Hong Kong Travel Guide
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Hong Kong Travel Guide
Need advise selecting a travel guide to take to HK. Have been many times, however, things continue to change and we tend to stay in different neighborhoods (mostly to take advantage of hotel specials). Looking at Fodor's there are errors, and Frommer's does not seem as up to date. That's it at our local bookstore, so I am hoping that there are better ones out there that I have not be able to review.
I do not travel with a laptop, so the printed guide is my info back-up, if I really need to use a computer I can stop at a pacific coffee, but that is usually inconvenient. The guide is thoroughly read on the flight over, notes made for my pocket version. I do refer to it over the course of the trip, at least a handful of times as we embark to new areas, mostly for eating and shopping help.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I do not travel with a laptop, so the printed guide is my info back-up, if I really need to use a computer I can stop at a pacific coffee, but that is usually inconvenient. The guide is thoroughly read on the flight over, notes made for my pocket version. I do refer to it over the course of the trip, at least a handful of times as we embark to new areas, mostly for eating and shopping help.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
#3
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In my experience, every travel guide has errors, and no travel guide is up-to-date, as it begins to get out of date as soon as it's sent to the printer. We used the Fodor's guide in Hong Kong a number of years ago and found it useful.
The current Fodors Hong Kong is 2007, the national Geographic's guide is 2006. The Frommer's is newer, but I have never found a Frommer's guide I liked. The other guides available, Lonely Planet and Insight are both significantly older.
The current Fodors Hong Kong is 2007, the national Geographic's guide is 2006. The Frommer's is newer, but I have never found a Frommer's guide I liked. The other guides available, Lonely Planet and Insight are both significantly older.
#4
Lonely Planet's Hong Kong and Macau City Guide is dated Feb 2010 and the HK Encounter Guide is March 2009. Rough Guides Hong Kong and Macau is Oct 2009. I usually prefer LP, but that's partly because I'm used to their format.
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"I have never found a Frommer's guide I liked" Same here, in fact I avoid Frommers guides when planning a trip. I also cringe when Lonely Planet is the only guide available for a destination I am travelling to.
Back to the ops Q, have you looked at Luxe guides for HK, or if you know HK fairly well pick up a copy of Time Out HK (the magazine) for suggestions on what to do/see.
Back to the ops Q, have you looked at Luxe guides for HK, or if you know HK fairly well pick up a copy of Time Out HK (the magazine) for suggestions on what to do/see.
#7
I don't use the regular Frommer's guides (except sometimes to check on hotels), but I do like the newish Pauline Frommer's series (http://www.frommers.com/pauline/ ). Unfortunately it doesn't cover many places, but I've found the London and New York guides worthwhile.
I don't cringe when only LP is available, although I do think their standards (accuracy and editing) have dropped a bit recently. I find that their logistics info is about the best around. Fodors tends to assume I'm driving or being driven, LP and Rough Guides don't.
I won't be carrying a guide book for HK on my next trip, as it's the fifth country on my list and I don't want the weight. I'll probably rely on Cicerone's excellent posts here, plus a map.
I don't cringe when only LP is available, although I do think their standards (accuracy and editing) have dropped a bit recently. I find that their logistics info is about the best around. Fodors tends to assume I'm driving or being driven, LP and Rough Guides don't.
I won't be carrying a guide book for HK on my next trip, as it's the fifth country on my list and I don't want the weight. I'll probably rely on Cicerone's excellent posts here, plus a map.
#8
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Publication date is one issue to be sure, but especially with China guides they are out of date before they hit the shelves. The guide is merely a guide, and the reader should be willing to accept that changes will have taken place, be willing to pick up information on the fly while travelling, and use a little imagination.
But some guides are good for reading before departure in order to make choices about what to see, others have very detailed practical travel information, and others have sound historical and cultural information. It is rare, however, to find all three in a single volume, and in general you certainly don't read LP for accurate cultural and historical information (or practical, come to that). The Frommer's guide is also (or was, the last time I looked at a volume) utterly crass.
But once it is decided what the style of travel is, and what the guide is being bought for, the first stop should be the author's biography. If he or she did last year's Ecuador guide and regularly tackles Botswana, then he or she is not the person for Hong Kong. While English is very widely available in Hong Kong, and the HKTB (tourist board) provides a lot of support, your ideal author will have lived long in Hong Kong, and will speak at least some sort of Chinese (it's unlikely that you'll find that last quality, however). Those just parachuted in for the purpose of writing or updating are not worth reading.
