West Coast Ace

You definitely don't need 5 days to see HK - it's not that big! Beijing has a lot to see - and because it's not as efficiently run as HK, you might need the time. I'd recommend the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall - it's at least 90 minutes northeast of the city - but less crowded. As someone mentioned, get a driver but no tour guide.

greatwhitenorth

Okay, one last question before we head to China. I'm booking our flights from Guilin to Hong Kong and the only direct options are on either Hong Kong Airline or Hong Kong Express Airline. Looking at airline ratings on airlinequality.com, neither one of them seems all that great. Any feedback from people who really know?

Thanks

moondog

They are basically the same airline, both owned by HNA Group.

rkkwan

Dragonair also flies this route and is the better option.

greatwhitenorth

Yes, my plan was to take Dragonair but when I tried to book, the flight is sold out on my day of travel.

rkkwan

So, there's really no option. HX and UO are the same airline and it's the same flight KWL-HKG whether you ticket it as HX122 or UO4122.

greatwhitenorth

Well, I thought I was finished with questions but we've hit a major hiccup. Everything is booked except for the flight from Guilin to Hong Kong on Oct. 23. I've been trying to book on Ctrip but three times I've booked a flight only to received an email several hours later saying the reservation was cancelled as the flight was sold out. So, it appears as if there are no flights available to Hong Kong that day.

To me, it looks like my best option is to fly to Guangzhou, there are flights every hour so hopefully one of them is actually available, then take one of the luxury intercity buses to Hong Kong. But, I have some questions:

1) Is that the best way or is there a better option for getting from Guilin to Hong Kong, such as private car, train, etc.?

2) Will it actually be feasible for 4 non-chinese speaking tourists?

3) Most of the posts I found on the bus option are for going from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. To go from Guangzhou, where and when can you buy the bus tickets? Do I have to worry about sold-out buses? I don't want to trade being stuck in Guilin for being stuck in Guangzhou.

4) As I understand it, we'll have to cross a "border" crossing from China to almost China, ie. Hong Kong. Will this be challenging for us non-chinese speakers?

5) Do the buses only go to the Hong Kong Airport or do they go to hotels downtown - we're staying at the InterContinental?

Thank you for your patience and valuable information,

rkkwan

You need to fly to Shenzhen, not Guangzhou. Much closer with lots of transportation option from SZX to HK, while it's a pain in the butt and 3 hours minimum to get from CAN to HK.

Book your KWL ticket now and then we can talk about transportation options.

greatwhitenorth

My plan was to fly to Shenzhen too. But, while there are flights throughout the day from KWL to CAN, there are only flights at 8 am or after 10 pm to SZX. Since we're staying in Yangshuo, I didn't think that the 8 am flight was a realistic option for us and the flights after 10 pm would mean we'd get into SZX after 11:30 pm, which I would assume would make getting to HKG that night challenging.

For CAN, there are flights at 9:35 am, 12:30 pm, 5:55 pm and 7:30 pm. To me, while the subsequent bus trip would be longer, the arrival times would be much better.

rkkwan

Sorry, but I'll still pick SZX over CAN. Spend your last night in Guilin or just arrange the car to drive you from Yangshuo to KWL early.

Or just take the late flight to SZX. It's a cheap taxi ride to the 24-hr Huanggang crossing. Then, several lines of 24-buses to various points in HK.

If you decide to do CAN, there is no direct bus to Hong Kong that I know of. The best ways are either direct bus to Shenzhen, or go to GZ-East station and take either the direct train to Hung Hom in HK or the faster train to Shenzhen.

mnredfox

May not be non-stop, but maybe "direct" - CZ has connections via CAN.

jiejie

Well, have you considered a connection? Besides via CAN, there's a KWL-XMN (Xiamen) flight in the late morning on JD and an early afternoon one on MF, after which you could get an XMN-HKG flight in the afternoon or evening respectively. Looks like there's availability on the 23rd for 4 people. The main downside is if the first flight gets cancelled, you've got few options for recovery.

On the nonstops, I'll back up rkkwan on flying to SZX over CAN also. If you already feel you have enough time in the Yangshuo area, then sign up for the 8 am flight and have a car take you from Yangshuo directly to Guilin Airport, leaving at 5:30 am. Or if you feel your time is too short, take the 10 pm flight and give yourself most of the additional day in Yangshuo, again having a car leave there about 7 pm to take you to the airport. It really comes down to the balance of Guilin/Yangshuo vs Hong Kong time that you want.

There's an overnight Guilin-Shenzhen train leaving daily at 9:18 pm arriving Shenzhen 10:35 the next morning. If you're up for a train experience and can get hold of sleeper tickets (need to get in advance), then that's an option which is not expensive and saves a hotel night. Getting the tickets is the tricky part, though.

I won't recommend the overnight sleeper bus at all. I think there's now a day bus from Yangshuo to Guangzhou and/or Shenzhen but it eats up much of a precious day, and you still have to get to HK which wastes the rest of that day.

moondog

If I were the OP, I'd be monitoring the HK flights daily, in case more seats are released. But, I'd also stay on top of the 8a flight to SZX; if fares start to rise, I'd lock it in. The only way I'd entertain any sort of connection is if the second flight went directly to HKIA (connections suck, but so does the Shenzhen Shuffle.... and the idea of a Guangzhou Shuffle simply sends shivers up my spine).

In the event you end up on the 8a flight, you might want to grab lunch somewhere in Shekou (lots of nice restaurants, but since you'll have all of your luggage, it would be advisable to pick a spot in advance). The border crossing in Shekou (I forget it's official name) is my favorite, and from there, it's only a 40 minute ride to Central/Wanchai. Feel free to PM me if you want Shekou restaurant suggestions; my business partner lived there for 2 years, and I have a few friends that are working there now.

rkkwan

You men the Shenzhen Bay crossing? Why even bother stopping in Shekou proper, since one can just take the ChinaLink bus from SZX to the Elements Mall in HK, with just one stop at the border. Better to just get to their hotels in HK ASAP.

moondog

Because I'd be mad hungry after waking up at 5, dining at a 7-11, and enduring a domestic Chinese flight. Second, it's on the way, and we're only talking about a y70 taxi plus a y15 taxi. That y85 easily makes up the difference between a meal in Shenzhen and a meal at a comparable eatery in HK. Third, I'm a firm advocate of the idea that anyone who subjects himself to the Shenzhen Shuffle should at least try to do something/anything in Shenzhen in order to justify it. Finally, when getting a bus at SZX, there's a chance of picking a bus company that uses one of the less pleasant border crossings; yeah, you can ask them, but those who don't speak decent Chinese are prone to being mislead.