have a great time!

looking forward to your report Nivsy to wet my appetite for next year.

I am sooooo bad at reports but here goes.....Hotel Cosmopolitan was just fine. 5 mins walk from Time Square and having secured a room on the top floor (25) we were quite contented with the views over the city. never got up in time though to try the breakfast...but in HK who needs that!

Octopus card very handy...and as previously reported by others...well worth the money. We bought the card including the 2 return trips to the airport...and to top up was very easy.

Return visit to Aberdeens Jumbo floating chinese eatery was good because of the uniqueness of the restaurant however i considered the service below the usual HK high class and pricey..and the food was just average. By the way found the Red Pepper and it was wonderful. The prawns are to die for...and we had a great time there.

Decided to go to Macau for the day...and it was a nice trip...although i think Macau is not a patch on the bustle and excitement of HK.

Kowloon still amazes me.....and i never bought even 1 fake watch from the dealers on the street ....but was more than happy with the prices of CD's in the wonderful HMV store...around £7.

Peak tram etc still as good as ever....although we decided to take the double decker bus up (and tram down)...scarey ride on the bus.

Overall food and drink prices...and quality just great. The customer service is in my opinion 2nd to none and every one smiles. Its a wonderful destination...and despite the long and tedious flights with British Airways.....(they really are soooo average these days...sorry guys!) it was a fantastic time.

Nivsy

thanks Nivsy! I am looking forward to my short trip there next April. I didn't know about the Octopus card when we went so I will certainly look into it. I agree about the locals. I found them to be amongst the most polite people I have come across in my travels. I'm sure I've said this before but if you stand and look at a guide book you won't go more than a minute without someone offering to help. I am so pleased you liked Red Pepper. We thought the food there was fantastic as well.

Nivsy, glad to hear you had such a good time!

Have to agree with you about the Jumbo floating restaurant. Did you go on an organised trip? One of my lasting memories of my first trip to HK is of sailing into Aberdeen Harbour on an organised trip and seeing all the hundreds of lights in the high rise apartments all around the harbour. Unfortunately the food and service in the restaurant didn't match up to that first impression. Very so-so, as you say and we've never bothered going back on subsequent visits. I must remember to look for the Red Pepper next time I go, after the glowing reports from you and Fiona!

I'm afraid my experience of the BA flights differed somewhat from yours though. For our trip to HK last Christmas, we decided to stump up for their premium economy seats and I would highly recommend them for anyone who can possibly afford it. On our way out, we found the extra legroom and smaller, quieter cabin were well worth the extra we'd paid and it was the first long-haul flight we've ever taken that my husband, who suffers from arthritis, actually managed to stay put in his seat and get some sleep.

On the way back the flight was full and at check-in they were offering cut-price upgrades to Business. Since we'd been perfectly happy with our seats on the outward flight, we didn't bother, but when we got to the gate we were told that we'd been upgraded for free! For anyone like us who's never flown long-haul Business class before (and probably never will again!) it was an amazing experience. Fantastic food, attentive service and best of all lie-flat seats to snuggle down in and sleep for most of the journey. I can tell you, charter flights to Greece will never be the same again after that!