First time visit to HKG & Macau
May 13, 2015, 5:01 pm
#16
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 740
A lot of the malls have pretty accessible chinese restaurants. By accessible, I mean menus in English, food that isn't completely weird/scary to the uninitiated, and not too expensive.
The first thing you need to decide is whether you want to stay on the island, Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), at the southern tip of Kowloon, or somewhere else. For what it's worth I recently stayed at the Icon hotel in East TST. It's slightly out of the way, but not too far. There were quite a few families with kids there and the staff were very friendly towards our 9-month old.
Hong Kong is pretty good for play parks. For example, there's a good one where Salisbury Road and Chatham Road South meet in TST. You'll find plenty of children playing there well into the evening. Our daughter was too young to go on most things but she still loved it as there were plenty of kids around.
Getting between TST and the island is easy: the star ferries run continuously and take minutes to cross the water.
The first thing you need to decide is whether you want to stay on the island, Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), at the southern tip of Kowloon, or somewhere else. For what it's worth I recently stayed at the Icon hotel in East TST. It's slightly out of the way, but not too far. There were quite a few families with kids there and the staff were very friendly towards our 9-month old.
Hong Kong is pretty good for play parks. For example, there's a good one where Salisbury Road and Chatham Road South meet in TST. You'll find plenty of children playing there well into the evening. Our daughter was too young to go on most things but she still loved it as there were plenty of kids around.
Getting between TST and the island is easy: the star ferries run continuously and take minutes to cross the water.
May 13, 2015, 5:47 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
A lot of the malls have pretty accessible chinese restaurants. By accessible, I mean menus in English, food that isn't completely weird/scary to the uninitiated, and not too expensive.
The first thing you need to decide is whether you want to stay on the island, Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), at the southern tip of Kowloon, or somewhere else. For what it's worth I recently stayed at the Icon hotel in East TST. It's slightly out of the way, but not too far. There were quite a few families with kids there and the staff were very friendly towards our 9-month old.
Hong Kong is pretty good for play parks. For example, there's a good one where Salisbury Road and Chatham Road South meet in TST. You'll find plenty of children playing there well into the evening. Our daughter was too young to go on most things but she still loved it as there were plenty of kids around.
Getting between TST and the island is easy: the star ferries run continuously and take minutes to cross the water.
The first thing you need to decide is whether you want to stay on the island, Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), at the southern tip of Kowloon, or somewhere else. For what it's worth I recently stayed at the Icon hotel in East TST. It's slightly out of the way, but not too far. There were quite a few families with kids there and the staff were very friendly towards our 9-month old.
Hong Kong is pretty good for play parks. For example, there's a good one where Salisbury Road and Chatham Road South meet in TST. You'll find plenty of children playing there well into the evening. Our daughter was too young to go on most things but she still loved it as there were plenty of kids around.
Getting between TST and the island is easy: the star ferries run continuously and take minutes to cross the water.
How much is it in US $ for cab ride from the main airport to hotels like the Hyatt?
I heared about airport express train that goes to the city but won't be convenient for us with big luggages and a toddler right?
Last edited by Blueskyheaven; May 13, 2015 at 5:56 pm
May 14, 2015, 4:05 am
#18
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX Diamond
Posts: 372
HK is generally divided into:
HK Island (the island)
Kowloon (the peninsula the island is next to)
New territories (north of Kowloon upto the border with China)
Outlying Islands (several hundred) including Lantau (where the airport is), Lamma (seafood restaurants), Peng Chau and others
See https://goo.gl/maps/whGWv
If you stay on the Island or in Kowloon then you will be able to reach most places with ease.
A taxi from the Airport to my home in Happy Valley on the Island is about US$45. If you pay more than US$50 then you have travelled a long way indeed! Note the vast majority of taxis only take HK$ cash
HK Island (the island)
Kowloon (the peninsula the island is next to)
New territories (north of Kowloon upto the border with China)
Outlying Islands (several hundred) including Lantau (where the airport is), Lamma (seafood restaurants), Peng Chau and others
See https://goo.gl/maps/whGWv
If you stay on the Island or in Kowloon then you will be able to reach most places with ease.
A taxi from the Airport to my home in Happy Valley on the Island is about US$45. If you pay more than US$50 then you have travelled a long way indeed! Note the vast majority of taxis only take HK$ cash
May 15, 2015, 1:59 pm
#19
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 1,553
One tip is that Macau gets way expensive on the weekends due to the mainlanders heading over for a weekend of gambling. Recommend staying mid-week to save a few dollars.
IMO, an overnight stay will likely suffice.
