Hi all,

Leaving for HK in June ... couple of questions for my learned friends:

(1) What is the weather like mid-june?

(2) Which Hotel is best to stay in look at a maximum $200 AUD nightly for a room. Seen brochure on Kowloon Hotel and Holiday Inn what are your views on these hotels? which would b ethe preferred?

(3)What is the best way to get into kowloon from airport?

(4) Where can I buy fake dvds etc

(5) What times are the ladies market and temple street night market open?

(6) What are your opinions on an Alone -Asian first-timer travelling across the border 2 shenzhen?

1. Warm and humid.

2. The Kowloon Hotel has small rooms. I'd take the Holiday Inn. It's pretty well kept.

3. Depends on your budget. If you're in a hurry, take a taxi (~HK$300) or the Airport Express (HK$90) and then a taxi (~HK$30-40). If you have time to kill, Cityflyer bus A21 ($33). It has a stop half a block from the Holiday Inn Golden Mile.

4. I don't buy them, so no idea.

5. Ladies' market - about 12pm to 1pm. Some stalls open later. Temple street market, I think about 4-5pm. But it's best to visit Temple St market later in the evening where there are people singing Chinese opera, telling your fortune, etc.

6. What are you trying to do in Shenzhen?

Yes hot and sticky in June. Kowloon Hotel is near the Star Ferry but I have heard the rooms are very small. I've stayed at Holiday Inn a couple of times and found it surprisingly good and it is very conveniently located. Ladies market open during the day and I think at night but I agree that if you go to Temple Street ( and you should ) go at night.

Shenzhen is a good place to pick up knock-off watches and DVDs and generally inexpensive stuff. It's completely safe to travel there, and a short train ride (about 30 mins IIRC) from Kowloon.

You do need a visa to go from HK to Shenzhen. Assuming that you're holding an Oz passport, I don't know whether or not you can get a visa at the border, or how much the visa costs.

1) I'd prefer to call it hot and humid, but depends - what part of Aus you from?

2) is this question meant to be only a choice of these two hotels? This might sound crazy but the softest bed I have ever slept in in all of HK and china belong in the RAMADA and in the CARITAS BIANCHI LODGE. just a thought (given that I ahven;t slept in all the hotels in china)

3) i'd choose the airport express. oh and you should be able to get a pickup back to the airport from the hotel

4) in and around the night market, but wait till you get to shenzhen or don't buy them at all(???) be aware that the quality can be really crap

5) rkkwan: which market shuts at 6pmish? is that the jade market?

6) get your travel agent to organise the visa. its simple and reliable. train will cost you about AU$6

Hi in answer to some of the posts ... I reside in Sydney ... the reason for my choice of the kowloon or the holiday inn was because in sum searches it was stated that these were most central to the Golden Mile in my price bracket if im mistaken feel free to correct me ... my mane reason for day-trip to shenzhen is basically for dvds and watches bags etc, can the same stuff that is found in shenzhen be found in HK? and i could potentially be saved the troubles. Otherwise any shopping tours to the region? -- as i speak no mandarin and first time in ASIA little hestitant ill be thrown in deep-end

bhuty - In my earlier post, I was stating the <b>opening times</b> of the markets. One will see most stalls open till at least 10-11pm in the Ladies' Market and Temple Street Market.