Hong Kong Travel Itinerary: Part 1

Planning a trip to Hong Kong?

Maybe you'd find this itinerary helpful. This one's fit for a family vacation, where there are kids, adults and young adults. You can add a few more stops depending on your energy level. But for me, I like a kind of vacation where there's no rush and no pressure to, sort of, accomplish a list of places to visit. I mean, a vacation should be a time to relax and loosen up.

My HK day 1 #ootd. 😂

Day 1: Arrival + Macau side trip

We arrived in Hong Kong at 8:55am from Mactan International Airport (Cebu). There is no time difference between HK and PH, and travel time was only around 2 hours and 45 mins.

Upon arrival, I advise that you go with the crowd if it's your first time to go. After passing through immigration and getting your luggage, you can get your octopus card at the airport (sort of a beep card for your transpo needs). For this trip, we didn't get octopus cards and instead just bought single-journey tickets for each of our trip via the MTR. The last time I was there though, we got octopus cards at the airport. It's really up to your preference and your itinerary.

How to get to the hotel from the airport:

Option 1: Airport Express (20-30 mins)

👍: Less travel time

✖: I find it inconvenient when you're carrying huge/plenty of luggage and your hotel is not within walking distance from the MTR stations that it covers (Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tsing Yi). Also, it costs around 100HKD.

You can find more information on this here: Hong Kong Airport: Airport Express

Option 2: Public Buses (45 mins to 1 hour)

👍: Much cheaper (33HKD to Tsim Sha Tsui) and the bus stop is right in front of the hotel we were staying in. And most likely, it will also be near your hotel if you'll be staying in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST).

✖: Longer travel time

You can find more information on this here: Hong Kong Airport: Public Buses

Ride the bus for Route A21, and wait for the 14th stop (Imperial Hotel).

Just pay the exact fare (33HKD) when boarding the bus if you don't have an octopus card.

We stayed at Imperial Hotel (32-34 Nathan Road, TST, HK). We booked it through Agoda.com and found a really good price for our travel dates. I would recommend this place as I found it worth the money. It's not the fanciest/newest one around but it's pretty decent and clean, with soft beds and pillows (just what you need when travelling!). Their staff is also very accommodating and friendly.

Crossing the street in style. This was near our hotel.

For our lunch, we ate at Nabe One , which is a shabu-shabu/hot pot buffet which is just walking distance from the hotel. I would say it's a bit on the pricey side, but hey, it was *sponsored* (ehem ehem, thanks tito Jo). And the food was really good! So, definitely worth it!

MACAU

After lunch, we went straight ahead to our first stop: Macau. You can get to Macau via ferry boats with 45 mins to 1 hour travel time.

If you're into walking, you can stop by 1881 heritage or the Avenue of Stars before heading to the terminal. You can also walk through Harbour City if you want.

We boarded our ferry at the Kowloon Ferry Terminal (or China Ferry Terminal as it says on google maps 😂). Rates vary depending on the operator. Fares are also higher during the night. Our actual fare was: HKD 190 (after lunch trip) going to Macau and HKD 200 (at night trip) going back to HK.

HKD is accepted in Macau as 1:1 with Macanese Pataca. Just thought you should know. 😉

If you've read other blogs on a Macau itinerary, you've probably read that you can just walk around the city and/or make use of the free shuttle services offered by the big hotels and casinos. This is quite true. But for us who had limited time, we couldn't waste it in "exploring" on our own and walking to our destinations. So upon arrival in Macau, we met with miss Tess (a Filipino) who offered to guide us around for a reasonable fee, which already included our fare for the bus rides. We were so thankful to have had her around; it saved us so much time and energy. I can direct you to her facebook account if you wish to have her as your guide. She can also arrange a car or van for you if that's what you'd like.

Places of interest:

-       Fisherman’s wharf (optional)

-     Kun Iam Statue (optional)

-  Macau tower

-  Senado Square

By the fountain at Senado Square

You can also visit St. Dominic's church (photo on the left).

-   Ruins of St. Paul’s

-  The Venetian: try the gondola ride

-      The Parisian Macau: check out the Eiffel Tower

And before I forget, you should really try the Portuguese egg tarts!!!

Give me my egg tarts! I ate one at almost every stop!

You'll also get to try a variety of food items and drinks while you're in Macau especially when you'll visit Senado Square and the Ruins of St. Paul's. Don't worry about the calories, just enjoy the moment!

Will include the rest of our itinerary in a part 2.

Still so much more to share!

Please feel free to drop in the comments some suggestions

on other must-visit places in Macau and other food spots!

Who knows, I might have another chance to visit Macau! 🤞

Love,

Lora 💖