help on dec 19-24 '08 hong kong itinerary
Dec 3rd, 2008 | 12:04 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
help on dec 19-24 '08 hong kong itinerary
hello everyone!
travel info:
dec 19-24,'08
prudential hotel
2 adults, 2 children (13 & 11) travelling on our own, first time in hk
need assistance in transpo to and from airport, hotel, and places mentioned in iti below.
here's the rough itinerary i've come up. suggestions are desperately welcome! : )
day 1: friday, dec 19
7:30 am ARRIVE AT AIRPORT
?? transpo: airport express vs taxi to hotel - advantage/disadvantage (assistance step by step transpo info for mtr ride to hotel. i heard jordan mtr station is right under prudential hotel -- how accessible?)
HOTEL CHECK-IN + REST
PEAK(transpo assistance: step by step mtr/bus ride)
VICTORIA HARBOR (transpo infos)
AVENUE OF STARS
NIGHT MARKET??? WALK AROUND TST NEAR HOTEL
day 2: sat dec 20
OCEAN PARK DAY (assistance in step and step mtr/bus rides to and from hotel -- for the two entrances) *** which entrance best and convenient to pick-up tickets bought online???)
SHOPPING IN KOWLOON/MONGKOK/TST?
day 3: sun dec 21
PARKS/MUSEUMS/MARKETS -- any recommendations??? (activities a 13 & 11 year old would enjoy in hong kong)
CENTRAL/CAUSEWAY BAY SHOPPING
day 4: mon dec 22
NGONG PING/BUDDHA IN AM((assistance in step and step mtr-skyrail rides to and from hotel - approximate time of travel)
DISNEY IN PM UNTIL FIREWORKS DISPLAY((assistance in step and step mtr ride from ngong ping to disney & disney back to hotel, approximate time of travel)
*** is this iti feasible??? or too crammed up???
day 5: tues dec 23
MACAU DAY (asssistance in transpo: step by step ride from hotel to ferry station and back)
LAST MINUTE SHOPPING AND SIGHTSEEING
day 6: weds dec 24
LEAVE EARLY FOR AIRPORT TO CATCH 11 AM FLIGHT HOME
any specific suggestions and transportation assistance will be greatly appreciated.
travel info:
dec 19-24,'08
prudential hotel
2 adults, 2 children (13 & 11) travelling on our own, first time in hk
need assistance in transpo to and from airport, hotel, and places mentioned in iti below.
here's the rough itinerary i've come up. suggestions are desperately welcome! : )
day 1: friday, dec 19
7:30 am ARRIVE AT AIRPORT
?? transpo: airport express vs taxi to hotel - advantage/disadvantage (assistance step by step transpo info for mtr ride to hotel. i heard jordan mtr station is right under prudential hotel -- how accessible?)
HOTEL CHECK-IN + REST
PEAK(transpo assistance: step by step mtr/bus ride)
VICTORIA HARBOR (transpo infos)
AVENUE OF STARS
NIGHT MARKET??? WALK AROUND TST NEAR HOTEL
day 2: sat dec 20
OCEAN PARK DAY (assistance in step and step mtr/bus rides to and from hotel -- for the two entrances) *** which entrance best and convenient to pick-up tickets bought online???)
SHOPPING IN KOWLOON/MONGKOK/TST?
day 3: sun dec 21
PARKS/MUSEUMS/MARKETS -- any recommendations??? (activities a 13 & 11 year old would enjoy in hong kong)
CENTRAL/CAUSEWAY BAY SHOPPING
day 4: mon dec 22
NGONG PING/BUDDHA IN AM((assistance in step and step mtr-skyrail rides to and from hotel - approximate time of travel)
DISNEY IN PM UNTIL FIREWORKS DISPLAY((assistance in step and step mtr ride from ngong ping to disney & disney back to hotel, approximate time of travel)
*** is this iti feasible??? or too crammed up???
day 5: tues dec 23
MACAU DAY (asssistance in transpo: step by step ride from hotel to ferry station and back)
LAST MINUTE SHOPPING AND SIGHTSEEING
day 6: weds dec 24
LEAVE EARLY FOR AIRPORT TO CATCH 11 AM FLIGHT HOME
any specific suggestions and transportation assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Dec 3rd, 2008 | 05:46 PM
#2
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
There are lots of posts here on using public transport and the Airport Express, so I would search for them, or see the information on the Airport and the Airport Express at hongkongairport.com. The link for the Transport department of Hong Kong is at http://www.td.gov.hk/home/index.htm, this will give links for all buses, ferries, etc in Hong Kong. The website site for the subway is mtr.com.hk; for information on the Octopus card for tourists called the <i>Airport Express Travel Pass</i>, which you will probably want to get, see http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_ex...ass_index.html.
