We might be making frequent trips to HK next year. Anything we should know about this (travel tips, airfare hacks, e-channel for faster immigration, hotels, etc) Thanks!
I did those runs for like 2 yrs (then covid…) while I was in HK to visit my fiance’e here in TW.
It all depends on what u need to do and the duration of the visits.
I would always get flights outbound at around 7:30pm (so to HK) and then back to TW also around same time (but if possible 6pm, need to factor in longer transit time to the city). I used to fly only CX, but now… Switched to BR. Get a card with lounge access so u can use the beautiful lounges in HK and the mediocre ones in TW to shower and get a bite/beer before boarding and relax a bit.
Never take taxis in HK to the city, it’s just stupid unless u r in 3 ppl with bags. Solo just take the Airport Express, cheaper and faster (get Klook, cheaper tickets using QR codes to board).
If u don’t need to stay that much late downtown, I can recommend the Airport hotel, larger than usual rooms for decent prices (I spent my quarantine of 2 weeks there back in those days…), otherwise avoid Causeway Bay and Central or TST, I really like the hyatt centric in North Point, close to MTR and easy to get by taxi from wherever.
In HK, little known, u can actually sign up for the egates for immigration if u hold some frequent flyer cards, like with CX and BR just sign-up to their programmes and go to the enrolment centre after immigration (before baggage claim) and enrol, that saves u a lot of time.
Food, well, HK is one of the foodie capitals of the world, u can have very good food (for very high prices though), I have some of my fav Italian restaurants there and the bars are topnotch. Avoid LKF nowadays, it’s dead, stay in Soho area or go to smaller pubs/bars in WanChai or bars of hotels (like the Rosewood, old Mandarin, St Regis, Four Seasons, they don’t cost more than grifty bars on the streets tbh).
Avoid taxis as much as u can, they r the worst grifters possible in particular with foreigners, especially if u don’t speak cantonese, they just can’t care and give u attitude. MTR and ferries just bring u everywhere.
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I can also highly recommend this hotel, as someone who used to work there. 
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I mean, the only bummer I ever had was last time I went I had to wait like 1 hr at check in (it was 1am when I got into the room). Besides that, no complaint besides maybe older bathrooms, a revamp there will help, but rooms r quiet, beds comfy and it is just straight from the airport terminal.
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There is a very popular United flight from Chicago that arrives at around 10:30, and those passengers start arriving at the hotel at around 11:15 or 11:30, and last until around 1am. If you happen to arrive during that window, good luck getting to your room. At any other time of day, the hotel is super quiet.
My shifts usually ended at 11:30 right when the crowd started gathering, so I would avoid the front desk like the plague toward the end of my shift. Otherwise who knows when I would be able to go home.
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I might have been unlucky too, since it seems a flight bound to the states was grounded and all passengers were accommodated at the hotel.
Will keep going back there if no need to stay late in town, otherwise the Hyatt centric in NP is quite a good deal to be on the island.
I used to like the pacific hotel in SYP, but now used by fucking commies for National Security Police, fucking disgrace.
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Brilliant post. Appreciate all the great info my friend. Which airline would you suggest for credit card enrollment + lounge access? Does it make sense to remain a free agent and book whichever airline is cheapest or should we stick to just one? And why have you switched from CX to BR?
So you’re saying literally just signing up with the membership is enough for e-channel, even if you have 0 miles accumulated? I read somewhere that they wanted 3 visits to HK in the past 6 months or something like that.
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The easier it’s the cathay united BR card. If u go with the midtier (infinite visa) u can access dragonpass lounges for twd 600 per time (it’s not too much and doesn’t matter which airline u fly or if u used the card to purchase the flight), or if u go with the top card (supreme infinite) unlimited lounge access, but it’s pricey (26k p.a.). Both cards come with discounts for BR tickets originating in TW purchased on BR website or app (5% for infinite, 10% for Supreme infinite).
Otherwise any amex platinum charge card (either vanilla or eva air version). But thise r even more expensive (36.8k p.a.), but all access to priority pass, plaza premium and amex centurion lounge (u have the only one in asia in HK) and many perks with Hotel chains and deals with restaurants and hotels (like Hilton gold status which gives u free breakfast and upgrades or marriot bonvoy gold which gives u upgrades and late chekout/early check in). Then Amex fine hotel and resorts can get u good deals for bookings (like complimentary breakfast, upgrades of rooms, property credits to spend for F&B or Spa, early checkin/late check out).
In recent yrs CX really lost the plot, it was such a nice airlines, but politics, covid and now patriotic new players in the HK market (gba airlines) made the company lost the focus and they r in the dark… Their lounges in HK r still among the best in the world, but service aboard and in general the feeling has changed.
I switched to BR since now TW is my base and BR has direct flight to MXP, my hometown back in Italy. Also BR is the best taiwanese airlines tbh, CI might have now better lounges and some nicer planes (gosh their A350 is a beauty), but service and historic safety really not the best. BR is expensive, but their reliability amd consistency commands a premium which I’m inclined to pay.
I would suggest for such a short flight to be a free agent, get the cheapest possible given ur needs, difficult to rack up miles and status with this short flight.
The webiste of HK immigration doesn’t talk about any of that, if u go via the frequent flyer programme route just showing the membership number for br or cx will do the trick.
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Same thing happened to the City Garden Hotel in North Point, where I used to stay.
Good tip about the Hyatt Centric. I didn’t know about that one. I usually stay at an ibis or something similar.
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My last 4 days in HK I spent there, and then again I stayed 7 nights there for work (my HQ is in Taikoo Place, walking distance from there), all in all newer hotel, nice view over Kwun Tong and Kowloon City/Hung Hom and not as expensive as other nice hotels. Ibis very bad for me in HK, both Sheung Wan and NP ones. Best westerner the worst, especially the CWB one…
Heard good thing about the four points sheraton in Tung Chung, but quite far from MTR, so dependent on taxis, a nono to me.
I think you will fine CI and EVA are on par. CI A350 I do fly and yes what a nice plane even in economy very comfortable with good leg room. Service is excellent and CI is not the CI from the past. I also book direct with airlines never through an agent.
For the OP China Trust now have the co branded China Airlines credit card so if using that can build up miles from spending on credit card as well. I got the Dynasty Flyer Business card. If you sign up for a member account with China Airlines your member number is on the front of your card.
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I still find BR onboard service better, as their food onboard.
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Even less known… AUSTRALIANS are not required to fulfill any secondary criteria such as being a member of a frequent flyer program or having three entries within the last 12 months!!! Wooohooo!
I feel so proud to be Australian! Can renounce and resume, can use HK egates… AND NOT TAXED ABROAD!!!
What else could you possibly want?
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same for TW egates, like Italians!
Don’t forget Australian tourists could use them too since late 2018
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we Italians late 2019.
That’s not that special 
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How do you do this?
so Italians visiting TW for tourism can enrol for egates on arrival. Just need to go before immigration clearance to the enrolment offices in the airport of arrival (Taoyuan has in both terminals), go there, give the passport, ur fingerprints are taken, the stamp “egate allowed” is affixed on the last page and then u can go straight to the line of egates for residents/citizens. Just need to remember to fill in the arrival card online before going through the gates, since the paper version is not supported for egates.
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Thanks. Maybe this is useful for my fam when they wanna visit.
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