Particular series may be attractive for the clarity of their layout, or for the choice of information they choose to include or exclude, but given that most editors have never even visited the country being described, it's the quality of the individual authors that count, both in their ability to engage with the culture in question, and their determination to get the facts right. (Unfortunately, only experience will in general tell you about that last point, and even then you must allow for changes that occurred after the research was done, but before the title could be laid out, edited, printed, and distributed. Which is where we came in...)
Peter N-H
But some guides are good for reading before departure in order to make choices about what to see, others have very detailed practical travel information, and others have sound historical and cultural information. It is rare, however, to find all three in a single volume, and in general you certainly don't read LP for accurate cultural and historical information (or practical, come to that). The Frommer's guide is also (or was, the last time I looked at a volume) utterly crass.
But once it is decided what the style of travel is, and what the guide is being bought for, the first stop should be the author's biography. If he or she did last year's Ecuador guide and regularly tackles Botswana, then he or she is not the person for Hong Kong. While English is very widely available in Hong Kong, and the HKTB (tourist board) provides a lot of support, your ideal author will have lived long in Hong Kong, and will speak at least some sort of Chinese (it's unlikely that you'll find that last quality, however). Those just parachuted in for the purpose of writing or updating are not worth reading.
Particular series may be attractive for the clarity of their layout, or for the choice of information they choose to include or exclude, but given that most editors have never even visited the country being described, it's the quality of the individual authors that count, both in their ability to engage with the culture in question, and their determination to get the facts right. (Unfortunately, only experience will in general tell you about that last point, and even then you must allow for changes that occurred after the research was done, but before the title could be laid out, edited, printed, and distributed. Which is where we came in...)
Peter N-H
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Thanks to everyone! There may be previews of these online; before I order another guide that I expect to be helpful and accurate. Some of these titles are completely new to me, so I really appreciate the info. Happy travels all.
#10
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Travelmbs, you may be in a different position than many others traveling to Hong Kong, as it seems you have been here many times, so don’t need the “top 10” type of guide which first-time visitors would need. You already know how use the Peak Tram and Star Ferry.
I would first recommend the books by Jason Wordie, a local Hong Kong historian, who has written IMO two useful books about walks in various neighborhoods on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon, see http://www.jasonswalks.com/index.html for a list, you may be able to order the books from him or your local bookstore. You can buy them in Hong Kong, see below. He also does excellent walking tours, but with his books you can explore just as easily on your own.
You might want to consider other more specialized info. The first place I would point you to are bookshops IN Hong Kong like Dymocks or Bookazine, which have a very large “local” selection. See http://www.dymocks.com.au and www.bookazine.com.hk for locations (and possibly reviewing and ordering books). The bookstore with the largest and best selection is probably the Dymocks in the IFC Mall on Hong Kong Island, although the Bookazine in the Prince's Building is quite good too. You could get some of the great walking/hiking guides such as The Serious Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong and The Leisurely Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong, both by Pete Spurrier, which will take you into different areas of Hong Kong. For restaurants, while I don’t agree with it completely, the Michelin guide can be a useful source, or look for other local restaurant guidebooks in bookshops. There are wonderful books on subjects like Buddhist temples (i.e., Hong Kong Temples by Ken Raby; this book has been great fun to use to find some very unusual and little-visited temples here) which can be used to structure a trip to a new area or take a fresh look at an area you have seen before. (If you stay again at the Courtyard Marriott in Sheung Wan, the carpenter’s temple not far from the hotel would be on my list of things to see in that neighborhood. It is in Ken Raby's book, and also as I recall on the HK Tourism Board website, although the latter is harder to use IMO.)
With regard to guidebooks, I have lived here a long time, and can say that every guidebook I read has errors in it, so if you want perfection, you won’t find it. That being said, I do quite enjoy the National Geographic book, as it offers different suggestions than most of the others. However, some of them, like the Route TWISK drive or the Clearwater Bay drive, while fantastic, are not really practical for a visitor, as you need a car to do them. Renting a car is possible, but rather expensive and impractical for a visitor IMO. But the book might be a good source of ideas for alternative areas you could consider going to on your own via public transport. (The bus trip out along Clearwater Bay is just as scenic as driving yourself, and can be done as part of a walk along High Junk Peak, or take the Hutong’s junk out to the Tin Hau Temple and return by bus and MTR later after exploring the area, see http://www.aqua.com.hk/.)
