Hongkong [June 2013]: SOLO Travel

June 23 - 25, 2013

I have finally pushed through with my solo trip to hongkong! i am beyond delighted experiencing a solo travel to one of my favorite cities!

anyhoo, i will make a separate entry on lesson learned and tips on traveling SOLO. it was an eye opening experience. let's save that chika for later.

 hello lover!

 so let me share to you how i spent my HK trip...

GETTING TO/FROM/AROUND

Jakarta to Hongkong via Malaysia Airlines - 185 US$

*there is no direct flight from Jakarta to HK, thus, i chose malaysia airlines so i can arrive early in HK plus it was a little treat for me to splurge on this trip. 

NOTE: Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta) Airport Terminal 2 opens at 3 *freaking* morning. i have no idea why. my flight is 4:40 am and i arrived before 3 am, only to be informed that they open the terminal at 3 am. i hope airport officials should inform passengers about this either via a poster or an announcement. hassle. ugh.

i had 2 hours layover in KL so while walking towards my boarding gate enroute to HK, i saw charles and keith on sale! i just had to have a quick stop! got a bag for 50% off. happiness!

 Malaysia Airlines Experience

Hongkong Airport to Hotel 

1. queued for immigration
2. waited for my luggage to arrive

3. queued to customer service to reload my octopus card (150 hkd) and bought airport express ticket (90 hkd/one way)

4. rode the airport express and disembarked on kowloon station
5. looked for the free shuttle service. for butterfly on prat hotel, i took k4 shuttle.
6. went down on Park hotel, walked towards the main highway and turned right, then turn right again on the first block (deli france on the corner) then the hotel is at the left side of the road.
7. checked in

Hotel to Hongkong International Airport via A21 bus

1. from hotel, walked towards the main road, going to the nearest stop light (left side)
2. crossed the street and then turned right. walked towards to A21 bus stop.
3. waited for the airport bus to arrive. fare was 30 hkd via octopus card.

A21 bus

Hongkong to Manila via Philippine Airlines - 199 US$

i was so ecstatic to be able to book for a business class which turned out to be cheaper than the economy seat. it was my first time to experience business class. it was amazing! hahaha!

too bad i wasn't able to take photos of the experience. i was dead tired and slept all through out the flight. i was only awake when i was served with our flight meal.

i think the flight attendants thought i was a kid and offered juice instead of wine. well, next time i would insist on wine. hahaha!

Around Hongkong

walk - best way to explore one area at a time! 

MTR - a very convenient way of seeing different areas of hongkong. my favorite mode of transportation in HK.

 MTR

ACCOMMODATION

my heart will always be on tsim sha tsui so i decided to stay at this side of hongkong. i booked a room at Butterfly on Prat Boutique Hotel via Agoda based on reviews i have read from both tripadvisor and agoda. Thankfully, i was able to use my agoda points in booking. i was able to save 50 US$. yay for that!

for 2 nights, initial total rate was 216 US$ and since i redeemed my rewards, i was charged 166 US$. 

so my verdict on Butterfly on Prat...

PROs

• convenient location!!!
• fast room wifi
• relatively helpful, attentive and nice hotel staff
• easy check in and check out
• clean room
• room size is enough for solo traveler, couple or family with 1 child
• comfy bed and pillows

CONs

• small lobby (but not really a problem with me since the check in was a breeze)
• no city view
• a hotel staff literally tried to open my hotel room on my 2nd day after a few knocks just to ask if i would be needing a laundry service. what if i was on the shower or something. they should have called or posted something instead. 

 room

 bathroom

Would i recommended staying in Butterfly on Prat? Yes! Yes!
Will i stay again? probably not. haha! i plan to stay at different hotel next time i visit HK. 

MY ITINERARY

Note: this itinerary of mine reflected on what i love to do on laidback trips, foodtripping and shopping.

Day 1

upon changing outfit, i went to china mobile store in carnarvon road to have my hk sim activated with 3G. 

 inside china mobile store

after which i walked towards nathan road and crossed the road to reach canton road.

spent the remaining afternoon and early evening in canton road. went shopping frenzy in H&M in Silvercord and Harbour City

i walked back to granville road to have dinner in cafe de coral

my favorite in cafe de coral - pork chop in tomato. yum!

had a quick shopping stop in cotton on and concluded my day snacking on street food.

mango juice and steamboat

Day 2

it was raining before i left the hotel. not pouring like crazy but umbrella-need type of weather. waaaaah! i think my outfit was not rain proof but what the hell. haha!

anyway, i had breakfast at Mcdonalds, a few walks from the hotel. massive serving! wasn't able to finish all of it.

armed with determination, i braved the drizzle and took mtr to my first destination: mongkok

langham place, baby!

after my shopping fix, i decided to hit central next.

i love mtr ads!

i went to IFC Mall looking for tim ho wan. i got lost at first until i asked a mall officer regarding its location. he was able to provide me details how to reach the place. 

