Help lots of Hong Kong Questions !!

I will be in Hong Kong for the first time at Easter with my husband and 2 children aged 10 and 12.

Lots of questions for you please...

Where are the cleanest beaches so that the children can go in the sea? Do they have changing facilities?

Is it worth visiting the floating restaurants at Aberdeen? The guide books seem to say yes, but is the food terrible?

Where can I get a sampan tour round the harbour?

How much is the right price to pay for a Jade necklace in the market? Haggling brings me out in a cold sweat !!!!

Is it worth visiting the pedder building for cheap designer clothes?

Thank you for any replies, 6 weeks and counting !!

Help lots of Hong Kong Questions !!

Beaches:

I was surprised how clean the beaches are. There is an offical website for the cleaness of beaches. epd.gov.hk/epd/鈥wq_current.html

The repulse bay is great: beautiful beach, easy to reach by bus, there are changing rooms and showers.

There are 4 ';tai long wan'; beaches. The one on Sai Kung penisula is a great expericen if you want to hike and be in the nature. To get there, take a bus / minibus to the town Sai Kung, from there a taxi to the starting point of the trail. The hike takes about 2 hours. You pass a small village, and an other beach. There is a small restaurant at the beach.

An other option is to take one of the sampans from Sai Kung to one of the small islands close by.

Help lots of Hong Kong Questions !!

On Hong Kong Island all the beaches are on the south side of the island. Repulse Bay, Stanley Main Beach, Stanley St Stephens Beach, Big Wave Bay and Shek O beaches are all good sandy beaches which are kept clean. All are easily reached by bus and there are free changing facilities and showers and lifeguards are present outside the winter season. These beaches are also protected by shark nets. I%26#39;m not sure about water quality, I wouldn%26#39;t imagine it%26#39;s too good but it doesn%26#39;t people off swimming or surfing. At Easter these beaches may be busy particularly the barbecue areas.

The outlying islands, Cheung Chau and Lamma (accessible by ferry) and Lantau (ferry, MTR or bus) have some excellent beaches, some with facilities and some without and often completely deserted.

Hong Kong%26#39;s best beaches though are out in the Sai Kung East Country Park but it takes a couple of bus rides and a hike to reach them. Tai Wan, Ham Tin Wan and Sai Wan are idyllic and virtually unspoiled. It%26#39;s a good day out but probably not suitable with young kids.

I%26#39;d say the food in the Jumbo Floating Restaurant is ';average';. Aberdeen itself is not particularly attractive but it does have a busy and interesting harbour. The sampan ride around the busy harbour amongst the junks and houseboats can be interesting but if you do decide to eat at the floating restaurants you get a free ride through the harbour anyway. If you want to take the sampan ride just walk along the promenade at Aberdeen and you%26#39;ll immediately be hunted down by numerous very persistent little old ladies plying for your trade (they watch for you coming from the bridges over the main road that divides the harbour from the town centre). Always haggle for a price and for four of you don%26#39;t pay more than HK$100 for a 30 minute trip.

There are very good seafood restuarants with outdoor tables under canopies on Lamma Island by each of the ferry piers at Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Sheu Wan and it%26#39;s only a 30 minute ferry ride to either of these villages from Central Ferry Pier 4.

Restaurants at Aberdeen are seriously over-rated as with most things found in travel brochures.

The right price for a jade necklace is as much as you%26#39;re prepared to pay for something you REALLY want. Remember, REAL jade is ALWAYS cool to the touch.

The Pedder building has the names (checkout Shanghai Tang at street level) but I don%26#39;t know about cheap .. go the knock offs and most people will never know.

Thanks all for your replies.

I always like to research somewhere thoroughly before I go, but must admit I am finding HK a challenge!!!

Am really looking forward to it and can%26#39;t wait to visit the markets so prob Pedder Building can wait for another time, but am going to Shanghai Tang as visited the one on Orchard Rd Singapore and loved it.

Eaton Hotel Hong Kong

If we take the airport express train from airport to stop closest to Eaton Hotel in Nathan Road, could we walk to the hotel from there?

Thanks

Eaton Hotel Hong Kong

You cannot reasonably walk from the Airport Express to Eaton Hotel. The Kowloon station is located at the western edge of Kowloon, while Nathan Road is more towards the middle. If you want to take the Airport Express, connecting by a taxi from Kowloon station is probably the quickest yet reasonably economical way. The ride should cost around HK$30 + $5 per bag that goes in the boot.

For $33, you can take the airport bus A21 and get off near Jordan MTR station at 348 Nathan Road. The hotel is at 380 Nathan Road so it%26#39;s not too long of a walk from there.

Eaton Hotel Hong Kong

yep, we did what the above poster mentioned. On arrival we got a bus from the airport express station to the jordan mtr stop and then walked up nathan rd to the eaton hotel..took about 8-10 mins with a suitcase each, no hassle it%26#39;s all flat. On departure we got a taxi from the hotel to the airport express station which hardly cost anything in AUD terms....definately under $10 if I remember rightly, more like $6 or $7?

Eaton Hotel is good value for Aussies...there were quite a few staying there in December when we were there. Qantas has some good deals sometimes for this one, I think we paid $150 per night including the fantastic buffet breakfast where they do waffles and omlettes on order!

j.

There is a shuttle bus from the airport serving many Kowloon hotels. It cost HK$130, billed to the room, and Eaton Hotel happened to be the first stop when I took it.

The walk from Jordan MTR to the hotel isn%26#39;t too bad; its flat and the sidewalks on Nathan Road is pretty wide. But baggage could be an issue.

Ikea

Hi all!

I%26#39;m travelling to HK next week and a friend needed something from IKEA. I remember going to an IKEA branch in Mongkok several years back. I was preparing my printout of addresses in Chinese (for the cabs) for my travel next week and after checking IKEA%26#39;s website, there isnt any address for a Mongkok branch.

Is it gone/closed?!

If yes, which store is closest or most accessible if I%26#39;m staying at the Kowloon Hotel?

Ikea

You can either go to:

1. Kowloon Bay store at Telford Plaza, just take the MTR to Kowloon Bay

www.ikea.com.hk/locator/kowloonbay.html

2. Causeway Bay store at Great George Street next to the side entrance of Park Lane Hotel. You can take the MTR to Causeway Bay.

www.ikea.com.hk/locator/causeway_bay.html

Ikea

Thanks again sammy!

There si IKEA in Shatin as well, near New Town Plaza, just take off the train in Shatin Sattion and walk about 5 minutes

Thanks everyone! I finally got to check their website - so there are three branches and the warehouse.

Given the three branches - (Causeway, Shatin, Kowloon Bay), which of three is the most accessible from Kowloon Hotel - like the closest from TST and the least walk from the MTR station closest to each of these branches? (If this was a part of the Amazing Race, which branch will you choose to reach the fastest and with ease considering an MTR ride from TST and walking...)

I%26#39;m just squeezing some shopping into my brief vacation and sightseeing so I plan to do this during the store%26#39;s last two hours before closing. :o

I would say Causeway Bay is the best location because it%26#39;s in the middle of shopping heaven. Even though it%26#39;s across the harbour on the Island side, it%26#39;s not really any further than Kowloon Bay. Therefore, by going to the Causeway Bay location, you can plan nice shopping trip. I also highly recommend that you do this on a weekday when it%26#39;s much less crowded.

Thanks again Sammy!

Am flying in on Friday and as usual, TA has been a big help in planning the ';specifics'; of my travel.

Will be doing Ngong Ping upon arrival and do my regular Hong Kong shopping on Saturday and Sunday, with the planned food trips!

Thanks and Happy New Year to all!

From Beijing Airport to Harmony Hotel

Please advise how to get shuttle bus from beijing airport to harmony hotel. How long will it take, what does it cost and where is the stop to alight? Are there many bus stops along the way? Thanks

From Beijing Airport to Harmony Hotel

Bus 3 from the airport goes to Beijing Train station (last stop). From there it should only be a short walk to the hotel (if i have the right Harmony hotel). At airport arrivals go out of exit 9 (or 10?)on same level, where you%26#39;ll see ticket desk. Don%26#39;t expect to queue, put money on desk and ask for however many tickets. Tickets 18rmb per person which ever route you take. Buses are lined up (with corresponding numbers), over the road ( watch traffic coming from left) to the right. Buses will go when full. Expect about an hour journey. Don%26#39;t expect the driver to speak English. I have found a Chinese map of where the Harmony is, on elong.net, the grey area to the south east is Beijing station (check address to see this is your hotel!)

have a good trip

networking

In-country Flights - buy tickets prior to arriving in China?

Should we buy our tickets prior to arriving in China (can you even do this?)? Or should we wait until we are in China.

I expect to buy tickets from Shanghai or Hangzhuo to Guilin and from Guilin to Hong Kong.

In-country Flights - buy tickets prior to arriving in China?

