Is 8 full days in Hong Kong too long?
Nov 9th, 2008 | 08:42 AM
#2
Joined: Feb 2004
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I think that's long. Plan a sidetrip or two to somewhere else. China, Taiwan, etc. At the very least plan on a sidetrip to Macau. Lots to see, cheaper hotels (many brand new sparkling ones too!) With 8 full days, I'd spend 3 nights in Macau. Go there late in the day, and then come back early 4th day, to utilize the cheaper hotels and have 2 full days for sightseeing there.
Now, with only 5 days left in Hong Kong, there's enough there to see to keep you busy.
Now, with only 5 days left in Hong Kong, there's enough there to see to keep you busy.
Nov 9th, 2008 | 08:59 AM
#3
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
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I was hoping you would answer rkk! I also want to get a little rest on this trip. I am the type that likes to stop and take in a city and not rush through it. I like to walk a a lot, see sights, go to shops and eat out.
What does one do in Macau? I thought that was just a day trip? I am not into gambling. On a long shot I do have a ticket home thru Beijing.
I could leave a few days early and spend 1 or 2 days in Beijing.
Based on my "relaxing" vacation, how many total days would you recommend for HK without day trips?
Help me! I have to book this today. I am also looking at hotels on the Nathan Road corridor. Metropark Kowloon, Eaton, The Kowloon or Nathan Hotel. Any thoughts?
RKK don't you have a websight with pics somewhere?
What does one do in Macau? I thought that was just a day trip? I am not into gambling. On a long shot I do have a ticket home thru Beijing.
I could leave a few days early and spend 1 or 2 days in Beijing.
Based on my "relaxing" vacation, how many total days would you recommend for HK without day trips?
Help me! I have to book this today. I am also looking at hotels on the Nathan Road corridor. Metropark Kowloon, Eaton, The Kowloon or Nathan Hotel. Any thoughts?
RKK don't you have a websight with pics somewhere?
Nov 9th, 2008 | 09:10 AM
#4
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
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richard - My travel photos are here:
http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/f157966339
You'll find lots of Hong Kong and Macau pictures there.
Macau has lots of Portugeses colonial churches, public buildings and forts; along with some Chinese temples that are very well worth a visit. You don't need to put a foot in a casino to have a nice, relaxing 2 days there, but the casinos are worth a look, even if you don't gamble at all.
For the price you're paying for a 3* hotel in Hong Kong, you can be staying at a 4* or even 5* one in Macau. And Macau is actually the more "walk a lot, see sights, go to shops and eat out" place than Hong Kong is.
If you just want to stick with Hong Kong, 4 days is about right. One day for HK Island, one for Kowloon Peninsula, one for Lantau Island, and one for the New Territories or just shopping and bumming around.
Of the 4 hotels you listed, Eaton should be the best overall. Kowloon Hotel has better location, but its rooms are notoriously tiny.
http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/f157966339
You'll find lots of Hong Kong and Macau pictures there.
Macau has lots of Portugeses colonial churches, public buildings and forts; along with some Chinese temples that are very well worth a visit. You don't need to put a foot in a casino to have a nice, relaxing 2 days there, but the casinos are worth a look, even if you don't gamble at all.
For the price you're paying for a 3* hotel in Hong Kong, you can be staying at a 4* or even 5* one in Macau. And Macau is actually the more "walk a lot, see sights, go to shops and eat out" place than Hong Kong is.
If you just want to stick with Hong Kong, 4 days is about right. One day for HK Island, one for Kowloon Peninsula, one for Lantau Island, and one for the New Territories or just shopping and bumming around.
Of the 4 hotels you listed, Eaton should be the best overall. Kowloon Hotel has better location, but its rooms are notoriously tiny.
Nov 9th, 2008 | 03:33 PM
#5
Joined: Jul 2003
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During the first leg of our long trip (we are in BKK now), we had 5 1/2 full days in Hong Kong. There was alot we didn't do that we wanted to, such as a day in the new territories, missed many museums and didn't get to Macau. So with a side trip to Macau, I think you can fill 8 days.
Nov 9th, 2008 | 07:05 PM
#6
Joined: Feb 2003
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I know from your other posts that your trip is either later this month or possibly in December. Given the fantastic weather we have in the “winter”, IMO 8 days is not too much. If I took a week off here, I can certainly think of many things to do and would not be able to fit them all in, but without knowing your interests, it hard to make specific recommendations. I would suggest that you take a look at my posts call “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. For suggestions on walks and hikes on Hong Kong Island, see my postings called “Cicerone’s Favourite Hong Kong Walks: Severn Road, the Peak”., “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 ". Finally, check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at discoverhongkong.com
While we do not have enough museums for 8 days (this is not Paris), we certainly have more than enough restaurants. You might make the trip your search for the perfect noodle or egg tart of laksa (or pasta with black truffles, although the Italian restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton has closed so that good source is not available.) There are more than enough temples for 8 days (but after a certain point, even <i>my</i> eyes glaze over; however there are one or two good guidebooks just to the temples of Hong Kong, there is even a floating temple on a junk in the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter.) We have a very good number of traditional market areas in the city, as well as small village areas, esp. if you got to the New Territories or Lantau. (I don’t at all understand, nor do I agree with, the comment above about Macau being the place to "walk a lot, see sights, go to shops and eat out than in Hong Kong.” Perhaps it is a reference to distances being greater here than in tiny Macau, so you do take buses, like the fabulous #6 over to Stanley, or take ferries to outlying islands. Otherwise, the foregoing activities are basically THE activities in Hong Kong…esp as there are over 10,000 restaurants here.)
