Some advice for a long Hong Kong layover please!
 

Hey all, quick question...

I arrive in Hong Kong at 9:30AM and depart with BA at 23:45. That means I have over a 16 hour layover. Neither of the tickets are interlined, and completely separate - so I feel like there are limited options:

1. Go into town, drop my bigger hold baggage off at the airport train and explore Hong Kong (I am back there in a few weeks and have been before, so not really too fussed by this)
2. Book a day room at the hotel at the airport, and just laze around all day - maybe get some work done.
3. Ideally... stay airside. If I have my BA boarding pass, and manage to convince AirAsia that I don't need my bags checked - I think I will be able to stay airside, correct? I would probably just lounge hop with PP. If I can't stay airside and have to collect my bag, I guess I can't check in again at the airport until 3 hours before the flight in the evening, correct?

Any other bright ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Correct, and your other options also seem correct to me. If HBO then there is no issue staying airside.

Collect bags...drop at baggage Storage (very efficient and not too bad pricewise).... go to a day room at a hotel in town. OR sightseeing. Or a bit of both.

Any hotels with day rooms that you would recommend? I've only found a small amount...

I would probably do 1 and go and have a lovely lunch somewhere.

Another option is store bags and take a trip up to the Big Budda or to Tai O or similar.

When I flew to Sydney via HK last summer, i had a 10 hour layover. I booked the Marriott, which is about 5 mins away in a taxi, with the intention of grabbing some sleep. As a Marriott gold member, they actually sent a car to pick me up from the terminal. Nice hotel - I didn’t actually spend a night there, but got a good 5 hours sleep, had a shower and then headed back to the airport for dinner. Pretty sure they didn’t offer a day rate but the regular night rate was fairly reasonable from memory.

You can also get the Airport express (going away from the city) one stop to AsiaWorld-Expo and then there is a walkway from the station. Fare 6 HKD.

If you're going to go into town, you could also collect your bags, take them with you into town on the Airport Express, check them in at one of the in-town check in places (Hong Kong or Kowloon stations), then go to wherever you want to go in town. That means that you only have to get back to the airport in time to clear security and immigration and go to the gate, with no further margin needed for complying with bag drop deadlines.

Yeah, this is one of the options I was thinking... DO NOT want to be lugging that around all day that's for sure!

Personally I'd be going into town and eating my fill of delicious Cantonese food, but if you're landing at 09:30 you've probably been up for several hours before this and may need a rest before the long haul flight, so transit hotel might be smarter in the morning, then dumplings in the afternoon/evening before the long flight home?

As suggested, drop bag at storage. Well sign-posted and there are also manned info stations with helpful English speaking staff. If the weather is clear, go into town on the Airport Express and take the tram up to Victoria Peak, after visiting the peak take the Star Ferry across the harbor and walk around Kowloon - or - take a blue taxi over to Tung Chung and take the cable car up to Big Buddha. From there you can catch a taxi or bus to Tai O. You want clear weather for either the Peak or the Big Buddha. In fog, you won't see a thing. If a foggy day, take the Airport Express into town, Star Ferry, Ding Ding Tram, wander the neighborhoods. I see you "aren't fussed" about sightseeing, but why not have a hike, good food, what ever else you enjoy.

I wouldn't stay airside. There is shopping, but that will get old fast. Lounges are lounges. You have a very long layover.......... You can always leave the airport and cut short any sightseeing plans if tiredness kicks in.

If you are concerned about protest activity, info desks have been on top of conditions. There are numerous apps that you can use to track anything also.

Done this a few times. I take the Airport Express to the Hong Kong Station where you can check in for next flight, and check luggage if needed/desired. Walk over to the mid-level escalator(s), Head up to Elgin street, find a nice restaurant for lunch. Afterwards walk down a bit. Hit the Peak Cafe for some people watching.

Depending on how long my layover is, I'll eventually head back to the airport to take a shower at a lounge and settle down with some champagne to wait for my flight.

+1 for Big Buddha or Tai O. Alternatively you could take a trip on the bus over the bridge to Macau?

Most people in HK are extremely worried about the virus.
Might be overkill, but I would avoid public transport. Taxi to Tai O would be fun and safer.

Depending when your trip is I would avoid leaving the vicinity of the airport given the developing spread of the virus. It looks like even in Hong Kong many places are shut down to minimize the spread of the disease. It might be that a hotel is your safest best for your layover.