From your previous posts you seem determined to visit Xian and/or Guilin. Why not do them both? Since you fly all the way across the Pacific, spend a few more days in China and you wont regret it. Air travel in China is becoming more convenient and very affordable. You can check out www.elong.com or www.ctrip.com for the domestic flights within China. They offer e-tickets. You can book with them with you credit cards. Concerned about security with your credit cards, just think how many times you%26#39;ve used it at the restaurants. Hope this helps. O yes, book before you leave, or you can take your chance after you are in China. Some hotels have business centers and they can help you get your tickets.

Rosewood Furniture

Can anyone tell me the best place to buy rosewood furniture in guangzhou, thanks

Rosewood Furniture

http://www.zitanmy.com/

This is a good factory. Their store is at Liwan District, Wen Chan Bei Rd.

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Aberdeen

Hello

What /where is Aberdeen? Why is it included in most of the tour packages I see for Hong Kong? Is it worth doing this and for how long? Thanks!

Aberdeen

It is a fishing harbour on the south side of Hong Kong Island. I guess the Jumbo Floating Restaurant has been spending a lot of money on marketing it, but their food is not particular good, the gimmick are sampan rides and chinese decoration in the restaurant, whether it worth or not depends on whether you are interested in these.

Aberdeen

wow. that was a quick response. thanks tin.

just a couple of other questions, how do i get there from Tsim Sha Tsui? and how much does it cost to take a sampan ride in Aberdeen?

thank you!!!!

If you are eating at the Jumbo, you get free sampan connection between shore and the floating restaurant. If you want to take some extra sampan ride, HK$50 is more or less a reasonable price, remember to haggle.

thanks tin! that was very helpful.

i will surely take note of your advice!

have a nice day!

Planning a 1 month stay in Hong kong would need some help

Hi

I am a Canadian planning on visiting some friend in hk

I would stay for about 1 month

So I am looking for an apartment/room were I can cook my stuff and with monthly rate not to high.

I found these two on the internet

http://www.excellent-court.com.hk/

www.ashleyapartments.com.hk/services.htm

(I already send a email to Ashleyapartment(around 16th) but still didn%26#39;t get any answer(I know its new year and I was wondering when were they going to answer me back)

And i was wondering if anyone could tell me how it is (rate,clean,safe to book with them over the internet...etc)

Before i forget my departure date would be around the 26-02-07(or close to that)...I know I am quite at the last minute but anyway...

Thank you

Planning a 1 month stay in Hong kong would need some help

Ashely apartment is nice and convenient as it is located in Tsim Sha Tsui, easy for sightseeing, and I heard that it is under rennovation, just wait one to two days and see if they reply you or you need to find another way, yes the time is quite rush now if you check in on 26th Feb

Below website also provides service apartment and you can see if they can help you, just have few more alternative ways for reference at least:

www.involvementstay.com/Accommodation.htm

Ashely apartment rate is quite high but it is clean

Macau-HK-Shenzhen

How about Macau-HK-Shenzhen trip?

Can we survive with Php30K budget for two person?

This includes:

a. MNL - MACAU via tiger airways (how much would it cost, return two-way)

b. MACAU hotel for 2 nights

c. MACAU-HK via ferry, bus, train (whichever is cheaper, how much)

d. HK Disneyland entrance fee

e. HK hotel (1 night)

f. HK-Shenzhen via ferry, bus, train (whichever is cheaper, how much)

g. Shenzhen-Macau via ferry, bus, train (whichever is cheaper)

Kindly help us also on where to stay at Macau and HK....we are looking for budget hotels.

Our entry is Macau so we dont visa (less than 20 days); how about if we are planning to cross to HK and Shenzhen,is there any visa required that I need to accomplish here in the Philippines and how much?

Travel date: March 31-April 7, 2007

Please help.....

Thanks

Macau-HK-Shenzhen

Quite difficult, estimated costs in HK dollars (approx 1 HKD = 6 PHP) -

a. around $1000 per person

c. $137 per person

d. $295 per person

f. $33 per person

Don%26#39;t need visa for HK, but Shenzhen visa fee $150 per person.

Remaining money is not enough for hotels. Hostels are normally around $300 a night. Furthermore, need some transportation costs within HK and within Macau. I don%26#39;t think it is feasible unless you get much cheaper air tickets. Haven%26#39;t mentioned about food yet !

Macau-HK-Shenzhen

Agree with Tin, budget is too low, but if ou find a way to save money, it may meet your budget.

d. goes to Ocean Park instead of Disney Land

e. stay in the resort which you can cook by yourself even., see below website

http://www.involvementstay.com/island.htm

g. bus is the cheapest.

PS: you canskip Macau or Shenzhen which may save money

how to cope with infidelity

Hong Kong honeymoon - ideas wanted for 3 days 2 nights!

We are arriving 6am in HK on April 24 (Tues), departing early evening April 26 (Thurs). This is for our honeymoon and we are staying at The Four Seasons, so we have to be careful with our money for everything else. So no fine dining for us! My future hubby has never been to HK but I lived there before the handover. I want to show him round but I am often accused of trying to fit too much in too short a time and causing sensory overload! So I am looking for a suggested itinerary, to hopefully include:

Star Ferry

Mid Levels Escalator

The Peak

A market

Anything else thats a must see (my memory is hazy) in your opinion.

Great local food

And somewhere to drink and hang out in the evening (It used to be Post/Club 97 etc but I doubt they are still around)

Please be specific with restaurant and bar names.

Thanks in advance.

Hong Kong honeymoon - ideas wanted for 3 days 2 nights!

Well, no one else is responding so here is my short do it yourself orientation tour which you can find in my reply to fenella at this post:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294217-i1496-k157鈥?/a>

Hong Kong honeymoon - ideas wanted for 3 days 2 nights!

Thanks Rob, you%26#39;re a star!

Day 1 Tuesday

Peak Tram to Victoria Peak, walk around the parklands

Madame Tusauds at the Peak

Evening Jardines bazaar market, Causeway Bay

Make way to Times Square, Causeway Bay for dinner - http://www.timessquare.com.hk/ (About 20 restaurants to choose from)

Day 2 Wednesday

Start at the Western Market and then follow this fabulous walk which takes in kitcsch markets, antiques, the mid level escalator, medicine herbal shops, Man mo Temple, SoHo - stop for drinks and a bite to eat. discoverhongkong.com/eng/鈥a_walk_walk1.jhtml

In the evening,take theStar Ferry across Victoria Harbour. You can return by the same means later. Reach the promenade as the sun sets . Stay around to watch the Symphony of Lights. Finish your evening by dining in Knutsford Terrace or neon-lit Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district. www.eatdrinkhongkong.com/knutsford.html

Day 3 Ferry to one of the outlying islands.

Dear welltravelledlady, as to your query of somewhere to hang out and have a drink,I would suggest Red Bar in IFC mall which is where the Four Seasons is situated.It is located on the terrace atop the mall and has a great outdoor area with fab harbour views.It has discounted drinks from 5.30 until 8.30 every evening. IFC mall 8 Finance st. Central.

Thanks for all your great suggestions, I will take them all on board!

Shenzhen to HKIA

I need information about transportation from Shenzhen to HK airport. There in no information about the earliest bus from Huanggang Border direct to HKIA. I think the ferry start a little late. My flight is 1030 AM. I hat to spend 1 night in very expensive HK hotel just to catch the flight. ANy information appreciated.

Shenzhen to HKIA

Hi there,

Never been to shenzhen but am going in 3 weeks. There is plenty of onfo on buses to Shenzhen from HKIA on the HKIA website....I assume they make the return trip with the same frequency.

Another way is to take train from Louhu station in Shenzhen to Kowloon Tong station in HK and then transfer by train to central, then to HKIA. Route maps available on Internet.

with such an early flight I suggest going to HKIA the day before then stay overnight in the Travellers lounge there, but you should book for this. It is great for avoiding the mad last minute rush.

Shenzhen to HKIA

Thanks BrentNZ. I was in HK last Nov. I stayed in Mongkok. The bus from Shenzhen starts/stops next to my hotel. I know it%26#39;s 24 hour business. But, I think it%26#39;s too much trouble to take this route.

I have never heard about Traveler%26#39;s Lounge in HKIA. It%26#39;s expensive?

Most likely I wil stay in Shekou for the last night and take the fast ferry. The first ferry is 0745, it should be able to catch my 1030 flight.

Thanks again.

Cafe, shopping, Bar.. Jiangnan

Hi,

I will be going to Shanghai, and then to the nearby places of Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Wuxi...

from the 18 - 25 Feb..

Can anyone please recommend some nice places to go - cafe, bar (Shanghai esp... Salsa bar)...

Huaihai road - any particular shops that I can buy almost everything?

All under one roof ..

Looking for some electronics, clothes, accessories..

Not the Branded or upper market boutique.

If I am keen also to take some nice pictures , where can I take the pictures --- Nanjing (Fuzi Miao), etc ... Bund..

I heard that message is really good in Shanghai? Any recommendation as well.

Thank you.

Wishing all the Chinese a Happy n Prosperous New Year !

Cafe, shopping, Bar.. Jiangnan

Hi,

In Shanghai get hold of the Thats Shanghai magazine or SH magazine(given free in all shops, cafes, starbucks etc) That will tell you whats happening on the particular day that you are there.

For clubbing and bars go to Tongren Lu Zappatta%26#39;s and Sashas are great. Xintiandi, PArk 97 and Barbarosa for more upmarket bars and restaurants.

Hauihai Road is great for designer knockoffs go with any of the million chinese people saying ';watch bag'; they will tale you to alleys and back lans but its safe. There is a electronic mall just behind Xintiandi ask your concierge and he will write it down in chinese and show it to a taxi driver. Remember to bargain

Nanjing is good fun go to 1912 the main bar area Fzui moa is good, great italian restaurant known as little italy.

Cafe, shopping, Bar.. Jiangnan

For Shanghai check out:

www.smartshanghai.com

For Hangzhou check out:

www.morehangzhou.com

You%26#39;ll be on your way in no time. Go to a 3-4 star hotel for a good massage. 5 star places rip you off.

Hi,

thank you guys for your help..

Your advice is very much appreciated..

Anyone of you know of a good place to take some nice shots of the

Bund area at night?

Happy Chinese New Year to you

1) On the rooftop of Peace Hotel

2) From New Heights (3 on the Bund)

3) From Pudong%26#39;s Riverside Promenade

I recommend you can see the Bund Pudong%26#39;s Riverside Promenade, esp at night!

The light makes the Bund more beautiful~!

you can see the old buildings( the Bund) and the new high buildings behind.

This mixed pic is quite good.

the Feb 18th is Spring Festival, I think you can see more traditional things :-)

Have a nice tour in Shanghai %26amp; Happy Spring Festival!

Hi all,

how to say the Bund in chinese?

Thanks.

Shanghai fantasy

English Name: the Bund

Chinese Name: wai tan

Chinese Character: 澶栨哗

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Advice on Shanghai Trip in June

I like to enquire on the following:

is June a good time to travel?

is there any MUST-GO places in Shanghai?

is there any MUST-TRY food in Shanghai?

is there any affordable hotels with good location available for a family of four?

I am planning to travel there for about five days for leisure.

Advice on Shanghai Trip in June

is June a good time to travel?

Yes! Because in this month, the weather is not very hot :-)

is there any MUST-GO places in Shanghai?

Yes!

English name: Jade Buddha Temple

Chinese name: yu fo si

Chinese character: 玉佛寺

English name:Yu Garden

Chinese name: yu yuan

Chinese character: 豫圆

English name: the Bund

Chinese name: wai tan

Chinese character: 外滩

English name: nan jing Road:

Chinese name: nan jing lu

Chinese character: 南京路

is there any MUST-TRY food in Shanghai?

Yes! Esp some local snacks!

I recommend Xiao Long Bao

is there any affordable hotels with good location available for a family of four?

Yes!

It you make online Hotel Reservation, you will get Discount Hotel Reservation!!

I can help you to make a discount hotel reservation, or you can go to http://www.elong.net/

BLCU to Wangfujing by subway?

Hi! can anyone tell me how can i reach wangfujing street by subway from blcu? like where should i go and what stations to change lines? thank you. also, around how much is blcu to wangfujing by taxi?

BLCU to Wangfujing by subway?

You could go to the Duzhongsi stop, transfer to the loop line at xizhimen towards Fuchengmen and get off at Wangfujing.

Or you might be best off just going straight to Xizhimen instead of transferring. It would be a long walk, though there must be a bus you could take.

The cost of a taxi will depend on traffic and the route, but it will probably be close to 20 RMB.

install spare clear card

trip to HK and Shen zhen

Please advise my trip plan.

me and my 2 years old son and my picky patent are visiting Hong Kong and Shen Zhen.

I booked the hotel like this

3/19~3/21 ( 3nights in Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel)

3/22~ 3/26 ( 4 nights in Landmark Shen Zhen Hotel)

my picky parent started to ask me ';don%26#39;t you think that staying 4 nights in Shen Zhen is too long?'; ';what are we going to do in shen zhen for 4days and nights?';

should I make the stay in shen Zhen shorter ? please give me good advices.

a. Low hu commercial town

b. painter%26#39;s town

c. folk village

d. window of the world

are they all good enough for 2or 3days?

trip to HK and Shen zhen

Basically staying in Shenzhen for 3 days is enough , you can visit Window of the world and Splendid China. Not too many things special in Shenzhen apart from eating and buying cheap goods

You can see some information about Shenzhen in the below website

http://www.involvementstay.com/Shenzhen.htm

Hope it helps

trip to HK and Shen zhen

vicmom, I replied in the Hakone forum since you posted there as well.

If you any other questions, I will continue to follow up this thread as it%26#39;s not appropriate to continue in the Hakone forum with this question.

Good luck.

Beijing Subway line 5

Is line 5 in operation?? I have read 4 or 5 published opening dates.If it is not operating, does anybody know when it is projected to open??

Beijing Subway line 5

Anyone in Beijing know if the new line 5 is open?? or when it will open?

Beijing Subway line 5

From the offcial news, it is estimated to start to operate in July this year.

Cheers

Thank you!!

Please comment on my itinerary

Hubby and I are having just over a fortnight in China this Christmas - we spent a couple weeks doing usual touristy things a couple of years ago and I am taking a group of high school students to Beijing, Xi%26#39;an and Shanghai in September for 13 days - so this trip needs to be different. I am also using heaps of frequent flyer points (from different airlines) so some of my destination choices are driven by potential flight planning (in case they look odd).

Sydney - Bangkok (2 nights)

Bangkok - Hong Kong - Guangzhou (flight - 2 nights)

Guangzhou - Guilin (2 nights)

Cruise to Yangshou (1 night)

Guilin - Chengdu (flight -2 nights)

Chengdu - Lhasa (flight - 3 nights)

Lhasa - Xian (train 1night + 1 night)

Xian - Guangzhou (1night)

Guangzhou - Hong Kong - Bangkok (1 night)

Bangkok - Sydney (overnight flight)

Tours are planned in Guangzhou, Guilin, Chengdu and Lhasa. We have no more time as much as I would like to extend a few of the stops.

Thoughts and suggestions welcome - including the best options for booking flights and accommodation (have used the internet extensively in the past but never for China) Thanks

Please comment on my itinerary

your plan seems good and please ask ne free if you have anyhelp !

i%26#39;m local in Zi%26#39;an.

Jeff

Please comment on my itinerary

Thanks, anyone else?

It sounds like too much travelling around, especially since you have a group of high school students in tow!

The students are travelling with me in September to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. This itinerary is for my husband and I in December (I mentioned the students to make sure you realised I had seen some of China previously and this was the next trip).

Oops sorry, guess I misread.

I think you could skip the Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo and instead do the smaller one on bamboo rafts from Yangshuo to Xingping (not sure if I remember the name of the place correctly). Would also recommend staying in Yangshuo instead of Guilin, take a look at http://www.yangers.com for reliable and up-to-date information about Yangshuo.

The train from Lhasa to Xi%26#39;an actually takes about 37 hours, did you factor that in as well?

I hope you mean you%26#39;re flying from Xi%26#39;an to Guangzhou, not taking the train. Otherwise you don%26#39;t have enough time.

Personally I would recommend to skip Lhasa for another time when you could do it more justice. You%26#39;re doing a lot of travelling around and it%26#39;s no joke if you happen to come down with altitude sickness. In which case you could do nothing but rest and then get out of Lhasa, what a waste of time, effort and money. You might want to look into substituting Jiuzhaigou for Lhasa instead, it%26#39;s possible to fly Chengdu -- Jiuzhaigou -- Xi%26#39;an.

I%26#39;d personally prefer a much slower pace--you are covering a lot of ground. But if you don%26#39;t mind a lot of time flying around and want to see those cities briefly, this is okay.

There%26#39;s nothing wrong with visiting Xi%26#39;an for a short time, but it is out of the way. I%26#39;d want more time in Guilin/Yangshuo and Lhasa.

Personally, I%26#39;d probably use this time to focus on Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and Lhasa. But then, I%26#39;ve already been to Xi%26#39;an a few times.

Xi%26#39;an is turning out to be just a stopover - somewhere to sleep because the flights don%26#39;t line up perfectly. I have already been to Xi%26#39;an previously too, and will have toured it again with the students 3 months earlier as well. It might look a bit rushed on paper, but in some places the flights arrive nice and early and we don%26#39;t depart until late and so on - but thanks for your comments. Hope it doesn%26#39;t sound like I am not considering everyone%26#39;s advice. TT

We are planning to go back to china in sept and would like to take the Li River criuse - with a 1 year old baby. How is the cruise condition? We want to fly to Guilin (might need to stay there for a night to slow the pace down), then take the cruise (along with our luagge) and stay at the Li River retreat (seems like an ideal country retreat). Is this doable? Does the cruise stop by the Li River retreat? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

can we still see the ice craving??

i and my friends are going to harbin on 23 feb and just wonder we still can see the famous ice craving in grand snow and ice world since some friends in beijing told us it%26#39;s warm winter this year and those ice craving might not in might not in good shape as the temperature is just about -5 to -18. Any one just been there and can give us the answer? Thousand thanks!

can we still see the ice craving??

