First time to visit HongKong. Need some advice

[denis7]

Hello,

First time poster but long time reader of frequentflyer discussions.

I will be travelling to Hongkong next week for 4 nights. I will be staying in a hotel at Kowloon. I will be visiting Disneyland, Ocean Park, maybe the big buddha and try to do lots of shopping.

I need some advice/recommendation from HK frequent travellers:

1. Is it worth to get an Octopus travel card? I will be travelling 2X adults and one child. I will be visiting Disneyland, Ocean Park, shopping, travel to and from to Kowloon.
2. Or I will be buying a 3XTwo Airport Express journeys and unlimited use of MTR for three days* HK$300. [FONT=Trebuchet MS,sans-serif]I will then be able to travel using the Airport Express train to and from the airport and have 3 days of free travel to Disneyland etc?[/FONT]
3. Or buy 2X Airport Express journeys and one child octopus travel card?
4. Need some more info about checking in [FONT=Trebuchet MS,sans-serif]AIRPORT EXPRESS IN TOWN CHECK IN. Does it mean I can go to the Qantas Kowloon station and leave my luggage and get my boarding pass? [/FONT]
5. Any good shopping places/market places? I will be buying some clothes + technology stuffs
6. Any other recommendation places to vist or tips.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hello,

1. Is it worth to get an Octopus travel card?
4. Need some more info about checking in [FONT=Trebuchet MS,sans-serif]AIRPORT EXPRESS IN TOWN CHECK IN. Does it mean I can go to the Qantas Kowloon station and leave my luggage and get my boarding pass? [/FONT]

Thanks in advance for your input.

Wow. Hi. Lots of activities packed into so few days! I can't answer everything but here goes for the things I do know about...

Travel to and from airport... regular cost is HKD100 each way on airport express. You don't say where you are staying, but assuming you are in Kowloon, then to get to the Disneyland resort buying individual tickets is HKD18 each way.

So round-trip to airport plus disney = 236 per person. That leaves a good balance of HKD64 per person which I would be using for taxis!

Taxis are everywhere, the drivers know where they're going, and they're cheap!! I stay in HK for about a month each year and I always take either the tram (on HK Island), or taxi otherwise. A typical 10 min taxi ride is about HDK30. Also, your hotel may have a shuttle service to popular tourist areas (such as Nathan Road).

The downtown check-in is terriffic! You can go the night before, or even the morning of your departure, leave all your bags and get boarding passes. Go out shopping then just pick up the train and off you go!

However - it can sometimes be just as easy to use the airport BUS from your hotel. It is slightly cheaper than the train, picks you up right from the front door, and the hotel will store your bags. And the bus is pretty good (huge seats with lots of legroom).

As for shopping - there are the Ladies Market and the Night Markets etc etc - I'm no expert but I take my mother once every couple of years and she loves it! Other posters will have more details on things like shopping.

Regards

Mel-T

 

[denis7]

Thx Mel for your replies. I will be staying at Butterfly on Prat in Kowloon.

 

[serfty]

Get yourself 3 x Octopus cards. They cost HKD150 (~$30) for adult (HKD70 child) and have HKD100 credit (HKD20 child) with HKD50 deposit. More here:

• Octopus - Consumer - On-Loan Octopuss

You can return them at Kooloon/Hong Kong station service desks and be refunded any unused value and deposit (Less HKD7 - ~$3.50)

Do NOT use these for the Airport Express! You can't go past the multi fare deal. More here:

• Group Ticket from HK$150 ...

3 x one-way tickets cost a total of HKD190 to kowloon - you simply all need to travel at the same time. (Buy from airport express service desk at HKG on arrival and Kowloon on the return)

 

[laffer]

I adore Hong Kong.

An Octopus card is certainly worth it.

Hong Kong is not as good for electronics anymore in terms of price and as with everywhere be careful of where and what you buy. On the whole shopping in HK is great and the markets are lots of fun. The food is great and the airport downtown check in is wonderful. You can check in 24 hours in advance, leave your luggage, get your boarding pass and do your own thing until you need to get to the airport. It is a wonderful service especially with a number of flights leaving HK in the late evening (to Europe etc).