If you don’t have one, get one or more guidebooks which can also give you good instructions for using public transport. You do not need “step by step” instructions on getting to sites, a guidebook, your hotel or asking a local is all you need; the level of English is excellent here and signage is in English as well. Look also for the turquoise blue and pink street signs pointing to major tourist sites in most every area of town. (English of bus drivers is limited, and sometimes of taxi drivers, but generally elsewhere it is excellent, major sites are well-known by taxi drivers; if a driver does not understand where you want to go, get him to call his dispatcher.) You might want to print out a map of the area near your hotel around the Jordan subway stop, you can find one by going to the mtr.com.hk website. On the main page, click on "customer site", then "station facilities" then scroll down to the bottom and click on Jordan. You can enlarge and print the map. A map of Hong Kong generally would help as well.
From my look at the MTR station map for Jordan, it appears that your hotel is basically at Door E of the Jordan subway stop. Door E may even go up into the hotel. However, all I will say is that virtually no subway exits have escalators, so you will be coming up from lower ground levels using stairs at some point. (There will be escalators for the first few upward levels, but then to get to the street, you will have one or more sets of stairs). If you have a number of bags, and with children and jet lag and not knowing where you are going PERHAPS the better way to go would be to take the Airport Express train from the airport to the Kowloon station of the Airport Express, and then a taxi to your hotel. This would take about 10 minutes and my rough guess is that the cost is about HK$40 (including the luggage charge). This will also save you having to change trains at Kowloon Station for the subway, and perhaps some longish walks underground with kids and baggage. If you have a lot of bags and 4 people you may need 2 taxis, so then you have to weigh out the cost. You could also take the free K1 shuttle bus from the Kowloon Airport Express Station which goes to the Jordan MTR station, and then walk to the hotel; from the MTR website, it appears that the bus goes to Tak Sun school, which would be a block or two from the hotel, for information, see http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_ex..._free_bus.html. Or send the hotel an email and ask where the K1 Airport Express hotel shuttle bus stops.
I think an 11 and 13 would be a be bored by a day trip to Macau. You can’t take them into the casinos, I am not sure that they would find the old town bits interesting, and then there is about an hour ferry ride each way, which are indoor high-speed ferries which won’t give them an opportunity to see outside, plus some time in lines on each end for immigration, etc. With that short a trip, I don’t think I would bother with Macau, esp with the excellent December weather when you could be out walking on country trails in Sai Kung and elsewhere including Lantau which has some great trails. You can take a boat trip to see the pink dolphins, hunt for pirate caves on Cheung Chau, walk down from the Peak, take the bus ride to Stanley, hike the Dragons Back and watch the surfers at Big Wave Bay, have their fortune told at Wong Tai Sin Temple, see the giant dam at High Island and a preserved Chinese village, have a seafood meal on the docks in Sai Kung; there is much more to do here for children than going to Macau.
I also would try to avoid going to Ocean Park on a Saturday, it will be crowded. Although it is December and “winter” so crowds will be less, it is also still a Saturday. I would go on a weekday, and perhaps use the day you had scheduled for Macau. Use Saturday to go to country parks, etc.
Saturday and Sunday December 20 and 21 will probably be an intensely crazy shopping day here, so I would avoid malls if you could do so.
Please search this board for my very long list of reccos called “Cicerone’s Reccos for What the Locals Do for Fun in Hong Kong (Hint: We DON’T Go to those Awful Night Markets....)” this should give you some ideas for what to do. For suggestions on walks and hikes on Hong Kong Island, see my postings called “Cicerone’s Favourite Hong Kong Walks: Severn Road, the Peak”., “Cicerone’s Favourite Hong Kong Walks II: Paradise Found! From Happy Valley to Stanley in High Heels! (Almost) The Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path” and Cicerone's Favourite Hong Kong Walks III: The Dragon's Back ". Finally, check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at discoverhongkong.com. For restaurants, see “Cicerone’s (Updated) Favourite Hong Kong Restaurants (Part I)”.
