed. Easy to choose and order.

daveg

Thanks for the info so far guy's. What exactly is in Ocean Park? Davros some great tips there. Thanks for the tip on Fortress. I remember someone else mentioning that to me.

PunyHuman

daveg wrote:

- Get the ferry over to Kowloon and visit the Imperial. Supposed to be the best view whilst taking a whizz on the top floor.

You might be thinking of The Peninsula hotel, not the Imperial. There's a bar called Felix on the 28th floor which is one of the trendiest snazziest fanciest places I've ever been in. Cocktails are €15 but it's well worth it. Great views from the incredibly fancy jacks as well; you take a leak right against the window (if you're male, that is).

daveg

PunyHuman wrote:

You might be thinking of The Peninsula hotel, not the Imperial. There's a bar called Felix on the 28th floor which is one of the trendiest snazziest fanciest places I've ever been in. Cocktails are €15 but it's well worth it. Great views from the incredibly fancy jacks as well; you take a leak right against the window (if you're male, that is).

Thats the place alright. This is on Hong Kong Island right?

Thanks for the link.

PunyHuman

Salisbury Road, Kowloon.

And sorry folks for duplicating information already provided. Could have sworn nobody else posted it. Never mind.

Have fun in HK. Even the airport is impressive.

davros

PunyHuman wrote:

Even the airport is impressive.

It is very well-designed indeed. Which reminds me, if you like architecture, take the escalator up from the street into the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank building in Central. Same architect - Norman Foster - as the airport. It's a public bank on the first level so no problem going up there.

But I really wanted to mention just taking some time on the Kowloon waterfront at night to look over at the Hong Kong island skyline. Best in the world. They have a light show now every night at 8pm.

daveg

davros wrote:

They have a light show now every night at 8pm.

We arrive new years eve so I'm hoping the fireworks displays will be good..

Does everywhere shut down for (Western) New years day?

eamy

It's Hong Kong, nothing shuts except for Chinese New Years. The best thing to see in Ocean World is the Giant Pandas, The Dragon rollercoaster does a double loop, The Abyss Turbo Drop which drops 20 floor with G force, the Shark Aquarium is just amazing and obviously the cable car itself. It probably is well worth a visit if it's your first time. Although the newly opened Disneyland is stealing a bit of the limelight thesedays. Either way, its a guarantee enjoyment for the family. You'll need the best part of the day there. I think it opens slightly earlier on Sundays. Best to combine this day with a night activity such as drinks at the Pennisula, and/or market depending how tiring you'll be.

As great a sight as the Budda is, it can be quite a trek. You might consider joining a tour and get more out of the experience. And definitely wear comfortable shoes. But if you go to Ocean World and Budda, that would mean you have no time for the Peak, which is the must see tourist spot. Make sure you eat something before hand or bring something with you, as the prices at the Peak are above the norm.

The only down side to all above activity is possibily of rain. Since you'll be there in the winter months, there are chances of it. The cable car in Ocean World won't run if the weather is bad. You'll be soaked at the Budda since there are no shelters. And the view isn't quite the same at the Peak.

I personally prefer to spend the day shopping. There are lots of chain stores for cheap clothing. These include Giordano, Bossini (my favourite), U2 (nothing to do with the band!). They can do alterations on leg lengths for free if you leave it overnight. There are no ends to the amount of shopping centres, but they are all filled with the same chain stores. A recently opened one I know is in Kwun Tong, east side of Kowloon, called APM (a combination of AM and PM). Take the MTR (underground) there and the shopping centre is right at the stop. All the usual chain with some up market stuff thrown in, including the already mentioned electrical stores. The good thing about this shopping centre, is that it's suppose to open till midnight for some shops.

Do beware of some of the electrical stores along the Jordan/ Tsim Sha Tsui strip. Some of the small shops switch internal parts of electronics to get it cheaper. Although this is in the minority. Apart from Stanley, there is the Ladies market in Kowloon. Loads of shops around this area also. I buy watches here. It's cheap and I can change the look once a year. But there are lots to browse through here.

There are lots of good web sites to go to for information.

http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/eng/main/index.html
http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/index.jsp
http://www.fortress.com.hk/en/home.html
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/homepage/e_customer_index.php

Definitely a case too much to do and too little time!

Enjoy!

daveg

eamy wrote:

It's Hong Kong ...

Thanks a million for all the info.