 

[2muchplastic]

For travel to/from the airport, serfty's suggestion is excellent. It's much cheaper even than a taxi (I normally pay HK$250-280 to the Kowloon hotels that I use).

You really cannot go wrong with the Octopus card. You can use it on buses, ferries, MTR, the Peak Tram on HK Island and even pay for stuff in places like Macdonalds, and when it runs out, just go to the nearest MTR station, feed some more notes in and away you go again. I use mine extensively when I go (I've been to HK about 5 times since August last year).
The best part though, is that you can get the cheapest possible Hong Kong harbour cruise with it, and that would definitely be on my must-do list. It costs HK$2.20 (less than AU$0.50!) to cross the harbour on Star Ferries, do that at sunset and you won't regret it.

For shopping, Ladies Market is good and is on in late afternoon and evening. Stanley market is not quite as good in my opinion, but operates during the day. Harbour City is where all the swanky shops are, there's something like 700 shops there. All the big designer names - D&G, Gucci, Prada if you have the money.
Nathan Road Tsim Sha Tsui is where all the small electronics shops are, where you can haggle away, but be very careful there. There are always reports of sharp practices going on down there.

As Laffer has already said, HK is not the shopper's paradise it once was because of the drastic exchange rate movement. Make sure you know the AU price of anything you expect to buy, otherwise you may be disappointed.

For other things to visit, Repulse Bay is nice, and Victoria Peak is well worth visiting if you have a clear day.

 

[Adelaide_Matthew]

Have a fantastic time in a fantastic city!

I too would recommend the oyster card - unlimited travel isn't so valuable when ordinary public transport (e.g. Star Ferry, best and cheapest tourist attraction in the world, if you ask me) and taxis are so cheap! (Although, if you're heading to Disneyland and to the Ngong Ping cablecar in different trips, you'll be clocking up the MTR miles - but it's still cheap if you keep off the Airport Express).

As you've already been told, cheap electronics isn't HKs best point these days - but there are plenty of good markets: Temple St night market in Kowloon is well worth a visit for a lively and entertaining market. I haven't been for years, but still hear good things about the Stanley Markets (on the island - you'll need to take a bus to Stanley).

Victoria Peak is fantastic in good weather (there's also a great 1-hour ish walking track circuit from there - escape the city into the forest and get some great views of the city to boot).

The best walk (in my view) is on the harbour-front at Tsim Sha Tsui - starting from the Star Ferry terminal then past the front of the cultural centre etc: unforgettable. (There's also the fairly kitsch but still enjoyable laser light show at 8pm, although it's pure magic all night if you ask me.)

Enjoy!

 

[denis7]

Thanks guys for all your valuable inputs

I will follow serfty recommendation. Buy 2X Adults octopus card and 1X Child at the airport.

Then on return, I will buy 3 x Group Airport Express so that I can still use the AIRPORT EXPRESS IN TOWN CHECK IN. I will leave my luggage in the morning, check out from hotel since my flight is at night. Can then see around for one whole day without worrying about luggages.

I am still trying to figure out which is the best way to travel from the airport to Butterfly on Prat in Kowloon. (21 Prat Avenue Kowloon Tsim Sha Tsui). I checked on nwstbus (can pay by Octopus card?), the A21 bus but it seems that all bus stops are quite far..Any other ideas?

 

[2muchplastic]

...I too would recommend the oyster card ....

I'm sure that Boris Johnson will be very pleased to know that the London card comes so highly reccommended. Not tried using one in HK, but if you do and it works okay, please let us know.:mrgreen:

 

[Adelaide_Matthew]

I'm sure that Boris Johnson will be very pleased to know that the London card comes so highly reccommended. Not tried using one in HK, but if you do and it works okay, please let us know.:mrgreen:

Oops! :mrgreen:

I always get the two confused! Read 'octopus'.

