hearna

Hello, we will be staying at Le Meridien Cyberport in 3 weeks time. Wondering what the tops things to see and do in the Hong Kong Area. Any hints or tips would be appreciated.

Also any idea of cell providers for data for the 5 days we are there and cost?

Madone59

Eat, eat, and eat!

Definitely get to The Peak and Big Buddha.

txflyer77

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Hong_Kong

lmwong1977

There's a lot of info just in this section. Did you check the stickied post? Or the trip report section in this very forum - there's a ton for Hong Kong if you want personal reviews. Here's mine on my trip back in Nov.

Or do you mean near your hotel? It's a bit far from most of the tourist stuff so you'll end up sitting in a taxi or shuttle a lot as most of the "top" tourist things are closer to Central. I personally prefer to be more central to the action if it's my first time somewhere.

There's many choices for a sim card in the airport, but I just got it at my hotel front desk. There's some info in the HK sim post. I bought the five-day CSL one - it was under US$12 and worked great. But I think your hotel will give you a cellphone with service to use for free. Google is your friend - Yep it does, so you probably don't have to worry about that unless you need another one for your other traveller(s) - http://enews.cyberport.hk/article/49...2765003/157593

hearna

I had seen something on the SPG website when I booked but I assumed it was some "house phone" In room phone.... If they have a free cell that is awesome. I know its a bit off the beaten path but considering that the Sheraton HK is medicore at best for plats and le Meridien treats you like royalty (for way less) we decided there.

evergrn

Some hotels in HKG are starting to provide a free smartphone for guest's use during their stay. You can call, use internet, etc. This is a fairly new thing.

I'm not that familiar with SPG, so I'm not sure what you mean when you say Le Meridien treats you like royalty. I certainly wasn't treated like royalty when I stayed at Le Meridien in Paris. I've not stayed at Meridien Cyberport, although I've been to the mall next door (which is dead) and always pass by on the Lamma-Central ferry. It is not an ideal location, unless you specifically want to be away from the city. I would pay 30-40% more to stay at Sheraton TST's harbour-view room any day. Sheraton TST is a cut above your average Sheraton, and the location is unbeatable.

moondog

Would you stay in Jersey City instead of Manhattan for the same reasons?

JordanWalker

Definitely will not recommend Cyberport for a first time visitor. The taxi fare and time wasted traveling to/from attractions is just not worth it at the end.

onarun

Agree with JordanWalker. LM in Cyberport is awesome for family relaxing over a wkend and the sea view is spectacular. But if you come for the first time and want to explore the city as much as possible, its a 30mins taxi ride to town.

Reg your question, my personal favs are hiking to Sunset or Lantau peak (for different views of HK) and Ozone bar at ICC for night view at the highest bar in the world

hearna

Does any one know if the Sheraton HK offers the whole free cell phone as well? If not what kind of cell plans are available and where can I get one? (Airport or near to the Sheraton)

TravelLawyer

I used a WIFI device and used it as a hotspot for my phone. I booked mine on www.klook.com and it was fairly reasonable. They also offer SIM cards, but not sure if those are good deals. Pick up was at the airport.

As for the free cellphone use - I stayed a few nights at the InterContinental and they have a free cellphone for your room called the Handy. It never picked up any cell signal. Tech support couldn't get it to work. The hotel doesn't really know anything about it. So in the end, I just kept using my WIFI device. A similar issue happened at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. They offer free tablets (maybe just on exec floors?) but it never went out of the home screen - tried restarting, rebooting, I.T. tried to offer suggestions, nothing worked. Again, it was just a big paperweight. 0/2 for me on free tech perks.

JordanWalker

Is your phone unlocked? If so, prepaid sim cards are dirt cheap in HK.

TOMFORD

Like previously recommended - change the location if you can. Plenty of good and affordable hotels in Kowloon (my preference) or HK island.

TOMFORD

More like staying in Newark, NJ. But at least in Newark you have a train/subway stop that'll take you to NYC.

islandcub1

Hi, hearna! I'd support what others said about location; for your first time I'd definitely suggest a hotel near an MTR station for ease of transportation (although I suspect it's not your first time since you seem to have experience with the Sheraton). Because of that (and disregarding costs and how they treat plats) I would choose the Sheraton first, the W second (because you're more likely to have to make a connection to get where you want to go), and the Le Meridien.

As for the cellphone, I also echo other people; if your phone is unlocked, get a Discover Hong Kong SIM card from PCCW/HKT/CSL (they're all the same company now). You can get one in the arrivals hall at the airport. $12 USD/$16 CAD

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/...t-sim-card.jsp