I would first recommend the books by Jason Wordie, a local Hong Kong historian, who has written IMO two useful books about walks in various neighborhoods on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon, see http://www.jasonswalks.com/index.html for a list, you may be able to order the books from him or your local bookstore. You can buy them in Hong Kong, see below. He also does excellent walking tours, but with his books you can explore just as easily on your own.
You might want to consider other more specialized info. The first place I would point you to are bookshops IN Hong Kong like Dymocks or Bookazine, which have a very large “local” selection. See http://www.dymocks.com.au and www.bookazine.com.hk for locations (and possibly reviewing and ordering books). The bookstore with the largest and best selection is probably the Dymocks in the IFC Mall on Hong Kong Island, although the Bookazine in the Prince's Building is quite good too. You could get some of the great walking/hiking guides such as The Serious Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong and The Leisurely Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong, both by Pete Spurrier, which will take you into different areas of Hong Kong. For restaurants, while I don’t agree with it completely, the Michelin guide can be a useful source, or look for other local restaurant guidebooks in bookshops. There are wonderful books on subjects like Buddhist temples (i.e., Hong Kong Temples by Ken Raby; this book has been great fun to use to find some very unusual and little-visited temples here) which can be used to structure a trip to a new area or take a fresh look at an area you have seen before. (If you stay again at the Courtyard Marriott in Sheung Wan, the carpenter’s temple not far from the hotel would be on my list of things to see in that neighborhood. It is in Ken Raby's book, and also as I recall on the HK Tourism Board website, although the latter is harder to use IMO.)
With regard to guidebooks, I have lived here a long time, and can say that every guidebook I read has errors in it, so if you want perfection, you won’t find it. That being said, I do quite enjoy the National Geographic book, as it offers different suggestions than most of the others. However, some of them, like the Route TWISK drive or the Clearwater Bay drive, while fantastic, are not really practical for a visitor, as you need a car to do them. Renting a car is possible, but rather expensive and impractical for a visitor IMO. But the book might be a good source of ideas for alternative areas you could consider going to on your own via public transport. (The bus trip out along Clearwater Bay is just as scenic as driving yourself, and can be done as part of a walk along High Junk Peak, or take the Hutong’s junk out to the Tin Hau Temple and return by bus and MTR later after exploring the area, see http://www.aqua.com.hk/.)
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Cicerone,
Thank you so much for this detailed reply. I have ordered the michelin guide and will look into the others mentioned. Leisurely hikers guide sounds perfect for us to balance out the food, and national geographic might fit us as well. Thank you again!
ps - our next hotel stay will be in Sha Tin, as most of our time will be spent in the new territories this trip. When we finally make it to central, we feel like we are back in the old neighborhood. Hard to carry groceries from Olivers back to sha tin, but I am sure that we try!
Thank you so much for this detailed reply. I have ordered the michelin guide and will look into the others mentioned. Leisurely hikers guide sounds perfect for us to balance out the food, and national geographic might fit us as well. Thank you again!
ps - our next hotel stay will be in Sha Tin, as most of our time will be spent in the new territories this trip. When we finally make it to central, we feel like we are back in the old neighborhood. Hard to carry groceries from Olivers back to sha tin, but I am sure that we try!
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I assume you are staying at the new Hyatt Regency in Sha Tin. Interesting choice; I don’t think that the Sha Tin area is great for first-timers, but as you have been to Hong Kong before, you will probably enjoy the different experience. Be sure to go to a local restaurant like the one in the Lung Wah Hotel for roast pigeon, which is a speciality of Sha Tin (see http://www.lungwahhotel.hk). There is also the very good Hong Kong Heritage Musuem located in Sha Tin. Most importantly to me, it is quite close to one the most beautiful – and one of my favourite – rural areas in Hong Kong: Plover Cove/Tolo Harbour. If you can get a water view room, you may quite enjoy the lovely mountain/sea views. You can bike, walk, and boat in the area. You can actually bike from Sha Tin along Tolo Harbour all the way out to the Plover Cove Reservoir Park, about 10 miles I think; IMO the nicest part of the journey is along the water after the town of Tai Po, so you might want to just rent bikes at Plover Cove and bike only in that area. (Weekdays would be preferable for this as Sat and esp. Sundays can get jammed on the bike path.) You may want to consider going someplace like Tap Mun (Grass Island) which would offer a really lovely ferry ride and then some easy walks around the island where you can see temples and beaches and have a seafood meal. But there are lots of other choices in the area. The hotel is of course also close to the Sha Tin horserace track, and you may want to go for an afternoon or evening.
