Hong Kong / Asia Advice

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wanderer

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Hi All

I'm thinking of going wandering again down Asia way this May and was wondering if you could lend some advice.

I've booked flights for two weks in Hong Kong and i do understand that this is too long for HK.

So was wondering if you could advise on the following:

- Hotels in HK which you've stayed in and can recommend
- Must do's while in HK

- Other countries in the region i can reach from HK which you can recommend and have tips for.

I'm thinking 3 or 4 days in HK and the rest elsewhere.

Many thanks.
wanderer
 
I can recommend this hotel [broken link removed]
It's outside the main tourist area but still a good locationa and it's easy to get to other parts of the city on public transport.
3/4 days is plenty in Hong Kong. If you can get to Vietnam I would highly recommend it, amazing country and gorgeous food. Impressed me much more than southern china
Things to do in Hong Kong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Tan_Buddha - this is a good half day trip
Star ferry
Evening light show on the waterfront
Markets
Macau
 
Hotels? Shan gri la is budget can do it, Langham is also great on Kowloon side. Guanghdong Wharney in Wanchai if budget is pushed.

Things to do? As above - and tram ride to Central, dim sum lunch near city hall, hiking in the new territories - Kadoorie farm. A walk around Mongkok - for the sheer energy and bustle of HK, a foot massage and dessert afterwards.

Side trips? Vietnam, Cambodia, Seoul or Pusan.

Oh, feeling very nostalgic now. Bon Voyage!
 
another recommendation for langham place, great hotel and usually great deals available. the metro is right outside the door so very handy for getting into the centre.
 
Depends on your budget for hotels in Hong Kong.We stayed in the Largos hotel just off Nathan Road, the nearest MTR subway station is Jordan station just around the corner. Small rooms but clean, good location and value for money.

Things to do:
Visit the peak day and night

Star ferry

Nightlife in Central

Go to Macau. Try and stay a night in the venetian hotel http://www.venetianmacao.com/en

Visit Shenzhen, just north of HK. Just to say you were in mainland China as technically Hong Kong is not considered part of China.

Check [broken link removed] for gigs you might be able catch while you are there. We saw Linkin Park in concert while there.

If you have kids (or to satify the kid in you) check out the theme parks, Ocean park which has a cool cable car ride and Disney land.

Victoria and Kowloon park

That's all I can think of for now
 
We stayed in the Marriot on the Hong Kong side, got it on Priceline for $100 US a night. Nearest MTR is directly under the hotel so really really handy.

Disney in HK is tiny, you'll do the entire thing in a couple of hours. It's about half the price of the other DLs with good reason. Disney merchandise is really cheap there compared to other places. It's worth a trip to Disney for the train alone...you'll see ;)

The Cable car and Big Buddha in Langtau is worth a visit, you could combine it with a Disney trip. Skip the outlets in Langtau, they're tiny and not very good.

Victoria Peak is great for a good view of HK, and if you're a literary person, then the noonday gun is worth a visit.

Macau is the Vegas of Asia, entertaining!! Shenzen is crowded and doesn't feel the safest of places, have a look over at the Shenzen forum on tripadvisor to see if you like the sound of it.

One thing to bear in mind in HK and if you venture to Macau or Shenzen is that mainland Chinese people do not have the same personal space issue/consideration that we would have, or the HK people who lived there under Britain have.

Mainland Chinese (for the most part) do not queue, they barge in. If you're on public transport they have no qualms about being in body contact. In Disney we learned to queue as wide as we could, elbows out if necessary. I also had an incident in the queue for Space Mountain where the guy behind me could not have been in more contact with me unless we were being intimate. Nothing personal or malicious, personal space is just not what they're brought up to respect. Might sound like a sweeping generalisation but it's something we noticed very early on and alot!



Vietnam is my favourite place on the planet so if you can get there for a good price from HK I would. (Flights from here start around 1k). OH and I disagree as to whether Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh is the better city to visit. HCM has a more Western feel, Hanoi is Paris meets Bangkok. My absolute favourite place is Hoi An, a coastal town that is just magic. We stayed in the Victoria resort on the outskirts of town, heaven on earth!
 
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3/4 days is plenty,
visit temple street night market in kowloon for
all your fake designer bags shirts and rolex watches etc ,
i still have my fake 'daytona' rolex from 2 years ago
its still works and still looks like an exact replica.
Disney is poor not much in terms of rides mainly kiddies
stuff,
get the train up to the peak on a clear day for spectacular views of Hong Kong.
do the star fairy accross to kong kong island a few times + the
light show on the river looking onto Hong Kong island is good at night.
bring an umbrella it can rain alot.
 
why does everyone love vietnam. i have heard that for women especially ones with blond hair it can be a nitemare. men following them down streets and staring etc. how is that fun
 
I was blonde when we were in Vietnam and never had any bad experiences there. Generally you get stared at in non touristy parts of Asia if you're pale but in fact the only place I felt intimidated was Malaysia. The Vietnamese are charming people and I never ever felt threatened or harassed.

Vietnam is beautiful because it's unspoilt by capitalism. Real Asia without Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner like in HK. It also doesn't have any of the sleaze that is inevitable in Thailand.
 
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limerick123 said:
why does everyone love vietnam. i have heard that for women especially ones with blond hair it can be a nitemare. men following them down streets and staring etc. how is that fun
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I would hate anyone to be put off going to vietnam by this comment. I spent 3 weeks in vietnam and no problems - people stare at white women but that's just curiosity. Just dress appropriately. Have had far worse hassle in Europe
 
I didn't think there would be so many responses so quickly. Many thanks for all of them. I was thinking of either Vietnam or China. Now i think it will definitely be Vietnam.

Thanks for the recommendations. Have checked out Langham Place and may try it out if i can get a good deal. I've also checked out the Victoria resort and it seems that no-one has a negative things to say recently!

wow, at least it gives me something to plan for over the next few months.
 
dereko1969 said:
another recommendation for langham place, great hotel and usually great deals available. the metro is right outside the door so very handy for getting into the centre.
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Yup I've stayed there too .. very nice hotel indeed .. a little off centre but handy for the metro and you can walk from it if you want

Great breakfast - well worth getting that included in your room rate if you can

As regards the other areas you could head to ... If you're a little adventurous mainland china is easily arranged from HK ... you can get a visa sorted out in HK very easily and there's cheap trains / lots of more expensive flights into China .. the KCR train to Guangzhou is very fast and efficient and there's plenty onward connections from Guangzhou.
 
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