Booking trip to Hong Kong and need advice

[jinxy09]

Hi Everyone

New to the forums and have a few questions..

I am in the process of booking a trip to Hong Kong in Sep for 9 nights for hubby and myself.
I have found ok deals with both Cathay and Virgin Atlantic..but was wondering apart from Qantas was there any other airlines that travel from Melbourne to Hong Kong.

The price is the same for what I have been quoted and just wondering if there are no other airlines, which one is better in economy.

Any advice or anything about Hong Kong would be appreciated.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi Everyone

New to the forums and have a few questions..

I am in the process of booking a trip to Hong Kong in Sep for 9 nights for hubby and myself.
I have found ok deals with both Cathay and Virgin Atlantic..but was wondering apart from Qantas was there any other airlines that travel from Melbourne to Hong Kong.

The price is the same for what I have been quoted and just wondering if there are no other airlines, which one is better in economy.

Any advice or anything about Hong Kong would be appreciated.

Hi jinxy09 and welcome to the forums!

In terms of non-stop flights from Melbourne there are only two airlines that fly non-stop to Hong Kong, Cathay and Qantas. Virgin is an option and will fly you via Sydney (connecting in Sydney to the full service Virgin Atlantic).

In terms of the non-stop flights two things for you to consider:

• qantas - if you are a member of their frequent flyer program youwill earn 100% of points
• cathay - if you are a member of qantas frequent flyer you can still earn points by flying cathay, but you need to check carefully that the fare you are on is eligible. Some may earn no points, some may earn 50% of miles.

If points are not a major concern then I would probably go for Cathay Pacific because they have a much bigger choice of flights. The main problem with Qantas (unless you transit sydney) is the return from Hong Kong is at 0900 (or thereabouts). you have to get up really early to make the flight, whereas Cathay has various flight times in the evening.

Entertainment and food is better on Cathay, service is more down-to-earth on Qantas.

Aside from Qantas, Virgin and Cathay, there are plenty of other airlines that will fly you to Hong Kong, but all via intermediate points. This can be good however if you are looking for a stopover somewhere by the beach. For example, Garuda Indonesia will allow you to stop in Bali for a few days. Malaysia Airlines you can stop in Kuala Lumpur, and with Singapore Airlines (probably the best airline for economy flying) will have excellent stopovers in Singapore (in fact they go out of the their way to promote very cheap all inclusive stop-over packages).

So there is plenty of choice.

One other thing to consider is that Qantas and Virgin both offer premium economy class. On Qantas this mean food, wines and service almost the same as business class, but with a regular seat (although the seat is bigger than economy). This includes champage. On Virgin you get a bigger seat and a bit better service.

Good deals can be had for premuim economy - about double the regular economy fare.

In terms of Hong Kong, check any hotel you intend on staying in on tripadvisor.com That will tell you if the hotel is worth staying at. Start at the number 1 hotel (it gives you prices) and work down the list until you hit one that is right on $$ and comfort!

Any other quesitons ask away.

mel-t

 

[simongr]

Some great advice mel_T. However this might be a record in that this is the first time I have ever seen anyone suggest Garuda as an option on these forums :shock:

there are plenty of other airlines that will fly you to Hong Kong, but all via intermediate points. This can be good however if you are looking for a stopover somewhere by the beach. For example, Garuda Indonesia will allow you to stop in Bali for a few days. Malaysia Airlines you can stop in Kuala Lumpur

 

[roshodgekiss]

Giving the discount folks two cents:

AirAsia is currently selling fares from Melbourne to KL for $260 return inc tax. They also fly on from KL to Hong Kong. May not be the best option if flying with kids/like the FF points, but I thought I'd throw it in there.

I posted a summary of the sale here: Flighthacker – Airfare sales, news and advice in Australia Blog Archive AirAsia X: Big Sale extended. Melbourne, Gold Coast and Perth to Kuala Lumpur for $260 return!

Cheers!
-Ros

 

[drron]

Welcome to AFF jinxy09.You have got the basic low down on the airlines.
I just wanted to say you need to be careful with hotel reviews on Trip advisor.Discount reviews from people with 1 post and it is a negative or glowingly positive review.There is definitely a problem with some of their reviews.Also take with a very big grain of salt their rankings of hotels.A little while ago they had as their number one hotel in New York a Best Western-It appears on no other list.Their rankings are skewed to those hotels that are cheaper-you just have to bear that in mind.If you are going to use TA then post a question about the hotel-the 1 review wonders are not looking so you stand a better chance of getting genuine info.

 

[winfred]

I agree with drron that Trip Advisors can be misleading and they tend to favour budget hotels. However I use TA all the time to start my research and narrow down my choices to 5 or 6 before doing more research.

If you are flexible enough there are plenty of good deals for Sep. As I go to HK for both business and pleasure 4-5 times a year, let me know your hotel criteria (budget, location, boutique or chain, etc) and I will make some suggestions.

