As it’s the season for holiday questions I thought I’d seek some thoughts.
We’re going to Australia in November for two weeks and also doing a two week cruise out of Sydney to NZ. We’re going to stop in HK both legs of the journey - I have a lot of Virgin airmiles so can fly all of us there very cheaply. We’ll book separate flights to Brisbane and then back from Sydney to HK with Cathay Pacific.
We’re not sure what to do in HK. It will be me, my wife, her mum and our 3 year old daughter. Possibly one of my sons, but that’s a no at the moment. Because my daughter is 3 we want to make it as easy as possible so will have at least a night in HK both legs to break up the flight. Our initial thoughts is to have 2 nights on the way over and one back. That will give us 3 full days there. I’m sure we could spend a week or more there, but I’m not sure how child friendly a holiday destination it is. Any experiences or ideas most welcome.
My favourite destination you will love it, I took my wife a few years ago and she fell in love with the place.
You must visit Ladies market, Victoria Peak, The Levels and much more.
HK is a safe place, buy a Travel card Tube Buses Trams and Ferries dirt cheap £15 per person will last 6 days easy. Enjoy
Hong Kong is great and you'll easily fill 3 days, though remember about jet lag when you get there as you maybe a little weary. I planned our (wife and I) using a DK book. Every city we go I use one and find them excellent.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hong-Kong-E.../dp/0241203457
Loved the place - sadly not been back for a few years.
Happy Valley races
Stanley Market
Temple Street night market
Enjoy!
Victoria peak at night,the public parks are worth visiting,some of the cleanest places I’ve seen.
There’s also a zoo/theme park
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Sounds great, thanks. Maybe we should add a day or two extra.
I honestly think that would be wise. Maybe look at 3 days going out and 2 on the way back for anything you missed. You have to take into account times for arriving at the airport, getting to the hotel, sorting your stuff out etc, and of course the reverse for going back. It soon eats into your day. We did 5 nights and filled them allOriginally Posted by Devonian
Visited 3 times, absolutely love the place though I've either been on my own or with the then GF with no kids in tow.
November is the perfect time of year as you'll not have to suffer the high humidity or torrential rains that can afflict that part of the world, expect pretty much zero chance of rain and low to mid 20s during the day which should make things comfortable for all the family. HK is also very clean (some parts look tired though) and it's also safe, again this should appeal to all.
As has been said there are a number of parks to visit, for example Kowloon Park has its own aviary and has a large pond/small lake with flamingos and terrapins, there's a theme park on the south side of HK island (never been to it personally, though) and there's also HK's Disneyland a short train ride out of the city. The transport systems are brilliant, their underground is worlds removed from the London underground for example, and it's great fun using the Star Ferries to cross Victoria Harbour and to use the trams on HK island, the whole family can enjoy the sites using them day and night. There's a free music and light/laser show every night (at 8pm IIRC, so maybe not too late for your daughter if your hotel is nearby) that lights up over HK island, view it from Kowloon side for the best view. Victoria Peak is fantastic day and night, use the funicular railway to get to and from, sit on the right hand side as you go up for the best views over the north side of the island and across to Kowloon. If the family isn't afraid of heights then the Ngong Ping 360 cable car would be a great adventure, take a walk along Wisdom Path and climb the steps up to the Big Bhuda, though that may be too much for a 3yr old. I think you can book express tickets for the funicular railway (aka the Peak Tram) and for the cable car, you may want to check that out as it'll reduce waiting times as well as potential boredom for your daughter. The ferries, trams and (obviously) the tube run very frequent services so you won't be waiting too long for any of those.
For adult night time entertainment there are more bars and restaurants that you can shake a stick at!
I forgot to add that there are plenty of 7elevens and coffee shops out there so snacking/eating during the day should be easy for all if you want something quick and easy, if you're feeling adventurous then get a ferry from HK Island to Lamma Island for the seafood restaurants. They're all plastic chairs and tables however the food is to die for! There's also HK's version of the London Eye, the Observation Wheel wasn't built when I last visited HK though I'd bet it would be worth a ride.
Last edited by CardShark; 31st December 2018 at 02:53.
I've been a few times (work and leisure combined - I've worked on the Tsing Ma suspension bridge that connects the airport and Kowloon).
Truly one of the world's great cities, and plenty of tourist stuff to keep you busy for a few days.
