1st trip to hk
 

Hi all,
will be taking my family(wife + 15 mths boy) to macau + hk for the 1st time.Hope to get some answers before flying off on the 21st July 2007.Already booked 4 nights @ YMCA international hotel.
1.any good dim sum/authentic thai restaurant around that area?
2.How to get from the hotel to/from china ferry terminal?Taxi/MTR? how much?
3.Can i re-enter Disneyland for the evening shows?need to return hotel for baby to rest.
4.Convenience moving around with a baby stroller?
Thanks in advance.

1. There's the "London Restaurant" across Nathan Road from the YMCA International that serve dim sum and Chinese food. 531 Nathan Road.

Another one called Tak Yue is even older, very downscale. But my parents go there all the time. It's at the corner of Pitt Street and Shanghai Street. From the YMCA International, go down the MTR Exit A2, come out the other side of Nathan Road at Exit A1. Walk straight one block and you'll see it. It's so ridiculously old fashioned that on 2nd floor, they still have spitoons under the table. I suggest you go up to 3rd floor. No one will speak any English there.

No idea about Thai.

2. You mean the "Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal" on Canton Road for the New Ferry to Macau? Long walk from MTR, but short taxi ride. HK$25-30 will be enough.

Or you can take bus number 3C or 238X on Nathan Road @ Pitt St (just behind hotel) direct to the Ferry Pier.

But you're going to Macau, right? You can also go over to Hong Kong side and take the more frequent and faster Turbojet. Just take MTR to Sheung Wan (with a change in Central). The Macau Ferry pier is connected to the MTR.

3. There's nothing near the Hong Kong Disneyland. Since it's pretty small, you can just go in the afternoon and then stay until closing. But I don't about re-entering.

4. Some areas like Mongkok and Causeway Bay are very crowded. Like if you walk up Nathan Road from your hotel to Mongkok. It's hard enough for a single adult to walk. Stroller will be very difficult.

Thanks for the speedy reply rkkwan.

Dim sum... Two novice-friendly but good quality places I can recommend are Maxim's at City Hall (nr ferry terminal) and Serenade behind the Cultural Centre in Kowloon side. Foodwise I prefer Maxim's though I wouldn't go there with a toddler on weekends. Serenade is open early for breakfast dimsum.

As for transportation, taxi is cheap and convenient so long as you avoid travelling across HK and Kowloon side. (For that, ferries and MTRs are the best option).

You can manage with a baby stroller, though sometimes you have to use an subway (underpass) with stairs to cross a main street. Some areas on HK side--Hollywood Market, Cat Street--have uneven or narrow pavements.

Star Ferry in Central has moved, so the City Hall Maxim's may be less crowded now. But that also means it's not as convenient.

hi all,
thanks for the replies..will surely go try out the recommendations..cant wait to go...haha!

On the Kowloon side, for dim sum I would probably pick West Villa, which has IMO the best cha xiu bao in Hong Kong.

West Villa
18B Austin Ave
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
Tel 2368-8709

I have not been to this outlet (there are several in town), but the location would be less than a five minute walk from the Jordan MTR (exit door C1 of C2, walk one block south to Austin and turn right), or take any bus going up Nathan Road away from the harbour and alight at Austin Road which intersects with Nathan just as you pass a stretch of block of trees on the left (rare on Nathan). This would also be a very easy walk up Nathan Road from the hotel, turn left onto Austin from Nathan. It is a few blocks down from the BP International House hotel. They may not have English menus, but the waiters should speak some English.

On the Hong Kong side, Maxim’s as mentioned above is:

Maxim's Palace City Hall Chinese Restaurant
2/F, Low Block
City Hall, Central
Tel: 2521 1303

This restaurant is in the City Hall building, not far from the Mandarin hotel, and has a nice harbour view. They have carts, and is one of the few places left which uses dim sum carts. To the best of my knowledge, they don’t take reservations, but give them a call to check. Try to get a window table. As noted above, try to avoid on weekends, esp Sunday.

For Macau, try to avoid going on a weekend, esp a Sunday. Ditto for Disney, although of the two, I would pick Disney on a Sunday over battling Macau ferries and crowds.

Please realize that it is currently extremely hot here in Hong Kong, over 90 F/31 C most days, and over 95 on some, so please don’t try to do too much, esp with an infant.

I am not sure if Disney will let you back in the park, with a daily ticket they may, you will just have to check.

Strollers can be hard to maneuver here due to the crowds and the hills, there are lots of stairs everywhere, esp in Central. Bring the lightest model you can. The subway (MTR) has stairs mostly rather then escalators, so you will be carrying it around a lot if you take the subway. You might consider a backpack as well.