I was there just a couple of days ago, and well there is a little melting evident, it%26#39;s still going strong - well worth the visit in my opinion.

Best of luck!

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Fujila Hong Kong

Be aware of the great Fujila rip off. I was on holiday there only last week and upon requesting a Sony Digital Camera i was told that this fujila is apparantly the best item on the market.

I took the camera and the same day i decided to look at the camera to check it. I then found tha camera was not what i expected which then led me to investigate the item on the internet.

I went back to the shop and attempted to get a refund the service i got was crap, and apparantly all the camera%26#39;s that i had seen before were now out of stock. I could not exchange the camera for anything apart from another camera and all of these had no prices on display.

I then had to pay extra for a sony camera which was also taken out of a box which was already open. In conclusion i would recommend you buy no electrical items from Hong Kong. They are all a bounch of thieves.

Fujila Hong Kong

Tsim Sha Tsui

TouristS Trap

Fujila Hong Kong

You%26#39;ve never heard of Fujila before, why did you still buy it before seeking a 2nd opinion?

%26gt;%26gt; In conclusion i would recommend you buy no electrical items from Hong Kong. They are all a bounch of thieves.

You did not do your homework doesn%26#39;t mean all electrical shops are scams.... not that you%26#39;ll return to post anyway.

web hosting domains

vaccinations

we are travelling to beijing, xian,shanghai and hong kong in september and october and would like to know what vaccinations are required.

vaccinations

none

vaccinations

the answer is none

Hi. This is not the information we get in Australia about travelling to these areas. Have a look at www.welltogo.com.au and decide for yourself.

My Dr. recomended Adacel and Twinrix

Certainly no vaccinations are required. Some might be recommended depending on your specific circumstances and plans.

A typical tourist travelling to these cities is not going to be exposed to many diseases. You can consider vaccinations for Hepatitis A and B.

It is always a good idea to make sure your Tetanus shot is up to date.

It is good to check various government travel health websites like Health Canada, WHO and the American CDC, then discuss with your doctor.

Be warned, many doctors glance at the list of diseases and will urge you to get shots for things that exist in China, but not in the places you are going to be. It is good to ask them to explain their recommendations.

many thanks for your advice

See traveldoctor.com.au - We%26#39;re having hep A as the bare minimum then have to decide if to have tetanus etc which are well past booster date which you should have anyway in your own country.

Advice Needed!

Hi

I%26#39;ll be in Hong Kong on business for week from 25 Feb. I%26#39;ve never been to that part of the world before and i know little about the area. I%26#39;m hoping for a little private time, so can anyone recommend any %26#39;must see%26#39; places/attractions.

Like I say, I know next to nothing about the area, so I have no idea how I should be spending my time. I%26#39;ll probably never go back so i%26#39;d like to see the sights I should seeing!

Advice Needed!

go to your local bookstore or libary, and look up some guidebooks. Probably the DK Eyewitness ';Top 10'; series will serve you well. You can read that on your flight. It%26#39;s also available at online stores like amazon.co.uk.

Advice Needed!

Hi Andyroo26,

Just returned from Hong Kong and personally the thing I enjoyed the most was visiting Lantau island and seeing the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery. We simply took the MTR to Tung Chung Station and from there you can get the Ngong Ping Skyrail it is a 5.7km long cable car that will take you to the place. It is beautiful trip.

You can read more about it here :

www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/front/index.asp鈥?/a>

Some suggestions which you can go in the evening after business:

Victoria Peak

Harbour crossing on a ferry

Nightlife at Lan Kwai Fong

Horse racing on a Wednesday evening at Happy Valley

Then some need longer time during the day:

Ngong Ping

Stanley

Ocean Park

And using our MTR metro probably is also a must see/do.

hotel in beijing

HI-

we are going to China in June , first stop in Beijing to visit our son who will be studying at Peking University. His hotel/dorm is Youliao Hotel.

We would like to find a hotel close by that will have services that cater to non-Chinese tourists. For example, we will need help to book local tours, transportation etc. Can anyone recommend a hotel close by the Youliao that fits this description? thanks.

Amy from Canada

hotel in beijing

Your son should ask around. I sure don%26#39;t know the hotels in that area.

You don%26#39;t really need a hotel that caters to non-Chinese tourists to help with arrangements for transportation nd have some English-speaking staff. You can also get around Beijing without tours, but if you really want tours, you can book tours at hotels other than the one where you are staying.

If he can%26#39;t find anything close to the university that meets your requirements, and you can afford it, you could consider the Shangri-la, since it is on that end of town. You would still need to take a taxi to Peking Unniversity, but it would be a short trip.

hotel in beijing

thank you travellevet! will check around.

Transport from Metropark Kowloon to YMCA Salisbury

We will be moving from Metropark Kowloon (on Waterloo Rd) to YMCA Salisbury at one point during our trip. I am hoping someone can advise me what%26#39;s the best mode of transport for that move? There will be 3 adults + 1 child with around 4 pcs of luggage. Each piece of luggage will vary from 22 inches to 24 inches in length.

Thanks a lot.

Transport from Metropark Kowloon to YMCA Salisbury

Simplest way is to take a taxi, and not too expensive, it is not a long ride. If luggage length + width + height is not exceeding 140 cm (about 55 inches), placing it inside the passenger cabin will not attract the luggage charge of HK$5 each.

Transport from Metropark Kowloon to YMCA Salisbury

Tin, thanks for your response. Do you know approx how much the taxi ride should be? With 4 pcs of luggage, we will need 2 taxis. Thanks.

Even with 4 pieces of luggage, one taxi can carry all of them with a half-open but secured luggage compartment lid. Cost about HK$50.

Thanks Tin. Really appreciate all of you help.

Travel on last week of April

Hi All,

I am travelling to Hongkong with my family. Total 6 person. Understand it is the peak season where hotel prices are very steep. Any service apartment that is recommended for 5 nights?

Travel on last week of April

April is high season.

Service apartment:

Ashley Apartments

Lanson Place

Harbour PLaza North Point

There are others, just do a search, I recall there were a few threads with good information recently.

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ram interrogate

Train Fare from Airport

Can anyone tell me the prices charged for children from the HK airport to HK Kowloon. What is the age eg school age, under 16 etc

Adults are about HK$90 - maybe a minibus because there are 6 off us , might workout cheaper

Thanks to all who reply

Train Fare from Airport

Child below 3 is free. Child 3-11are free using child octopus card until 28 Feb 2007, after that HK$45. Adults or child age 12 or over costs HK$90, 140, 190, 220 for 1,2,3,4 adults respectively. Now it is cheaper than what you had ecpected.

Train Fare from Airport

Thanks for that $345HK for the whole family, sounds good - do you happen to know what the taxi price (car that fits 6 + luggage) to Holiday might cost us - rough guess

Thanks

Holiday inn Golden mile - forgot to type that in

Roughly around HK$450 to hire a car to take 6 from airport. The usual taxi only takes 5.

The Airport Express has a free shuttle bus connection to Holiday Inn Golden Mile, should be a good choice.

Thanks Tin. Great work thanking you for your advise. Hey while I have your attaention. Would you travel into China via Macau (Zhuhai) or Shenzhen with 4 kids - they only want to do some cheap shopping eg dvds, cd, video games and toys. What would you suggest. We seem to be reading alot about pickpockets so on so on and with 4 young kids I want a easy trip for me....

Would love to here from you

Thanks Tin. Great work thanking you for your advise. Hey while I have your attaention. Would you travel into China via Macau (Zhuhai) or Shenzhen with 4 kids - they only want to do some cheap shopping eg dvds, cd, video games and toys. What would you suggest. We seem to be reading alot about pickpockets so on so on and with 4 young kids I want a easy trip for me....

6 people going to Shenzhen cost HK$900 on visas, not very cost effective unless you are buying very large amonut of CD or games etc.

Better to try Hong Kong%26#39;s Sham Shui Po for games, or Ladies Street for toys, DVDs can be as low as HK$20 each.

Thanks again - you have been wonderful. What shopping place should we hit in Macau....Where should we take the kids for the day in Macau - Colone seems nice or maybe we should just go to Tamma Island ????

taipo_babe, any suggestions ?

Help from the experts of Beijing please...

We just found out that we will be on our own with a tour group on the first day when we land in Beijing. We will be there around 1:00 pm and will be looking for places to go and eat. The problem is that our hotel, Loong Palace Hotel is near the 5th ring on the Beijing map. Are there any recommendations for

1. site seeing places, we wil be going to the major places the following three days so something around the area would be great (malls will be fine too).

2. A good restaurant (best food for the price) for a group of 30 plus people to eat that day near the location of the hotel (don%26#39;t want to spend a fortune inside the hotel).

Address: Huilongguan, Changping District, Beijing, 102208

Thanks for any help or comments.