 

[Zorro]

I agree with drron that Trip Advisors can be misleading and they tend to favour budget hotels. However I use TA all the time to start my research and narrow down my choices to 5 or 6 before doing more research.

If you are flexible enough there are plenty of good deals for Sep. As I go to HK for both business and pleasure 4-5 times a year, let me know your hotel criteria (budget, location, boutique or chain, etc) and I will make some suggestions.

I will take up your generous offer on accommodation advice - My travel is Jan 2010 with MrsZ + 1 adult female. This will be our first time to HK. Mickey M and shopping (Shenzhen, Stanley St markets + others) are on the agenda. 4*or better chain with adjoining rooms or family room if possible.

 

[wandering_fred]

Make sure you check a WIDE range of internet booking engines as the Hong Kong hotel prices have dramatically fallen when compared with 18 months ago.

Happy wandering

Fred

PS If you look hard enough you might find the cows grazing on the edge of the road...... Yes I've seen them :mrgreen: I'll leave the question of where as a proper travel exercise. But then I never claimed to be a city type person.

 

[notzac]

One of the problems I find with Trip Advisor is that the folk that write the reviews generally have a very particular hotel standard they like (think low-budget American hotel chains) and everything is compared to that.

Sometimes the reviews have useful information (e.g., how much does Internet access cost?) but you've got to filter what's there against your own tastes fairly heavily. In many cases the reviews are written by people that have stayed in maybe 1 or 2 other hotels in their life! I made the mistake of trusting several glowing reports of a hotel I stayed at in NYC without too much other research - the hotel was maybe moderately OK as compared to a Best Western, but very much not to my taste.

 

[winfred]

I will take up your generous offer on accommodation advice - My travel is Jan 2010 with MrsZ + 1 adult female. This will be our first time to HK. Mickey M and shopping (Shenzhen, Stanley St markets + others) are on the agenda. 4*or better chain with adjoining rooms or family room if possible.

Disney Land is out of town near the airport but trains will get you there easily so a hotel close to an MTR station is preferred. Stanley Market is in a remote part of the HK island. The best way to get there is to take a double decker bus (sitting on the upper deck gives you a good view). Hotel concierge would point you in the right direction.

I would recommend the following hotels:

Marco Polo HK Hotel - best location for shoppers right above Harbour City shopping centre and in Tsim Sha Tsui. Also reasonably close to MTR, trains for Shenzhen & ferry to HK Island. Some rooms are a little bit dated but they are as big as you can get in HK.

Langham Place - in a seedy part of town but excellent bargain shopping and electronic goods. Also right above MTR station.

The Park Lane HK is good if you prefer HK Island. It is in Causeway Bay with thousand of shops for all kind of products and close to MTR station.

I have stayed at these hotels in the last 18 months and they have adjoining rooms.

I would book through Langham's website for Langham Place and on Agoda.com for the other 2 as you can book well in advance on agoda rather than just a few months in advance on wotif.

Good Luck.

 

[auriga]

One of the problems I find with Trip Advisor is that the folk that write the reviews generally have a very particular hotel standard they like (think low-budget American hotel chains) and everything is compared to that.
....

Of course some sort of judgement will need to be exercised when reading the reviews. Combining that with looking at members' photos will generally give a reasonable idea of what sort of place you are looking at.

Is there any other site that offers such a broad range of accommodation reviews?

 

[dajop]

Of course some sort of judgement will need to be exercised when reading the reviews.

Also, sometimes the nationality and location of the reviewer can be a consideration. Taste and sensibilities vary across the globe, and you only have to look at the decor and styling of many of the "top" (read: expensive) US hotels compared to the "top" Asian hotels to see that their customers have different tastes. Often I've read bad reviews of hotels that look quite modern and stylish (including some that I've stayed in) that really surprised me, until I noticed the location of the reviewer.

 

[cosi]

Recommend you consider The Salisbury Hotel in Kowloon as the best value hotel for your accommodation.

 

[JohnK]

Of course some sort of judgement will need to be exercised when reading the reviews. Combining that with looking at members' photos will generally give a reasonable idea of what sort of place you are looking at.

And sometimes it is best to ignore the reviews on any website.

If I had bothered to pay any attention to the reviews on TripAdvisor I would not have stayed at the Hotel 81's or Fragrance Hotels in Singapore's Geylang and Joo Chiat areas. The reviews could not be further from the truth. There is nothing wrong with these hotels and they are perfect for an overnight transit.

Why would I pay >$200 to stay at the Holiday Inn when I can pay ~$50 to stay at Hotel 81 Orchid on Boxing Day. All I need is a clean place to leave luggage/golf clubs, sleep for ~4-6 hours and have a shower in the morning. And they also provide a complimentary bottle of water and a cup of noodles....