LE2

I have 18 hours between flights in Hong Kong.

I arrive at 7.00 am and will depart at 1.00 am (next day).

Any recommendations for day rooms and a short guided tour of the city?

corporate-wage-slave

I assume you are going to have access to The Pier before departure, so that probably is as good a day room as you're going to get anyway. But in your situation, I would get a return ticket on the HK Express train to HK Central, as soon as I got there I would go to departures and check in any bag for your onwards flight if you aren't HBO, then go for a wander around the sights and sounds of HK. If you are HBO but it's a bit heavy, then start off with breakfast at one of the fancy hotels, and get the concierge to look after your bag during the rest of the day. There also paid-for lockers in HK Airport arrivals area. You can use the return trip any time that day, so when you've had enough, you can retire to The Pier, or try the Qantas lounge (which I actually think has better food).

Personally I don't think you need a guided tour, I would do a bit of research on wikitravel (or some such internet resource), plonk the yellow Saved stars on from Google Maps, download the Hong Kong Google map on to your gizmo and use the ultra efficient subway to get around. Don't miss the tram ride (pay as you exit), and leave Hollywood for lunch or (better) evening, to see HKers of all stripes and persuasions enjoying the nightlife. Maybe see the light show from the Avenue of Stars at 8pm.

One somewhat obscure place to recommend is a few hours on Cheung Chau island. It's just a 30 minute ferry ride from HK and you get the strange feeling of being in HK but away from the bustle at the same time. Which reminds me, I also suggested it to PETER01 and he has a trip report on HK in the Trip Report forum, which will also give you ideas.

It's my favourite city, I lived there in the past and was there for the Handover, so though one day is rather short, I would certainly make the most of it.

HIDDY

You can go on a bus tour and take in most of the tourist sites although most of them aren't very interesting to be honest. The view from the Peak is about as good as it got for me.

Worth seeing if you haven't been to the Far East before but I found Beijing a superior destination for the traveller. I know my opinion won't be one shared by many on here.

henkybaby

A little less on the beaten path is Macau.... Maybe not the best choice at 08:30 in the morning though. There are some historic sites too. And you get a stamp in the passport.

http://www.chinahighlights.com/hong-...e-macau-hk.htm

Here is some traditional stuff.

http://www.chinahighlights.com/hong-...ings-to-do.htm

Make sure you are back at HKG to enjoy some time in the lounge though.

Tiffywren

Hi LE2, if you want to go up to The Peak but the Peak Tram queues are too long, you can get the No.15 bus from the central bus station up there, and you get some fantastic views too. I also enjoyed the street trams c-w-s mentions above, they're only HK$2.40 a ride (I think that's about 25p) and a good way to see the city.

I was there for the first time over Christmas/New Year and absolutely loved it! Hope you enjoy your day there.

jerry a. laska

The Royal Airport Hotel has day rooms. If you don't actually need a room (aren't planning to sleep) then you can also pay a reasonable fee to use their spa facilities.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hong-...r-airport.html
There are a number of threads in the HKG and Macau forum that would have helpful information.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hong-kong-macau-436/

henkybaby

Some great ideas. HOWEVER....

If you don't do a TP run in those 18 hrs you might get banned from FT!!

ShuttleRunner

You can leave baggage for the day and freshen up before leaving at The Arrival, although I'm not 100% up to speed on entry criteria, presuming Cathay (maybe OW?) arrival in F/J or OWE. Personally I go for a jog all around Kowloon and TST if I'm on a long transit, but would also echo the fact that Macau is lovely and if you have enough time it's definately worth a visit!

BlueThroughCrimp

Star Ferries, all day, back and forth!
Well, OK, maybe not, but if you've never been to HK, this is a must. (IMHO)

Macau? Wasn't impressed. Quite dirty, I found.

esspeebee

Another note regarding the Peak Tram (which is well worth the trip IMO): the times I've been there, the longest queues have been for the ticket office, not the tram itself. If you pick up an Octopus card -- the local equivalent of Oyster -- you can usually just walk up to the turnstiles and in.

The tram will dump you in the middle of a shopping centre, which is somewhat unfortunate, but if you walk out of that then there's an excellent hour's walk around the peak on Lugard Road and Harlech Road. If you're brave you can continue down on foot via Old Peak Road back into the city, or you can get back to the tram or the taxi stand under the shopping centre.

Aside from that and the above suggestions, top of my list would be to eat. Hong Kong is (IMO) one of the best food cities in the world, and the best place bar none for Cantonese barbecue and roast meats. Go to Kam's Roast Goose in Wan Chai for the goose (obviously) and also the roast pork, Tim Ho Wan for the barbecue pork buns and other dim sum, and depending on budget then all of the high end hotels have excellent Cantonese restaurants.

As CWS and others have said, the fun of HK isn't in a guided tour of the obvious sites. Explore, get lost, find your way back (if you're on the north side of the island, as you probably will be, just walk down hill to find civilisation and the MTR), and don't forget to eat.

rossmacd

These are probably the best suggestions in the thread ^

I absolutely love HK, and any time (however short) I get to spend there is an absolute privilege. There is so much to eat (and drink!) that you can spend most of your time in bars and restaurants if you so desire.

Grab yourself an Octopus card and get lost on the transit systems. If you haven't been on the Star Ferry, then I would make some time to do this - good views if the weather is on your side.

If you have time in the evening, a pit stop in LKF will be an eye-opener

Jonrross

Another option a bit closer to the airport (10 min bus/taxi ride) is the cable car and big Buddha. However with 18 hours the suggestions above are probably more fulfilling.

jerry a. laska

The CX Arrivals Lounge is only open to those arriving in HKG on a Cathay or Dragonair flight. Arrival on a BA flight would not provide access.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...unge-faqs.html

potfish

A friend who lives there took me for Dim Sum recently.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...Hong_Kong.html

Get there when they open, order take-out and take it to the rooftop garden. You can use the tables without needing to buy anything from the bars up there.

http://content.time.com/time/travel/...852111,00.html

rossmacd

Picking up a couple of bottles of cold beer from Red will give a weary traveller a nice rest, and a good way to relax, enjoy the sunset and people watch