Help from the experts of Beijing please...

Changping distrcit is not a urban part of the city of Beijing. Why choose that area%26#39;s hotel?

Help from the experts of Beijing please...

Our hotels are set for Beijing through the tour agency. We have no choices on the locations, but we can always move around :-). Thanks for any suggestions again.

Honestly, I request that the travel agency or hotel help set something up. That is suburban and it isn%26#39;t go to be easy to arrange things for a group that size in that area on your own. You may need a bus!

On the plus side, the hotel restaurant might not be as overpriced as those in the city would be. There might be some restaurants around big enough for the group, but ordering could be interesting if no one speaks Chinese.

There%26#39;s probably no worthwhile shopping in the area.

Chanping is near to the Great Wall. There is an aviation museum--but I know nothing about it.

If you have transportation, you might want to go into town and check out the silk market, or explore the Houhai area. You%26#39;d want reservations for a restaurant with a group that size.

Transportation from Zhuhai airport to Macau

I plan to catch an Air Asia flight from Macau to Kuala Lumpur this June and will be flying into Zhuhai Airport. Can anyone recommend the most convenient way to get from Zhuhai Airport to Macau Airport? I have searched around, but couldn%26#39;t get any straight answers!

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Asiaviaje

Transportation from Zhuhai airport to Macau

FYI the name of ZH airport is very misleading, it is a solid one hour drive to ZH city and Gongbei boarder, through immigration to Macau, then take a taxi, or bus to Macau airport.

HK Professional Camera Shop

Hi Again,

I saw the other post about the person buying a ';Fuji'; camera. Can you advise me of reputable camera shops in HK? I%26#39;m not looking for tourist-type shops. My wife is a professional photogrpaher and is looking for Nikon and other professional grade equipment. She knows the fakes from the real stuff

Thanks in advance.

Dave

HK Professional Camera Shop

Stanley Street in Central district is the street full of professional camera shops. Within walking distance from Royal Plaza is a camera shop selling professional equipments known as Wing Shing (57 Sai Yeung Choi Street South).

HK Professional Camera Shop

The obvious places are Man Shing and Wing Shing, both within a few minutes walk of Mongkok MTR. If your needs are a bit more specialised (large format, panoramic) then try Tin Cheung on Carnarvon Road, just off Nathan Road in TST.

Thanks again!

Rough price for lunch at the The Peak Restaurant

Hi there, we are putting together a bridal registry where guests have the option to pay for ';experiences'; on our honeymoon. Thought lunch at the Peak Restaurant would be nice. Its been ages since I ate there - would anyone be able to give me a rough idea how much it would cost to eat there for 2, with a couple of drinks included? Cheers!

Rough price for lunch at the The Peak Restaurant

Well, here is the website:

www.peaklookout.com.hk/res_speciality.htm

and here is the price range:

frommers.com/destinations/…D44674.html

where the following details are provided,

Cuisine: International

Hours: Mon-Thurs 10:30am-11:30pm; Fri 10:30am-1am; Sat 8:30am-1am; Sun 8:30am-11:30pm

Address: 121 Peak Rd

Location: Victoria Peak, Victoria Peak

Transportation: Peak tram

Reservations: Reservations required for dinner and all weekend meals

Phone: 852/2849 1000

Prices: Main courses HK$125-HK$238 (US$16-US$31)

Credit Cards: AE, DC, MC, V

Rough price for lunch at the The Peak Restaurant

I don%26#39;t believe they have a lunch menu although they do have a breakfast menu with items such as Eggs Benedict at around HK$100. Assuming you dine on simpler fares for lunch, expect the cost to be around HK$200 to $250 per head.

Dear welltravelledlady, just thought I would let you know about Pearl at the Peak (yes it is owned by same group who own Pearl here in Melbourne). It has been open only a few months and the food and the view are fabulous.I was in Hong Kong last week and celebrated my birthday there.It was pretty special.I would suggest that you ask for $100 or $150 Aust so you can have some champagne.All the best.

Dear welltravelledlady, just noticed your previous post re having to be carefull with money so perhaps Pearl at the Peak may not be suitable. Do you mean the Peak cafe or did you mean Cafe Deco at the Peak? I would suggest you have brunch at Cafe Deco that way you can combine the two meals and get to see the fabulous view . There has been a $30 million hk renovation of the Peak Tower. You may wish to book as I beleive the brunch has become very popular.

Hi there, yes I meant Peak Cafe although I have eaten at Cafe Deco as well....thanks for pointing that out, I just realised my mistake when I couldn%26#39;t find it in the search! Wow, thanks for your great ideas, we will certainly consider both of them. I have never eaten at Pearl in Melbourne, but by the sounds of it if we could get away with A$150 we%26#39;d be doing very well!

just wanted to point out that the Peak Cafe is now called the Peak Lookout restaurant. That may help your search. There is a Peak Cafe somewhere in central (go figure) run by the original people from the Peak Cafe at the Peak,if you get my drift. Hope this helps.

conditions and marriage

Octopus Card

Me and the other half are going to Hong Kong for 4 nights next week. On reading the forum people are in favour of getting an Octopus Card to get around, how much would I have to roughly pay for a card for the duration.

Octopus Card

An octopus card is HK$150, which has HK$100 credit and HK$50 refundable deposiit. You need one card per person for transport payments. For 4 nights, I think add an extra HK$50 to each card. Further add can done at any MTR station or convienence store.

Octopus Card

Many thanks for that.

At the airport you can get octopus cards designed for tourists ie: for $300 you get a return trip on the airport express, 3 days unlimited mtr use and another $20 you can use for other stuff ie: buses, trams, mcdonalds etc. I think you can add more money to it if you want to. I think you might get a refund when you return it. I%26#39;m sure that even if you stay longer than 3 days and even if you use up all the money the second half of the airport express hourney is still valid. Octopus is such a great invention - you don%26#39;t even have to take it out of your bag for it to work.

The tourist octopus no longer contains the HK$20 credit.

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Li River Retreat hotel

Looking at yangers.com, there is a brand new hotel Li River Retreat. The photos look so beautiful, 20 min walk to Yangshou. Any comment about this hotel and its location? Other posters recommend Magnolia hotel. I can%26#39;t find the price list for Magnolia. Li River Retreat lowest price for standard room is 198RMB. Is Magnolia in the same price range?

Li River Retreat hotel

Magnolia is also usually around 200 RMB. However, expect prices to rise drastically for the Oct holiday week!

Li River Retreat hotel

We paid 350yuan in July for a ';Double Deluxe'; room (Big room with king bed and a balcony with chairs / table and a decent view) at the Magnolia (3 Nights). Like previous posters, found the hotel to be immaculately clean, with nice furniture (couch, big chair, coffee table, TV - never turned it on!), internet in the lobby and great AirCon. Nice touches with the bathrooms / fixtures. Bunch of bananas in a basket every day. But no need to spend an extra 150Yuan for the big bed, you%26#39;re not gonna spend too much time in your hotel in Yangshuo.

We walked the 2KM (about a half hour) or so North along the river the first late afternoon we were there. Either we didn%26#39;t go far enough or we missed noticing the Li River Retreat as we were looking toward the river most of the time. The views certainly are stunning from that yangers link.

Seems like a trade off of view vs. location (Magnolia a block off West St. while they say the Retreat is 2KM or 20Min from town?) Anyone stayed at the Li River Retreat yet or been by it? I would certainly recommend the Magnolia to anyone. The hotel owner Alf is a really nice guy. I believe he maintains the yangers.com site.

And Ellyse, those prices really do spike drastically for the Oct 1 start of the holiday! I just took a look at the Li River Retreat on-line standard rates Sept 30 = 198Y while the next day (Oct 1) is 350Y. Over 75% price increase!

Hi,

The Li River Retreat is looking very good. I am sure it will have a very good reputation very soon

Firstly, I have to say that the arrival of the Magnolia Hotel was a great thing for Yangshuo. Finally we had a hotel that was really nice without being very expensive. It is still one of the very best choices in Yangshuo

The New Li River Retreat is designed on the Magnolia. Clean rooms, big and clean bathrooms.

The main difference is the location. The Magnolia is in the center of Yangshuo and the Li River Retreat is in the countryside

My suggestion to visitors is to stay in either one of these depending on their location preference. Prefer to be in town? then stay at the Magnolia. Prefer the countryside? Then stay at the Li River Retreat.

The Li River Retreat has just opened up, so I would expect a few teething problems for a while but I am sure the owners will be quick to fix these

Happy travels

Ooh, hi there Alf (yangers)! :) Nice to see you here too.

BTW, if anyone is wondering, Alf (yangers) is the manager of Buffalo Bar and Guesthouse just off West Street in Yangshuo, and I had the pleasure and honour of meeting him there in September, not too long ago.

Hi Ellyse,

when are you coming back to Yangshuo?