I would agree that with 8 days here, an overnight or longer elsewhere would be interesting. I personally could not spend 3 days in Macau, there really is not enough to do there (unless you gamble which I do not), and the construction of the Cotai strip and parts of downtown Macau is just too overwhelming for me (and depressing IMO). A full day trip or an overnight trip is good. The colonial area of Macau city is quite small, and Coloane is small as well. Also, the Macau Grand Prix which is next weekend November 13-16, you would not want to be there then (or perhaps you would, then get tickets, see http://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo). I would try to avoid going to Macau on a weekend, esp as the old town will just be more crowded. Sundays are worse than Saturdays.
There are of course other choices beyond Macau. Several to consider would be:
<b>Kaiping</b> - Kaiping is an area up Pearl River Delta abut 85 miles southwest of Guangzhou, where you can see the diaolóu (often called somewhat erroneously “watch towers”). These were built as homes by returning overseas Chinese in the early part of the last century and are quite something. You can bike around the area and look at them, you can only go in one or two, but even the outside views are wonderful indeed (and due to the lack of preservation, actually more interesting than the inside). I took a trip here about a month ago and found this very interesting. Some articles can be found at the Frommers.com website and at http://www.kaiping.gov.cn/test/diaolou/eng; http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_cu...ent_79330.htm; and http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1688 . You can take a ferry to this area from Hong Kong in about 3 hours, but because of the return ferry schedule, a trip there requires an overnight stay. I think you would find this area quite rural and traditional and you would get to see the diaolóu, which not a lot of people have seen. I understand that it is also possible to get to the Kaiping area from Macau, which may be possible and/or easier than from Hong Kong. According to an NY Times article I saw, you can take a bus from Macau in 2.5 hours to Kaiping (the bus goes from Zhuhai Gong Bei which is at the Macau/PRC border).
<b>Crosswaters Lodge</b> - This is an “eco lodge” outside Huizhou, which is about 70 miles from Hong. You can take a car or train (a bus may also be possible). It’s in a lovely mountain area with birding, hiking and visits to local Hakka villages. (There is some air pollution, but in the winter you will find it all over the Pearl River Delta, including Hong Kong and Macau). Quite interesting and pretty and very, very untouristed. Huizhou is a largish city, with some pretty areas along the river. For the lodge, see crosswaters.net.cn/. You need a PRC visa for this trip.
Many people go to <b>Shenzhen</b> for shopping, I am not a huge fan (quality is not good), but this can be done easily in a day from Hong Kong. You need a PRC visa for this trip. Also, part of Shenzhen is the “village” of <b>Dafen</b>, which is actually somewhat interesting, and a lot more laid back and charming than the rest of the place, IMO. If you don’t want to have a copy of the Mona Lisa or a Magritte, you can buy some original artwork there. There is also a recently opened museum in quite a striking building, I can’t find a website, but check guidebooks or ask when you get to the village, it is unmissable, the Dafen Art Museum. It does not always have much of a collection on show (at least not when I was there), but the building itself is worth seeing.
<b>Guangzhou</b> is also possible for an overnight trip by train. The colonial area is actually quite interesting. There is a new Ritz-Carlton there which may be the most elegant and luxurious hotel I have ever been in my entire life. You need a PRC visa for this trip.
Depending on how much you are willing to spend in air fare, you could of course fly someplace like <b>Beijing</b> or <b>Shanghai</b>. I would opt for Beijing just because there is so much more history there, but either would be fine for 3 days (you could train to either, but would take almost a day for the trip, so with that short a time, it may not be worth it.) Flights to either from Hong Kong (or Macau) would be short. A place like <b>Lijiang</b> in Yunnan Province is also possible, may be a bit more travel than you want for that short a period, but look into flights. <b>Singapore</b> or <b>Bangkok</b> is also an option, but if you have to return to Hong Kong for your flight home, may not work with flight times.
While we do not have enough museums for 8 days (this is not Paris), we certainly have more than enough restaurants. You might make the trip your search for the perfect noodle or egg tart of laksa (or pasta with black truffles, although the Italian restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton has closed so that good source is not available.) There are more than enough temples for 8 days (but after a certain point, even <i>my</i> eyes glaze over; however there are one or two good guidebooks just to the temples of Hong Kong, there is even a floating temple on a junk in the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter.) We have a very good number of traditional market areas in the city, as well as small village areas, esp. if you got to the New Territories or Lantau. (I don’t at all understand, nor do I agree with, the comment above about Macau being the place to "walk a lot, see sights, go to shops and eat out than in Hong Kong.” Perhaps it is a reference to distances being greater here than in tiny Macau, so you do take buses, like the fabulous #6 over to Stanley, or take ferries to outlying islands. Otherwise, the foregoing activities are basically THE activities in Hong Kong…esp as there are over 10,000 restaurants here.)
