Hong Kong for 2 Days in Jan'16

pyramid on 14/09/2015 - 09:54
Last edited 14/09/2015 - 17:45

Hi Guys,

I'll be visiting hong kong for 2 days 4-5 Jan'16. I'll be landing at 9.30am on 4th and have got flight to Melbourne at 7.30pm 5th Jan.

Can someone please help me to decided on accommodation location (ie near airport or in city centre etc), places to visit and cheap way to store luggage at airport as i'll be having 3 big suitcases with me .

I'll be travelling with wife and 3.5 yr old. and not planning to visit Disneyland.

Thanks

Edit: Looks like I'll be staying at Harbour Plaza North Point.

Travel

Comments

  • mbwl2010 on 14/09/2015 - 11:43
    +4

    I would suggest you stay near an MTR station and as to the location will depend on your budget

  • NancyCat on 14/09/2015 - 11:57
    +6

    Pretty much anywhere you stay in Hong Kong would be in city centre…close to shops, close to restaurants, close to train stations. Airport to 'Central' (i.e. the CBD) is only 30 mins on the train.

    Get yourself and wife a travel pass, which includes trips from & to airport, as well as 3 consecutive days of unlimited travel on the MTR (train)
    http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/tickets/travel_pass_ael.ht…

    You won't need luggage storage, as you can do a city-check at the train station on your last day. (i.e. after checking out of the hotel in the morning, take your luggage to Airport Express Station, check them in, get your boarding pass.)
    http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/transport/to-from-airport…

    Accommodation: I recommend 'The Salisbury-YMCA of Hong Kong', great location, good price. Or Park Lane Pullman on the HK Island. (By the way, since you have a 3.5 y.o, from my own experience, you need to find a hotel that has a large bed that will fit all 3 of you. Most hotel rooms are very small, there won't be room for an extra bed and 3 of you won't fit on a double bed.)

    Things to do…shopping!!! With a 3.5 y.o. a good place to shop is the Ocean Terminal (walking distance from the Salisbury). Many-many-many shops under one roof, very clean, including a HUGE Toys'r Us (one of the biggest in Asia, I believe). Right next to Ocean Terminal is the Star Ferry. Take the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island (15mins ride). Outside the Star Ferry Terminal there are shuttle buses to take you to the Peak Tram…and go to the Peak on the Tram!

    Enjoy the trip!

    (P.s. good call not going to Disneyland)

    • pyramid on 14/09/2015 - 11:59

      Thanks NancyCat for detailed response.

  • tko6070 on 14/09/2015 - 13:41

    Prepare yourself for the humidity, it gets very hot in the city.

    • Dragon888 on 15/09/2015 - 22:20

      There will be no humidity in Jan. as it is in the middle of Winter.

  • KaTst3R on 14/09/2015 - 13:58
    -5

    Looks like your wife asked you to find accommodation and the first thing you do is to ask Ozbargain… Good research there…

    • pyramid on 14/09/2015 - 14:05

      Please can you refrain from commenting if you do not have anything to suggest?

      • KaTst3R on 14/09/2015 - 14:15
        +1

        Ouch, the truth hurts…doesn't it?

        I was about to say Tripadvisor so you can have a map view of the location you are interested in (eg the airport) and see what hotels are around it, with pricing that suits your family. Since you didnt provide a budget, everyone is gonna throw at you hotels ranging from 1 to 5 stars, so you are basically wasting your own time trying to filter through all the information.

        See I provided a suggestion and travel advice.

  • JetLi on 14/09/2015 - 14:26

    Any hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui (Sheraton?) would be convenient for your 2 day stopover. Plenty of shopping/restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui, short train ride/taxi ride to Mong Kok (again more shopping + eating). Check out the light show on Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, I believe is at 8pm everynight.

    On the 2nd day, I would also catch the star ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui across to Central (which is the CBD of HK), have a walk around IFC shopping mall/Lan Kwai Fong/SOHO/The Peak etc, then board the Airport Express train from any connecting MTR station and you'll be back at the airport within 30 mins.

    • pyramid on 14/09/2015 - 17:02

      Thanks for suggestion. Looks like Sheraton is out of budget so trying to find something around $100-$125.

  • Chris Topher on 14/09/2015 - 19:56
    +1

    Hong Kong is much more than "Hong Kong".

    1st there is Hong Kong the island, then there is Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) Pron. Chim Shy Choi - that is the mainland peninsula. And then there is the New Territories way up inland before the China border at Shenzen.

    3 railway services, 1 to and from the airport, 1 from TST to Shenzen, 1 TST to HK Island.

    Get An octopus card each or as required. These cards are the travel card but use them on trains, buses, tramcars taxis, ferries, public phones, restaurants…. They are great and they work, reliably. http://www.octopus.com.hk/home/en/index.html look for the tourist version.

    Carry toilet paper, and get a map of toilets, they are few and far between.

    Copy and print the ID page of your passports, carry the copy and leave the original in a safe at your accommodation.

    2 days is not enough, we went for a month, twice.

    • pyramid on 14/09/2015 - 21:14

      Thanks for tips. Yes but looking at forums on TA and others, 2 days are not enuf so need to plan another trip soon.