NOTE: i didn't have a hard time getting a seat during lunch time since i was alone. i was given a seat in a middle of long table. so how to order if you're alone here in tim ho wan.

1. tea is automatically included in your bill, so go ahead, take a cup and pour yourself endless tea

2. ask for english menu (purple) if you are given the chinese one (green)

3. i would recommend pork buns and dimsum!

4. give your order to the attendant and wait for your feast

5. if you are not able to finish your food, ask the attendant for take away container, they will provide a styrofoam container and plastic

6. bring your bill at the side of the restaurant, queue in line and then pay.

obviously i ordered more than i can eat. haha! so after the happy-tummy meal, i walked towards the midlevel escalators through the mtr station. my aim was to look for this famous egg tart bakery: tai cheong bakery. i got lost! but as able to finally locate it! haha! 

egg tart verdict: yummy but i prefer the macau ones

since my feet almost died for walking endlessly for these tarts plus it has started to rain, i decided to hit starbucks at the nearby tower in Queen's Road to rest my aching feet and wait for the rain to stop.

egg tart adventure

and off i go to causeway bay. actually i only went to causeway bay just to check out ikea. haha!

it was almost dinner time when i reached TST. so i decided to have my dinner in yuen kee along granville road.

they do have english menu, so ask for it if you don't know what to order. i ordered roast goose and iced tea. the goose was yummy especially the dip but the iced tea tasted bland. ugh.

anyhoo, to prepare myself for my street food snacking, i walked and shopped around granville and cameron road. and then it was time! time for my favorite street food snack: egg waffles!!!!!!!

NOTE: the egg waffles are located along granville road, just walk towards chatham road, passing cotton on and bossini. it's located at the left side of the road. it is beside gong cha. 

anyhoo, i always love the plain egg waffles. but if you're keen to try other flavors, go ahead!

must try! egg waffles!

Day 3


last day in HK! boohoo! :(

i checked out around 10 am so i can enjoy the rest of my last day strolling and doing whatever. hehe.

last day!

FYI: i love museums! haha! may it be a science museums or history ones. so the only tourist-y thing i have done for this trip is to check out hongkong's science museum.

after checking out the hotel, i left my luggage to the reception and informed them i will be getting them around 5 pm in the afternoon. 

 i heart park in the middle of the city

the museum was walking distance from the hotel, but somehow i got lost again. hahaha! eventually, i found the correct path leading to the entrance.

and spent 2 1/2 hours in the museum. i love it!

 

after the science musuem, i went to Charlie Brown Cafe to check out what the fuss was all about this place. 

if you're a charlie brown fan, you will love it! as for me, i found it cute! however, food prices were exorbitant! seriously, i was surprised! you must be paying for the "experience", i guess.

charlie brown tiramisu!

after that early dessert treat, i went to Harbour City to have a proper dimsum food trip. i decided to try Canton Deli at the Gateway Arcade based on the recommended dimsum place i have read online.

well, it was not tim ho wan level but the tea, i must say, was yum!

 dimsum!!!

after which, i spent the rest of the day roaming around TST area.

then i went back to hotel to get my luggage and rode the bus on the way to airport.

had last minute shopping before i went to my boarding gate and said good bye to my lover, hongkong!

 airport scene

Final Thoughts about Hongkong

i love hongkong! it is always heartbreaking to leave this city. i am so thrilled that i have spent my first technical solo travel to the city i truly adore. every trip for me is a revelation and this time, i learned more about my self and my preferences when it comes to traveling. it's true what they say, traveling is a self - discovery tool.

honestly, the trip was a mixture of excitement and nerve wracking emotions. and i'm proud to say the experience was liberating. the freedom that i can do anything is truly majestic. 

this trip might not be the usual solo travel stories we have heard from others or read online but like my blog's name, i am a vain traveler and this is how i roll.

p.s. special thanks to pinoyexchange and girltalk for the massive information! you'll survive just reading these forums, i swear!