The Li River Retreat is very nice. I had dinner there a couple of days ago and it was so relaxing. A very nice break from West Street

I recommend it highly to anyone

As a side note, as Ellyse has mentioned, I do run the yangers.com site. Please feel free to send me any new info you think I should add to the website. My email address is info@yangers.com

Cheers

Alf

Not sure, but I might be heading back sometime in late Jan, or anytime in Feb, perhaps with some friends. It%26#39;d be nice to see you again! :) As a side note, what will the Longji rice terraces be like then? I really want to see those!

The Rice terraces are always nice.

In Winter there will be nothing growing on the terraces. If you are lucky, you might get them covered with snow. Most guesthouses have very basic heating, so you would need lots of warm clothing.

Not many visitors will be up there

Cheers

Alf

I missed the rice terraces my first trip in Yangshuo, one of the many reasons I%26#39;ll be back :) How are travelers finding the overnight bus to Yangshuo from Guangzhou these days? How%26#39;s the road? Still about an 8 hour bus ride?

The bus trip is taking about 10 hours now. There are plenty of road works along the way. Its still a bit bumpy in sections, but still more convinient than the train to Guilin

Macau or Lantau

I am due to spend a few days/nights in HK during May. I have many things lined up to keep me occupied for the duration of my stay but I am considerring a trip to either Macau or Lantau (or maybe both if worthwhile).

Can anybody offer any advice on what each has to offer, which one of the two we should see or any other tips that might help me make a decision.

Macau or Lantau

hi,

just come back from hong kong after spending 10 days/nights there. went to Lantau and macau. Lantau has the cable car and the big buddha and is easily reached by the MTR from kowloon or hong kong island. It will take about 6 hours to get there, go up the cable car, walk to the buddha and visit the monastary and return. All of which you can do yourself for very little cost. It was a great day out. For Macau we took a tour and it took all day ie 12 hours,but it is also well worth it. It was a great tour. everything was arranged, lunch, transport etc. cost was 660 hkds. if your only there for a couple of days maybe you wont want to take up a whole day on 1 trip but you will have to decide,

cheers,

westozman

Macau or Lantau

Ok, both involve a ferry trip. That%26#39;s the similiaity!

Try to avoid doing either of these activities on the weekend.

Macau is very interesting and totally different to HK. Macau still has beautiful remnants of the past European culture in terms of architecture and food.The city centre aroundthe Largo de Senado is just fantastic. A visit to the impressive macau Tower is worthwhile for sweeping views and a modern fix.

Macau is very steep in parts and you really do need car transport to get around. It is also split into 3 islands and on a day trip you may only have time to cover the main island itself. When you arrive at the Macau Ferry terminal you will find local tour operator offices at the wharf i and they can offer you a 3 hour orientation tour which will probably take you to one of the hills, a temple, Macau Tower and then the main Largo de Senado sqaure. I recommend you do this and don%26#39;t try to walk up the hills as you will waste too much time.

You could also visit a casino and Fisherman%26#39;s wharf. Enjoy a Portuguese lunch. You could go to Pousada de Sao Tiago Hotel for lunch and a view on the terrace( Cafe da Barra )

Lantau Island offers the new cable car which goes for about half an hour over very picturesque hills - so lots of greenery to see. After the cable car you get out at the Ngong Ping village - which is virtually brand new but well done and has some character. You can eat here as there numerous restaurants. From here you can walk to the Big Buddha and the Po lin monastery (fairly ordinary). Some people then venture onto the Tai O fishing village. If you want to include the fishing viallge you may want to book a tour to Lantau because I found transport there not so good - the bus timetable was not particularly helpful with long intervals between buses. So if you have to see the Tai O fishing village or any other sight located away from the Ngong Ping village then do a tour otherwise you can just do the cable car, the village, the monastery and the buddha on your own.

Try to include both of these day tours on your trip. They are totally different and both are worthwhile.

We%26#39;re going to HK for 4 nights (although it%26#39;s over 5 days because of flight times) and we%26#39;ve booked both Lantau and Macau trips as we think they are must sees.

We booked the Macau privately as we didn%26#39;t want to be stuck with a large group but Lantau it seemed we had too!

Cheers

Thanks for all the advice. I look forward to it.

Please help KATETAM :):):)

Hello Katetam,

How are you? I%26#39;m here once again asking for your advice. I would like to ask for your opinion about hotels in Hong Kong. When we were there a few years ago, we stayed at Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel. It was in great location and ok overall. We are planning to try other hotels so what would be the good choices. I know that Langham Place is a good one but what other hotels you would recommend. Preferably those conveniently located nearby the MTR stations so it%26#39;s not too much of a hassle and effort to walk back and forth to the hotel and those that have the same or almost the same star rating and value like the Langham Place.

Please recommend some good but cheap places to eat and designer shops that have good sales all year round.

Thank you Katetam, you are truly a gem for Trip Advisor!

Please help KATETAM :):):)

Hi frizz18, nice to hear you are planning to come back again!

A convenient hotel near MTR that is good...... Langham Place right now is the top choice. Other hotels you might want to consider, Sheraton (sometimes, they have good prices).

YMCA Salisbury is a good one, but not luxurious or anything.

On the Kowloon side, really just the Sheraton is the best near MTR if not the Langham Place.

Other good hotels but NOT so near MTR, Renaissance Kowloon, Kowloon Shangri-la, Royal Plaza, and don%26#39;t know when you are coming..... Hotel Panorama is opening, and the newly refurbished Luxe Manor (used to be Knutsford Hotel)

Cheap places to eat : are you talking about cafes? or desserts? or dim sums? or noodles?

Designer shops- good sales....you would have to go to factory outlets. Do a search in here, tons of information.

Good luck!

Please help KATETAM :):):)

Hi Kate

Can you please give me a rough guide as to where the renaissance Kowloon is located

Thanks a million

Hi Princess Sharon,

Renaissance Kowloon (formerly the New Renaissance Hotel) is situated at the New World shopping Center, (connected actually), and next to the Intercontinental (former Regent).

It%26#39;s not going to be your cup of tea though ... b/c I know you are a big fan of the island shangri-la.

Renaissance Kowloon is a good hotel for 4 star hotel seekers, and b/c their beds are super comfy, decent size rooms, excellent chinese restaurant (Dynasty), and the prices are always very reasonable. That%26#39;s why I always recommend it for those who want a good hotel with affordable prices.

My friends stayed there with 2 adults and a toddler, they said the service was excellent, and the bed was super comfortable. They paid $ 850 HKD a night during May which in my opinion is a great price.

The hotel is just across the Sheraton (diagonally).... there is a underground tunnel/walkway now that gets you to Nathan Road, where the Peninsula/Kowloon hotel is, connected to KCR East station. You can also access Sogo from the walkway too.

The hotel is also connected to a quiet shopping center..... with some basic shops, and dining options.

Hello Katetam!

Thank you very much for your advise. Yes, with regards with the food, I would like to know where are good but cheap places to eat for dimsums, desserts, noodles, lunch and a like.

Any info too where to get laundry done around Kowloon area?

Thanks a million!!!

Food - where to eat?

We%26#39;ve got 4.5 full days in HK

We%26#39;ve got breakfast at our hotel.

We%26#39;d like to eat at nice places with good food (a mixture of tastes (anything really), but everywhere I seem to search the prices are WAY over what I%26#39;d think was a nice meal.

We spend around 拢70 on food and 拢35 on wine for 2 people at home for a %26#39;luxury%26#39; night out. (But we come from the poor North!)

We want some suggestions of place to get a good meal (starter/main) for the above price as well as some cheaper (拢30 for 2 people) places to eat over the 5 days.

I don%26#39;t think I understood what I just typed, so if you do and can help Thanks

Chris

Food - where to eat?

When you arrive in Hong Kong, there are a bunch of little books on a stand at the airport. Grab them and they will give you lots of options. All good places to eat just depending on what you%26#39;re looking for.

Food - where to eat?

If you are talking about 拢70 on food and 拢35 on wine for 2 people, your budget is quite enough to go to some of the nicest places already. 拢1 is HK$15 right now so your budget is really enough for most of the pricey restaurants at 5-star hotels.

I was thinking this, but a steak at the intercontinental is $700HK, which x2 and including a starter going into 拢100s!!!

Thanks for your advice

yeah but why would you bother with a steak at the intercontinental!

When there are so many better chinese, cantonese and local places to eat at a fraction of the cost!!

We%26#39;re visiting China for over a month...sometimes it%26#39;s nice to have a change, as I think we%26#39;ll be having plenty of chinese food.

I won%26#39;t be eating at the IC as it is way too much, and I will eat at cheaper places, I was just slightly worried that food was rather expensive in HK.

Actually, not ALL steaks at the Intercontinental Steakhouse cost HK$700 a piece. Having been there several times for business dinners, here is what I think the cost breakdown looksl like:

Starters: $80-160 (the buffet salad bar is the best choice)

Steak: $500-600 (chicken dish around $300+, Australian steaks $300+, US beef $500-600, Australian Wagyu beef $700)

Side dish: $80

Dessert: $90 (one is enough to feed several people)

Drinks: $60

10% service charge (mandatory at almost all restaurants in HK)

Wine can be $400 a bottle up to thousands.