However...it can be hard work. It's very busy and very fast, and the combination of tiredness and children will test your patience. Personally the thought of navigating a three year-old around somewhere like Hong Kong fills me with dread, but then I don't have kids so I'm not the best person to judge.
I've always stayed at the Panda in Tseun Wan, and wouldn't hesitate to again. It has a pool, which for me is essential in Hong Kong because you definitely need some quiet time now and again.
https://www.pandahotel.com.hk/en/
Last edited by Tony; 31st December 2018 at 04:10.
I've done this trip (LHR - HKG - BNE) myself a few times and doing again next month, also done side trips to Cairns (GBR), Sydney and Melbourne.
Hong Kong has plenty things to do for adults and children, Ocean Park & Peak Tram, Cable Car & Big Buddha, even the shopping malls have children's play area/entertainment zones.
The travel card is called the Octopus card which can be used on all public transport, convenient stores, supermarkets and some restaurants, you can loan a standard or buy a tourist card at the MTR Airport Express counter just after exiting the arrivals area.
Lots of info on http://www.discoverhongkong.com/uk/index.jsp
If you haven't booked a hotel room yet, have a look at the BA website as they sometimes have some very good deals.
Forgot to mention I promised the wife a fancy handbag and there are a few outlet type places if you're that way inclined. We went to number 3 on the site below. Took a little finding but the wife was pleased (me, not so much). Also its mad for watch shops for a bit of window shopping. In fact I got my subC out there a few years ago.
http://www.hong-kong-hotels.ws/shopp...-hong-kong.htm
https://www.1881heritage.com/
There’s some really great replies here, thank you all, much appreciated.
Had an amazing time there. Never seen so many watch shops and fast cars in my life. Rolex everywhere
Hate to say it but I even jumped on the Big Red tour bus thing and even that was great
Hong Kong is definitely a place I'd be interested in visiting as well. I've been to Japan twice and loved it there.
Where would be the best area to stay - Hong Kong Island / Kowloon or doesn't it really matter?
We stayed in Causeway Bay great central location but not cheap
I've been quite a few times and have given this list to a few people who've found it useful:
Things that are worth doing:
The Peak (best views of HK) - can either take the tram if it's not too busy, or by taxi (but don't get a taxi from the tram station as they'll stiff you on the fare as they're catering for people who don't want to wait for the tram)
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/2_1.asp
Big Buddha - via MTR & cable car is probably best (not good if it's not a clear day)
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/uk/s...-monastery.jsp
More Buddha stuff if the time budget is shorter:
http://www.hongkongextras.com/_ten_t...monastery.html
If you like markets
http://www.ladies-market.hk/
For a bit of history, Kowloon walled City
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City
Busy nightlife
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/uk/d...-kwai-fong.jsp
If you want to see pandas (but it is a proper theme park)
https://www.oceanpark.com.hk/en
Getting about, taxis are plentiful and generally fairly cheap. If you're going to see anything off the main Island, best to use the MTR (you'll need to get an Octopus card and I'd strongly advise getting a map before you travel - it's a bit like using the underground but much busier). The Octopus can also be used in lots of shops for snacks/drinks etc.
Other things: Tram rides, trip to Macau for the casinos, if you like wine and cheese and are there on a Wednesday: http://www.w-hongkong.com/WOOBAR
Hotel locations - Depends if you want to be in busy/popular area or in a hotel further away from the hustle of city life. There are positives and negatives like variety of shops/restaurants near by, late closing time for food/drink/cigarettes, people traffic, travelling time, transport links after the last MTR train.
Popular locations - Kowloon side is Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Jordan & Tsim Sha Tsui, HK Island side Central, Lan Kwai Fong, Wan Chai & Causeway Bay, most of the hotels in these areas/districts has an MTR station close by which you should consider especially if travelling when the weather is hot and humid.
Some hotels in the New Territories or Kowloon that are not in central locations do provide a free shuttle mini bus service to take you to Mong Kok or Tsim Sha Tsui (Victoria Harbour), but runs on a 1st come 1st serve basis.
Please note - a lot of taxi drivers do not speak much English let alone read it, get your hotel name written down in Chinese characters or have it saved to your phone. If you forget to do this before you fly, when you arrive in HK airport you can get free WiFi for 1 hour.
In my experience, a 3 day stop over will sort out any jet lag prior to Australia.
Serious question: What do you want to see in Brisbane, in particular?
If you want to visit HK fair enough but I don’t think breaking up a journey is worth a one day stop-over.
