Hong Kong Feb 5, 2011 -Chinese New Year Feb3. Problem with Hotels
May 24th, 2010, 05:38 AM
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 452
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am finally secured regarding dates of trip: learrive in HongKong 2PMon a Wednesday Feb 9th. Depart on Vietnam Airways on Feb11 at 2:55PM. Stay courtesy of points. JW Marriott. Possibly advise in total time to allot for traveling back to airport that Friday midday. Plan to possibly leave luggage at airport in storage, bring little with us into HongKong. Possibly would like advise in how to construct touring for those 48 hours to maximize sites. Wife loves eating fish. Considering going to Limma Island? How to pack in watching the light show with all else, when to go to the peak, when to wander around the areas of Central, where exactly are those stalls of shops a few blocks from the JWMarriott. Have a lot of time to construct plan. Then, hook up with my collegues on their vietnam-cambodia tour four about 7-8 days. Will have some questins about that later. Also later, unfortunately have a tight connection inSan Francisco (cant exactly change without incurring more expense): leave Saigon at 7:05PM on Saturday Feb19th-leave HKG 1AM with Cathay to SFO-arrive 8:55PM-must then take AmericanAirlines 11PMflight to JFK. On Freq flier points but I had to buy plenty of points for the various children helping us plus breaking up each leg of trip. thank you. Jack
May 24th, 2010, 08:17 PM
#22
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To answer your specific questions:
1. You only need to be at the airport about 1.5 hours before your flight. Generally if you leave for the airport 2 hours before your flight, you should be fine, you could leave 2.5 hours if you wanted, esp if you want to collect luggage at the airport. By taxi or private car, the trip takes less than 30 minutes. By train, the trip takes about the same, but you have to add on 10-15 minutes to get to the train station, get a ticket, perhaps wait for a train, etc. You may be able to check-in on line the day before your flight, this often is not allowed for US bound flights, but check with your airline. If so, you have a little more leeway on time as you won’t be waiting in check in lines at the airport. If you take the Airport Express train, you can check in at the airport, including checking luggage (which may not help you if you have luggage AT the airport.). But generally, plan on leaving 2-2.5 hours before your flight.
2. You can leave luggage at the airport, go to http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/a...gage.html#left for info. The Left Luggage area is in the "Meeters and Greeters Hall" , which is in the main arrivals area, the Left Luggage area is on the far right of the hall as you exit the baggage claim/Customs areas.
3. For things to do, click on "Destinations" above, and then scroll down to Hong Kong. A helpful description and basic itinerary suggestions will come up. The Fodors guide book to Hong Kong is excellent. Frommers.com also has a website with similar info and their guidebook is pretty good. You can get the 6-page fold-out paper Luxe Guide, see http://www.luxecityguides.com/; however there is very little sightseeing advice in it, it is mostly shopping and restaurants. Also check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/ for other ideas, as well as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department website at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/home.php to see all events and museums offered by the government.
Finally, please search this board for my list of personal 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, including a list of walks and some sources for more walks. For a quick photo of one walk, click on my name above and see my profile. For a description of some of other favourite walks on Hong Kong Island, see my posts called “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” and “Cicerone's Favourite Hong Kong Walks: Severn Road, The Peak “. You can find all of these posts by clicking on these links:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...eels-alm-1.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...agons-back.cfm and at http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...d-the-peak.cfm. Other than that, I would need to know what your interests are. Some people think that Chinese Opera is a “must see”. Some people think that Bruce Lee movies would be. Some people think eating in a local Michelin-ranked restaurant would be. It’s really a matter of what interests you.
I would note that Wednesday February 9 is a night on which there should be horse-racing at Happy Valley, and as this would be the first race meeting of the new year, would be considered a very lucky time to go bet on the ponies. You might consider doing that on the Wednesday evening. It’s really the quintessential Hong Kong activity.
