I’m going to HK for 3 days Friday - Monday night. Was wondering if anyone knows any must/do/don’t things. I haven’t really planned or thought about it until now because I’ve been so swamped at work, but now that it’s getting closer to date, pretty excited.
How do HK people get around? What is the equivalent of our Easy Card?
Is HKD 2,000 enough for 3 days? (Expenditure only)
Any good pubs you can recommend? (Have to watch Utd vs Liverpoo game)
Should I get a suit there?
PS: If anyone needs anything from HK shoot me a PM, I can buy some stuff provided that you don’t bail and actually give me cash when I come back.
If you stay in the wanchai area there is loads of places to watch the football, lockhart road i think it was called. To get around they have an underground system which is very similar to the MRT here and you can just buy a ticket at the machines in the stations.
check out the Hong Kong Space Museum maybe, if you’re into that kind of thing. Bit nationalistic but they have a space shuttle mock up and a planetarium and an IMAX theatre.
catch a ferry out to Lama Island and see a different slice of HK life.
HKD2000 should be OK if you’re not extravagant. Hotels are expensive, but I guess you know that already.
Definitely get an Octopus card if you plan on visiting HK regularly. You can always reactivate your card with the stored value at any MTR station when you visit again.
Take a Citybus (S1 and S52, among others) from the airport to Tung Chung (the closest MTR station). It follows the same route as the express train and is a much cheaper to get into the city.
In the past I’ve had suits and shirts made at Paul Custom Tailors, Shop No.221 Houston Centre, 2nd Floor, 63 Mody Rd. paulcustomtailors.com. But not sure if he does rush jobs so a weekend may not be enough time.
The Australian Dairy Company, 47 Parkes St in Tsim Sha Tsui is a great place for a local breakfast of thick toast, eggs, coffee, noodles (macaroni style).
If you crave dim sum then I would suggest Maxim Palace, 3/F Edinbugh Place, City Hall, Low Block, Connaught Rd, Central. Large dining hall with huge windows overlooking the harbor (currently somewhat blocked by construction I think). Get there about 11 am to beat the crowds.
It’s a bit out of the way for you but the Inn Side Out and the East End Brewery in Causeway Bay have a great selection of beers.
I’d be remiss if (given my unusual tastes for tourism) if I didn’t recommend a visit to Hong Kong Cemetery, across from the Happy Valley Racetrack. It’s like a park: quiet, beautiful, historic, unpeopled, and filled with trees, birds and butterflies. A great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, without traveling far.
HK$2000 is plenty if that doesn’t include lodging. I usually save money by staying at Sun Kong Hostel in Causeway Bay.
I’ve been to Chen Chau Island. It’s okay but if you live in Taiwan you probably won’t find it interesting enough to be worth the effort of getting there. The gondola ride to the Buddha is great. Once you get there the little village is a terrible, tacky tourist trap.
It depends what you like doing. Personally, I love to take the bus to Shek O, which is the best beach in Hong Kong, imo, and there’s a great Thai restaurant next to the roundabout. With travelling time it’s a day of your weekend, though. Tai O is interesting if you’re into traditional houses and lifestyles, (though it does reek of fish). Taking the funicular to Victoria Peak and walking back down is fun if you like a short, easy trek.
Cheung Chau and Lamma are similar in that they’re both former fishing villages now packed with tourists and seafood restaurants, but there is even less to do on Lamma. There are, however, more trails to walk and a fabulous power station… and a lovely wind turbine. If that’s your thing.
there’s also a reasonable beach about 15 minutes walk from the ferry, on the outer side of the island.
I’m going to HK for 3 days Friday - Monday night. Was wondering if anyone knows any must/do/don’t things. I haven’t really planned or thought about it until now because I’ve been so swamped at work, but now that it’s getting closer to date, pretty excited.
How do HK people get around? What is the equivalent of our Easy Card?
Is HKD 2,000 enough for 3 days? (Expenditure only)
Any good pubs you can recommend? (Have to watch Utd vs Liverpoo game)
Should I get a suit there?
PS: If anyone needs anything from HK shoot me a PM, I can buy some stuff provided that you don’t bail and actually give me cash when I come back.[/quote]
If you’re staying in TST then you will be constantly harassed by touts offering suits. Don’t be tempted. It will be hit and miss if you get good quality. You need a few sessions with any good tailor to get the best from a bespoke suit. You might well do better taking your time with a custom tailor in Taipei.