The hassle of getting to hotel and back just not worth it - I’d just want to get trip over, esp. on return leg.
My wife has friends in Noosa and family in Hervey Bay so we are going to spend 2 days in the Brisbane area, 3 in Noosa and 3 in Hervey Bay. From there we will get a flight to Sydney and do a cruise. After that we will spend 4 or 5 days in Sydney and a day or two in the blue mountains.
I agree but we’re thinking of our 3 year old. Would be nicer to break it up for her and we are flexible so might have 2 nights stop over both ways.
Great ideas from everyone - thanks :-)
This is the area where I stay. It's not far from the airport by taxi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuen_Wan
I've already mentioned the hotel where I'd stay, but a nicer one would be the Nina.
http://www.lhotelgroup.com/en/hotel/lhotel-nina/Home
I’ll check them out, thanks.
I only asked, as Brisbane is not a tourist hotspot. Just trying to save you some time.
The L'Nina hotel is a nice hotel, but is not in a great location, it is at least 25 mins by MTR to the main shopping/tourist areas.
Also you have to consider if you want a room to yourselves as a couple or one big room to share with your daughter, MIL & possibly your son.
For the price the L'Hotel Nina, Royal Plaza and Cordis have large rooms (for HK standards) over 30sq.m. for a reasonably price for a 5 star hotel.
L'Hotel Nina is the cheapest of the 3, the Cordis is the dearest of the 3, but is in the heart of Mong Kok, the Royal Plaza is a 15 mins covered walkway from Mong Kok and definitely has connecting rooms.
I suggest you use Tripadvisor site to get hotel guests views, photos and prices, I know if you book 90 days in advance for the Cordis you get as good a price with any online TA, BA sometimes gets the best price for the Royal Plaza.
Not being an area full of fat tourists and touts is the attraction for me. Horses for courses.
Not too much more to add besides what's already been mentioned already but as stated before Jet lag will be a killer! Even if you managed to get a decent amount of rest on the 12 hour flight over from the UK your body clock will be 8 hours behind local time, which doesn't leave much time during the day to do things with your little one in mind. If you really want to see Hong Kong for the first time then I would recommend more than 3 days as the first 2 your body will be playing catch up, great if you want to see the night life.
If you want to do things that are kid oriented then I would recommend staying at the Ovolo south side or anywhere near Aberdeen which is both close to Disneyland and Ocean Park, HK Disneyland being a bit smaller than Eurodisney but still Disney all the same! Ocean park is a classic theme park beloved by locals since I can remember. It's had a major revamp since the arrival of Disney and offers great attractions such as Pandas and killer whales (they had some the last time we went) as well as rollercoaster and also has cable cars offering great scenic view of HKs more natural environments. They've since built an MTR line to go to that part of the island so you have easy access to the main parts of Central and beyond, although getting to Kowloon side will add an extra half hour.
Otherwise I would recommend staying in Kowloon if you want to experience a more authentic side of HK such as the night markets between Kowloon and Mong Kok and temples dotted around up to the New Territories. If staying Kowloon then it's worth checking out the 1000 Buddha temples in Sha Tin which is a town just 20 minutes away by train.
The city is very safe, clean for the most parts although you'll experience some exotic smells from some markets. Public transport there makes London seem like a 3rd world country, whilst being a whole lot cheaper. You'll experience how much more effiecnt it is the moment you take the train from the airport into the city.
Also for the watch collector, HK can seem like a paradise with loads of places to get second hand watches, altough the premiums on hot pieces is even worse over there then here sometimes.
Overall I would give yourself at least a few days to really sample and enjoy your time there.
We have done all of the below with young kids:
The big budda etc is over-rated and a tourist trap but the cable car ride up from the MTR on Lantau is fun, go to Tai-o village instead, and try and go to one of the monasteries, they may serve lunch if you are lucky
Hong-Kong is actually green and mountainous, Dragon's Back walk is fun and not too hard, maybe tricky with a young one though
Get a ferry from Stanley to Po Toi island, nice walk around the island, but the Ming Kee restaurant serves the best squid ever
Shek O beach nice and full of locals at the WE, cheap restaurants in abundance
Trips across the harbour on the Star ferry fun and cheap
Find a big dim sum restaurant in Kowloon or causeway bay, they are usually 1/2 way up a tower block and rammed with 1000' s of locals
Steer clear of big malls like the ones in central and Tsim sha tsui, they are all like a big duty free and you could be anywhere in the world! Like is too short!
