Hong Kong hotel and flight update

albalad

thanks for this blindman , so much info and as margaret said better than the guide books

four weeks and counting for us !

VeryTrying_2

I've just got back, so I'll try and add what I can to Birdman's advice (which really just about covered everything I can easily think of).

We stayed in Kowloon at the Park Hotel and it was fine - large enough room, two single beds each 4 ft wide, good bathroom. The food was very good - buffet breakfast £9 for 2, afternoon tea buffet (more of a Chinese dim sum meal) at 3 to 5 pm at £7 for two. We didn't eat there all the time, but it was easy to have an afternoon tea/late lunch after an early day out, followed by a shower and a rest before some intensive shopping and dinner. The hotel was being "refurbished" so the outside was covered in bamboo scaffolding and green netting, but no noise while we were there. The position was excellent - one street away from Nathan road, but overlooking the quiet area of the museums. This meant that as you stepped out of the hotel, you were already in the thick of things, no overpasses to negotiate like in Causeway/Wanchai/Central.

Airport Express Train - cost $140 single for two (that's £10 at 14 HKD to the GBP). The special ticket they gave us was because we were a "group" of two and entitled to a special "group" ticket. I think the ticket is $160 to HK island.

Stanley - bus No 6 a/x/something from the bus Station in Central (near the Star Ferry), is worth a visit for a gentle stroll round the stalls/shops and a nice lunch overlooking the bay. The British Army camp used to be near here so it's a very expat type of place, rather than a Chinese one. The bus ride alone is worth the trip, you go through Repulse Bay, past the Happy Valley racetrack and round some vertiginous bends/hills.

Temple Street night market - quite a lot of fun and you can come away having filled a large bag with rubbish for under £10. I collected a collapsible walking/climbing stick, brocade purses and phone holders, a couple of children's watches, chopsticks and placemats, a leather credit card holder .... and still had some change.

Yue Hwa Chinese Product shops - there are a few of these in Tsim Sha Tsui and are good for Chinese things and some clothes. I bought dried fruits (pineapple, mango, melon, lotus root) because I already have a house-full of embroidered cushion covers and wall hangings, not to mention the "ivory" carvings and the cloisonee ornaments. But it's a good place to go if you want something touristy for gifts, at least everything is priced and you don't need to bargain.

Mid-levels escalators - touted as the longest outdoor escalator in the world - runs downhill from 6 am to 10 am to get the workers to work, and then from 10.20 am it runs uphill for the rest of the day. It takes 20 mins to get to the top. We went on a Sunday and crossed from Kowloon on the Star Ferry to Central, turned right onto the high level walkways which keep you out of the traffic and, as Birdman said, walked through the hundreds of Filipinas who were meeting their friends on their day off. They sat around in groups of six or so, and looked settled for the day on their mats, and with their picnics, sounding like flocks of birds. At the top of the escalator, we turned left to the Zoological and Botanical gardens, a nice break from the city and the animals seemed well cared for. Then a quick look through the gates of Chris Patten's old house when he was Governor and a walk back to the antique area of Cat Street/Upper Lascar Row.

The Stay Ferry offers a harbour cruise for one hour for $35, or a jump on and off ticket for about $60 including a drink. We took the dearer one, and went round twice because my feet were hurting!

Finally, scrub up well and swan into the Peninsula for afternoon tea, or at least a morning coffee. It's a great place for people watching.

VeryTrying_2

Sorry Blindman for calling you Birdman. Lock me up in Alcatraz!

I'm still jet-lagged ...... and might not be making total sense.

margaret_3

Excellent, informative post and you're not at all trying!
Thanks you so much for posting this.
Margaret

vonlance

thanks miken and blindman!

im flying out on thurs, maybe i'll bump into a forum buddy!