Re: the transport, although the Airport Express shuttle doesn't list Butterfly on Prat, you could check if one of the 30 hotels served by their free shuttles from the Kowloon station is close to your hotel (it's pretty likely one would be). If not, taxis are easy to get at the station and very cheap.

 

[2muchplastic]

....

I am still trying to figure out which is the best way to travel from the airport to Butterfly on Prat in Kowloon. (21 Prat Avenue Kowloon Tsim Sha Tsui). I checked on nwstbus (can pay by Octopus card?), the A21 bus but it seems that all bus stops are quite far..Any other ideas?

There is a free shuttlebus from most Kowloon hotels to the Kowloon AE station. You might be able to get away with walking to the nearest one (Guangdong Hotel, two doors down - see MTR) if you only have a small amount of luggage.

I've never used the shuttle bus, because when I'm in HK I only normally travel with hand luggage only and walk to the AE station from my company's office in Harbour City in about 15 minutes. Walking would be doable for you too if you travel light - would take 35 minutes plus from your hotel though.

 

[2muchplastic]

Oops! :mrgreen:

I always get the two confused! Read 'octopus'....

Hell, if you get oysters and octopi confused, I'll bet you're glad you don't work as a fishmonger. :mrgreen:

 

[ozimax]

Can I pls stowaway in your luggage? I love HK. An incredible place.

Ozi.

 

[Adelaide_Matthew]

Hell, if you get oysters and octopi confused, I'll bet you're glad you don't work as a fishmonger. :mrgreen:

More to the point, if I get London and Hong Kong confused, it's a good thing I'm not a travel agent! :mrgreen:

(Of course, I don't confuse the cities, just their transport cards!)

 

[Lucky_man]

If you get any spare time in this schedule try to use the double decker bus that goes from Kowloon to all around the island - repulse bay, Stanley Market etc.

Make a fast track for the top front seats - the ride is a hoot and at $HK13 is about 1/50th the price of a private bus tour.

Public transport in HK is an absolute hoot. It only reminds me of what we miss in Australia :-(

Watch the scale on the maps. It does not take long to walk halfway across Kowloon so that stop not near the hotel may not be so far after all. As long as your family don't take too much luggage and see walking with bags through busy streets as part of the adventure - it's great.

 

[Timtammi]

If you get any spare time in this schedule try to use the double decker bus that goes from Kowloon to all around the island - repulse bay, Stanley Market etc.

Make a fast track for the top front seats - the ride is a hoot and at $HK13 is about 1/50th the price of a private bus tour.

I agree this is good fun ride and quite scenic! But beware if you have anyone in your party that gets carsick. Its VERY windy and the motion is more when you are upstairs. I had to make a very fast exit off the bus with my 4 year old who was seriously green and was going to throw up all over everyone! We managed to complete the trip to Stanley Market and back by breaking the journey along the way, no way she could have done the whole thing in one hit without being sick. Next time I will give her the travel sickness pills first!

Cheers

 

[denis7]

Thank you guys for all your replies. Two days left before heading to HK

After some research cheapest way to go is by Airport Bus A21 bus stop's distance to Butterfly on the Prat. The bus stop is actually fairly close to the hotel, about 3 minutes walking. The correct stop to get off is 27 Chatham Road South after Mody Road. Hopefully will help somebody

 

[Alanslegal]

Octopus card iirc are valid for 3 years without activity so if you intend to visit HKG again, then you can just take the card home and keep all the credit for next time.

Another good thing with the cards are that not only you use it for all types of transport - use it on the trains, ferries, buses and trams! Also you can use the Octopus cards at many vending machines and quite a few smaller shops as well. Who really needs cash in HKG?

 

[serfty]

... Who really needs cash in HKG?

To top up ones Octopus at HKG ...

 

[Adelaide_Matthew]

Who really needs cash in HKG?

Certainly the cards are fantastic, but I always seem to be running short of small notes for tips in Hong Kong. Now I hoard small notes whenever I get them!