craz

I think theres only The Conrad in HK which isnt cheap even pts wise, but there are several IHG and Marriotts that are 20k, that I doubt youd take your wife to so it wouldnt be like shes missing out.

But lets leave the Hotels out for now, for apx $8 you could take the bus r/t and walk around the night mkts or simply Nathan Rd in Kowloon and then grab a bus back to HKG and hang there. If youre cleanly dressed you can even catch a cat nap in many hotel lobbys where only after a # of hrs they may wake you to make sure you are still alive. Heck simply taking the bus from HKG to its last stop and back again can eat up 3 hrs and the right bus takes you thru the main part of Kowloon or HKI, lots to see

But if you prefer to hang in the term so be it.

I saw most of the places in London due to my long layovers, arrive early morn and booked the 2nd flight out late at night instead of the flight in 90 mins, just to take the underground into town and walk around and/or check out another museum or part of town.

Per your #2 I have a HKG(REP), SIN & SGN trips booked for Jan & Feb with a couple of LA and a HNL thrown in as well. Wanted to grab what I could with UA before 3/1 when SGN RDM earnings would go from 43k to apx 5400 cant say theres any 1 airport Im looking forward to being in (maybe REP, since its my 1st time there) the flights in UA E+ even on the 747 I can handle but I try and min my time in the airports themselves, and I get free access to the clubs.For SIN a place I dont care much for its worse there in Jan then it is in Miami in Aug. I could have stayed a few hrs and flown back but instead chose to overnight it (2 nights needed) and will simply walk around the 1 day Im there. So I do MRs but try as heck not to be true MRs where you land and take the 1st flight right back.

If I think I will be back somewhere 1 day soon with a SO then I will spend my time doing or seeing things that I know wont be up their alley

maxwell109

Thanks for more ideas. Going into HK is my Plan B but I haven't paid for a hotel (nor used points) yet for a MR. My CPM last year was .037 and the year before .034. Like I said, I may be a closet masochist but my game plan is to maximize future value I can enjoy with my wife.

eponymous_coward

Oh, I think you're quite out of the closet now.

I'd go into town even if you don't want to spring for a room, it shouldn't cost very much at all, you can take a bus that's not much slower than the Airport Express, but somewhat cheaper, the Star Ferry is dirt cheap, all kinds of inexpensive food all around.

Look at it as an opportunity to do some scouting for a future trip with the wife.

maxwell109

The consensus certainly is that I should leave the friendly confines of HKG and go on an adventure into town. Maybe I'll get some unexpected Christmas mad money so I won't feel guilty about doing so (too bad AmEx wouldn't reimburse this as "travel expenses" ) although I'm warming to the justification of incurring additional costs as an "investment" in a future trip with my wife of 32 years. My wife and I want to be the first "old farts" to win The Amazing Race.

I'd still like to figure out the "correct" way to navigate HKG as described in my initial posts. Call me persistent in addition to slightly (?) masochistic. Thanks!

dsgtc0408

I think the point (mine, anyway) is that there isn't a correct way to navigate HKG, not the way you would like, anyway. Unofficial, maybe, but way too dependent on the generosity of strangers, which is why I would never suggest it.

maxwell109

The folks at the transit desk didn't find my request to go "upstairs" unusual in any way; they even had pre-printed forms for it. The only time I ran into any "trouble" was when, in trying to do exactly what they said (and wrote on the form they gave me), the elevator down to the desks at W1 was roped off the next morning. I just figured that elevator must be there for some reason since it goes directly to the place where I eventually picked up my onward boarding passes.

Since you are incredibly knowledgeable about HKG, do you know if the self-service kiosks landside in Aisle E would print my onward boarding passes when I land at 6:30pm (since, by the time I land, I would be well within the 24 hour window), allowing me to go back through security and into the lounges on the departures level?

dsgtc0408

It is trouble (not "trouble") if an expectedly possible activity is prohibited or restricted, in this case by the elevator being roped off (probably turned off too) when you wanted to get back downstairs to the transfer desk the following morning. In this case, the issue is not in getting upstairs the day you arrived (you got your pass) - it's going back downstairs. It shouldn't be assumed that because an action is permitted one way that the converse situation would be similarly permitted. Otherwise the elevator would be freely open 24 hours. In fact, the ability to go from arrivals to departures level is not freely permitted but is restricted; you had to apply for the pass with the form on which I presume you had to give your name, address, passport number etc as well as proof of your return flight. The pass is likely routinely issued but it's a mistake to take issuance for granted. In case of a heightened security alert (eg Sydney this week) I can see the authorities declining all applications for a transfer pass and sending everyone without boarding passes directly to groundside. In this instance the generosity of strangers will not be enough.

