Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - hong kong/prices/pubs etc

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hong kong/prices/pubs etc

hi. im going to hk in august for 5 days. have heard that the prices for going out is not that cheap, any info about food,beer prices?, not highclass places!!! is 5 days ok,or do i need more time to see the city?? thanks for all the help.

I think Hong Kong is now officially the most expensive city in the world. Our first drink was at our hotels bar during "happy hour". It was twice the price of home!! However, we did not spend as much as we'd thought we would. For a start, eat breakfast and lunch at one of the malls-prices are quite reasonable there. Another reason we did not spend as much as planned is that it is so easy to find your way around , you don't need to book any guided tours. The MTR (underground rail system) is very cheap and very fast. 5 days is fine- we had 4 complete days and that was not quite enough. We packed far too much into the time available. We were there in July and the humidity is very tiring.

thanks for the info. seems that 5 days is enough. looking forward to the trip

I lived in Hong Kong for 5 years and will agree that it is expensive (although I now live in Zurich and Hong Kong is a bargain in comparison.) First rule: don't eat or drink in hotels. Second rule: use the city's great, cheap and plentiful public transportation. The best bargains are (i) the Star Ferry across the harbor (about 30 cents for first class), (ii) the trams on Hong Kong Island (30 cents regardless of length of trip), and (iii) the double decker bus over the mountains to Stanley (about $1.10). The subway is fairly cheap and easy to use as well. For restaurants, trying clicking above on "Restaurants" then "Hong Kong". A list of restaurants which have been tried and rated by Fodorites will come up. You can ask that they be listed by price. Some of my favorites are: Chili Club - cheap and cheerful Thai food, 1/F, 88 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong TEL: 2527 2872 Café Deco - great views. Some expensive items on the menu, some good bargains. The menu is very extensive, Asian-fusion and western. Ask for a window table. Peak Galleria, 118 Peak Rd., the Peak, Phone: 2849-5111 The food court in the Pacific Place shopping centre (near McDonalds). There is also a Pizza Hut and a KFC here, along with noodle shops. Good for lunch. The basement food court (called "GrEAT") of the Seibu Dept store in Pacific Place. Virtually any noodle shop along Queen's Road East or Lockhart Road. Shek O Chinese and Thai Seafood Restaurant - good Thai and Chinese food in a fun atmosphere near Shek O beach, one of the nicest beaches in Hong Kong. Shek O Village, (main intersection, next to the bus stop) Phone: 2809-4426 For pubs, you won't find as many bargains as you will on food. The Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo areas have a lot of bars/pubs. There are also lots of restaurants, but none with particular bargains. Worth a splurge however for at least one night. Finally and I hate to say it, but McDonald's in Hong Kong is really inexpensive, cheaper than the US. A good choice in a pinch, especially for breakfast in order to avoid the hotel buffets. For hotels, there are three YMCA's in Hong Kong. One is on Kowloon with great views of the harbor. The other two are on Hong Kong island, one in the Wan Chai/Causeway Bay area. It is a good location. The other is in midlevels (Garden View International House). This is a nice residential area and there is a flat pedestrian walking area, Bowen Road, not far away. Also, click on "Hotels" above then Hong Kong and a list of hotels will come up, rated by Fodorites. The YMCA's are on the Fodors list. You can sort by price. As Hong Kong will be very hot, you might consider staying at a hotel with a pool. The Bishop Lei International House is one on the list I would also recommend. It is in midlevels and has a small pool. The rooms are small but very nice, and the location is good, near the top of the escalator and on a bus route. Most of the rooms have great views. You should also look at the Lonely Planet website or get the book as they always have good ideas on bargains in restaurants and hotels. August is very, very hot and humid in Hong Kong. It would not be unusual to be in the low 90s with 90 percent humidity. Take it easy and drink lots of water. Spend a day at one of the beaches, either Repulse Bay or Shek O on Hong Kong Island (both accessible by bus) or go to Cheng Chai Island, Lantau Island or another of the outlying islands (by public ferry) and get a little bit out of bustling Hong Kong. There are good and inexpensive seafood restaurants on Cheng Chau and Lantau. Shek O has the Thai restaurant mentioned above as well as other inexpensive restaurants.

like anyplace in the world hk can be expensive but you can also find bargains in both housing and eating...it is all relative....i would find 5 days to be a minimum amount of time...there is tons to do...i have been there 4 or 5 times for 3-6 days each and still find things to do more each time... one restaurant that we discovered the last time that we liked a lot was amaroni's little italy in wanchai Tel: 28918855...i have a pen from them here at my computer so had number handy but no address....it is on a main road however.... huge portions and very delicious...italien of course...sort of like an american chain italien place but with delicious food...their "sauce" is as good as my home made... going out of the tourist main areas to areas where locals, not expats, go can save you money as well.... we have found that sometimes the so called expensive places are not that much more than the so called bargain places and frequently the food is 1000 times better....check it out.. hk is an easy city...just like to walk and you will enjoy it

To get the address for Amaroni, you can find it on www.foodeasy.com. It is in English as well so should be accessible for everyone.

Also, another good website for food in general is www.chowhound.com

Hi Jannik -

If you want local food, its fairly inexpensive & if you want to eat like your home the prices are obscene, from our trip in April '02 -
- Movenpick/Marche at Victoria Peek $366hkd (~$55usd) and TGIF/Kowloon $530hkd ($80usd) - 2 people, no drinks & needed 'Canadian' food fix so burger/fries/desert (& nothing special service)
- Tao O (fishing village on Lantau Island) $205hkd (~$30usd) - 2 people, more crab & shrimp, vegatables & noodels than we could ever eat (& amazing service even though no one in the resturant spoke English)
- pub near Park Lane Hotel (Causeway Bay area) $280hkd (~$40hkd) - 2 of us small pizza & fish/chips and I broke down & had 2 Guinness as well
- 'noodle stand' near Park Lane $16hnd ($2.50usd) - 1 very large bowl of shrimp/noodles
- Starbucks near Park Lane Hotel $20hkd (~$3usd) - 1 large coffee & muffen

And why I still have this much info for a trip 18 months ago is beyond me.

Z

Hi , I lived in Hk for 4 yrs a few yrs ago so my info may not be entirely up to date. There was a fabulous restaurant called Spring Deer on Kowloon side. It was so delicious and I remember the prices being fairly reasonable esp. for really good Chinese food.