penlin

Hello everyone, I have a quick question to someone who has done this in the past or has insight into the logistics involved. I will be arriving from the US (party of 5) at 2:05 PM and will be on a flight to PNH at 8:45 AM the following day.
1. We were thinking of leaving the airport, grabbing an UBER to the ferry port, and taking the ferry to Macau
2. Go and see the portugese architecture in the Historic Centre of Macao for about 3 hours
3. Head back to HKG, walk aroung Kowloon Park, grab a bite to eat, and head back to the airport for our early morning flight.

Can this be done? Am i crazy? Should I do anything else before going back to the airport?

Please let me know. All advise is greatly appreciated.

P

889

It can be done, but I wouldn't do it, especially if arriving HKG after a long flight from the U.S. And I'd be particularly cautious about doing something like this with a group of five. There's certainly enough in HK to keep you busy for that time.

If you're fixed on the idea, though, be aware that there's direct ferry service from the airport to Macau; you don't even pass HK immigration. Check the schedule of course: there's constant service from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Central, while the airport service is much more limited.

Luggage?

penlin

No luggage, as we are planning on checking everything straight to PNH. Agree that HKG has plenty to do, but it would be special if we can pull this off.. and thanks for adding to this conversation.

P

Peregrine415

Doable... and Macau is cheaper. Skip Uber and board Macau ferry directly from Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), as had already been suggested. Since this is an international transfer, you do not go through HK immigration; your passport will be checked when you land in Macau. If you're interested in collecting stamps, they no longer stamp passports in Macau and HK. When you arrive in Macau, take the free bus shuttle to Sofitel and from there you can walk to the history center of Macau. You can't leave Macau and not try Macanese food. My favorite restaurants are Henry's Galley or Restaurante Litoral.

The earliest ferry from Macau to HKIA leaves at around 7 a.m., so you won't be able to make it to your flight to PNH. However, ferries to HK/Sheung Wan run 24 hours a day, so you can return to HK with plenty of time to make it to the airport.

BTW you may be subject to HK airport tax (around $20) since this tax is not collected for transit passengers.

eponymous_coward

Doable, sure. Sensible... well, you're talking about getting off a 12-15 hour flight, and then spending 15 hours or so being tourist (the HKG lounges you get access to as an AA EXP/OWE won't open until 5 am or so), without a hotel room? You don't plan on acclimating yourself to an Asian schedule and getting any sleep during your layover, but just plan on blasting through until you're in Cambodia in the afternoon?

I probably wouldn't do it, but I don't sleep all that great on planes (even in the lie-flat seats), and I usually want to get on a somewhat normal sleep schedule as soon as I can, otherwise I'll be messed up for days, wanting to go to bed in daytime and be up all hours of the night. Of course, maybe that's what you want? If that sounds like your jam, more power to you.

penlin

I know its been more than a year since this was originally posted, but wanted to come back to it and update this thread in case anyone else is thinking of this. We slept on the plane, disembarked and cleared passport control, and went into town, had a quick bite to eat, and then headed over to the ferry terminal. The kids had a blast navigating the streets in HK and the ferry ride was a unique experience for them. Once we arrived in Macau, we Uber'd it into the historic center, and explored for about 4 hours including some food options, before heading back to HK. Once we returned, we went into Tsim Sha Tsui for some more food, and allowed the kids to set the pace, lingering in some markets, (although very few were open at this point), eating on plastic stools outside in the alleys, and overall having an amazing time. Thanks to all that offered us advice and direction. It was greatly appreciated. We finally headed back to HKIA, spent an hour in the lounge and then onto our connecting flight. Thanks

Penlin

FlyingKansan

Thanks for the update!