On the Aisle E self service kiosks, I can't say because I don't know. I have some knowledge but it's not ubiquitous. In this case it's because I've never attempted what you plan (in fact, you are a pioneer!). The only thing I ask is that you do it yourself and report back in this thread if the self service kiosks issued your return boarding passes. You give me too much credit for what you think I know. If I seem knowledgeable, it's only because I've been living in this part of the world for over twenty years and have plenty of scars from not having my expectations fulfilled because the locals did not do things the same way folks at home would do them.

maxwell109

Just to clarify...the transfer desk staff on the arrivals level specifically instructed me to proceed to the elevator in question on the departures level the next morning in order to return to the arrivals level and obtain my onward boarding pass. That's why I was mystified as to why it would be roped off when I proceeded to that elevator per their instructions. Perhaps I just went there too early....

I will certainly be happy to do so; anything that might be of help to other FT MRs, the way you and others have been to me! @:-)

ESpen36

I have done this same quick-turn MR before, and will be doing it a couple of times this winter. In the past, I have booked a hotel online and spent the evening enjoying the Star Ferry and restaurants in town. The Airport Express is HK$100 round-trip if you buy a same-day return ticket. Very convenient. It seems silly to go all the way to Hong Kong and not enjoy at least a few hours in town, particularly with a lengthy layover.

Checking in for the return AA flight is a nuisance. Online checkin doesn't work, and the kiosks in the airport lobby do NOT work starting 24 hours in advance. Really the only option is waiting for the contract agents to arrive at the ticket counter at 9:30. It's annoying. Hopefully the IT systems will be fixed soon to recognize that Hong Kong is distinct from mainland China and does NOT require manual visa/document verification for most passport holders.

maxwell109

^Everything you have written confirms my experience; thank you! I am looking into reservations at a safe and comfortable hotel for $100 USD or less as my Plan B - suggestions, anyone??? - but I really didn't have a bad time spending the night in Plaza Premium lounge on my last run...and I slept like a baby on the flights themselves. This was the most relaxing MR I have ever done...and it's a BOATLOAD of miles for a sub-5 CPM!

moondog

Charterhouse is less than 100usd for most dates within the next several months, and the rest of the market is similar.

maxwell109

Thanks Moondog. Checked Hotels.com and the lowest I could find for 21 January is $127. I've found less expensive hotels but, as I am unfamiliar with the various locations, have relied on the reviews and haven't found a good combination of location, price and amenities yet.

moondog

Feel free to email/pm me any time, and I'll help you out on the fly (I seem to do this drill on a weekly basis for my friends and colleagues).

But, first check:
-qunar (if you can read Chinese)
-Kayak
-Agoda
-Expedia
-Priceline
-Ctrip

maxwell109

Can't read Chinese but I will certainly check the other sites to which you referred me; thanks^! But, as I am fairly new to the "mechanics" of the FT forums and hesitant to make a mistake/violate the rules, how do I go about finding your e-mail address for follow-ups? Is AirB&B a good idea for Hong Kong?

craz

I tend to check www.directrooms.com since it includes several of those you listed and this way its a 1 stop check Use the menu across the top for 'Price' and in this case use $60- $129

OP once you chose a few,PM moondog since you cant always believe the pics that are shown or let them know which areas you are interested in staying and getting a list of the hotels that way. I would also include how you plan to get to the hotel, no sense booking a hotel that isnt near a bus stop that serves the airport if thats how you plan to travel, or the AE (airport express train) if the hotel doesnt have a free shuttle or is walkable from the station

just bear in mind most of the rates shown will be non-refundable and make sure you use a CC that doesnt charge the 3% forex fees, as many of the sites are not US based.(Personally Ive never had any problem using any of those who are on DR, even when CXing a refundable rate since another vendor on DR was now offering a lower rate)