Where to stay while in transit overnight?
 

Next month I will be in transit overnight in Hong Kong for the first time since the new airport opened. Does it have a hotel? If so, is it in the airport itself and do you have any advice on whether to stay there and how to contact it? If not, any advice on where else to stay?

Also, the stop is on a business class Cathay Pacific ticket. Does anyone know whether I should expect the airline to put me up?

Thanks for any information and help.

There is only one hotel at the airport, known as the Regal Airport Hotel. I suggest you do a search on "Regal". There have been many discussions of it.

I don't see why CX would put you up, although they do have package deals known as "SuperStop" which you could ask them about - the deal seems to depend on where you are transiting from and to.

JL includes a hotel room at NRT in the price of an F or J ticket if JL does not operate a same-day connection for a particular route. I much prefer CX's system where almost all connections are possible on the same day, and any overnight stops are voluntary. But staying at the airport is no fun, much better to go into Kowloon (if money is a concern it isn't hard to get a hotel for under HKD500 per night, check http://www.asia-hotels.com ).

If staying in town....
 

search in the CX forum for the CX special for Airport Express. I paid HKD 100 for r/t tickets to Central ($80 off the regular price).

You might try pricelining something.

CI usually will pony up a room at TPE if there are no same-day connections for premium tickets, but only on request only (don't ask and you won't get). I think NH may do the same as JL at NRT.

Better yet, stay one more stop on the airport express and about 4 minutes and stay in Central (last stop on the AE which says Hong Kong). The Airport Express is a breeze, and once in Central (or Kowloon) there is a shuttle bus that serves almost every hotel. A taxi will run you about $3USD as well to most of the nearby hotels. If I were just staying one night in Hong Kong, I'd stay in Central, go to a nice restaurant in Soho or Causeway Bay (or Lan Kwai Fong if you like the ex-pat scene) and see a nice side of HK, rather than spend a night in Kowloon being accosted by tailors and copy watch salesmen.

The best thing about the Airport Express is : You can check-in at the station for most airlines. You can also check-in one day ahead for a lot of airlines, that means you can actually check-in for your next flights before going to the hotels, if you do not need anything from your check bags for the night. If you decide to stay in the city and utilize the Airport Express, be sure to buy the tickets at the customer service counter. They offer round-trip ticket for lower price than buying two seperate one way tickets.

The Airport Express also offer free shuttle to different hotels. You can check out the website at: http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/train/ae_intro.htm

It depends on your arrival and departure time the next day. If you depart in the afternoon, it worth the effort to stay in the city. If you arrive late and depart early, just stay at the Regal Airport.

Thanks to all. And any recs for lunch?
 

Thanks for all of the feedback and advice. It turns out that because I arrive late in the evening on Cathay and depart the next day in the afternoon on Cathay, the airline will put me up at the Regal. But I appreciate everyone's input for future use, including the info on the Airport Express.

Which brings me to my next question: Anybody recommend a good place for lunch? I know there are no shortage of them in Hong Kong, but a place on or near the water would be nice.

Thanks again.

Depends what you want to eat... There is a new place at the IFC Mall, called Isola. The food (italianish) is fine, but the view from their waterfront terrace is phenomenal. If you want better food with a slightly diminished view, you can try the lunch special at Le Parisien, just next door.

If you want Chinese (and a view), there are four choices I can think of:

1. The Maxim's dim sum at City Hall, which is very folkloric and cheap, great view of Kowloon. Go with a large group, though, otherwise rather pointless.

2. The Man Wah at the 25th floor of the Mandarin. Very very nice, relatively expensive (e.g the pork buns that would cost you $3 USD anywhere else will cost you $4.50 here), but very very good.

3. The One Harbour at the Grand Hyatt. Very good, but not as good as Man Wah, and just as expensive.

4. The Hutong, at 1 Peking Road in Kowloon. Food is fine, not as good as the previous two, but it is Beijing food, which is different. Also, amazing view of the island.

Well, I suppose since you won't leave the airport area, you want recommendation on food at the airport. I like Maxim's Chinese Restaurant. It offers traditional Chinese food, dim sum and it is located at the departure hall BEFORE entering the restricted area to clear immigration. As I notice that you have a business class ticket, DEFINATELY try out the Cathay Pacific lounges at the airport. You can enter the business class section of either one of them, just choose the one close to you.They have noodle bars inside, if you prefer a lighter lunch.

Why wouldn't he leave the airport area? He arrives in the evening and leaves next day in the afternoon. Plenty of time to head into town, especially if checks in before leaving the airport.

Em, well, I just say it in my preference, and sorry about about the confusion. When I read "afternoon", I immediately thought of around "noon", and that's not a lot of time for travelling to lunch, you know. CX seldom has a connection so bad that you arrive late in HKG and leave 3/4 pm in the afternoon. Your suggestions are all good places though, and I just like Man Wah. It is not far away from the Airport Express station too!

One Harbour Road is just a plain disappointment for me though. It is just expensive and nothing really special.

Thanks!
 

Thanks, P and HC, for your advise and discussion. Looks like the Mandarin it is!

Happy trails for your travels!

fyi, jl's policy is much better than that in practice. you don't need to be in f or j (even m-class is ok). as for the having to take a same-day flight if available, some agents will try to make you do an early departure and LONG layover in nrt whereas others will simply put you on the afternoon flight with a hotel voucher.

I just have one more tip for you:

When travelling from the airport to the island by the Airport Express train, be sure to buy your ticket at the customer service center in front of the station and request for SAME DAY RETURN ticket. You can also choose that option by using the ticket selling machines.

SAME DAY RETURN ticket works on the day specificed, and charge HKD 100.00/ USD 12.85 for the journey from the airport to the island, and your return journey from the island to the airport is free. Remember to keep the SAME TICKET, in order to travel your return journey for free. There is no gate at the Airport Station, and you just board the train after you bought your ticket. When you arrive at your destination: Hong Kong Station (The station on the island), you just need to insert the ticket into the gate when leaving. Insert the SAME ticket again into the gates when departing from the Hong Kong Station (The station on the island) for the Airport Station.

This method will save you USD 12.85, because if you buy a single journey ticket, you need to pay AGAIN to board the train back to the airport from the island. So, the total cost will be USD 25.70 for the round trip. With Same Day Return ticket, your total cost is only USD 12.85! :)

For more info, you can visit the airport express's fare chart website:
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/train/ae_ticket.htm

Be aware also that there is currently a special offer on the AE for one-way group tickets... to HK station it is two for $150, three for $200 and four for $250, so if you are not coming back the same day and are not travelling alone then it is currently cheaper to buy one-way tickets using this deal than to get a round-trip ticket ($180).