4. With regard to eating fish, as lovely as Lamma Island is, it is not necessary to go there to eat fish, as you will be eating the SAME fish as if you had stayed in Hong Kong. Virtually none of Hong Kong’s fish is local (and when you see the industrial effluent poring into the harbour from the Pearl River you will understand why), so you won’t be getting the “fresh off the boat” fish by going to Lamma. However, it’s a pleasant ferry trip, and you can take the nice Lamma Family Walk (or more challenging walks). The little seafood restaurants line the water in both Yung Shue Wah and Sok Kwu Wan and are pleasant. I think the seafood is overpriced on Lamma, and there are as good and in many cases better places for seafood in Hong Kong, but no harm in going. However, you have a very short time in Hong Kong, and taking 4-5 hours out of it to go to Lamma to eat fish may not be the best use of it. By the way, the Marriott has an excellent seafood restaurant, called the Fish Bar, which has pleasant outdoor seating and would be worth a stop for lunch or dinner. You could also go someplace with a view for dinner and see the lightshow and have fish for dinner into the bargain. Otherwise, most any Cantonese restaurant would work, as the Cantonese love seafood, and nobody steams a fish like they do, IMO.
5. Once you figure out what you want to see and do, you can work out the itin as to particulars of time for each event. IMO the Peak is best at sunset and dusk so you can see the city/harbour in both daylight and night light in one trip, but see what works best with your schedule.
6. For the markets near the JW Marriott, you want to go to the Wan Chai market area. This is about a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel. The markets are esp lively at lunch and in the early evening, but most any time is good; the only time they would be very quiet are first thing in the morning before about 10:00 am, some stalls won’t even be open. They close around 6:30 pm.
To reach the markets, from the hotel lobby, go out the front door, turn left, walk out the driveway past the Upper House Hotel to the end of the street and turn left again. Walk down hill for about 10 yards until the street intersects with very busy Queensway, turn right and cross the small street, going under the underpass. Cross another the small street here. You are in Wan Chai now on Queens Road East. The main markets are 8 blocks down on the left, but there are a few things along the way:
#1 This tall glass office building on the right will be the first building you pass once you enter Wan Chai, This is Pacific Place 3. The building is between Star Street and Wing Fung Streets, either of which will take you up to Star Street which has a number of restaurants on it and the little streets leading off of it. (You can also walk underground from the Marriott to Pacific Place 3, but above ground is more interesting and usually faster.)
#51 is the excellent Sift bakery should you want/need a cupcake
#66 at about this number, on the left hand side of the street, is Greeson Street, which is a pedestrian-only market street worth a short stroll. Vegetable, fruit and plants are on sale here. (You can walk out to the end, to Johnston Road, the street with the trams on it. Turn right and then just stroll along here until you come to Spring Garden Lane on the right, where the Wan Chai markets begin, at about #106 Johnston Road, turn right into Spring Garden and see below for a description of the markets.) Otherwise when you have seen enough of Greeson, turn around and go back to Queen’s Road East.
#106 is the equally good and more traditional Happy Cake Shop if you want to try a Pineapple Bun; they are not what you think but are excellent nonetheless. Or try an egg tart, which is a custard in a pastry shell.)
#128 is King Tak Hong Porcelain Co Ltd, what I used to call a “dime store” when I was growing up, just full of household stuff, including woks at US$5-15 (depending on size) and the accouterments like traditional bamboo whisk wok cleaners for US$1.25
#127 is a small temple which is worth a stop
Then walk a few more blocks until you come to a tall white round skyscraper on your right set back a bit from the street. This is the Hopewell Centre and is #183 Queens Road East. With the Hopewell Centre at your back, cross the street, turn right and walk a block or so looking for Spring Garden Lane on your left. Turn left down Spring Garden. This will take you into the heart of the market, when it intersects with Cross Street. (On the right just at the intersection is a shop selling incense, paper “hell money” and other offerings for the dead). Go right into Cross Street, which is pedestrian-only. The market is roughly in the shape of a capital letter “H” with a another dog-leg bump on the left side. The cross bar of the H is called Cross Street. There are 3 or 4 streets branching off here which are all worth a wander to see the butchers and live fish, etc. Wander around as long as you have time or inclination for.