To put it in better perspective we only have 2 full days (one of these will after a 14 hour flight and new years eve) and we have a half day before our flight leaves at 7pm). Therefore we have to fit in as much as possible..

Whilst I'd really like to see ocean park we will be visiting 6 flags at the end of our trip in L.A. so I think we will give this a miss..

arac

just wondering is hong kong very expensive or what is it like?

davros

arac wrote:

just wondering is hong kong very expensive or what is it like?

It's as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. You can stay in the most central of locations for €10 a night or hundreds of euros a night. You can eat in outrageously expensive Japanese restaurants or in no-fuss noodle shops. Getting around is also very inexpensive.

It's just the flight to HK that costs money. I struggled to get flights for €800 earlier this year.

Benedict XVI

davros wrote:

It's as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. You can stay in the most central of locations for €10 a night or hundreds of euros a night. You can eat in outrageously expensive Japanese restaurants or in no-fuss noodle shops. Getting around is also very inexpensive.

It's just the flight to HK that costs money. I struggled to get flights for €800 earlier this year.

I'm heading there in early March for 3 days, can you recommend website sfor accomadation, the last one I tried gave my PC a nasty virus

davros

Benedict XVI wrote:

I'm heading there in early March for 3 days, can you recommend website sfor accomadation

The cheap guesthouses you can arrange on the spot.

For hotels, the trick is to book through a local reseller and not with the hotel directly. You can save a bundle that way. You might as well check the hotel's website for any special offers but even then I don't think they offer their best rates.

I normally have a friend over there book me a room through the company I used to work for. So I get a good corporate rate. The room resellers should be able to match those rates but I haven't used them myself so I can't recommend one.

eamy

There are desks at the HK airport to help people book accomodations. You may not get the best price or place. But it is quite handy for people as you can just give them the price range and area and they figure it out for you.

Benedict XVI

davros wrote:

The cheap guesthouses you can arrange on the spot.

For hotels, the trick is to book through a local reseller and not with the hotel directly. You can save a bundle that way. You might as well check the hotel's website for any special offers but even then I don't think they offer their best rates.

I normally have a friend over there book me a room through the company I used to work for. So I get a good corporate rate. The room resellers should be able to match those rates but I haven't used them myself so I can't recommend one.

Thanks for that, where can I find these 'local resellers' ?.
Also what are the best parts of HK to saty in, as the OP we will only be there for 3 days and what we are looking for something with the husstle and busstle, shopping etc. on or close to our door step.

One final quaestion, any online resources for electronic price comparisons for HK, I am looking to get a digital camera overe there if it's worth it.

daveg

Benedict XVI wrote:

I'm heading there in early March for 3 days, can you recommend website sfor accomadation, the last one I tried gave my PC a nasty virus

We booked the Harbour view renaissance hotel. We booked through trailfinders and for 3 nights including new years eve we paid €360 for a harbour view room which I thought was quite good.

To be honest I have to say weve found trailfinders excellent for pricing.

daveg

Benedict XVI wrote:

One final quaestion, any online resources for electronic price comparisons for HK, I am looking to get a digital camera overe there if it's worth it.

I too have been researching camera prices. I couldn't find anything that gave an idea of prices in HK. However I've researched prices here (using 5 websites ranging from Irish to German sellers) so I know how much the same item will cost here.

In fact I'll attach it for you if it's any good.... You can find it at:

http://www.sendmefile.com/00161832

davros

Benedict XVI wrote:

Thanks for that, where can I find these 'local resellers' ?.
Also what are the best parts of HK to saty in, as the OP we will only be there for 3 days and what we are looking for something with the husstle and busstle, shopping etc. on or close to our door step.

One final quaestion, any online resources for electronic price comparisons for HK, I am looking to get a digital camera overe there if it's worth it.

The resellers are easy to find in HK, from flyers and ads in the papers but I wasn't able to find a good example on the internet. Daveg's price from Trailfinders sounds spot on though and it comfortably beats the quotes I got directly from his hotel's website.

For hustle'n'bustle and shopping, I'd suggest Causeway Bay (on HK island) first, then Tsimshatsui (in Kowloon). I normally stay in one of these. In Causeway Bay, I'd probably go for the Excelsior as the best located within Causeway Bay.

There are lots of flash, new hotels in Tsimshatsui. You just want to make sure you are staying very close to Nathan Road or Canton Road. That puts everything you want within easy walking distance.