I’m going to HK for 3 days Friday - Monday night. Was wondering if anyone knows any must/do/don’t things. I haven’t really planned or thought about it until now because I’ve been so swamped at work, but now that it’s getting closer to date, pretty excited.
How do HK people get around? What is the equivalent of our Easy Card?
Is HKD 2,000 enough for 3 days? (Expenditure only)
Any good pubs you can recommend? (Have to watch Utd vs Liverpoo game)
Should I get a suit there?
PS: If anyone needs anything from HK shoot me a PM, I can buy some stuff provided that you don’t bail and actually give me cash when I come back.[/quote]
You have an Android phone? I highly recommend the Apps from Hong Kong Tourism Board - “Discover HKG”. They have free maps, augmented camera apps, interactive walks… etc. all free and no internet connection needed.
Hong Kong is my favourite city and I always stay at least one day before I go on biz trip. If you don’t mind going alone to a restaurant I highly highly recommend “Crystal Jade” in the IFC next to the star ferry pier. You can also find a Crystal Jade in the airport arrival hall. The food is excellent! Even my TW girlfriend likes it and she usually likes her TW food only.
Everyone has different tastes. But personally when i visit HK, I like to also visit MACAU. The TurboCat and the Boeing JetFoil rides are cheap and fun and takes about an hour. Take one there and the other one back for a different ride.
While in HK, i like to cross the harbour with the Star Ferry a few times. Both on the top deck as the bottom deck (different feel). I also like to take the ropeway up to THE PEAK. View is pretty awesome up there and the ride up and down is pretty cool too.
Their subway , called the MTR, instead of Taipei’s MRT is efficient and cheap enough.
HK is a fun place to visit for a few days. Lots of people, lots of goods to see, shop.
TST is great. I like having a cup of coffee at the REGENT HOTEL lobby cafe. Its popular because of a good view.
Central is kind of cool too.
PACIFIC MALL is awesome on the HK side. ON the top there are 3 five star hotels CONRAD, MARRIOTT AND ISLAND SHANGRILA. And the bottom is a huge shopping mall.
HK has so much to offer it really depends on what you want, are you more into the city life or you wanna spend more time in the country side?
I personally love going to Sai Kung, if you’re into hiking and beautiful beaches you can go to High Island Reservoir and there’s a trail you can take ( about 45 mins) that leads you to IMO one of the best beaches in HK. While you’re at Sai Kung city center you can get a sampan to the outlaying island too, it’s quite beautiful.
I won’t get seafood there ( overpriced) but its interesting to see the fisherman sell their freshly caught seafood.
I think there’s an episode of bizzard food on HK that showed Sai Kung, Anthony Bordain probanly did a layover episode on HK too…
And yes, Australian Dairy farm has THE best scramble eggs! And it’s in Jordan station, very close to TST.
I think Bulldogs on Mody Road might show some sports game but not 100% sure if they have what u wanna watch, worth checking it out as its in TST and by the waterfront so you get to see the nice harbor view.
Hmm, I like Cafe Gery at the Upper House ( Admiralty station) for a drink and great view.you can try to book the ‘Aqua Luna’, which is a junk tour at the Victoria harbour, you get 2 drinks and I think it’s about 360hkd)
I like Crystal Jade but it’s quite similar to Ding Tai Fung, if you wanna get something more ‘local/Cantonese’, Tasty at IFC has great wonton noodle and other Cantonese dishes.
Hmm, what else? I think there’s an observatory floor at the HSBC building (43F? Or 42F…can’t remember…)
Hope it gives you some idea! I’m going next weekend if I see anything fun I’ll let u know.
HK is so darn lively. It’s a 100 times more fast paced, and a nice change from Taipei. I can definitely feel the sense of urgency there what with all these financial big boys.
Australian Dairy Farm is amazing! I was a little daunted by their service but just pointed all the way.
I did not get any suits. Too many people offered tailoring services and I felt that I met get conned in some way. (Definitely need specific recommendations from people before I put money where my mouth is)
Star Ferry is cool! The Star ferry pier, Avenue of the stars and that harbor provides a very nice and romantic walk all the way down to TST east.
Although I saw “Crystal Jade” in the IFC, I did not have any food there. Instead we went to the roof view area with a bottle of wine and paid a HKD 100$ corkage fee. They have a bar there and open spaces where you can enjoy the view. Definitely a must see.