A stop at the Pak Tai Temple on Stone Nullah Lane would also be interesting. A map of the area will help, IMO, a good one is the map of the area surrounding the Wan Chai MTR station, you can find this on-line at http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/facilities/lm.html, scroll down to “Island Line” then click on “Wan Chai” and a map of the streets surrounding the Wan Chai market will come up. It is quite detailed and shows all the MTR exits from the Wan Chai station, the market areas, major buildings etc. You can enlarge it and print it out. You can find similar maps for areas around all the MTR stations.
You can then either walk back to the hotel, go down to Johnston Road and take the tram back, take the MTR from Johnston Road to elsewhere, or take a taxi. You can also get to Stanley by going to the Hopewell Centre and taking the #6 bus at the stop on the <u>opposite</u> side of the street from the Hopewell Centre. (i.e., as you face the Hopewell Centre, buses going in the direction to the left/east). You can get to the Peak by going to the Hopewell Centre and taking the #15 bus from the stop on the opposite side of the Hopewell Centre. (Not quite as thrilling as the Peak Tram, but some good views indeed.) You can also take a bus to the hotel by going to the Hopewell Centre and taking virtually any bus at the stop on the same side of the street as the Hopewell Centre. Most every bus will all stop at Pacific Place Mall/Admiralty MTR, but read the signs.
7. Well, that will be interesting, with a 2-hour connection time in SFO and you have to go through Immigration, baggage claim and Customs in SFO. If this were a transfer at any Asian airport, I would not worry, but at a US airport, that time does seem quite tight. I used to use SFO all the time before they started non-stops from Hong Kong to JFK and EWR, and generally 2 hours was enough, but I have to say that my last connection through SFO was before 9/11 so I can’t speak to speed these days. The good news is that generally I find international flights to be 15-20 minutes early on arrivals, as they make up time when flying. So you may have a bit more like 2.5 hours. But I would have a contingency plan just in case things go pear-shaped and you don’t make the connection.
1. You only need to be at the airport about 1.5 hours before your flight. Generally if you leave for the airport 2 hours before your flight, you should be fine, you could leave 2.5 hours if you wanted, esp if you want to collect luggage at the airport. By taxi or private car, the trip takes less than 30 minutes. By train, the trip takes about the same, but you have to add on 10-15 minutes to get to the train station, get a ticket, perhaps wait for a train, etc. You may be able to check-in on line the day before your flight, this often is not allowed for US bound flights, but check with your airline. If so, you have a little more leeway on time as you won’t be waiting in check in lines at the airport. If you take the Airport Express train, you can check in at the airport, including checking luggage (which may not help you if you have luggage AT the airport.). But generally, plan on leaving 2-2.5 hours before your flight.
2. You can leave luggage at the airport, go to http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/a...gage.html#left for info. The Left Luggage area is in the "Meeters and Greeters Hall" , which is in the main arrivals area, the Left Luggage area is on the far right of the hall as you exit the baggage claim/Customs areas.
3. For things to do, click on "Destinations" above, and then scroll down to Hong Kong. A helpful description and basic itinerary suggestions will come up. The Fodors guide book to Hong Kong is excellent. Frommers.com also has a website with similar info and their guidebook is pretty good. You can get the 6-page fold-out paper Luxe Guide, see http://www.luxecityguides.com/; however there is very little sightseeing advice in it, it is mostly shopping and restaurants. Also check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/ for other ideas, as well as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department website at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/home.php to see all events and museums offered by the government.
Finally, please search this board for my list of personal 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, including a list of walks and some sources for more walks. For a quick photo of one walk, click on my name above and see my profile. For a description of some of other favourite walks on Hong Kong Island, see my posts called “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” and “Cicerone's Favourite Hong Kong Walks: Severn Road, The Peak “. You can find all of these posts by clicking on these links:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...eels-alm-1.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...agons-back.cfm and at http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...d-the-peak.cfm. Other than that, I would need to know what your interests are. Some people think that Chinese Opera is a “must see”. Some people think that Bruce Lee movies would be. Some people think eating in a local Michelin-ranked restaurant would be. It’s really a matter of what interests you.