A slightly less expensive steak option is the American chain Ruth%26#39;s Chris. You can probably expect to pay around $700 per head for the whole meal.

Mistral at the Intercontinetal Grand Stanford Hotel is a pretty good Italian restaurant. Around $600 per head.

Swiss Chalet at Pratt Avenue has great Swiss food and has a real Swiss owner and a relaxed atmosphere. $300-400 per head. For a higher end but still good value Swiss experience, try Chesa at the Peninsula Hotel.

One of my favorite Italian places is Grappas at the Pacific Place at Admiralty. The pasta and the meat dishes are very good. Around HK$300 per head.

For simple fares, the Canadian burger chain, Triple O%26#39;s, is located at Harbour City on Canton Road, near Citysuper, or at the basement of Pacific Place Admiralty, or at the Exchange Square Mezzanine right next to the IFC.

Or you can just walk around Soho and Lan Kwai Fong and find a restaurant you like. $300-$400 per person can get you a good meal there.

Your budget will allow you to eat well in HK, including at most upscale reataurants. All you need to do is avoid the sections of the menu that are more about ';giving face'; than giving flavour - birds nest, sharks fin, Kobe beef, Chateau Petrus....

You%26#39;re from the UK so it%26#39;s difficult to imagine that eating out in HK won%26#39;t appear reasonably priced. London restaurants charge way more than their HK equivalents.

Try the Cafe D Coral chain a good steak, rice, some veges and a glass of coke HK$30 a head (or was it HK$35). For up to HK$1500 for a meal for 2 people you will have an unlimited choice available for one of the best things about Hong Kong is the selection of restaurants available.

Thanks,

That list looks good, I%26#39;ll take it with me!

Cheers

Actually, even though Cafe de Coral is cheap, and I eat there a bit too often myself, I wouldn%26#39;t recommend someone to fly thousands of miles to eat there. It%26#39;s really just basic HK-style fast food, and you can get a more authentic, though not necessarily better tasting, experience at a Chinese Tea Cafe.

Do try the HK style milk tea though just for fun as it%26#39;s only $5 between 2 to 6 pm at Cafe de Coral.

how to deal with ex

More questions about HK stay

I would appreciate it if anybody can offer any advice.

1) I have read about booking through hotel consolidators. What are some good ones? I am already aware of ratestogo.com and hotelclub.com, wotif.com. and expedia. Do people find it cheaper to book well in advance or wait for last minute specials?

2) Katetam has recommended Ashley Apartments a number of times. Has anybody actually stayed there because I don%26#39;t see any reviews or information here on tripadvisor.

3) Katetam also said Ramada Hong Kong is in a ';unique'; (I think that is the word she used) area. Can Katetam or anybody else elaborate? I just read that the Wharney hotel is in the middle of a red light district so I want to make sure I don%26#39;t choose a hotel like that.

4) My top 3 choices so far are Ashley Apartments, Ramada Hong Kong, and Royal Plaza in that order with regard to price within our budget, location, and quality. Katetam is right, it looks like April is a fairly expensive time to visit HK in terms of accomodations.

Thanks for responding and I am sure I will have other questions.

I usually find it useful to know how old a hotel is. I have found http://www.hotelhk.com/ (hopefully the info there is correct) to be a good source of such information. Just click on the hotel you are interested in.

Happy Chinese New Year to all Chinese readers.

More questions about HK stay

Ashley Apartments said they are targeting to FINISH renovations by end of Maych 2007. Right now, they will take 1-2 nights stay until March 2007.

After March 2007, they will accept bookings for monthly stays.

Ashley Apartments is NOT the same as a ';hotel';.

Therefore, depending on your needs, it%26#39;s hard to say between Ashley Apartments, vs. Royal Plaza or Ramada.

Wharney hotel is ';so-so';. My aunt works there as a manager..... it%26#39;s ALRIGHT, it%26#39;s smack in the Wan Chai district, with lots of bars and pubs, and clubs.....

Between Ramada and RP, I would choose RP for sure.

Ashley Apartments is going to be brand newly renovated... should be nice, and its location is unbeatable for convenience and dining options.

More questions about HK stay

I%26#39;m headed to HK next week. I booked my room at the Royal Plaza through their web site. They had some early booking deals that were better than any of the other sites that I checked out.

Thanks for that info Katetam. I should double check with Ashley that their renovations will be done by the time I am in HK.

Surprised they are renovating as the place is only about 4 yrs old if that site I posted is correct. Wonder what renovations they are doing. Ashley Apartments seems to be a tall thin building. I think I read some where that it only has 2 or 3 suites per floor.

Can anybody elaborate on Ramada Hong Kong%26#39;s location?

If you KNOW HK island... then it would have meaning to explain to you what the area is like... but if you are not familiar... then it%26#39;s hard to say.

basically it%26#39;s in Sheung Wan area...this area is an old area... with streets of shops that sells dried seafood products like Dried scallops, dried gizzards, dried fish...bird%26#39;s nest, etc. Shops and Shops of these..... very narrow streets, and tiny restaurants with specialty foods. herbal shops.... it%26#39;s not near the MTR station.... you have to take trams or Bus. Or it%26#39;s at least a 20 minutes walk.

Nearby areas, Kennedy Town, Po Fu Lam....

Hope this helps.

Hi speedyG,

My wife and I stayed at Ramada in November. This was our second trip to Hong Kong, we stayed in Kowloon on our first trip. The reason we chose the Ramada Hong Kong Island was more to do with our budget than location as we wanted a good hotel that had cheap rates but good quality rooms. We knew that Hong Kong was relatively small and the transport system second to none so no matter where the hotel was getting from A to B would be easy.

After trawling through loads of travel sites we narrowed it down to the Ramada and booked.

When we arrived I could not believe my luck, a beautiful modern room for 拢50 a night just because it%26#39;s a little bit out of the way.

As for the area we loved it%26#39;s great little restaurants and very friendly locals. It was a pleasure staying in this area, authentic Hong Kong.

But the best bit was the 10 minute 2HKD tram ride to central that stopped right outside the hotel door, a fantastic way to travel and so easy. Also the hotel has a free shuttle bus that takes guests to and from the IFC mall several times a day but this was not as much fun as the tram.

Yes the Ramada is in an old part of town but the area has great atmosphere and good restaurants that we ate in daily . I will be staying at the Ramada on our next visit and would recommend it to anyone.

hi

1) sometimes - if you have a specific one in mind they%26#39;re quite good

2)no idea sorry

3) when people say red light - its not like red light anywhere else - its wan chai - not hk%26#39;s best but perfectly safe etc

dont know what youer budget is but if its warney standards try also langham place (not langhams) which often has special deals (in in mongkok)

april is usually expensive sorry - its trade show time of year so many hotels are booked out by business%26#39; - you should still find somewhere pleasant though

enjoy

Hotel help.... Nikko or Langham Place

Opinions please on which of these hotels to go for......

Have been offered a similar rate for executive floor at both of these hotels and finding it hard to decide which to plump for.

Harbourview room at the Nikko with a clear view or club exec. at Langham Place 35+ floors up with partial harbourview.

I know that Langham Place is in Mongkok but don%26#39;t have a problem with this as it is excellently placed for both markets and public transport.

Has anybody by any chance stayed at or visited both of these properties? Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hotel help.... Nikko or Langham Place

Langham PLace wins by a mile. Nikko%26#39;s rooms size might be bigger in general, but if you are getting exec rooms in Langham, it%26#39;s already better.

Don%26#39;t expect harbourview at the Langham Place.

Nikko hotel%26#39;s harbourview isn%26#39;t to die for anyways.

Nikko hotel%26#39;s location is not that great... it%26#39;s the furthest at the end of TST east. It%26#39;s at least a 15 minute-20 minute walk to the nearest MTR station. KCR station, it might be easier to walk up Hung Hom KCR station... about 15 minutes too.

You will like the Langham Place. Superb Service, excellent restaurants, and modern and very new hotel with excellent tranportation nearby.

Hotel help.... Nikko or Langham Place

Thanks for your reply......

I%26#39;m not overly bothered about the size of the rooms or the views from the windows, however I do appreciate your comments about the location of the Nikko. It is much more important to me to be close to an MTR station.

If anybody has any experience of the exec club service at the Langham it would be appreciated.

Hung Hom KCR is actually less than 10 minutes from KCR, but it is indeed a good 15 minutes from the MTR. The hotel isn%26#39;t particularly exciting, and the harbourview from that side is not as good as from the western side of Tsim Sha Tsui. Given your requirement, Langham Place is indeed the better choice.

Ah...I meant Hung Hom KCR is less than 10 minutes from the Nikko, but that%26#39;s only convenient if you want to go to China or Kowloon Tong.

Exec club in the Langham? You%26#39;ll be treated like a King or Queen, depending on whatever you are rocialle.

These people more than go the extra mile, they remember what you eat for breakfast.....

can%26#39;t say good enough about the Langham, Nikko is just too inconvenient.

