Hong Kong guide (thread 26)

[alabasterjar]

We went to HK recently and it was ranging from 10-15 degrees.  I found it too cold already and was wearing layers of clothes. 

Tips to those who want to go:

1. Make sure to go to Ngong Ping 360.  Fantastic. We tried the cable cars back and forth.  Just make sure to be ready for the long lines. 
2. I don't recommend AUSTRALIAN DAIRY. Hindi talaga masarap. I don't understand why lines were long there.
3. When inside DISNEY,  eat the Asian Food and NOT the western food if you are on a budget.  I personally liked the Banquet Hall in Fantasyland. So many choices.
4. Do not miss all the shows! Super nice.  Worth it talaga.  My daughter super loved every single one of them.
5. Dont prioritize Tarzans Tree House.  That if you need to prioritize due to time constraints.
6. For me, get as much photos as you can.  The official photos sold are a rip off, but, get at least 1 as souvenier.
7. Visit NANLIAN GARDEN. Nice and its for FREE
8. Visit SNOOPY WORLD at Shatin too! Nice and FREE
9. Ride the TRAIN! But get on the bus to and from the airport.  theyre cheaper.
10.  DO NOT MISS CITYGATE OUTLET STORES.

********************************************************************************

[bailey_marithe]

hi mga sis

kagagaling lang namin last weekend sa HK. temp is ranging from 12-15 degrees. Medyo hindi nasunod ang itinerary namin pero ok lang. we are actually there to shop, kasi si hubby is US-based so sabi ko since may winter season din naman sa HK, baka may makitang murang stuff for men. Medyo mahal kasi sa US e.

we checked in at Cosmic Guest House (wala na kasing slot sa Golden Crown) at around 11:30 AM. Si Rowena ang nag asikaso sa amin. usually 2PM pa ang check-in time pero naawa yata sa amin kasi early flight kami (7 kami umalis ng clark) so meaning 4AM pa lang e travelling na kami. inexpect ko na maliit lang ang rooms, pero ang kinuha ko is yung room na 2 ang double bed para naman maluwag sa amin 2 ni hubby. ok naman kaso yun nga lang medyo particular lang kasi ako sa bathroom. lagi ko na lang sinasara yung door para hindi ko nakikita hehe. i would rate it - 3 stars hehe.

so 1st day e we walked around the area because we were looking for Tag watches pero to our surprise, hindi lahat ng watch shop ay may Tag brand. ok naman yung area around Mirador mansion, kaka aliw at madaming mabibili.

2nd day - Hubby was excited about Mongkok pero naisip ko na parang Divisoria lang ito. Iniisip nya is parang sa US, yung mga outlet shops like dun sa NY. Ayaw ko naman sirain ang naiisip nya kaya dedma lang ako. pagdating namin ayun, as expected, ala-Divisoria and Baclaran sya and we ended up walking a few hours around and then bumili na lang kami nag mga pasalubong. maaga pa yun around 4PM so we decided to go to the Citygate outlets hoping na may mabili kami.

We arrived shortly before 6PM sa citygate kasi umuwi pa kami sa TST para iwan ang mga nabili naming pasalubong. prices are ok, pero hindi naman kasi lahat ay naka sale price. parang katulad din ng prices sa labas. kapag kasi na experience na ang sobrang sale (like in the US) e compute compute muna kung worth it ang mga bibilhin. hubby ended up just buying a pair of sneakers sa New Balance and ako naman ay  ballerina flats from Adidas and perfume from Sasa. medyo disappointed kami so we just went back to TST and bought dinner sa shakeys.

On the train going back to HK station (we took the orange lane), nakita namin na naka puffer jacket ang mga tao from Disney. akala naman namin e baka yun lang ang temp on that day. Fleece jackets lang ang dala namin so we thought we would be ok.

