[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Sha09mel

3) Octopus hong kong card is the best way to travel in Hong kong. Buy a card for HKD 500 and both of you can travel in ease. Available once you come out to the arrival hall ask for directions to the Octopus booth. Google to get more information on the card.
You have an option to travel by bus or airport express train depending where your hotel is located. Octopus card works on all transportation in HK expect for cabs. Avoid taking the cab from airport as it's very expensive.

stance.

Ah yes! I completely forgot about Octopus, which is effectively the Hong Kong equivalent of the London Oyster card.
Octopus is definitely the way to go!

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Sha09mel

Being a regular traveller to HK, hope to help with your queries.

1) Cathy and Jet are good but expensive, Having travelled via Air India this September was impressed with the service and punctuality. I suggest compare prices before taking a decision.

2) For hotels I suggest Kowloon area as the hotels are cheap and lot of options.
a) Park hotel Hong Kong: Excellent rooms and bf with free wifi.
b) Stanford Hillview Hotel: Good rooms but the bf was bad with free wifi.

Do not stay near Chungking mansion very dicy area.

3) Octopus hong kong card is the best way to travel in Hong kong. Buy a card for HKD 500 and both of you can travel in ease. Available once you come out to the arrival hall ask for directions to the Octopus booth. Google to get more information on the card.
You have an option to travel by bus or airport express train depending where your hotel is located. Octopus card works on all transportation in HK expect for cabs. Avoid taking the cab from airport as it's very expensive.

4) I believe the ferry to Macau departs from hung hom ferry pier which is close to kowloon. Never been to Macau so not much info.

5) Do not miss the night market at Mong kok street great bargins. LKP street for great retaurants and bars. After 8pm visit the avenue of stars, its a great display of lights on buildings located at wan chai.

Hope this helps, let me know if you require any further assistance.

Hi Sha09mel thank you loads for the information and I really appreciate the data since you have almost cleared all our concerns with our Hong Kong Holiday.

I will research a more on this but was just wondering if you could help us with few more questions :

1. Since you are a regular with Hong kong visits, do you think Travelling on our Own is better or going with one of the Travel tour packages would be a better idea ?

2. Im aware that you are not very familiar with Macau but would you know of the Visa charges to enter Macau and some economical hotel for a stay over ?

Thank you once more for all the information bro and hope we make this trip at the earliest.

Thank you shankar.balan for the information bro. Really appreciate it.

[shankar.balan]

Macau is simply a Visa on Arrival.

Personally I love making my own itineraries and absolutely hate the cattle herding type of typical Indian Tour Group.

Booking.com will give you plenty options for Macau.

[Sha09mel]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Hi Sha09mel
1. Since you are a regular with Hong kong visits, do you think Travelling on our Own is better or going with one of the Travel tour packages would be a better idea ?

2. Im aware that you are not very familiar with Macau but would you know of the Visa charges to enter Macau and some economical hotel for a stay over ?

Thank you once more for all the information bro and hope we make this trip at the earliest.

Thank you shankar.balan for the information bro. Really appreciate it.

1) I have never taken a tour package for any of my trips to Europe, UAE or Asia visits.
This is what I normally do: I zero on a good budget hotel courtesy tripadvisor. Then google MUST visit tourist attraction for that destination. Do a google map from the hotel I would be staying to the place of visits. Search the best possible option of travel to & fro. Trust me it is fun and gives you an insight but be prepared to walk long miles.
Hong Kong is well connected with MTR (underground metro) buses and ferries. All tourist places can be reached via MTR and the Octopus card can be used while travelling. Hence taking a tour doesn't make sense but that is all up to you.

2) Sorry Vik, like I said I have not travelled to Macau so no clue about visa and hotels, but heard travelling to Macau is like a breeze. My friends had travelled to macau in the night from HK (that's when one needs to visit Macau) and were back in HK the next morning. I believe there is not much to see in Macau except gambling and hotels.

Let me know if anything.

[daisyb]

I am putting together a brief reckoner for someone who is planning a trip to Hong Kong and China. When I started planning for a trip in Mar, I could not get information about the visas. Tried searching in forums, asking people, no one could give me proper info. Hence thought this info will help others who are planning a trip to these places.

We did a trip to Hong Kong (HK), Macau and Shenzhen, China few weeks back. HK and Macau are special administrative regions of republic of China, Shenzhen is in Main land China.

