HEading to Honk Kong & Singapore on 2nd of Feb

robbie2003ie

Hi,

Was just wondering if anyone would have any info about buying Camera's over in HK or Sing, was doing some research and it looks like i would be saving a fair few euro's buying in Hong Kong.

Anyone got suggestions on where to go in HK i'm staying in Tsim Sha Tsui for 3 days.

I'll be heading home through Singapore, whats it like and can you get good electronics over there.Any suggestions on where to go in singapore, i'm staying on Orchard Road which i think is fairly lively.

I'm counting down the days can't believe i'm going in 3 weeks 6 days 1hr 37mins time!!!!!:D:mad:

Thanks
Rob

robbie2003ie

For got to ask aswell any good websites of Electronic stores in HK or singapore that i could do a little research on, found www.Fortress.com.hk but its not that great

bringitdown

I can't speak for Hong Kong but I believe it is cheaper than SIN city.

In Singapore there are two main places to shop for tech: Funan IT Mall (http://wikimapia.org/21979/ : near City Hall MRT) and the more interesting Sim Lim Square (http://wikimapia.org/22609/ : near Bugis MRT). Shop around, bargain, ask for them to throw in a decent big memory card etc etc. Not aware of vendors that have websites. Above all have a clear idea what you want, how much it costs in EUR and what your budget / expectation is, I always price in a local Harvey Norman also before I hit Sim Lim.

Singapore thereafter: Little India and Arab street are my favourite areas (Bugis MRT). Chinatown is a bit antiseptic but worth a look. Night Safari at the zoo is well worth it. Unless you have time to kill avoid Sentosa. If you want the ex-pat/tourist scene try Boat and Clarke Quay.

Heading to Hong Kong in April (Tsim Sha Tsui also!) so if you get a chance let me know what not to miss.

Laphroaig52

You will enjoy both Hong Kong and Singapore if you haven't been there before. Singapore was too hot for me but still well worth a visit.

TST is a super place to stay but there is one simple rule regarding buying electronics (especially cameras) there: Don't.

I know first hand of several people who bought stuff in different shops there and lived to regret it. Substandard goods, different model to what you originally bought, parts missing e.g. cables and adapters (for which you will be charged if you return) and an agressive and threatening manner when challenged are all features of many electronics shops in TST. Especially stay away from any shops that have impressive window displays but with no prices or shops which have touts at the door to waving you in.

For electronics in general, Fortress isn't a bad place to try but the prices are not anything special - still cheaper than home though. Do ask whether the goods have an international warranty or not - some do, some don't.

For cameras, go to Stanley street. This is on Hong Kong island and is a small street with loads of camera shops. These are owned and staffed by professionals who know what they are talking about and which thrive on their reputation rather than ripping people off. They may haggle a bit but don't expect crazy knock down prices.

Enjoy and if your out on the town in TST make sure to drop in to Ned Kellys on a Friday or Saturday night!

Pigletlover

I don't know about Singapore, but I didn't see any bargains on electronics when I was in Hong Kong. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places, but I was looking for a camera and any recognisable brand name was around €300 - €400. I don't know much about cameras but I was just looking for one to take a good photo, nothing too fancy. I got one for around €150 but the quality of the photos wasn't great. I got a DS and a game too which cost around €200, again about the same price as here. My boyfriend got a good deal on a PS3 though, he save a couple of hundred on a console, 2 controllers and games. He got it in Toys R Us but there was a catch, to get the console at the offer price you had to buy 2 games and the selection of games was very poor. The PS3 blew up after a couple of months but apparently this has happened with quite a few of them.

If you were there for longer I'd recommend a day trip to Macau. Gambling is illegal in Hong Kong and mainland China so they all go to Macau, which is like a mini Las Vegas. There's lots of casinos, but even if (like me) you're not into gambling it's still worth the trip. The island itself is lovely, it feels completely different to Hong Kong. The ferry takes around an hour and you can take it from Kowloon or the island.

Other things to do are to take the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak for great views of the harbour, cross the harbour on the Star Ferry or go to Disneyland. If there's horse racing at Happy Valley while you're there try and get to that, it's supposed to be great, unfortunately there wasn't any meeting while I was there.

If you're into shopping there's lots of shopping centres, but a lot of the shops are high end - Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Burberry etc and again there's not really any bargains.

There's lots of markets but Stanley is really nice. After browsing through the market we went down to the waterfront and had a couple of drinks outside and got something to eat. There's some beaches nearby too if you fancy a swim.

Here's some links:
http://www.hong-kong-travel.com.hk/main.asp
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/index.jsp
http://www.happyvalleyracecourse.com/
http://www.macautourism.gov.mo/en/index.php

Merrion

The best camera and electronics shops in Hong Kong are in the area called Mong Kok (lit. "Busy place")

Prices are pretty much the same between places there but yoiu can get extras thrown in - I got an 8Gb card for the price of a 4Gb one thrown in....

If the busy-ness of Mong Kok overwhelms you can get pretty similar deals not far from Central station.

robbie2003ie

Thanks everybody for the replies

I think i might chance buying a camera over there, i'll just make sure to shop around. I'll Defo head to stanley street

For cameras, go to Stanley street. This is on Hong Kong island and is a small street with loads of camera shops. These are owned and staffed by professionals who know what they are talking about and which thrive on their reputation rather than ripping people off. They may haggle a bit but don't expect crazy knock down prices.

Thanks again

dereko1969

i've a 2 hour stopover in the airport in hong kong heading to australia, anyone know if the airport would have good prices? i'd be looking for a fairly decent camera around 5-600 euro mark. I'll be stopping off in hong kong/macau on the way back but would like to have the camera in oz.

Pigletlover

dereko1969 wrote: »

i've a 2 hour stopover in the airport in hong kong heading to australia, anyone know if the airport would have good prices? i'd be looking for a fairly decent camera around 5-600 euro mark. I'll be stopping off in hong kong/macau on the way back but would like to have the camera in oz.

I wasn't looking for a camera, but in general things at the airport seemed to be more expensive. There's a good selection of shops there so you should be able to check out a few different places and compare prices.