Hotel Nikko is actually very close to KCR Kung Hom, BUT, you need to know the way to walk up there..... that%26#39;s why I say 15 minutes or so b/c it can be tricky if you don%26#39;t know the shortest route. Most people would just follow the harbourside road to get up there...

Thanks for all of your advice and comments.

I have booked Langham Place.

langham place is lovely - also fab pool would defo recommend

have stayed at some amazing hotels in hk but this was actually my favourite

enjoy!

cartridge

Dinners in Hong Kong

We will be staying in Hong Kong for five nights. Our travel agent has recommended dinners at Indochine, Isola, Felix and Spoon. From the posts I read these are all VERY expensive places to eat. We are more casual diners. Are these restaurants worth the money? Can you recommend some nice, more casual places to eat? If we were to go to one nice dinner, which of the above restaurants do you recommend? Thanks so much for your input. By the way, we%26#39;re staying at the Four Seasons.

Dinners in Hong Kong

If you stay at the Four Seasons, which means that you are ind of wealthy, I recommend you to have the dinner in IFC (near Four season). All reastaurant is great

Dinners in Hong Kong

Isola (IFC): aside from the service which is spotty, it is actually worth the money for lunch. For HK$220, you get a good antipasto bar buffet, a main dish, mini-dessert buffet, and coffee/tea. The food is quite good and there is a nice view of the harbour as well.

Felix (Peninsula Hotel): Don%26#39;t go there for food since it%26#39;s just so-so. It%26#39;s ok for a drink. If you dine there, expect HK$500 per head.

Spoon (Intercontinental Hotel): This is the Alain Ducasse Michelin star restaurant. The food is served in a similar style to Tetsuya (Sydney) or also similar to the TV show ';Made to Order'; from Canada. Overall, I think it%26#39;s overrated by quite a bit. It%26#39;s not that anything wasbad, but at the same time, nothing was particularly good other than the presentaiton. Items just taste bland. Expect to pay $800-1,000 per head.

Indochinee: I have not been to that one.

Other places I can recommend:

Steak: Intercontinental Hotel Steak House

Chinese: Dynasty at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel

Italian: Grappa%26#39;s at Pacific Place

We ate out right on the waterfront on the walk of stars with a great view over to the island at a place I think called %26#39;blues on the bay%26#39; the food was excellent and in total with beers and 2 courses it was around £25 a head so not stupidly expensive and a great view.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I guess I%26#39;m not so concerned about the price of the restaurants suggested to us, just the fact that would be too formal or stuffy. We truly prefer a more casual dining style. Any of your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Try this link and find out what is available close to where you are staying. SoHO is an area renowned for its restaurant variety too

www.hongkongfoodguide.com/eng/index.shtml

Having spent many long holidays in Hong Kong over the past 20 years and being extremely interested in food I believe that the pricier restaurants are rarely if ever worth the cost and the effort of dealing with the formality which is involved.

If you are keen on eating local food then I strongly recommend that you try some of the ';hole in the wall'; noodle shops; most of them have in the window either a vat of steaming broth and innards or a few roasted ducks and geese, plus bowls of noodles and greens. Don%26#39;t be intimidated - you will be warmly welcomed, and there is usually an English language menu somewhere or someone who speaks enough English to help you. The food will be very cheap (about US$5 for a plate of noodles, some greens and a bowl of soup) and very good, sometimes truly excellent.

There are excellent food courts in the major malls and they offer a very high standard of food at very little cost.

Go to one of the branches of Mak%26#39;s Noodles (there is one in Wellington St HK Island and one in the Macau ferry terminal in Kowloon) and have a bowl of brisket broth with prawn wontons. There are many other excellent wonton specialists - if you search this forum you should find a few posts with details.

Eating in this way is much more fun than being stuck somewhere pretentious eating mediocre international food at enormous cost.

Indochine is one of my favourite restaurants in Lan Kwai FongDo make sure that you have reservations for dinner

Have the hotel concierge do it for you. We stayed at Island shang and had them do it for us. I saw the difference. The service provided to us was much better than to the other table.

The food is excellent and so is the dessert

Simply love the mandarin sorbet that comes set in the mandarin orange

Do give Indochine a try (hope you like vietnamese cuisine)

We have dined at indochine a couple of times (asian fusion) and loved it.It is in Lan Kwai Fong so you will be able to take in the atmosphere and see that there is plenty of casual dining in that area. You may wish to go back and eat at one of the more casual restuarants on another evening. The Four Seasons is attached to the IFC mall and there is lots of restuarants in there to choose from for more casual dining.

Thank you all for your help with dining suggestions. I have printed out your responses and will take them with me on vacation. You never let me down when I have travel questions. Thanks again.

hi would recommend the following - all pretty casual with exception of aqua which is funky and verbenet which is a little stuffy

top end

- aqua (1 peking road - kow) expensive sushi, but fabuulous, also does pasta, amazing views

- verbenet - LKF - italien

- toots @ excelcior hotel - fab views on top floor, steak is great

mid -

lux - LKF contemporary

woolomaloo LKF - australian - great steaks

Habitu - just by the pier, kow - italian with hk twist

boca - tapas - soho

jaspas - mexican / italian - soho

just random - !

Finds - LKF - finish food nothing quite like it!

yum yum yum enjoy!

Sapphires

Can anyone recommend anywhere to purchase sapphires in Hong Kong. I am going up in March 2007.

Thanks

Sapphires

only purchase sapphires in asia if you know what you are doing. the best place in the region is myanmar (burma) - they have the best natural stones. you need to be aware that a huge percentage of the stones you will see are either synthetic or heat treated (they take cheap poor qaulity stones and chemically heat treat them to change the colour). if a stone is synthetic or heat treated it greatly reduces the value.

if you are not experienced with sapphires then I would only buy from the big retailers (and even then there is no guarantee of authenticity).

if you want a good deal on natural sapphires I would skip asia and head to the queensland gem fields. they produce some of the best natural sapphires in the world, and there is far less chance of them being fakes as you can buy direct from the individual miners.

Safety in Beijing

Hi. My wife and I are planning on visiting Beijing for the first time.

Is it better to travel around ourselves or to join a tour? We are concerned about safety as well as ease of travel. We%26#39;ll be leaving San Francisco, and then spending several days in Hong Kong before traveling to Beijing. Any advice or tour recommendations?

Safety in Beijing

Beijing is pretty safe for a big city. It is also not that difficult to visit many things on your own.

Places like the Forbidden City, Lama Temple, and Summer Palace in Beijing are easy to get to by subway or taxi.

Many places have audioguides, if you want to learn more about what you are seeing.

Most hotels also will help arrange a car to the Great Wall, and most also offer tours to the Great Wall, but these will go to Badaling, which is not really the best section to visit.

A drawback of tours is that they usually go to lousy restaurants and take you to visit ';factories'; where the tour guides get kickbacks for everything that you buy.

Although it sometimes makes sense to use tours if you visit multiple cities, I don%26#39;t think there is any need to visit Beijing on a tour.

Safety in Beijing

dont worry the safety in Beijing,its a rough idea about sights to join a tour,if you want to spend more time and have a ease tour inside sights,just do it by yourself.you also can hire a tour guide from tripadvisor.have a nice trip.

I guess the biggest safety concern would be those tea-house scams. Even that, it%26#39;s not physcial assault or anything.

%26gt;%26gt;go to lousy restaurants

They may be lousy, but unlikely to serve fake soy sauce/rice/orange/egg etc... :)

My husband and I are planning a trip in July to Beijing. What is Tea house scam? I was hoping to visit a tea house. Is there something I need to know about that?

Thank you,

Tracy

Beijing is a pretty safe city. You do have to be aware of usual scams (tea house, art students, cab drivers taking you the long way back to your hotel) but the punishment for crime is so severe and Beijing officials are very concerned with tourism that I have heard of almost no violent crime towards tourists.

It is also VERY easy to get around. The subway runs in one giant loop and is very easy to navigate. There are also cabs everywhere. Be aware, however, that at least when I was there 2 years ago - very very few people speak English in Beijing unlike Hong Kong or Shanghai. It can be disconcerting at first but If you get in a cab just have your location written down by the hotel desk and you should be fine. The best bet I have heard is to hand the cab driver the location written upside down b/c many cab drivers do not read but will pretend like they can read where you want to go. (If they don%26#39;t turn it upside down then get out!) Also hail a cab down off the street - ones already parked outside your hotel are rip offs. (If you speak Mandarin then you have one less worry...)

As for tours, I agree with the other post --I wouldn%26#39;t do any in Beijing - you will spend 1/2 the day at pointless places where peddlers will try to sell you stuff. Also, it is really cheap to rent a cab for the day and go to Ming Tombs and Great Wall. Tours will make 3 pointless stops to get you to buy crap and drop you off at the most touristy areas of the Great Wall. If you are concerned about finding your way around, just research tours first. I did do one Hutong Tour that was really good.

Finally, never never pay full price. You can bargain over cans of soda...Again, Beijing is really safe but milking tourists has become a science to them!

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