I would note that Wednesday February 9 is a night on which there should be horse-racing at Happy Valley, and as this would be the first race meeting of the new year, would be considered a very lucky time to go bet on the ponies. You might consider doing that on the Wednesday evening. It’s really the quintessential Hong Kong activity.
4. With regard to eating fish, as lovely as Lamma Island is, it is not necessary to go there to eat fish, as you will be eating the SAME fish as if you had stayed in Hong Kong. Virtually none of Hong Kong’s fish is local (and when you see the industrial effluent poring into the harbour from the Pearl River you will understand why), so you won’t be getting the “fresh off the boat” fish by going to Lamma. However, it’s a pleasant ferry trip, and you can take the nice Lamma Family Walk (or more challenging walks). The little seafood restaurants line the water in both Yung Shue Wah and Sok Kwu Wan and are pleasant. I think the seafood is overpriced on Lamma, and there are as good and in many cases better places for seafood in Hong Kong, but no harm in going. However, you have a very short time in Hong Kong, and taking 4-5 hours out of it to go to Lamma to eat fish may not be the best use of it. By the way, the Marriott has an excellent seafood restaurant, called the Fish Bar, which has pleasant outdoor seating and would be worth a stop for lunch or dinner. You could also go someplace with a view for dinner and see the lightshow and have fish for dinner into the bargain. Otherwise, most any Cantonese restaurant would work, as the Cantonese love seafood, and nobody steams a fish like they do, IMO.
5. Once you figure out what you want to see and do, you can work out the itin as to particulars of time for each event. IMO the Peak is best at sunset and dusk so you can see the city/harbour in both daylight and night light in one trip, but see what works best with your schedule.
6. For the markets near the JW Marriott, you want to go to the Wan Chai market area. This is about a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel. The markets are esp lively at lunch and in the early evening, but most any time is good; the only time they would be very quiet are first thing in the morning before about 10:00 am, some stalls won’t even be open. They close around 6:30 pm.
To reach the markets, from the hotel lobby, go out the front door, turn left, walk out the driveway past the Upper House Hotel to the end of the street and turn left again. Walk down hill for about 10 yards until the street intersects with very busy Queensway, turn right and cross the small street, going under the underpass. Cross another the small street here. You are in Wan Chai now on Queens Road East. The main markets are 8 blocks down on the left, but there are a few things along the way:
#1 This tall glass office building on the right will be the first building you pass once you enter Wan Chai, This is Pacific Place 3. The building is between Star Street and Wing Fung Streets, either of which will take you up to Star Street which has a number of restaurants on it and the little streets leading off of it. (You can also walk underground from the Marriott to Pacific Place 3, but above ground is more interesting and usually faster.)
#51 is the excellent Sift bakery should you want/need a cupcake
#66 at about this number, on the left hand side of the street, is Greeson Street, which is a pedestrian-only market street worth a short stroll. Vegetable, fruit and plants are on sale here. (You can walk out to the end, to Johnston Road, the street with the trams on it. Turn right and then just stroll along here until you come to Spring Garden Lane on the right, where the Wan Chai markets begin, at about #106 Johnston Road, turn right into Spring Garden and see below for a description of the markets.) Otherwise when you have seen enough of Greeson, turn around and go back to Queen’s Road East.
#106 is the equally good and more traditional Happy Cake Shop if you want to try a Pineapple Bun; they are not what you think but are excellent nonetheless. Or try an egg tart, which is a custard in a pastry shell.)
