Hong Kong in 24 hours...ideas?
May 25th, 2011, 04:03 AM
#1
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Hong Kong in 24 hours...ideas?
My partner and I are traveling to Europe from New Zealand with a one night stopover in Hong Kong. We arrive 6:45am and leave again 8:30am the following morning. If anyone has some suggestions on where we can stay that will be easy as a base for the day (we aren't planning on jamming our day full) that has quick options for getting to the airport in the morning.
I was thinking of staying somewhere in Central that is next door or across the street to MTR/Airport Express station or has its own airport shuttle. That way we can go to and from hotel during the day and not have to worry or do too much planning in the morning to get to the airport.
In terms of budget we are looking at anywhere around early USD$100s. Clean and efficient but not too fussed about size etc.
Also does anyone know about early check-in? We are flying AirNZ. Does early check-in require leaving your bags at the airport for processing?
That ended up being more questions than intended. If anyone can help that would be grand. Google-ing this stuff can be a bit overwhelming.
Thank you!
I was thinking of staying somewhere in Central that is next door or across the street to MTR/Airport Express station or has its own airport shuttle. That way we can go to and from hotel during the day and not have to worry or do too much planning in the morning to get to the airport.
In terms of budget we are looking at anywhere around early USD$100s. Clean and efficient but not too fussed about size etc.
Also does anyone know about early check-in? We are flying AirNZ. Does early check-in require leaving your bags at the airport for processing?
That ended up being more questions than intended. If anyone can help that would be grand. Google-ing this stuff can be a bit overwhelming.
Thank you!
May 25th, 2011, 06:47 AM
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I'd go into the city, as you have a full day in Hong Kong. The limiting factor for you is your hotel budget. Hong Kong is an expensive place to stay. On the Kowloon side, look at the Salisbury, on the Hong Kong side, look at Bishop Lei. I don't know of any hotels that have their own airport shuttle (there is probably one or two by the airport, but none in the city).
May 28th, 2011, 04:35 PM
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I would not worry about staying at a hotel near HK station or with an airport shuttle. It is relatively inexpensive and easy to just hail a taxi to take you to the airport, maybe 350HKD at the most from central with no traffic. I think the airport express is about 100 each, so the difference is pretty minimal.
May 29th, 2011, 08:43 PM
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Can you tell us the date of the trip, that might affect reccos for things to do or places to stay. There are only 3 hotel options at the airport, and I don’t think you will find any of them to be in the US$100 range, but look at the Novotel, the Regal and the Marriott Skycity. The airport is only 30 minutes from the city (regardless of whether you use a taxi or the Airport Express train), so it is not really a big time saver to stay out at the airport anyway.
To be honest, US$100 is going to be tough in most any part of Hong Kong. My first hotel recco for budget and location would be the <b>Wesley</b> in Wan Chai. This hotel is about 300 yards from the Pacific Place complex of the JW Marriott/Conrad and Shangri-La which of course charge hundreds more for their rooms. This is in a great neighborhood of excellent restaurants, both cheap and dear, and near some of my favorite (and fast disappearing) market areas for strolling and people-watching. The Admiralty/Pacific Place MTR stop would be very close, and the hotel fronts the tram line and several major bus lines. It’s also quite walkable to things like the Peak Tram station. Make sure you get as large a room as you can.
22 Hennessy Road
Wan Chai
Tel (00852) 28666688
Fax 28666633
[email protected]
www.hanglung.com and https://v3.reservation-system.net/BE...lcd=HT06003841
Otherwise, I agree on the <b>Bishop Lei</b>, note that US$100 is the rate for their standard room (and this rate is not always available), which is very, very small. For one night you can probably take it. The hotel is not near any subway (as it is up the hill in Midlevels), but has good bus access and you can walk up to it or down from it via the pedestrian escalator (not a short trip but interesting), and places like the restaurants of Hollywood Road and SOHO are easily accessible via the escalator as well. The hotel has a shuttle bus which goes to various parts of town. A taxi ride down to Central would be in the HK$20-30 range at most.