I would agree that with 8 days here, an overnight or longer elsewhere would be interesting. I personally could not spend 3 days in Macau, there really is not enough to do there (unless you gamble which I do not), and the construction of the Cotai strip and parts of downtown Macau is just too overwhelming for me (and depressing IMO). A full day trip or an overnight trip is good. The colonial area of Macau city is quite small, and Coloane is small as well. Also, the Macau Grand Prix which is next weekend November 13-16, you would not want to be there then (or perhaps you would, then get tickets, see http://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo). I would try to avoid going to Macau on a weekend, esp as the old town will just be more crowded. Sundays are worse than Saturdays.
There are of course other choices beyond Macau. Several to consider would be:
<b>Kaiping</b> - Kaiping is an area up Pearl River Delta abut 85 miles southwest of Guangzhou, where you can see the diaolóu (often called somewhat erroneously “watch towers”). These were built as homes by returning overseas Chinese in the early part of the last century and are quite something. You can bike around the area and look at them, you can only go in one or two, but even the outside views are wonderful indeed (and due to the lack of preservation, actually more interesting than the inside). I took a trip here about a month ago and found this very interesting. Some articles can be found at the Frommers.com website and at http://www.kaiping.gov.cn/test/diaolou/eng; http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_cu...ent_79330.htm; and http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1688 . You can take a ferry to this area from Hong Kong in about 3 hours, but because of the return ferry schedule, a trip there requires an overnight stay. I think you would find this area quite rural and traditional and you would get to see the diaolóu, which not a lot of people have seen. I understand that it is also possible to get to the Kaiping area from Macau, which may be possible and/or easier than from Hong Kong. According to an NY Times article I saw, you can take a bus from Macau in 2.5 hours to Kaiping (the bus goes from Zhuhai Gong Bei which is at the Macau/PRC border).
<b>Crosswaters Lodge</b> - This is an “eco lodge” outside Huizhou, which is about 70 miles from Hong. You can take a car or train (a bus may also be possible). It’s in a lovely mountain area with birding, hiking and visits to local Hakka villages. (There is some air pollution, but in the winter you will find it all over the Pearl River Delta, including Hong Kong and Macau). Quite interesting and pretty and very, very untouristed. Huizhou is a largish city, with some pretty areas along the river. For the lodge, see crosswaters.net.cn/. You need a PRC visa for this trip.
Many people go to <b>Shenzhen</b> for shopping, I am not a huge fan (quality is not good), but this can be done easily in a day from Hong Kong. You need a PRC visa for this trip. Also, part of Shenzhen is the “village” of <b>Dafen</b>, which is actually somewhat interesting, and a lot more laid back and charming than the rest of the place, IMO. If you don’t want to have a copy of the Mona Lisa or a Magritte, you can buy some original artwork there. There is also a recently opened museum in quite a striking building, I can’t find a website, but check guidebooks or ask when you get to the village, it is unmissable, the Dafen Art Museum. It does not always have much of a collection on show (at least not when I was there), but the building itself is worth seeing.
<b>Guangzhou</b> is also possible for an overnight trip by train. The colonial area is actually quite interesting. There is a new Ritz-Carlton there which may be the most elegant and luxurious hotel I have ever been in my entire life. You need a PRC visa for this trip.
Depending on how much you are willing to spend in air fare, you could of course fly someplace like <b>Beijing</b> or <b>Shanghai</b>. I would opt for Beijing just because there is so much more history there, but either would be fine for 3 days (you could train to either, but would take almost a day for the trip, so with that short a time, it may not be worth it.) Flights to either from Hong Kong (or Macau) would be short. A place like <b>Lijiang</b> in Yunnan Province is also possible, may be a bit more travel than you want for that short a period, but look into flights. <b>Singapore</b> or <b>Bangkok</b> is also an option, but if you have to return to Hong Kong for your flight home, may not work with flight times.
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Nov 9th, 2008 | 07:32 PM
#8
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,516
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I had a couple of weeks in HK a few years ago and did not think it was too long at all but....we started with a few days in HK then a trip to Macau for a couple of nights, (it is intersesting ot see the Portugese influence here) then a trip to Lantau (this was before it was connected by a bridge and had the airport but you could use Ciscerone's suggestions for more current locations for a day or 2. You will easily fill in the time.
J
J
Nov 9th, 2008 | 07:40 PM
#9
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
twice i have spent 5 nites in HK and another time or two as well...plenty to do there...
macau is a short ride away as well and worth a couple of days....
i ahve stayed at the kowloon and it is very well located but the hotel is tired....it is ok, but a budget style really with very small rooms...perfect for one person, but a squeeze for 2...price and location are right however...
the salisbury Y is fantastic and right across the street from the kowloon...
macau is a short ride away as well and worth a couple of days....
i ahve stayed at the kowloon and it is very well located but the hotel is tired....it is ok, but a budget style really with very small rooms...perfect for one person, but a squeeze for 2...price and location are right however...
the salisbury Y is fantastic and right across the street from the kowloon...