#128 is King Tak Hong Porcelain Co Ltd, what I used to call a “dime store” when I was growing up, just full of household stuff, including woks at US$5-15 (depending on size) and the accouterments like traditional bamboo whisk wok cleaners for US$1.25
#127 is a small temple which is worth a stop
Then walk a few more blocks until you come to a tall white round skyscraper on your right set back a bit from the street. This is the Hopewell Centre and is #183 Queens Road East. With the Hopewell Centre at your back, cross the street, turn right and walk a block or so looking for Spring Garden Lane on your left. Turn left down Spring Garden. This will take you into the heart of the market, when it intersects with Cross Street. (On the right just at the intersection is a shop selling incense, paper “hell money” and other offerings for the dead). Go right into Cross Street, which is pedestrian-only. The market is roughly in the shape of a capital letter “H” with a another dog-leg bump on the left side. The cross bar of the H is called Cross Street. There are 3 or 4 streets branching off here which are all worth a wander to see the butchers and live fish, etc. Wander around as long as you have time or inclination for.
A stop at the Pak Tai Temple on Stone Nullah Lane would also be interesting. A map of the area will help, IMO, a good one is the map of the area surrounding the Wan Chai MTR station, you can find this on-line at http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/facilities/lm.html, scroll down to “Island Line” then click on “Wan Chai” and a map of the streets surrounding the Wan Chai market will come up. It is quite detailed and shows all the MTR exits from the Wan Chai station, the market areas, major buildings etc. You can enlarge it and print it out. You can find similar maps for areas around all the MTR stations.
You can then either walk back to the hotel, go down to Johnston Road and take the tram back, take the MTR from Johnston Road to elsewhere, or take a taxi. You can also get to Stanley by going to the Hopewell Centre and taking the #6 bus at the stop on the <u>opposite</u> side of the street from the Hopewell Centre. (i.e., as you face the Hopewell Centre, buses going in the direction to the left/east). You can get to the Peak by going to the Hopewell Centre and taking the #15 bus from the stop on the opposite side of the Hopewell Centre. (Not quite as thrilling as the Peak Tram, but some good views indeed.) You can also take a bus to the hotel by going to the Hopewell Centre and taking virtually any bus at the stop on the same side of the street as the Hopewell Centre. Most every bus will all stop at Pacific Place Mall/Admiralty MTR, but read the signs.
7. Well, that will be interesting, with a 2-hour connection time in SFO and you have to go through Immigration, baggage claim and Customs in SFO. If this were a transfer at any Asian airport, I would not worry, but at a US airport, that time does seem quite tight. I used to use SFO all the time before they started non-stops from Hong Kong to JFK and EWR, and generally 2 hours was enough, but I have to say that my last connection through SFO was before 9/11 so I can’t speak to speed these days. The good news is that generally I find international flights to be 15-20 minutes early on arrivals, as they make up time when flying. So you may have a bit more like 2.5 hours. But I would have a contingency plan just in case things go pear-shaped and you don’t make the connection.
Jun 4th, 2010, 01:44 PM
#26
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The only hotel I would stay at in Hong Kong is the Hotel Intercontinental. Why? People the world over go there to see Victoria Harbor, and it is astonishing especially when the light show gets going on HK island everynight. The Intercontinental is on the Kowloon side, a short and delightful stroll from the Star Ferry where you can shop your brains out, course that isn't hard to do on the Kowloon side with Nathan road being right there. Why you would want to shop in China is a mystery to me...when you could take ferrys to small and cool islands within an hour, wander amazing temples (check out the Western...best architecture and paint, worth the cab, not too extreme) or sightsee any of the other great things to see there....besides stores, course if you live in a rural area with no shopping maybe that is the lure. The Hotel Intercontinental will be a bit above your 300 budget but a few hotels really are worth it. A harbor view room will not be soon forgotten, this hotel is their flagship property right on the harbor, heck just lounging in the pool and infinity edged whirlpool overlooking the harbor is just soooo cool. The tai chi teacher is an old old man who teaches a freebie to non tai chi people and he is an experience to witness for sure. The spa is extremely nice as is the lobby lounge with floor to ceiling windows and that amazing view that makes HK famous. I've spent alot of time in HK, really, conclude that is the best place at least to me.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Mary
Asia
6
Jul 28th, 2003 09:00 AM