If you can get a room at the <b>Salisbury YMCA</b>, that would be a very good choice too. They are often fully booked, so check ASAP. Hard to beat the location (even if it is in Kowloon) for access to Hong Kong Island. It is a quick 5 minute hop in a taxi to the Airport Express station, should not be more than HK$25 at most. (Taking the MTR to and from the Airport Express Kowloon and the tip of Kowloon is actually not a good idea as you have to change lines 2 and it will take close to half and hour door to door.) Some hotels participate in a free shuttle bus which goes from or near your hotel to the Kowloon or Hong Kong Airport Express stations; this may be workable although in all cases a taxi is going to be faster. See http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/a...airportex.html
for all the transport options to/from the airport.
Although I have not seen it, several posters here have stayed at the <b>Hop Inn</b> on the tip of Kowloon, basically behind the Peninsula hotel. Rooms really really really small but at like US$60 it seems to be a good value for the locations. See http://www.hostels.com/hostels/hong-kong/hop-inn/39944.
You could try one of the <b>Mingle Group</b>, hotels, these are small budget hotels in excellent locations. I have not seen the rooms, some are very much on the small side from what the website seems to show. No size is given on the website, so do call or e-mail to ask. See http://www.mingleplace.com/hotels/wing/contactus.html. Note that these hotels have a reputation of being “love hotels” for quick stays, if you get my drift, but I don’t think they have a reputation for being unsafe or anything.
As you seem to be aware, when you land in Hong Kong from NZ, the first thing you should do is try to check in for your onward flight the next day. This will save you a good bit of time in the morning. (It may of course be possible to check in while still in NZ for the Hong Kong-Europe portion. Many airlines allow check in up to 72 hours before a flight.) You are not required to check in your lugage, but this will save time if you can check in big pieces and just go into town with a small carry-on. You can also keep luggage in the Left Luggage counter in Terminal 1 or the storage lockers in Terminal 2. (go to http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/a...gage.html#left f).
If you can’t check in when you land, then do it on-line a few hours later from your hotel or a place with internet access like Pacific Place Coffee. With an 8:30 am departure, if you are checked-in already, IMO you need to be at the airport around 7:30 am, perhaps a bit earlier if you have to collect luggage from storage.
To be honest, US$100 is going to be tough in most any part of Hong Kong. My first hotel recco for budget and location would be the <b>Wesley</b> in Wan Chai. This hotel is about 300 yards from the Pacific Place complex of the JW Marriott/Conrad and Shangri-La which of course charge hundreds more for their rooms. This is in a great neighborhood of excellent restaurants, both cheap and dear, and near some of my favorite (and fast disappearing) market areas for strolling and people-watching. The Admiralty/Pacific Place MTR stop would be very close, and the hotel fronts the tram line and several major bus lines. It’s also quite walkable to things like the Peak Tram station. Make sure you get as large a room as you can.
22 Hennessy Road
Wan Chai
Tel (00852) 28666688
Fax 28666633
[email protected]
www.hanglung.com and https://v3.reservation-system.net/BE...lcd=HT06003841
Otherwise, I agree on the <b>Bishop Lei</b>, note that US$100 is the rate for their standard room (and this rate is not always available), which is very, very small. For one night you can probably take it. The hotel is not near any subway (as it is up the hill in Midlevels), but has good bus access and you can walk up to it or down from it via the pedestrian escalator (not a short trip but interesting), and places like the restaurants of Hollywood Road and SOHO are easily accessible via the escalator as well. The hotel has a shuttle bus which goes to various parts of town. A taxi ride down to Central would be in the HK$20-30 range at most.