MTR Airport Express has cars with luggage racks on the end. IMO, it's a pretty comfortable option to get you into the "heart of town". From there, you can hop on a regular MTR train (likely not that convenient w/ a toddler and luggage) or grab a taxi from a rank but keeping in mind, you may have to queue for one.
+1
IMO, an overnight stay will likely suffice.
MTR Airport Express has cars with luggage racks on the end. IMO, it's a pretty comfortable option to get you into the "heart of town". From there, you can hop on a regular MTR train (likely not that convenient w/ a toddler and luggage) or grab a taxi from a rank but keeping in mind, you may have to queue for one.
+1
May 19, 2015, 3:29 pm
#21
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May 20, 2015, 11:10 am
#22
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Location: Shanghai
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May 21, 2015, 12:02 am
#24
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 37
I'm a local HK resident; in your case I would suggest you check out the JW Marriott in Hong Kong, considering you have a 2-year old kid with you. It is right above the subway (MTR) and an upscale shopping mall (Pacific place) and has good restaurants with all English speaking waiters.
Tsim Sha Tsui might be too crowded for your taste. It's good for visit but not for staying.
Tsim Sha Tsui might be too crowded for your taste. It's good for visit but not for staying.
May 21, 2015, 3:44 pm
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
I'm a local HK resident; in your case I would suggest you check out the JW Marriott in Hong Kong, considering you have a 2-year old kid with you. It is right above the subway (MTR) and an upscale shopping mall (Pacific place) and has good restaurants with all English speaking waiters.
Tsim Sha Tsui might be too crowded for your taste. It's good for visit but not for staying.
Tsim Sha Tsui might be too crowded for your taste. It's good for visit but not for staying.
Last edited by Blueskyheaven; May 21, 2015 at 3:50 pm
May 24, 2015, 12:53 pm
#26
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: YYG
Programs: Aeroplan 50K, Club Accor Gold
Posts: 441
Many less expensive restaurants can still handle english-speaking customers; Café de Coral, for instance, has pictures of everything and a short English description, along with a number, so when you order you can just give the number and confirm "Coke" or "coffee" with the combination you want.
Local markets are all over the place; the one you probably want is the Temple St. Night Market. Very touristy, though, and often you can get the exact same stuff elsewhere in town for less (for instance, side streets/alleyway markets in Central and Sheung Wan).
The MTR in Hong Kong is excellent and I think every station is accessible; however, quite possibly only one of the exits to any particular station has an elevator, so you might want to check out a map of the the station to find out. www.mtr.com.hk
Local markets are all over the place; the one you probably want is the Temple St. Night Market. Very touristy, though, and often you can get the exact same stuff elsewhere in town for less (for instance, side streets/alleyway markets in Central and Sheung Wan).
The MTR in Hong Kong is excellent and I think every station is accessible; however, quite possibly only one of the exits to any particular station has an elevator, so you might want to check out a map of the the station to find out. www.mtr.com.hk
May 24, 2015, 2:43 pm
#27
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,097
There's a good park with a great aviary right at hand to the Marriott, but apart from the mall and the MTR nothing else, unless you're into court buildings. It's a dead, business district. If you want to stay in a livelier area, and unless you've got business near the Marriott I think you do, then look into Causeway Bay/North Point or Mongkok.
Last edited by 889; May 24, 2015 at 4:04 pm
May 25, 2015, 6:42 pm
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
Many less expensive restaurants can still handle english-speaking customers; Café de Coral, for instance, has pictures of everything and a short English description, along with a number, so when you order you can just give the number and confirm "Coke" or "coffee" with the combination you want.
Local markets are all over the place; the one you probably want is the Temple St. Night Market. Very touristy, though, and often you can get the exact same stuff elsewhere in town for less (for instance, side streets/alleyway markets in Central and Sheung Wan).
The MTR in Hong Kong is excellent and I think every station is accessible; however, quite possibly only one of the exits to any particular station has an elevator, so you might want to check out a map of the the station to find out. www.mtr.com.hk
Local markets are all over the place; the one you probably want is the Temple St. Night Market. Very touristy, though, and often you can get the exact same stuff elsewhere in town for less (for instance, side streets/alleyway markets in Central and Sheung Wan).
The MTR in Hong Kong is excellent and I think every station is accessible; however, quite possibly only one of the exits to any particular station has an elevator, so you might want to check out a map of the the station to find out. www.mtr.com.hk
May 26, 2015, 9:28 am
#29
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: YYG
Programs: Aeroplan 50K, Club Accor Gold
Posts: 441
You will have to look around for Sichuan restaurants; the restaurants I go to in HK are almost always Cantonese. Try http://openrice.com and search for Sichuan restaurants in the area of your hotel or areas of HK you want to explore. Look for restaurants with reviews in English.