Visas/Permits:
Hog Kong: It is not required to procure a prior visa if the stay in Honk Kong is less than 14 days. A permit is issued on arrival, it is free of cost.
Macau: Same as above. A one month permit is issued on arrival, it is free of cost.
Mainland China: Traveling to China will need a prior visa to be done. Visa is generally done in 3 to 4 working days after submission and is issued for an year. China consulate exists in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Currently there is no online application available. One needs to submit the visa application in person or get it done through travel agent. It costed us approx 5500 per person (through travel agent). If applied directly in the consulate, it should cost less.


Honk Kong:
1. Although it is an individual choice on how to do a HK trip, my suggestion would be to do it on your own. HK is connected completely to the last mile through its efficient Metro, tram, ferry and bus. There is a metro station available to the entrance of all tourist destinations except Ocean park (MTR station for ocean park is under construction). Even airport is connected to Metro through their airport express. HK can be best experienced by commuting using public transport, walking on its streets and exploring it as you go.

2. a) Buy an Octopus card (available in any of the MTR station customer service kiosks, 7-eleven stores etc). This can be used to commute in metro, tram, bus, use in 7-eleven kiosks etc - one needs to just swipe the card. There is a HKD 50 deposit that needs to be paid when you buy the card. It can be returned in the airport just before leaving HK - the unused currency will be returned. b) Buy an airport express card and top it up with currency which works like an Octopus card. This gives a free ride on the airport express from airport to central + 3 days of unlimited usage of Metro.

3. Must see attractions/ Must Dos in Honk Kong - Disney land, Ocean park, Take the Peak tram to The Victoria Peak + have a 360* view of HK from the sky terrace + If interested a visit to Madame Tussauds (Madame Tussauds is in the Victoria peak), best time to visit the peak is in the evening around 6PM and stay till it gets dark, the view in the evening is good, Take the star ferry from HK side to Kowloon side (alternately one can take Star Ferry's 1 hr harbor tour that does a round trip of Victoria harbor. this tour can be taken from the ferry pier at Central, Tsim Sha Sui), Take the Ding dong Tram ride, visit Tsim Sha sui promenade, preferable time is in the evening and stay till 8PM to see the symphony of lights show, you can walk along Avenue of stars area in Tsim Sha sui promenade.

Other attractions/to dos, if you have time - Big Buddha/Ngong Ping 360 village. The 5.7 km Cable car ride offers excellent views of South China sea, Lantau island and Hk airport, Ngong pong village is a nice peaceful place to hang around. For shopping enthusiasts - Ladies market, Malls and shops in Causeway bay, Central. I am not a shopping person, there might be other good places to shop. There are lot of walking trails available to discover Hong Kong.


4. Attractions in Macau - Macau is Las Vegas of Asia. Casino is the thing in Macau. Other attractions are - Visit to Venetian Macau, 'House of dancing waters' show in the 'City of Dreams' is one of the best shows in Macau, Old Macau which is originally a Portuguese colony, Macau Tower (and the adventure sports that are offered here, we did not try this though)

5. Shenzhen, China - Visited Shenzhen to get a feel of China. Shenzhen is a good place to shop, it is much cheaper compared to Honk Kong however beware of fakes. Can visit Window of the world, there are other places like Splendid China, Chinese folks village that are said to be good, we could not visit though.

6. Other tips:
a. Visit Disney land and ocean park on week days. Week ends can get very crowded. It is possible to cover Disney land on one day - if you choose a non-peak day, go early, skip a few unimportant rides and attractions. However if you want to cover everything in Disney land, one day might not be sufficient. There is a 2 day pass which allows entry for 2 days in a week. One can stay in Disney land which includes a pass for 2 days.

b. Stay in Honk Kong island near central or near Tsim sha sui in Kowloon side. Choose a hotel close to a Metro station. This will make your movement in HK very easy.

c. Buy tickets to the attractions online, so that queues can be avoided at the attractions.

[daisyb]

View from Victoria Peak - Sky Terrace


View from Victoria Peak - Sky Terrace


View of Hong ong Island from Tsim Sha Sui Promenade


Honk Kong - One of the busy main Streets


Buildings in Hong Kong Island

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by daisyb

I am putting together a brief reckoner for someone who is planning a trip to Hong Kong and China. When I started planning for a trip in Mar, I could not get information about the visas. Tried searching in forums, asking people, no one could give me proper info. Hence thought this info will help others who are planning a trip to these places.