As for the hotel, I have eaten in the one main restaurant there (forget the name), and the hotel seems very nice, they supposedly have a good spa too. The hotel is very close to the University Station MTR stop, which means you can get to Central in just over 30 minutes. (The hotel is a teaching hotel for the hospitality school at the Chinese Unviersity of Hong KOng, and is located basically on the campus. I believe there are one or two good art museums on the campus.) You might also want to consider bus options, which would give you a chance to see the area on the way to Central and will save you two changes on the MTR line. Somethine like #307 from the Tai Po station to the ferry piers in Central or the 88R from City One Shatin to Central. You could also take the MTR to the Hung Hom stop (no changes), then hop a bus or minibus to the TST area, or take taxi or minibus over to the ferry piers at Hung Hom about 2 minutes away, and take the Star Ferry into Central or Wan Chai, a very scenic ride. These options would also save you two changes on the MTR.
I agree that Oliver’s is great, and I am not sure what you will find in the Sha Tin area. There is a Jason’s Supermarket at the Fo Tan MTR stop in Sha Tin, which is not really as good as Oliver’s, but may be worth a stop as it is nearer your hotel. See http://www.marketplacebyjasons.com/index.html. There will of course be major grocery stores like Park N Shop and Wellcome, as well as smaller local grocery stores and “wet” markets; however if you are looking for gourmet-type Western foods, you probably won’t find much in the area and Oliver’s may be your best choice. You should not have too much trouble finding wine shops (Jason’s is a good place to look).
Note that if you get a Tourist Pass octopus card, Sha Tin is not included in the free MTR scheme. It is on the East Rail line which is not part of the unlimited MTR rides offered by the Tourist Pass. So you probably are better off just getting a regular stored value MTR card.
As for the hotel, I have eaten in the one main restaurant there (forget the name), and the hotel seems very nice, they supposedly have a good spa too. The hotel is very close to the University Station MTR stop, which means you can get to Central in just over 30 minutes. (The hotel is a teaching hotel for the hospitality school at the Chinese Unviersity of Hong KOng, and is located basically on the campus. I believe there are one or two good art museums on the campus.) You might also want to consider bus options, which would give you a chance to see the area on the way to Central and will save you two changes on the MTR line. Somethine like #307 from the Tai Po station to the ferry piers in Central or the 88R from City One Shatin to Central. You could also take the MTR to the Hung Hom stop (no changes), then hop a bus or minibus to the TST area, or take taxi or minibus over to the ferry piers at Hung Hom about 2 minutes away, and take the Star Ferry into Central or Wan Chai, a very scenic ride. These options would also save you two changes on the MTR.
I agree that Oliver’s is great, and I am not sure what you will find in the Sha Tin area. There is a Jason’s Supermarket at the Fo Tan MTR stop in Sha Tin, which is not really as good as Oliver’s, but may be worth a stop as it is nearer your hotel. See http://www.marketplacebyjasons.com/index.html. There will of course be major grocery stores like Park N Shop and Wellcome, as well as smaller local grocery stores and “wet” markets; however if you are looking for gourmet-type Western foods, you probably won’t find much in the area and Oliver’s may be your best choice. You should not have too much trouble finding wine shops (Jason’s is a good place to look).
Note that if you get a Tourist Pass octopus card, Sha Tin is not included in the free MTR scheme. It is on the East Rail line which is not part of the unlimited MTR rides offered by the Tourist Pass. So you probably are better off just getting a regular stored value MTR card.
#13
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Cicerone,
You are the best! Thank you for taking the time to offer so much valuable information!! Your assumptions are correct, we are staying that the Hyatt Regency and we do use an Octopus card for transportation. I have never figured out the bus situation in HK, so thanks for the routes. I am sure that we will use those options, as well as the light rail, the MTR and of course, the ferry. We do visit the western markets for a few necessities (coffee and biscuits) as well as the wet markets for fruits and snacks. The rest is eating out so again, thank you for the recco's. Looking forward to visiting all of the spots, including grass island.
You are very kind to offer so much info, thank you again.
You are the best! Thank you for taking the time to offer so much valuable information!! Your assumptions are correct, we are staying that the Hyatt Regency and we do use an Octopus card for transportation. I have never figured out the bus situation in HK, so thanks for the routes. I am sure that we will use those options, as well as the light rail, the MTR and of course, the ferry. We do visit the western markets for a few necessities (coffee and biscuits) as well as the wet markets for fruits and snacks. The rest is eating out so again, thank you for the recco's. Looking forward to visiting all of the spots, including grass island.
You are very kind to offer so much info, thank you again.