My only other suggestion with regard to your itin is that due to air pollution issues in winter, generally you would be better off IMO going to the Peak around dusk and staying until dark, you will get better night views than day views, as the lights can cut through the smog. On many days here you cannot see across the harbour during the day. The exception would be if you get a very clear day when you are here, that will just be the luck of the draw, but even then, if you come in the late afternoon around dusk, you will still get good day views and then night views as well. See sunrisesunset.com for timings.
If you don’t have one, get one or more guidebooks which can also give you good instructions for using public transport. You do not need “step by step” instructions on getting to sites, a guidebook, your hotel or asking a local is all you need; the level of English is excellent here and signage is in English as well. Look also for the turquoise blue and pink street signs pointing to major tourist sites in most every area of town. (English of bus drivers is limited, and sometimes of taxi drivers, but generally elsewhere it is excellent, major sites are well-known by taxi drivers; if a driver does not understand where you want to go, get him to call his dispatcher.) You might want to print out a map of the area near your hotel around the Jordan subway stop, you can find one by going to the mtr.com.hk website. On the main page, click on "customer site", then "station facilities" then scroll down to the bottom and click on Jordan. You can enlarge and print the map. A map of Hong Kong generally would help as well.
From my look at the MTR station map for Jordan, it appears that your hotel is basically at Door E of the Jordan subway stop. Door E may even go up into the hotel. However, all I will say is that virtually no subway exits have escalators, so you will be coming up from lower ground levels using stairs at some point. (There will be escalators for the first few upward levels, but then to get to the street, you will have one or more sets of stairs). If you have a number of bags, and with children and jet lag and not knowing where you are going PERHAPS the better way to go would be to take the Airport Express train from the airport to the Kowloon station of the Airport Express, and then a taxi to your hotel. This would take about 10 minutes and my rough guess is that the cost is about HK$40 (including the luggage charge). This will also save you having to change trains at Kowloon Station for the subway, and perhaps some longish walks underground with kids and baggage. If you have a lot of bags and 4 people you may need 2 taxis, so then you have to weigh out the cost. You could also take the free K1 shuttle bus from the Kowloon Airport Express Station which goes to the Jordan MTR station, and then walk to the hotel; from the MTR website, it appears that the bus goes to Tak Sun school, which would be a block or two from the hotel, for information, see http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_ex..._free_bus.html. Or send the hotel an email and ask where the K1 Airport Express hotel shuttle bus stops.
I think an 11 and 13 would be a be bored by a day trip to Macau. You can’t take them into the casinos, I am not sure that they would find the old town bits interesting, and then there is about an hour ferry ride each way, which are indoor high-speed ferries which won’t give them an opportunity to see outside, plus some time in lines on each end for immigration, etc. With that short a trip, I don’t think I would bother with Macau, esp with the excellent December weather when you could be out walking on country trails in Sai Kung and elsewhere including Lantau which has some great trails. You can take a boat trip to see the pink dolphins, hunt for pirate caves on Cheung Chau, walk down from the Peak, take the bus ride to Stanley, hike the Dragons Back and watch the surfers at Big Wave Bay, have their fortune told at Wong Tai Sin Temple, see the giant dam at High Island and a preserved Chinese village, have a seafood meal on the docks in Sai Kung; there is much more to do here for children than going to Macau.
I also would try to avoid going to Ocean Park on a Saturday, it will be crowded. Although it is December and “winter” so crowds will be less, it is also still a Saturday. I would go on a weekday, and perhaps use the day you had scheduled for Macau. Use Saturday to go to country parks, etc.
Saturday and Sunday December 20 and 21 will probably be an intensely crazy shopping day here, so I would avoid malls if you could do so.