      • garmibear on 15/09/2015 - 09:28

        You can buy those plastic packs of ten tissues, that's what everyone in HK carries, so not exactly a toilet roll :P

        Hong Kong Park at Admiralty is quite nice, there's an aviary and some plant rooms with orchids, cacti etc as well as being a nice place to stroll. On my last trip I also caught the tram which is super cheap and there are some tram stops outside MTR stations (tip, you tap off your octopus card when you get off) - https://www.hktramways.com/

        Coupons and things at http://www.discoverhongkong.com/au/index.jsp

  • zzap on 15/09/2015 - 08:45
    +1

    Harbour Plaza North Point is a little far from the bustling city centre, but as long as you're ok with the MTR you can catch a train from North Point Station which is about 15 minutes walk from the Harbour Plaza.

    I stayed at the Harbour Grand HK at Oil St earlier this year, which is just near Fortress Hill — the next stop on the MTR. Interesting area.

    • pyramid on 15/09/2015 - 09:06

      Thanks zzap. Actually i did some more googling and found that better i stay near kowloon station or Hongkong station as i need to drop my bags at in-town checkin on 5th Jan.

      • zzap on 15/09/2015 - 09:11
        +1

        I'd recommend Kowloon over Hong Kong Island if that is the case. Have fun!

    • BiotBargin on 15/09/2015 - 23:09
      +2

      yep i would say Harbour Plaza North Point also. your only 2-3 stops from the main hussle and bussle of HK Island.
      stayed there twice also out of my 3 trips to HK. they have a supermarket across the road, a couple of food places in the back streets (includings Subway and McDonalds for those who need that fix) and if you get desperate, its a 10min walk to North Point or 1.40 on the tram.

      like everyone else will tell you, 2 days you will barely get a sniff of HK. i have racked up 28 days over 7 years and its still not enough :) …. no where near enough :)

      everyone is going to say go to the peak. i would say go to the peak via the tram during the day, then go at night on the bus from central - two different perspectives of hong kong. also wander around lugard road whilst up at the peak to get a better angle of HK.
      giant buddha is worth a visit, especially if you go via Mui Wu on the ferry and take the cable car back to Tung Chung.
      double deck bus ride to stanley market is also another interesting trip but stanley market has lost its attractiveness in recent years.
      you might be able to squeeze in the ladies market, a wander around TST and the clock tower, avenue of stars whilst its still open, then head over to 1881 heritage. you probably wont even get half all that in two days.

      forget the concrete castle shopping malls - there basically the same, selling brand name products at similar prices to what you will find here in OZ. people who want to tell you different are calculator challenged. they have a sale season during summer and thats about it. everything else is at the market, market areas or in the shops outside the main shopping districts.

      so whats the best bit of advice —— stay for two weeks not 2 days !

      (actually another interesting thing is the harbour boat cruise that goes around Tsing Yi under Tsing Ma and Stonecutters Bridge)

      • pyramid on 16/09/2015 - 14:50

        Thanks BiotBargin. You have covered almost everything. I m planning to use in-town checkin hence i would like to stay near those two stations as i do not want to carry 3 large suitcases from one MTR to another to reach for in-town.

        • BiotBargin on 16/09/2015 - 19:35

          You will be fine with Harbour Plaza anyway - they have a courtesy bus from HK station to the hotel. MTR also have a courtesy bus for a number of other hotels. Just check the time table because the last bus is about 8PM (for Harbour Plaza) from memory and comes every hour. Coming in, you roll out of the station to the lift….about 20m, down two floors on the life and 20m to the busstop which has a waiting area.
          Plenty of Ozzies stay there, probably more so now that there is a Starbucks and Subway across the road :(. The tram also stops right out the front. You can even use there mini bus during the day to take you back to Central/HK MTR - its about 10-15mins depending on traffic.
          Its also a queiter end of Hong Kong - you will understand that statement when you get there :) :)

          (Rickshaw Bus ride is also another good thing to try if you have the time)

  • kent08 on 26/09/2015 - 02:44

    So when you arrive at the airport is it better to cab it to the hotel or public transport it? I am staying on waterloo road and on gmaps is says it's a 30min drive from the airport? sounds like it would cost a fair bit if I went by cab?

    • Chris Topher on 26/09/2015 - 19:49
      +1

      Add up the cost (and inconvenience) of the train travel and compare it to the per person cost (and convenience) in the taxi.

      The more people makes the taxi a much better option, they aren't that dear in Honkers.

    • NancyCat on 27/09/2015 - 10:32
      +1

      With 1 or 2 people, Airport Express (train) to Kowloon Station, then taxi from station to hotel.
      3 or 4 people, taxi all the way.
      5 people…5 people & luggage won't fit in one taxi…so Airport Express + taxi.

      And don't forget you can buy group tickets for Airport Express http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/tickets/promotions_4person…

    • BiotBargin on 27/09/2015 - 11:01
      +1

      it depends where your staying in relation to the transport.
      cabs from the airport have a surcharge for the toll road which you need to factor in.
      check out http://www.td.gov.hk/en/transport_in_hong_kong/public_transp…
      check with your hotel if they have a courtesy bus or if a bus link is provided.
      it may even pay to catch the train to kowloon station then taxi from there.

  • pyramid on 12/11/2015 - 16:22

    Does anyone know how far is "novotel hong kong century " from airport express station?

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