HK never gets old, have fun
Simon
Some more great replies. Thank you to everyone for taking the time. Fantastic forum indeed!
I’m bringing this back up for all the wrong reasons. We have stops both to and from Australia in HK for a few days and with all the goings on I’m getting a bit concerned. I gather that no tourists have been injured but I’m concerned for our 3 year old daughter.
So is there anyone on here that lives in HK or has been there in the last couple of weeks?
Our hotels are non refundable. It looks like our flights with Cathay Pacific might get us back some of our money if we cancel and our Virgin flights were booked with air miles. To fly elsewhere will probably end up costing us at least 5k extra all in - annoyingly everything is much more expensive than 8 months ago when we booked it all. 5k though is a small price to pay for safety.
The recent troubles has been on Hong Island (Wan Chai) where the government offices are and in the New Territories (Yuen Long) which is near the border where there is a lot of mainlanders coming over to buy all sorts of goods and taking back to sell at a higher price.
If you are staying near these areas the problems you may encounter are traffic jams due to road blocks and MTR being full due to protesters going to or leaving protest venue.
I have family over there young and old, employed and retirees, the only problems they have had is when travelling past Wan Chai.
Most of the protests have been peaceful, but the "encounters" with the police have been getting more frequent, best to check Foreign Travel Advice regularly.
It looks to me like trouble could break out anywhere and at any time, and that anyone could get caught up in it.
If it was me, I wouldn't be paying a lot of money to avoid going but I'd be planning to have a quiet time and not roaming too far. You can always go back.
Hopefully you've booked a nice hotel with an outdoor pool.
Last edited by Tony; 4th August 2019 at 03:18.
I'm there myself for a couple of days from the 17th. Can't wait and I'm not at all worried about the protests - just keep away from them.
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What would worry me is that the people on their way home from work at Yuen Long thought they were keeping away from the protests.
Thanks for the replies. We’ll stay as we are I think but keep an eye out over the next couple of months.
In light of recent developments I would now say you need to cancel. I just cancelled my flights for friday. I know some people in Hong Kong and the trouble has been spreading and they are expecting Chinese troops imminently particularly in light of the airport shutdown so maybe go to Thailand or Singapore instead.
Thanks Ryan, we have been discussing this tonight after the airport closure. We decided half heartedly to give it a couple more weeks. Maybe we should cut out losses now then?
Given that it will cost a small fortune to change your plans, I'd wait. If things deteriorate enough the FCO will issue an 'essential travel only warning' and your insurance should kick in.
I'm due to fly to HK in November (booked the flight in Feb before all the trouble started) and my insurance company said that civil unrest etc is not covered. If the FCO issued a warning that it was not safe to travel I would have to contact the airline or company I booked the flight with. In my case it's Cathay Pacific - I booked both flight and hotel through them.
At nearly 3 months out I doubt it's possible to do anything as we don't know what the situation will be in November. There's no way I could get a refund now from Cathay Pacific as they would just say it's only August and to wait.
I cannot see the situation clearing up by November and it'll probably get worse.
Same with our fights in November. We have Virgin flights with air miles which we can cancel for a small cost (but they don't fly anywhere near where we want to go), but our Cathay Pacific flights on to Oz have a cancellation fee of around £1,000. our hotels are £1,500 and non refundable. So we're out £2,500 already. To book somewhere else would be around £2,500 extra and that's for cheaper seats. Our issue is we have flights to and from HK twice so that's 4 times we risk disruption - two in November and two in December.
95% of the reports on TA people are saying that everything is fine (that's from locals and tourists either there, or have just left) and apart from the couple of days at the airport when flights were cancelled, people are avoiding the demonstrations and not having an issue. the other 5% where people have been caught up are the concern.
My Uncle wife who lives in Toronto and is from HK, still has a lot of family. Her brother was a Superintendent in the HK Police until he retired a couple of years back and his wife an immigration officer are saying that it is fine over there - positive news, but when you have a 3 year old you still worry.
We are going to monitor the next few weeks as there's not much point in cancelling yet but its 50/50 at best we'll go.
I think (and hope) it'll be fine. I know another photographer who travels to HK and has family there and he said that it's fine even at the moment.
