June 23 - 25, 2012
It was my promise to my favorite nieces that we will go to Hongkong together and I was over the moon when it finally happened. It was more than 6 months of preparation but it was worth it.
We decided to have the trip during my week long holiday last June. This trip was still a DIY one but was catered to what my siblings and nieces wanted.
My Favorite Girls
Here comes my Hongkong ramblings and more...
ACCOMMODATION
It was my first time to stay at Hongkong Island and finding a cheap but decent place to stay for the 8 of us was a bit of a challenge. I was actually lemming on staying in a hostel/guesthouse BUT i want the girls to experience hotel for their first foreign country trip so i decided to stay in a hotel. I was able to book 2 hotels through Agoda in Sheung Wan Area.
Total rate for 2 nights: 349.32 USD
I was able to book their executive suite at a very cheap price! This suite includes 2 rooms with kitchen, living and dining area. Max number of occupants is supposedly 4 BUT 6 - 8 people can actually fit in this room. My sister and the kids absolutely adored this place! hahaha!
PROs
- clean room
- wide room space
- accommodating reception and staff
- fast and free wifi access
- LCD TVs (each on the room and 1 on the living room area)
- dingding tram and mtr accessible
- near to macau ferry terminal
CONs
- 15 min walk from the hotel to Sheung Wan station in MTR
- a bit hard to look for it both on the map and on the road
master bedroom
kid's room
kitchen and living room area
TOP: view from the master's bedroom | BELOW: view from the kid's bedroom
Total Rate for Luxury Twin/King Room - 2 nights : 195.11 USD
I have also booked this hotel which was only 3 minutes away from 60 west hotel. Since rooms only have max of 2 occupants, i booked 2 rooms for this hotel. I personally stayed here during our trip and one of my niece was my room mate. For Hongkong standards, this was actually a steal already!
PROs
- nice and accommodating reception and staff
- modern room with soft bed and plush pillows
- wide and clean room
- fast and free wifi
CONs
- breakfast was simple and basic
- hard to locate in the map
TOURIST SITES
My original itinerary was not followed and we were able to modify it according to the group's mood and it was fine by me. This trip is for them so anything they wanted, I agreed. hehe :)
Day 1 - Peak Tram, The Peak, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, Sky Terrace
My original itinerary was not followed and we were able to modify it according to the group's mood and it was fine by me. This trip is for them so anything they wanted, I agreed. hehe :)
Day 1 - Peak Tram, The Peak, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, Sky Terrace
we availed the combo package of The Peak (round trip peak tram, wax museum, sky terrace). since we reached lower peak tram at afternoon already, the queue was already long and it took us almost an hour to ride the tram. anyway, the kids enjoyed the whole experience. check out the pics below to see their faces. ahaha!
Peak Tram Experience
Wax Museum Experience
Sky Terrace
Day 2 - Hongkong Disneyland
the highlight of our trip! my girls got giddy with excitement taking photos with the Disney Princesses. I guess that truly made their disneyland experience extra special.
Day 3 - Tungchung Cable Car, Ngongping Village and Big Buddha
Original plan was ocean park but since we were heading to Macau the same day, we opted to go to Ngong Ping instead. They were nervous all through out the cable car ride. haha!
crystal cabin
Additional bits of info...
A11 Bus
Since our hotel was located in Hongkong Island, we took the A11 bus from the airport to reach Macau Ferry Terminal. Fare was 40 HKD.
MTR
I just love hongkong's mtr! it's fast and convenient to travel from one place to another. Signs and maps are everywhere inside the MTR stations that will help you find your way around.
MTR: "Please mind the mind. *teng teng teng*"
Starferry
Just for experience, we rode starferry from central to tsim tsa tsui using the starferry. Andy, my niece, was scared of the thought when we assured her that it was only a 5 - 10 minute cross from one place to another. hahaha!
Macau Ferry Terminal/Sheung Wan/Shun Tak Centre Locker
Since our third day in hongkong is also the day for us to travel to macau, we put all our bags in the locker for safekeeping before we take ferry going to macau. initially, we inquired turbojet to have our bags kept but the rate was unacceptable. i think it was mote than 100 hkd per bag. so, we dragged our bags looking for a locker. thank goodness we found it!!!
It is located inside the Shun Tak Centre, under the escalator going to Sheung Wan MTR station. it is also beside a small newspaper stand.
TIP: read the instructions thoroughly and collect 10hkd coins (only denomination the locker accepts)
TRAVEL IN STYLE
I love love love traveling in hongkong coz of fashion. i always overdress when i'm there. haha! i can wear whatever and can get away looking over the top. ahlaveet.
so for this trip, since it was a summer season. i wore chic, unexpected summer outfits BUT since out trip requires a lot of walking, i wore flats the entire time.
day 1
day 2
day 3
Final Thoughts about Hongkong
Hongkong is love. i don't imagine living here but i imagine myself visiting this place often. It is a rare treat to spend vacation with my family and thank God everything went great.
i still have a lot of places and activities to cover to when i go back to hongkong plus i still haven't got the time and among other things to have my solo trip in hongkong. suffice to say, i NEED to go back very very soon. heehee :)
2 comments
Hi. Just want to know where did you book hotel lbp? how many persons stayed at their luxury room? i am planning to book 1 room but we are 3 adults and 1 kid.
hello! i booked the hotel via agoda. I can't remember what type of room i booked but i think it was only standard room. Our room was enough for 2 adults.
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