Hotel: Unfortunately, the Kowloon Shangri-La, where we stayed on our last two visits had priced itself out of our range for this trip, so we had to look for a cheaper alternative. We got a great deal at the Nikko, just up the road, with harbour view rooms on the Nikko floor, which included full daily breakfast, all-day snacks with beer and soft drinks and very generously proportioned alcoholic drinks and dim sum in the evenings. The room price also included free wi-fi, a 10% discount at all the hotel's bars and restaurants and separate check-in/check out facilities in the Nikko lounge to save queuing in reception. All this for HK$2,150 per night for 27-29/12 and HK$2,600 for 30/12-2/1 (about £173 / £210 currently), which was less than the price of a standard room only at the Shangri-La.
We were pleasantly surprised by the standard of the hotel and although the rooms were a little smaller and the views not quite as spectacular as the Shangri-La's, we thought it was excellent value for money. It took an extra couple of minutes to walk to the Star Ferry pier and the MTR station, but hey, we were on holiday, so what's the rush? I'd definitely recommend this hotel to anyone looking for something around this price range and the Nikko floor upgrades were well worth paying the extra for!
Transportation: We got Airport Express return tickets on arrival, which were HK$160 each (~£13) and included shuttle bus transfers right to the hotel entrance. Unfortunately, we had to leave early to catch our return flight and the buses only start running after 6am, so we had to get a taxi to Kowloon station on the way back, but that only cost HK$43 (£3.40), so not exactly a fortune. We were extremely surprised the first morning to find that our 5-year old Octopus cards were still valid and immediately loaded them up with HK$100 each, which did us for the whole week, including a couple of snacks from 7/11 shops.
Stanley: The first morning, as we were still pretty zonked out from travelling, we decided to do something familiar that wouldn't tax our brains too much, so we took the usual Star Ferry/No 6 bus trip to Stanley. The market doesn't get any better and is still a deadly tourist trap, but we had a pleasant walk down to the main beach and our usual drink in the Smugglers Inn on the promenade, followed by a quick visit to the flower shop to get my usual bunch of purple orchids!
Other familiar things we did were the obliglatory treks up and down Nathan Road, Ladies Market, Harbour City and a couple of hours chilling in Kowloon Park. However, we did have a few new experiences, which were:-
Tram ride: Ok, so riding a tram isn't exactly new, but this time we decided to go all the way up to North Point, where we spent an hour or so watching the boats come in. Whilst there, we were treated to the sight of a family pushing a trolley load of crates, all geared up with battery-driven air pumps and filled with fish, which they then proceeded to release back into the sea, all the time praying and chanting. I looked this up on Google when we got back to the hotel and apparently it's a fairly common Buddhist ritual, said to promote health and a long life. After a little wander around the streets of North Point, looking at all the greengrocers, fishmongers and butchers' shops, we then got back on a tram and went as far as Western Market - an old British-built marketplace - which was quite interesting architecturally, amid all the sky-scraping office blocks, but not really a great shopping opportunity. The tram rides were great though and we even managed to get the front seat of the top deck both ways
Duk Ling: This is the iconic red-sailed junk that appears on all the advertising posters and websites for Hong Kong. Last time we were in HK, we couldn't get places on it, but we struck lucky this time. It's an hour's sail up and down Victoria Harbour and at HK$50 each (£4) must be one of the best value tourist experiences going! You have to book it at the HKTB offices and don't forget to take your passport (or a photocopy), because it's only for tourists.
Ngong Ping Cable Car, Lantau: This was still being built last time we were there, so it was high on our list of must-do's. We had to queue for over an hour to get on, but I think it was probably busier than usual because of the time of year. If we did it again, we'd book tickets on-line in advance and use the fast-track lane. It was certainly worth queuing for though! Even though it was a fairly misty day, the views were mind-blowingly spectacular. I don't have much of a head for heights, but I was so awe-struck by the views that I didn't even notice! It definitely felt safer and more relaxed than the bone-shaking bus trip up the mountain that we'd taken on a previous visit! Before we went, we were a bit dubious about the Ngong Ping village itself, thinking it would be another tourist trap. Obviously it is, but they've done it so well, that the shops just seem to lure you in and we got a lovely new set of chopsticks from the Chopstick Gallery there. We decided to give the marathon climb up to see Buddha a miss this time, so we just nodded our respects to him from the bottom of the steps and then returned for another stunning journey on the cable car (no queues going down!). It cost us HK$141.30 each (£11.30) for the return trip in a crystal cabin, which included a 10% discount for showing our Cathay Pacific boarding passes.
Symphony of Lights Harbour Cruise: There are two main operators who do this cruise, Star Ferries and Watertours. We chose the Watertours one, because it included unlimited beers in the price - and my photos became more and more blurred as the trip went on
It was a great way to see the light-show - far better than joining the crush along the Avenue of Stars! We set off from TST public pier, near the Star Ferry terminal, at around 7.45, watched the lightshow at 8pm and then cruised along to North Point and back. It was about an hour and a half altogether and cost HK$310 (£25) each.All in all a fabulous holiday - our fifth in Hong Kong. Would I go back? Oh yes!!!!
Elaine