If you can get a room at the <b>Salisbury YMCA</b>, that would be a very good choice too. They are often fully booked, so check ASAP. Hard to beat the location (even if it is in Kowloon) for access to Hong Kong Island. It is a quick 5 minute hop in a taxi to the Airport Express station, should not be more than HK$25 at most. (Taking the MTR to and from the Airport Express Kowloon and the tip of Kowloon is actually not a good idea as you have to change lines 2 and it will take close to half and hour door to door.) Some hotels participate in a free shuttle bus which goes from or near your hotel to the Kowloon or Hong Kong Airport Express stations; this may be workable although in all cases a taxi is going to be faster. See http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/a...airportex.html
for all the transport options to/from the airport.
Although I have not seen it, several posters here have stayed at the <b>Hop Inn</b> on the tip of Kowloon, basically behind the Peninsula hotel. Rooms really really really small but at like US$60 it seems to be a good value for the locations. See http://www.hostels.com/hostels/hong-kong/hop-inn/39944.
You could try one of the <b>Mingle Group</b>, hotels, these are small budget hotels in excellent locations. I have not seen the rooms, some are very much on the small side from what the website seems to show. No size is given on the website, so do call or e-mail to ask. See http://www.mingleplace.com/hotels/wing/contactus.html. Note that these hotels have a reputation of being “love hotels” for quick stays, if you get my drift, but I don’t think they have a reputation for being unsafe or anything.
As you seem to be aware, when you land in Hong Kong from NZ, the first thing you should do is try to check in for your onward flight the next day. This will save you a good bit of time in the morning. (It may of course be possible to check in while still in NZ for the Hong Kong-Europe portion. Many airlines allow check in up to 72 hours before a flight.) You are not required to check in your lugage, but this will save time if you can check in big pieces and just go into town with a small carry-on. You can also keep luggage in the Left Luggage counter in Terminal 1 or the storage lockers in Terminal 2. (go to http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/a...gage.html#left f).
If you can’t check in when you land, then do it on-line a few hours later from your hotel or a place with internet access like Pacific Place Coffee. With an 8:30 am departure, if you are checked-in already, IMO you need to be at the airport around 7:30 am, perhaps a bit earlier if you have to collect luggage from storage.
May 29th, 2011, 10:24 PM
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Wow thank you everyone! This is all very helpful. I knew I would be pushing my luck with USD$100 but the NZD isn't the greatest so we are trying to keep the budget as tight as possible (we are spending a month in Europe). It looks like there are some great places for this amount though so thank you!
Cicerone you are amazing! I have already followed some of your advice from other posts.
One other query is how do we go about check-ins at 14:00 when we arrive so early in the morning? Will these hotels be okay with holding our luggage until we can check-in that afternoon? Also does Hong Kong airport have showers we can use? It is a long flight from NZ so some freshening up may be needed before 14:00...
Cicerone you are amazing! I have already followed some of your advice from other posts.
One other query is how do we go about check-ins at 14:00 when we arrive so early in the morning? Will these hotels be okay with holding our luggage until we can check-in that afternoon? Also does Hong Kong airport have showers we can use? It is a long flight from NZ so some freshening up may be needed before 14:00...
May 29th, 2011, 10:41 PM
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1. There are showers in various places at the airport, all run by Plaza Premium, see http://www.plaza-asia.com/index.php/locations/hongkong. The one in the Arrival Hall is probably your best option in terms of ease of location. It will be after Immigration and Baggage Claim, you will come out into the main arrival hall, then look for signs for Terminal 2, as the lounge is in the underground walkway between Terminal 1 and 2 and beneath the Airport Express trains. (All flights arrive into Terminal 1, Terminal 2 is for depatures only.)
2. Hotels will hold your luggage until check-in. The other way to do this, it to pay for the room the night before your arrival, that way you can get into the room as soon as you arrive. Probably not something you want to pay for, but after a long overnight flight can be worth the money, IMO.
2. Hotels will hold your luggage until check-in. The other way to do this, it to pay for the room the night before your arrival, that way you can get into the room as soon as you arrive. Probably not something you want to pay for, but after a long overnight flight can be worth the money, IMO.