Thank you daisyb for such informative post.

Just one query, Do we just buy return air tickets and book hotels before heading towards airport? I mean what do the Indian officials see before letting you board that plane. I am planning a short family trip this May.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

Thank you daisyb for such informative post.

Just one query, Do we just buy return air tickets and book hotels before heading towards airport? I mean what do the Indian officials see before letting you board that plane. I am planning a short family trip this May.

Yes it is advisable to get your return tickets and hotel bookings done from before. The Indian officials don't really bother you at all. Like mentioned above, if it is less than 14 days you get the Visa at the HK immigration itself and it is a 2 minute process.

[V-16]

One piece of important advice. Hong Kong has the cheapest prices for Apple products. If you are looking to purchase any Apple product get it from Hong Kong. Enjoy!!

[daisyb]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

Just one query, Do we just buy return air tickets and book hotels before heading towards airport? I mean what do the Indian officials see before letting you board that plane. I am planning a short family trip this May.

Akshay already answered your question. Immigration here in India, and 14 day permit in HK are seem less. It is preferable to book the hotels before the travel so that you don't face any issues after you reach HK. Hotels close to Metro gets booked early.

[dpkbehera]

I am planning for a trip to Hong Kong (2A + 1C) for 4-6 days. I would like to plan and execute this trip on my own rather than going through a package. I would appreciate feedback/inputs on planning the trip. Some of the key information would be :
a) Off Season in Hong Kong coinciding with Holidays in India.
b) Well connected reasonable hotels.
c) Must Visit places.
d) Options for local transport.

Any other information would also be welcome.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

I am planning for a trip to Hong Kong (2A + 1C) for 4-6 days. I would like to plan and execute this trip on my own rather than going through a package. I would appreciate feedback/inputs on planning the trip. Some of the key information would be :
a) Off Season in Hong Kong coinciding with Holidays in India.
b) Well connected reasonable hotels.
c) Must Visit places.
d) Options for local transport.

Any other information would also be welcome.

Just got back this week for a 4 day trip with my wife.

Apart from Disneyland (havent been), not much to do with a child.
Try the Tian Ten Buddha at Lantau, its a nice 5km cable car ride.

HK is great for local food, bars etc - outstanding crab/pork/prawn etc
The view from Ozone (Bar) on the 118th floor at the Ritz carlton is unreal. Its the highest bar in the world.
The view from the harbour at night is great, there's a light show at 8pm which is a must do.

Shopping is a waste, you get everything in India much cheaper.
Stay at Tsim Sha Tsui which is the touristy area and well connected by MTR/bus, be prepared for lots of walking though! Wear sneakers..

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by Hatari

... Shopping is a waste, you get everything in India much cheaper. ...

Perhaps you didn't go to "Ladies Market" on Tung Choi Street, near Mong Kok Metro Station. Much cheaper than Kolkata, let alone Delhi or Mumbai. Clothes, footwear, bags, baubles, gift items - just about anything that ladies and kids would want. Good bargains for guys too. Last time I went to HK with family, we had to buy an extra bag to carry the stuff we bought.

Just south of that was the car accessories market.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Perhaps you didn't go to "Ladies Market" on Tung Choi Street, near Mong Kok Metro Station. Much cheaper than Kolkata, let alone Delhi or Mumbai. Clothes, footwear, bags, baubles, gift items - just about anything that ladies and kids would want. Good bargains for guys too. Last time I went to HK with family, we had to buy an extra bag to carry the stuff we bought.

Just south of that was the car accessories market.

Yeah we did. Bought a couple of gift/kids items. But overall no different from buying online here. India now has most of the high end brands and more than enough non branded/fake stuff.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Perhaps you didn't go to "Ladies Market" on Tung Choi Street, near Mong Kok Metro Station. Much cheaper than Kolkata, let alone Delhi or Mumbai. Clothes, footwear, bags, baubles, gift items - just about anything that ladies and kids would want. Good bargains for guys too. Last time I went to HK with family, we had to buy an extra bag to carry the stuff we bought.

Just south of that was the car accessories market.

Originally Posted by Hatari

Yeah we did. Bought a couple of gift/kids items. But overall no different from buying online here. India now has most of the high end brands and more than enough non branded/fake stuff.

Agree with Hatari here. I guess the value for money aspect is no longer valid due to diminished value of INR. Stuff there was as expensive, if not more, then here in India.