3rd and last day - we decided to go to Disney. Bumili kami ng tickets sa Disney Express sa Hongkong Station ng Orange Lane (forgot the name hehe) to save time sa pila. we arrived in Disney at around 45 mins yata and it was really cold! nagsisi kami kung bakit hindi winter jackets ang dinala namin from pinas. anyway, andun na kami so tiniis na lang namin.

parang bumalik kami sa pagkabata hehe and namili na lang ng mickey stuff. we need to get back by 6PM for our luggages kaya ayun around 4PM umalis na kami. saka kasi umulan ng medyo malakas kaya parang nasira yung lakad. we just took pictures habang umuulan kasi walang tao and walang kaagaw sa spot hehe.

so for this trip, we would rate HK as 3 stars. maybe next time mapuntahan yung ibang places pero ayaw na bumalik ni hubby lol. baka ako na lang mag isa kasama ang mga friends. yun lang po

[em_cee]

can we bring bottles of water inside disney and ocean park?  para makatipid, m sure mahal inside.

[em_cee]

@alabasterjar
Thanks for the tips.  What time open Nanlian Garden?

[mommynin8]

can we bring bottles of water inside disney and ocean park?  para makatipid, m sure mahal inside.

not sure sis - yung bottle of water sa loob ng disney is 20hkd each.

[akireyhoj]

can we bring bottles of water inside disney and ocean park?  para makatipid, m sure mahal inside.

^pwede naman sis.. kami malaking bottle pa dala namin...

[snowyice]

^^pwedeng pwede may refilling station sila dun

[vgie]

hi there, saan ba mura magpabook ng disneyland hotel for 1 night. para ma experience lang ng kids. ano mas ok hollywood or yung isa. thanks.

[em_cee]

^^pwedeng pwede may refilling station sila dun

have you experienced drinking from these refilling stations?  San banda located?

[snowyice]

yupyup. sa labas ng mga restaurant nila. Medyo hindi lang halata na refilling station siya kasi walang nakalagay napansin lang namin yung babae nagrerefill kaya naki refill na kami

[cherdigan]

hi sisses, ask ko sana kung saan mas ok mag-stay, Wan CHai area or sa Causeway Bay? thanks

[snowyice]

Causeway bay mas peaceful pero mas mahal din pero ako sa tsim sha tsui okay na

[theflygirl]

hi there, saan ba mura magpabook ng disneyland hotel for 1 night. para ma experience lang ng kids. ano mas ok Hollywood or yung isa. thanks.

If you're after cheaper room rates, then stay at the Hollywood Hotel. Big difference ng room rates between the two hotels. I've stayed at both, park view room at Hollywood Hotel; and the Kingdom Club room at Disneyland Hotel.

Rates:
Like I've mentioned earlier, cheaper ang rates ng Hollywood Hotel. I can't recommend any site or agent to go to cos I personally book directly with the hotel.

Decor:
Hollywood Hotel is a retro-Mickey Mouse decorated hotel. As in everywhere you look, old style Hollywood characters ang decor. Outside the hotel, may vintage cars on display and there's an outdoor pool where Goofy sometimes swims with guests.

Disneyland Hotel is Victorian style, very elegant. We got to our room using the old iron gated elevator. 7th, top floor, I think.

Amenities:
Kaaliw lang nicely folded face towels in the bathrooms. I like the tv in the bathtub area in our Disneyland Hotel room.

Facilities:
Both have good restaurants, but character dining is at Enchanted Garden (Disneyland Hotel). I tried the breakfast at Chef Mickey in Hollywood Hotel. Ok din naman. Celebrated my nth bday there and I got a bday cake.

Overall:
I personally like Disneyland Hotel than Hollywood Hotel. Both my hubby and I like to stay in comfy hotels kaya this one's good talaga for us. At Hollywood Hotel kasi, it's too crowded! And people even walk at the lobby in their bathrobes to get to the pool. Yuck. At Chef Mickey pa that time, there was a long line. Good thing I made prior reservations and hotel guests are a priority. When the kids got tired, we watched the park fireworks from the club lounge. They do story time around 8pm pero IMO boring I liked the all-day refreshments and snacks but breakfast there was very limited. Mostly congee and smoked salmon, which my kids didn't like.

