Hong Kong Holiday 2009 Review Part 1 - Hong Kong

This isn't the first time Edmund or I have been to Hong Kong. But it had been many years since the last time we went. It was a great trip overall, but very tiring especially on our feet as we literally walked everywhere - plus no stroller meant we often carried an extra 14kg of weight everywhere (more on this later). This trip was a little too rushed, and we still didn't get to see everything and had not enough to do some leisurely shopping...and more eating :)

We were a little disappointed at Cathay Pacific. Bad food and not so great service - the stewardess wasn't nice. But the kids meal was good (pasta bake on the way there and spaghetti on the way back), while ours was pretty tasteless and generally unappetising. The kids also got a good Mickey Mouse Clubhouse goodie bag consisting of a backpack and activities inside including stickers. They also got a curly straw to take home from the kids meal.

We stayed at the Kimberley Hotel on Kimberley Road, near Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon. Location wise the hotel is in a great area, lots of shops and is easily accessible via Tsim Sha Tsui MTR. There are plenty of restaurants nearby, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese you name it, as well as fast food. A few clothing shops too, but everyone was selling winterwear of course so there wasn't much for us to buy. 

The hotel itself is a little worn and the rooms a little dated (update: 14/10 I've read the hotel has since

been refurbished). The first time we stayed there we got a really really small room, with a really really small bed. It was smaller than a Queen size bed from the looks of it and the three of us had to share the one teeny bed. Bathroom was ok, well cleaned, including clean bathtub. The second time we stayed there was when we came back from Macau. It was great that the hotel allowed us to leave our luggage with them as we only took an overnight bag with us. So the second time we came back we got a different room. The first room overlooked a dingy back alley, the second room looked over Kimberley Road (sort of) and was much bigger with a bigger bed. This room was even big enough to accommodate a sofa and coffee table in addition to the writing desk and tv stand. Bathroom was smaller tho, with only a standing shower no bathtub. There is a Watson's and 7eleven nearby the hotel, if you want to buy bottled water, buy from 7eleven, it's cheaper - eventhough it's still a Watson's brand water. I don't have any qualms recommending this hotel, but having said that, next time we go to HK we'll stay in a different hotel most likely on HK Island.

During our trip we also managed to swing by Tung Chun where there's an outlet mall. Great bargains there. Oh and they even had a Food Republic food court! But not as good as the one in Sg. Don't forget to check out the supermarket at the basement if you go. At Tung Chun we also went to the Ngong Ping Cablecar. It's a pretty good experience with fantastic views of Lantau Island and it's surrounds. It took a good 20 mins one way. But once you reach Ngong Ping Village there really isn't much to see there unless you want to try and hike it up the big Buddha statue.

We also managed to check out Temple St Night Market and Ladies Market. There's a couple of seemingly good seafood 'streetside restaurants' there. Not sure how fresh the seafood is nor how hygienic it is, but it looked pretty good and there was a big crowd eating there so it can't be all bad. 

From pics I've seen on the web of the food, it looks pretty good. Too bad we never got a chance to try it this time. I would definitely have liked to try the dish Typhoon Shelter Crab. Ladies Market was much better tho, I thought it would be just the same as Temple St market, but there's so much more shops - electronics, beauty supplies, clothes, shoes, etc, rather than just the typical fake brand bag sellers.

Stroller Tip: For parents with young children, don't hesitate to bring your stroller. A lot of ppl told us not to bring so we listened and didn't bring. But actually I think as long as your stroller is compact it shouldn't be a problem. If you don't mind going the long way, you should be able to find elevators to the MTR, but if not, then you can fold up your compact and light stroller and just lug it with you up and down the stairs which are still manageable. Or fold it and ride the escalator. On the MTR itself, take the first carriage where there's more space for a stroller. At the outlet mall at Tung Chun we were really disappointed when we couldn't rent a stroller because they said it's only for kids aged 2 and below.

Worst Experience in HK: Riding the Victoria Peak tram on the way down - standing up while carrying Caelyn and while ppl pretended they didn't see you with a child so they wouldn't have to give up their seat (gee sounds familiar). If you've ever been on Victoria Peak tram, you would know it's a steep 45 degree angle in/decline. So imagine trying to balance myself, making sure I didn't smash into the front window where the conductor was sitting, supporting myself with one hand on a pole while the other arm was carrying a 14kg child. I can't comprehend why they would let ppl stand up on the way down anyway, it's utterly dangerous. On top of that I can't understand why the conductor didn't make someone give up their seat so that the child could be safer. Obviously they didn't think it was necessary! Needless to say after we got off my knees and arms were wobbling like crazy. I was lucky our friends were standing beside me and could help me support Caelyn's weight and pull me up as well (hubby was further up). Ok so you could say it was also our fault entirely for going on such a crowded tram. But it was very late and by the time we realised we couldn't come down it was too late. Oh this is also the one place where having a stroller would be a bit difficult - but not impossible. The Peak itself is great tho!