On the Peak, there is a very nice flat walk that could be done with a stroller around Lugard and Harlech Roads, it offers some very nice views. It is a loop so you can start from the Harlech Road side or the Lugard Road side, does not matter. Facing the Peak Tram Tower with the brown Galleria Shopping mall and fountain at your back, turn left and walk toward the low brick building (Peak Experience Restaurant, quite nice and good views off the back terrace). There are three roads off to the right, Harlech forms the corner of the building, Mt Austin in the middle heading uphill and a small pedestrian road called Lugard. Take either Harlech or Lugard. The walk will loop around and return you to this spot in about 2 miles. Most of it is quite shady and cool.

You might want to consider going to Ocean Park rather than or in addition to Disney, this is easier to get to (you can take the 973 bus from Kowloon, or take the ferry over to Hong Kong Island and then a taxi or bus), cheaper, has a small zoo with pandas, a dolphin show, a cable car ride, some pools and other water features and may be less crowded (again NOT on a Sunday). Go to go to http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/f_index.html for info. There are some beaches in the area, including Deep Water Bay, which you can walk to from Ocean Park (there is a very nice walk in fact, other than a set of stairs in the beginning which you could carry a light stroller down, there is a nice flat walk along an esplanade that goes from Ocean Park to Deep Water Bay and on to Repulse Bay, an excellent walk even on a hot day of about 1.5-2 miles; it is only about ½ mile from Ocean Park to Deep Water Bay.) There is an excellent restaurant in Deep Water Bay called Cococabana (http://www.toptables.com.hk/coco/) Great views and food.

Another nice beach is Big Wave Beach. This is the “surfers” beach, and it a 1960’ss throwback with little shacks with surfboards and bikinis for sale. There is a very decent casual restaurant here (Blue Room, with shade) and changing rooms, showers, and lifeguards. Crowded on weekends but doable, I would imagine almost deserted on weekdays (but school is out now so may be a bit more people). Take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island (you have to switch lines in Admiralty but it is very easy to do), then exit Door C and find bus #9 for about 15 minutes to Big Wave Beach (on weekends you can also take the little yellow/green mini bus).

You could also take a ferry ride to a place like Cheng Chau and go to their beach for the afternoon, which would combine a fun ferry ride with the beach. There are also nice places for a very casual seafood meal outdoors along the water at the ferry pier. The village is tiny and has a nice temple and can be strolled in a few minutes. Some info on the island can be found at http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/...lk_walk5.jhtml.

If it is not really too hot, the Lamma Island Family Walk can be done with a stroller (there are one or two uphill sections but generally would be OK with a little pushing). This is a lovely walk, all paved with some great views, and you pass a few nice beaches along the way as well. A good bit of this is not shaded, so if it is over 90 F or even 85 I am not sure I would attempt this with a stroller. I am not such a big fan of the seafood restaurants there, but if you continue walking from Sok Kwu Wan another 20 minutes to the seaside area of Mo Tat, there is a very decent continental restaurant there called The Bay which has an excellent view and good food (http://www.thebayhk.com/). From there, you can take the little wooden kaido ferry boat over to Aberdeen and see the harbour. (You could also take the kaido over to Sok Kwu Wan, about a 3 minute ride and catch the big ferry back to Central). Kaido ferry schedules are on the website for The Bay restaurant.

You could also just take a ferry ride around the outlying islands like Lamma, Lantau and Cheng Chau and not necessarily get off at any of them. I think the ferry loop without getting off takes 2 hours and will give you a good view of all the islands. It’s quite relaxing, IMO. Most of the ferries are air conditioned (a shame IMO but you may appreciate it).

In other words, there is a lot to do here other than going to hot and crowded Disney with a baby. As noted above, the park is small and only consists of the Magic Kingdom and a few rides (I have not been myself, this is what I understand). This may make it more attractive to you with a baby perhaps.

Great suggestions by Cicerone. A few comments.

The new pair of infant Pandas arrived in Hong Kong only a few months ago, and visitors are only allowed since a few weeks ago. Which means they are the "hottest" things in town, and it may be crowded at Ocean Park to see them. [There are also an older pair.]

Easiest way to get there is to take the MTR to Admiralty and then take the non-stop bus #629 direct to the main entrance of Ocean Park.

For Lamma, the path between Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan has lots of steps going up and down. You cannot use a stroller. Not at all. From Sok Kwu Wan, you can take the public ferry directly back to Central. No need to go back through Yung Shue Wan. Or like Cicerone suggests, take the "Kai Do" ferry to Aberdeen. If you decide to eat at one of the Rainbow restaurants there, they have their own ferries that can take you back to Tsimshatsui (or Central) for free. [Well, sort of. Let's say the ferry fee is included in your food cost. :) ]

The inter-island ferry that Cicerone mentioned does not go to Lamma. It circulates between Cheung Chau, Chi Ma Wan on Lantau (nothing to see there, it's where a correctional facility is located), Peng Chau (another island with a beach but, less interesting than Cheung Chau) and Mui Wo on Lantau (where you can take a bus to Po Lin Monastery (Big Buddha), Tai O, or Tung Chung.

There are direct ferries back to Central from Mui Wo, Peng Chau and Cheung Chau. Or from Peng Chau, you can take a "kai do" to Discovery Bay, a large residential complex with its own yatch club, beach and gold club, and its own ferries back to Central. Or you can take a "kai do" from Peng Chau over to Tai Shui Hang on Lantau, where there's a small Trappist Monastery. They used to produce some very nice milk right there, but now the dairy farm has been outsourced. From there you can hike back to Discovery Bay easily, or Mui Wo (much more difficult).

As you can tell, there are quite a few things one can do... :)

thanks everybody!keep it coming and will print it 1 day before i go.(can read it in plane).My baby pram is not light nor small..it's the biggest and heaviest from Maclaren.We intent to visit Disneyland,OceanPark,Big buddha and The Peak if time and weather permits.Planned to go in the early morning and back to hotel for wife/baby to rest around 2pm daily and out to some shopping attractions during the late afternoon + dinner.Hope there will be enough time to cover it..

Just want to warn you about one thing. While the YMCA International is really close to the MTR, you may find that during rush hour the trains can be extremely crowded, and you will start worry about your kid's safety.

For example, getting on the Central bound trains in the morning from Yau Ma Tei can be very very tough, or trying to get on the train at Admiralty in the afternoon rush going back to Kowloon.

Here are two suggestions.

1. Know how to use the buses. From the Tsimshatsui Star Ferry back to your hotel, you can take bus #7, which is all air-conditioned, and very frequent. Its stop is <b>right at the front door of your hotel!</b> It goes up Nathan Road, and then turn right onto Waterloo Road. First stop after that right turn is the YMCA International.

Heading down from your hotel to Tsimshatusi, you should go around the back of the YMCA on Pitt Street to Nathan Road. Right there, you can take buses 2, 6, and 6A. There's a bus literally every minute to get down to the Star Ferry.

2. If you find it impossible to get on a Central-bound train at Yau Ma Tei during morning rush, take the train going the opposite direction (towards Tsuen Wan) two stops to Prince Edward. You'll need to take the escalators (can't remember up or down) for the train back towards Central. Lots of passengers get off that train there, and you won't have problem getting on. Only add a few minutes to your trip.

Conversely, if you find yourself in eastern Hong Kong Island, and needs to go back to the hotel by MTR in the evening rush, don't switch lines at Admiralty. Ride another stop to Central, where the train towards Kowloon originates. You'll always see two trains there, one ready to depart, another just arrived. The latter usually will even have empty seats. Make sure you sit near the door on the right hand side (when facing front), as the door opens on the right side at Yau Ma Tei where you get off.

Most people these days go to see the Big Buddha by taking the MTR to Tung Chung and then transfer to the #23 bus (now that the NP360 Skyrail has been shut down). But don't overlook the ferry option. It takes longer, but can be fun too. The ferry departs from Central to Mui Wo. From there, take bus #2 to Ngong Ping, where Po Lin Monastery is. Or take #1 bus to the fishing village of Tai O first, then go up to Ngong Ping.

yes you can re enter HK Disney just have your hand stamped when you exit and they will tell you that you also need your ticket stub to re enter.

Aloha!

The path between Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan DOES NOT HAVE any steps. I have walked it many times, including twice in June. It has some hills to climb (not big), but you walk up paved concrete paths that don’t have steps, just inclines. It's rolling all the way from one ferry pier to the other, including the downhill into Sok Kwu Wan. The poster may be thinking of other walks on Lamma which do have many steps, or has not walked it in some years, as it has been totally revamped by Hong Kong Electric. OK it may have 2-3 steps to get someplace like down to a beach, I would not consider that an obstacle to a walk even with a stroller. I have done this walk with people with strollers. That being said, I don’t know that I would take the “biggest heaviest” stroller on the market on any walk (or out on the very crowded streets of Hong Kong for that matter). Really consider the backpack for the baby. There is no way you are going to get a big, non-folding pram onto a bus. I would not want to take one down into the MTR either. You may want to take taxis rather than even trying.

The post above about the ferry loop not including Lamma is correct. Still a very enjoyable ferry ride. Kaido rides are excellent, again getting a big pram on board will be a bit of a push, but doable, they are not crowded like the buses and MTR.

Hm... I walked that path last October. But I will admit that I may have mistaken the steep inclines for steps. My apology.

Thanks everybody for the great infos...
why we bought the top of the range pram from Maclaren is because it can let the newborn or baby to rest/sleep almost 180 degree flat.It can be folded up but still weight around 8kgs.Guess we can only travel during non peak hours.Much appreciates for all the infos..