As for location, both are accessible because the shuttle bus passes by every so often.

[onefineapril]

sis bailey_marithe, nag bus A21 ba kayo going to cosmic from airport? if yes, any landmarks na pwedeng tandaan para hindi lumagpas sa bus stop na malapit sa hostel?

[snowberry]

Just got back from HK. Sobra talagang lamig and it was drizzling most of the time na nandoon  kami.  We were freezing when we were at Dsneyland, pero sige tuloy lang . I regret , I didn't  bring my trench coat , dahil naka bubble jackets pa nga ang mga locals. Buti na lang may pashmina , scarf and gloves akong dala . Yesterday, which was our last day , saka lang naging parang okay ang weather, (parang Baguio lang) So, doon sa mga papunta pa lang, I would advise na just be prepared , magdala kayo  kahit isang makapal na jacket lang and pashmina or scarf . It's good if you have umbrella or raincoat too. Bili na lang kayo doon or lagay nyo sa  check in  luggage nyo ang umbrella .

We bought all tickets sa CTS sa airport .  So no hassle talaga. For Disney, it's advisable you get the full meal coupon, dahil discounted ang rates .  Sa Ocean park, mas maganda na pag open doon na kayo para konti pa lang tao.  Around noon ang haba na ng mga pila sa rides . It's better kung doon kayo mag umpisa mamasyal sa pinakadulo ( sasakay ng cable car) ,then pabalik  .

We went to Ngong Ping,  thru bus , instead of cable car dahil suspended ang operations ng cable car for maintenance until further notice. Around 1 hour yung byahe, but pagdating namin dun, wala kaming makita because of thick fog so hindi na kami umakyat . Sobrang lamig talaga .

We proceeded to Disney and talagang tiniis namin ang lamig , and the  drizzle. We stayed until hanggang mag fireworks display, Tip ko pala sa mga may dinner coupon. Before mag fireworks, dapat nakakain na kayo .Nag dinner kami around 7:30pm, pero konti na lang choices sa food doon sa Rstaurant na nakaindicate sa coupon , dahil siguro maaga nag dinner karamihan.

We loaded HKD 300 sa Octopus pero may sobra pa , so ni-refund when we surrendered the card, dun din sa airport
Be early when going back to the airport  kung mag bus kayo or taxi, ma traffic din sa city during weekdays.  Saka isa pa  medyo nakakalito sa departure area dahil magkakalayo  ang check in counter, immigration at terminal gates ,  Pero jjust ask the airport personnel and they would willingly give you directions.

All in all, we enjoyed our trip and looking forward to another place for travel.

[byutijunkie]

^this is very helpful.  thanks so much! =)

[t_r_i_c_i_a]

I wonder if winter season will last til the holy week. Looking forward to a good weather sana.

[doktorachen]

hi, any feedbacks regarding city view hotel near Yao Ma Tei Station. we are planning to stay there this april?. is it  ok to arrive at HKG at around 5pm? we are staying 5d4nites.. 3 nites at kowloon and overnite at disney hotel.. i will be with hubby and 7 year old daughter.. any itinerary suggestions please.

[vgie]

thanks sis flygirl.... i will check on disney website for the rates...btw inputs naman po sa butterfly on prat na nakapag stay. I called their hotel asked for the extra rate for 1 person. Advised will be 4 adults and the operator said  to get 2 rooms....

[pinklilac]

mga sis, suggestion pls para sa friend ..

nasa bahrain siya with her family. mag babakasyon sila this coming july. ask nya opinion ko alin mas ok   :

bahrain to HK  then manila

or bahrain-manila-hk

better ba mag DIY sila para sa HK trip or hanap ng package sa travel agency?

tia