Please search this board for my very long list of reccos called “Cicerone’s Reccos for What the Locals Do for Fun in Hong Kong (Hint: We DON’T Go to those Awful Night Markets....)” this should give you some ideas for what to do. For suggestions on walks and hikes on Hong Kong Island, see my postings called “Cicerone’s Favourite Hong Kong Walks: Severn Road, the Peak”., “Cicerone’s Favourite Hong Kong Walks II: Paradise Found! From Happy Valley to Stanley in High Heels! (Almost) The Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path” and Cicerone's Favourite Hong Kong Walks III: The Dragon's Back ". Finally, check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at discoverhongkong.com. For restaurants, see “Cicerone’s (Updated) Favourite Hong Kong Restaurants (Part I)”.
My only other suggestion with regard to your itin is that due to air pollution issues in winter, generally you would be better off IMO going to the Peak around dusk and staying until dark, you will get better night views than day views, as the lights can cut through the smog. On many days here you cannot see across the harbour during the day. The exception would be if you get a very clear day when you are here, that will just be the luck of the draw, but even then, if you come in the late afternoon around dusk, you will still get good day views and then night views as well. See sunrisesunset.com for timings.
Dec 3rd, 2008 | 07:31 PM
#3
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
MTR to your hotel is a non-starter because Jordan is on the Tsuen Wan (Red) line, which has connection from the Airport Express train from the airport. The easiest will be a taxi, which after the recent price drop, should be about HK$250. Since 4 persons on the Airport Express will cost HK$220 anyways, and still require a connection, it makes zero sense, unless your have so much luggage that won't fit into a taxi. If you want to save money, an alternative will be the A22 bus, which costs HK$39 for the three adults, and HK$19.5 for the 11-year old. [A21 has a shorter walk, but takes longer to get to the Jordan area.] You can also buy a roundtrip ticket at a manned counter at the airport for HK$55 roundtrip for A21/A22.
From your hotel, you can take one of many buses - 1, 1A, 2, 6, 7 - down to the Star Ferry. There's bus literally every minute. You can then take the Star Ferry across the harbor. Then you can walk to the lower Peak Tram station or take bus 15C. [Not number 15, which goes all the way up to the Peak.] If you want to save time and go straight to the Peak, you can take the MTR to Admiralty. Walk through the Pacific Place Mall and Hong Kong Park to get to the lower Peak Tram station.
To get to the Ocean Park, just take the MTR to Admiralty, and take the non-stop Citybus 629 to Ocean Park. I don't know which entrance will have shorter lines.
To go to Ngong Ping, take MTR to Tung Chung (with a switch at Lai King); then the NP360 Cable Car. The MTR will take about 40 minutes to Tung Chung. The cable car ride takes about 25 minutes. Note that the cable car starts at 10am on weekdays. On the way back, just take cable car back down to Tung Chung; MTR to Disneyland (with a switch at Sunny Bay). Since the park is very small, it's possible to do both Big Buddha and Disneyland on the same day, especially a weekday.
I agree with Cicerone that Macau is quite a bit of trouble for a day trip with 2 kids, and you don't have that much time in Hong Kong anyways. If you decide to go, take MTR to Sheung Wan (with a switch in Central) - there's a underground walkway to the Macau Ferry Pier.
From your hotel, you can take one of many buses - 1, 1A, 2, 6, 7 - down to the Star Ferry. There's bus literally every minute. You can then take the Star Ferry across the harbor. Then you can walk to the lower Peak Tram station or take bus 15C. [Not number 15, which goes all the way up to the Peak.] If you want to save time and go straight to the Peak, you can take the MTR to Admiralty. Walk through the Pacific Place Mall and Hong Kong Park to get to the lower Peak Tram station.
To get to the Ocean Park, just take the MTR to Admiralty, and take the non-stop Citybus 629 to Ocean Park. I don't know which entrance will have shorter lines.
To go to Ngong Ping, take MTR to Tung Chung (with a switch at Lai King); then the NP360 Cable Car. The MTR will take about 40 minutes to Tung Chung. The cable car ride takes about 25 minutes. Note that the cable car starts at 10am on weekdays. On the way back, just take cable car back down to Tung Chung; MTR to Disneyland (with a switch at Sunny Bay). Since the park is very small, it's possible to do both Big Buddha and Disneyland on the same day, especially a weekday.
I agree with Cicerone that Macau is quite a bit of trouble for a day trip with 2 kids, and you don't have that much time in Hong Kong anyways. If you decide to go, take MTR to Sheung Wan (with a switch in Central) - there's a underground walkway to the Macau Ferry Pier.
