Based on advice read on forum I plan to catch the airport express to Kowloon station and then the free bus to Salisbury (YMCA) - a couple of questions: I will not be travelling light and will likely have a heaby suitcase with wheels - fine for the straight but makes stairs difficult. Will I encounter a lot of stairs on the chosen route or is it possible to leave large bag at airport?

Does it make sense for me to stay at the Y rather than somewhere close to the airport?

Please don't suggest i just travel light it is not an option - I will have a pile of business stuff with me

No, you won't see many stairs. At the airport You walk straight onto the Airport Express trains. In the Kowloon station, there are escalators to bring you to the shuttle bus. The only heavy lifting would be getting your suitcase onto the bus and down.

An alternate route is to take the A21 Cityflyer bus directly from the airport to Tsim Sha Tsui. It has a stop near the Sheraton, so you have to walk about 2 blocks (and cross the busy Nathan Road) to get to the YMCA. At HK$33, it is cheaper than then Airport Express.

If you don't want to mess with lifting at all, consider using a hotel shuttle. The cost is about the same as the AE (~HK$90-100), and it's door-to-door. The downside is that you may have to wait a bit for the shuttle, and they may make a few stops before the YMCA.

rkkwan
At 100HK$ the shuttle sounds just the thing for this wombat. So you have an idea how long a wait might be. I did find mention of the shuttle on a few websites but could not see any indication of frequency of operation

The last time I check, there are two companies that run the hotel shuttles. I believe one leaves at :00, and the other at :30, so you should go ask what time they leave and decide which one to take. You may have to wait up to 30 minutes, depending on what time you get out of customs. Cost should be similar from both companies. They have counters at the ground-transportation center in the arrival hall at HKG.

I havent been to Hong Kong for six years and havent experienced the new airport. Presumably to get to the Conrad on Hong Kong Island the best way nowadays would be the express train to Central to connect to the metro to Admiralty ??? Presumably the hotel car or taxi service would take a lot longer. thank you for any advice you may have.

Steve - If you want to take the AE to the Conrad, there's a free shuttle at the Hong Kong station. Or take a taxi from the AE station. Do not take the MTR. First, it's a close to a 10-minute walk between the AE Hong Kong station and the MTR Central station with luggage. Second, you come out of Admiralty, and you'll have to get on crowded escalators, walk through the Pacific Place mall, before getting to the Conrad.

So, either take AE and connect to the free shuttle or taxi; or get a hotel shuttle.

Thanks rkkwan. You have reminded me of the walk to and then through Pacific Place - I remember now. I will follow your advice. Thanks a lot.

Wombat, I think the hotel shuttle is your best bet. The free shuttle bus from the airport express does not stop at the Salisbury YMCA, but drops you off at the Kowloon behind the Peninsula, so you have a couple of blocks to walk. Another reason is that we found the Salisbury YMCA hard to find; it doesn't have much of a sign, and we actually passed it twice on foot before realizing where it was. Still, I think it is the best housing buy in Hong Kong for the price.

The Salisbury YMCA is not that hard to find. It sits immediately to the West of the Peninsula, facing the harbor. The Kowloon Hotel sits immediately to the North of the Peninsula.

Thanks for the advice - I think I will take the hotel shuttle - the door-to-door sounds good - I will have come off an overnight flight and will be muttering about the weight of my suitcase. I usually try and travel light or at least with someone else so they can help schlep - but this time I am coming off a business trip and will have far too many papers with me - paperless age my foot!!!