I just called Cathay Pacific and they said that if it is unsafe to fly then they would arrange a rescheduling of the flights or possibly a refund. There have been no instances of tourists being harmed as far as I'm aware. I can understand your situation with a toddler in tow though. Let's see what the next two months bring...
I nearly booked another holiday out there myself for Nov/Dec a month or two back, my decision not to had nothing to do with the troubles but because I just decided to go somewhere else instead. If I had booked HK then I wouldn't be concerned much at all, though that's speaking from a solo traveller's POV who has been to HK before and can orientate myself reasonably well out there.
On the plus side HK is large enough, just like London, to have disruption in one place with you in another and not being aware of it at all. Many of the larger demonstrations appear to be only on the weekends, are in the most part peaceful, and the relatively little violence that has occurred is in no way directed towards tourists. It's a long, long way short of the riots and mindless thuggery that we witness on the news with protests here and elsewhere, for example Paris a few months back, personal safety wouldn't/shouldn't be an issue in HK though transport disruption may be if you're unlucky. We only see the "negative" on the news, for example the live broadcasting of the crowds in the streets, the brick throwing and the counter tear gas, what we're not being shown is the 95% of HK (or more) that is still going about its daily business.
On the negative - who knows what will happen in the next month or 3? It's this, plus your responsibilities to your family OP, the potential financial impact and the headache that would be making other arrangements that understandably cause concern, that and it's a long way from home which adds to the worry. I'm not sure if the reports of Chinese forces being built on the border would make me feel better or worse about the whole situation.
I hope that things settle soon, HK is a wonderful place to visit. Fingers crossed for you that the decision, one way or the other, becomes clearer sooner rather than later, and having relations on the ground so to speak would be a greater source of info than what we see and read in the media.
A senior collegue is based in the HK since moving there from the UK in 2006. He cites the ridiculous housing costs in HK as a large contributer to the feeling of discontent and hopelessness in the young and this is what we are seeing spill out in these prrotests. They see a bleak future ahead and are fighting for change and know that in their lifetimes HK will fall completely under Chinese rule.
Last week I asked whether he still felt safe in HK and whether we needed to start considering the future of our office there. He is adamant that Sky and other news reports he see's are describing a completely different country & vibe to the one he lives in. Brinkmanship and face saving are the order of the day and he is adamant the China threat isn't going to happen. Violent idiots are spoiling any attempts at peaceful protests and their cause, and the media lap it up. Apparently a retired Police Commisioner who quelled things in 2014 has been brought back in and he is bringing things back under control. The Gov closed the airport to gain support and have been letting the protesters into the arrivals hall for the last 4 or 5 weekends. All mind games he reckons. Certainly the snippets I saw from yesterdays protests where 1.7m marched looked peaceful enough
I haven't followed it closely enough to have much of an opinion, but thats the POV from a highly travelled Brit who has lived there for 13 years.
I’m going there in November, my only worry is my flight getting cancelled
I see the protests are continuing so I gather the trade war with PRC is not going well for the Yanks then..
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Our trip is getting closer and closer now. Watching the news this weekend, the protests and damage is escalating more and more and doesn’t seem to be stopping. Also reading trip advisor daily and people are still going there and avoiding the protests and having a good holiday. There must be 500 posts on it and apart from the day the airport shut down, no one seems to have had a problem. Two protestors have been shot and that’s a big concern.
Just curious if anyone has been recently?
No but I’m there next month for two days. Will just avoid the areas where the protests are. Still looking forward to it
Looks like a mad house over there at the moment, I think going there anytime this year at least is risky but you never know
I can only see the violence escalating now the authorities have banned face masks. Protesters are handing then out which will in turn up the anti me thinks. We were going to go but booked a Cruise instead
I was there a couple of weeks ago and no problems at all, everything pretty similar to normal although airport was a lot quieter. My Assistant is there now she will be back tomorrow but from the looks of her Wechat posts all looks quite normal. It will be interesting to see what happens now the national holiday is out of the way and whether there are now further crackdowns however I would still say that if you stick to the tourist areas you would probably be OK.
After 4 months of watching what’s going on we’ve made the decision and cancelled. We were staying at the Cordis and it was non refundable and there was a thread on TA about it last night about. This is a dream holiday for us and everyone is just worrying about it. We fly in and outside twice so that’s 4 time we could face problems. It’s cost a lot of money to rebook via Singapore but we’re much happier now.
I have over £2,000 in Hong Kong dollars, anyone know the best company to sell them through?
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