Chiang Mai To Hong Kong...

[Niloc]

I want to take my wife to Hong Kong from Chiang Mai on a shopping trip for her birthday in mid October.

I need a reasonable airline and hotel in HK. I have not been there since 1989 but I recall the shopping was terrific, and the food!!

Any advice appreciated.

Colin

[Thailand]

I want to take my wife to Hong Kong from Chiang Mai on a shopping trip for her birthday in mid October.

I need a reasonable airline and hotel in HK. I have not been there since 1989 but I recall the shopping was terrific, and the food!!

Any advice appreciated.

Colin

Thai will take you all the way,simple transfers etc.

OrientThai have some specials including hotel- check them out at the airport.

Air Asia can get you there, but currently none of the airlines have direct flights- used to be great with both OT and HKG express flying - 2hrs 40! Via BK six to seven hours.

BTW- most of the Hongkongers now shop in Shenzhen - much cheaper.

[john b good]

I want to take my wife to Hong Kong from Chiang Mai on a shopping trip for her birthday in mid October.

I need a reasonable airline and hotel in HK. I have not been there since 1989 but I recall the shopping was terrific, and the food!!

Any advice appreciated.

Colin

First up I have to say that I have yet to visit HK

But I was planning to go last year and a friend who had spent some time working there advised.....

If you stay in HK Central you are gonna pay an arm and a leg for a hotel. One night in HK Central will get you perhaps a week on one of the outer islands.

He mentioned two places on Lantau. One was "Mui Wo Inn" and the other was the "Silvermine Hotel"

Chek Lap Kok International Airport is I believe on Lantau as well.

Here is a link to hotels near the airport < hongkong.airporthotelservice.com/ >

HK has an excellent ferry service and you can be in downtown HK in a short time.

BUT I cannot help on the CNX - HKG flight details. I do think however that there is a direct flight.

Good luck and please let us know of how you found it, where you stayed etc.

Edited September 11, 2009 by john b good

[Thakkar]

Shenzhen notwithstanding, shopping in HGK is still a pleasure.

Stay at a hotel near an underground station for the convenience of moving around. The underground system (called the MTR - Mass Transit Rail) is great and easy to get the hang of. All trains and stations are air-conditioned and with sensible signage. The YMCA in Yau Ma Tei is no great hotel, but clean and convenient and close to bargain shopping and several minutes' walk to the Yau Ma Tei MTR station. There are other reasonably-priced hotels near various other MTR stations.

Staying in Lantau is pleasant ( I lived in lantau for ten years) as the journy into town is not convenient; you are at the mercy of the Ferry schedules (on average one ferry every forty minutes or so) while MTR trains arrive every three minutes.

October's a great season to be in HK as the heat and humidity of summer have wound down.

Food:

If you like goose (and not duck imitating as goose) I highly recommend Yung Kee on Wellington Rd. Not cheap, but not too expensive either and the food is great.

Lan Kwai Fong (a few minutes walk from Wellington Rd) is a nice bar and restaurant area.

If you like Dim Sum, the best time for the freshest Dim Sum is early morning between 6 to 8 am. Many, many Chinese restaurants serve great dim sum. Not all restaurants are on the ground floor.

When eating out in HK, I seldom eat Indian food, but when I do, it's invariably at one of these two places: Woodlands in Tsim Sha Tsui East and Bronto's which is on the 2nd floor of a nondescript building on Lock Rd in Tsim Sha Tsui (not East). Both are South Indian vegetarian restaurants serving hearty food at fair prices.

Some of the best Western food can still be had at Jimmy's Kitchen (tel 25265293 for their Central branch and tel 23760327 for their Tsim Sha Tsui branch). They've been around for seventy years, they must be doing something right.

All the places are within short walking distance of MTR stations.

Don't waste your time and money visiting Disneyland. If you like that sort of thing, go to Ocean Park instead.

If you haven't booked any hotels in advance by the time you land at HK airport, there's a HK Hotels association desk after passing immigration and customs but before you get out to the passenger greeting area. It's always manned by a helpful staff from where you can check room availability, rates and other details. The rates offered here are always lower than walk in rates, and, I've found, often lower than any rates a travel agent or internet booking site will give you. You can call them from here to check rates: +852 23838380

The HK Tourist Association are also very helpful (as they should be) tel 28076543

Airlines: Thai is the most convenient way to get there with quick connections, but not the cheapest. All other options, though cheaper will cost you a fair bit in time cost waiting for connecting flights at boring airports and could potentially ruin your holiday if you miss a connection in any attempts to save time by cutting things too close.

One solution, if you want to save money and are willing to pay in time, but unwilling to risk missing a connecting flight is to go by Air Asia via KL. Since you'll be booking one airline all the way, any missed connections, if it's the airline's fault, will be compensated for by the airline. If you're young and hardy, you might be able to put up with the seven hour wait on the return leg.

Cathay pacific is running a promotion BKK-HK with good airfare and hotel packages. Check their website

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If you book a bit in advance, it's hard to argue with Air Asia pricing, though if you do a lot of shopping then you will easily go over your luggage allowance and will have to pay extra; it'll still be cheaper than Thai or Cathay though.

I'd stay on Hong Kong island.. once you get a bit further up (North Point, etc) prices are not much more expensive than downtown Bangkok for a comparable hotel. And you're still on the subway line, tram lines, ferry, etc. Agoda.com often have promotions as well. And Accor hotels have promotions all the time, worth checking out as well. (Novotel, Mercure, Ibis etc) Ibis North Point on Hong Kong island is under 2500 baht.. 2172.24 THB. including taxes and breakfast. Not bad for Hong Kong.

Edited September 12, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai