Hey! How's it goin'? So two years have passed since I went to Macau and I'm only blogging about it now. I have no excuses, only valid reasons! So many things happened in two years and blogging at that time wasn't my priority. It still isn't now but at least I think I got a little bit of time to spare. Also, ever since I transferred my blog to Wordpress, my site keeps getting malware and it keeps getting blocked! Anyway, so much about my reasons and rant...
Anyway... After several days of fun-filled (and tiring -LITERALLY! I almost got sick) adventure in Hong Kong, we decided to head to Macau for a quick Day Tour. And I must say, this must have been the most time constraint and tiring day tour I've had in my whole life! So much running lol Literal haggard! no time to vlog!
So if you're going to Macau, I would suggest you take at least two days to enjoy the place. Anyway, I'd love to tell you more about these places, our itinerary and all but I already forgot the details. As I said, it's been two years. lol
Our last breakfast in Hong Kong before heading to the Port going to Macau.
All smiles on our way to Macau! Fresh pa ha!
And when we arrived, tadaaa... So many cool buildings and picture-worthy views. You can't imagine how many times we had to stop to take photos lol
These buildings are so pretty!
There was so much crowd going to the ruins that we have to stick with each other not to get lost. The best part on this alley was their Portuguese egg tart! So gooooooooood.
We wanted to get close and a clear shot but these were so many tourists. Nevertheless, the view was spectacular! After the Ruins, we did a quick tour on some of the famous hotels around. As we did not have so much time, we had to walk fast the whole time, almost running!
MOWDELS!
This photo was taken inside a hotel's CR. No words.
Our last destination was to see this Eiffel Tower look alike. We almost did not have the chance to visit this place as we did not have a lot of time but we ran just to take these shots. We ran again to get to the airport. It was like a marathon, no kidding! Everything was just so fast! I'm never doing this again! HAHAHAHHA
4-Day Hong Kong Travel Guide
Hong Kong is everyone's dream destination. And for most of us Filipinos, Hong Kong is usually our first stop when traveling abroad. It's no brainer why since it doesn't require Visa, it's only 2 hours away from home, and there are always cheap flights available. There's no wonder why you'll get to meet lots of Filipinos working and simply traveling in Hong Kong.
I have already talked about our Hong Kong experience in my previous posts (Day 1: Disneyland, Day 2: Ocean Park, Day 3: Ngong Ping, Day 4: City Tour) but today, I'm gonna share with you our full itinerary; where to go, how to go, and helpful tips you'll need to know to savor your Hong Kong experience. So here's my own Hong Kong travel guide!
How to Travel Around Hong Kong
Upon arriving at Hong Kong International Airport, we took a 1-hr ride via the airport bus A21 going to Legend Guest House (stopping at the 13th Station) for $33. Taking the bus was the most convenient and cheapest way to go to our lodging with all our luggage at night.
The rest of our trip around Hong Kong was using their MTR. Taking the MTR is not so convenient but it's the cheapest and fastest mode of transportation to go around the city. We purchased an Octopus card for a total of $200 (150 load + 50 deposit refundable upon return of the card). If you want to save money touring around Hong Kong, taking the MTR is the best way!
Where to Stay in Hong Kong
My friends and I stayed at Legend Guest House located along the famous Nathan Road. It's the ideal place to stay since it's very accessible, has lots of restaurants to eat around, near shopping centers, and definitely the best place for Filipinos since there's a Jollibee nearby.
From Hong Kong International Airport, we took A21 Bus and took off at the 13th Station. We walked approximately 50-60 meters forward and then crossed the street and looked for Harilela Mansion. Take the elevator and go up to the 13th floor for the reception :)
Photo grabbed from booking.com
We took a room with two double beds for the four of us. The room is small but just the right size for us and our luggage. The bathroom is also small but clean (at least). There's also a minibar, kettle, mugs, small cabinet with tons of hangers and volt available for use. The bed was comfortable, I must say, and the place was quite too. The only thing I didn't like was their small shared elevator. We had to wait several minutes to go down and up. There was even a time when we had to walk up the stairs to our room on the 12th floor! Imagine the cramp! But nevertheless, it was a nice stay. I can definitely recommend since the location is very accessible and the price was pretty cheap. We booked via Booking.com and got a 10% refund through my customized Booki.com link. You can also get a 10% refund by searching and booking Legend Guesthouse using this link: https://www.booking.com/s/25_8/emmere39
Hong Kong 4-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Hong Kong Disneyland
Day 1 in Hong Kong started early. Woke up at 8AM, got ready and ate our first breakfast at McDonald's. At 9AM from Nathan road, we took a 45-minute ride via MTR to get to Disneyland. Read my amazing Disneyland Experience in my previous post here.
How to Go to Disneyland
In Tsim Sha Tsui Station, take the MTR (Red line) Tsuen Wan Line and get off at Lai King Station
From Lai King Station, transfer and take Tung Chung Line (Orange line).
Take off at Sunny Bay and transfer to Disneyland Resort Line (Pink Line). When it stops, get off and enjoy Disneyland!
*Inside the train, there is a point system that shows you the current and next station it's heading to. Also, when going home, take the same route going back to Nathan road!
Hong Kong Disneyland Travel Tips
Purchase your tickets online ahead of time and watch out for crazy promos! There are available tickets at the main entrance of the park but we opted to purchase our tickets ahead of time online via Klook. We paid approximately $430 or P3,500 per head. It was quite expensive but VERY WORTH IT!
Spend one full day to explore Disneyland. Disneyland had tons of attractions and even a whole day isn't enough for all of them. We entered at 10AM until it closed at 8PM. We almost rode everything. It was a day to remember!
Their attractions have specific schedules depending on the date. Check out their calendar here and keep updated on their operating hours.
Once you enter the park, grab their brochure and map! Make sure to plan your Disneyland itinerary to save time and be able to enjoy all their attractions!
Make sure to wear super comfy shoes! You'll be walking miles and miles!
Bring food. Disneyland has many cafes and restaurants inside but they are all expensive.
Keep your phone away, enjoy and savor every moment!
Day 2: Ocean Park --> Peak Tram & Victoria Peak
📍 Hong Kong Ocean Park
Hong Kong Ocean Park was extremely memorable. LITERALLY! Check out our crazy Ocean Park Adventure on my previous post here.
How to Go to Ocean Park
We were there from opening to closing!
From Tsim Shah Tsui, take the MTR to Admiralty.
Transfer and take the Southern Island line
And get off at Ocean Park Station
*Inside the train, there is a point system that shows you the current and next station it's heading to. Also, when going home, take the same route going back to Nathan road!
Hong Kong Ocean Park Travel Tips
Like Disneyland, purchase your tickets online ahead of time. We purchased our online via Klook. We paid approximately $340 or P2,700 per head.
And like Disneyland, we also spent one full day to explore Ocean Park. We entered at it's opening time until closing!
Once you enter the park, make sure to also grab their brochure and map to plan your Ocean Park itinerary, save time, and enjoy all their attractions!
Make sure to wear super comfy outfit and shoes. You'll have to walk all day!
Bring an extra outfit too!
As always, bring FOOD!
Enjoy the thrill and excitement!
If you love extreme rides, Ocean Park is for you! But if you're a faint-hearted, just go for their animal viewing sites. You can also enjoy watching people scream as they try the extreme rides. But kidding aside, try to face your fears and ride everything! You gotta enjoy every penny you paid!
📍 Peak Tram & Victoria Peak
How to Go to Peak Tram From Ocean Park
So from Ocean Park, we made sure not to waste the night by heading straight to Peak Tram (never mind the sore feet!). Check out more cool photos of Victoria Peak on my previous blog post here.
From Ocean Park, take the MTR to Admiralty.
Get off and ready your feet to walk a few minutes up to the hill to Peak Tram.
*Instead of walking up to the hill, you can opt to ride a bus going the Peak Tram. But for us, we decided to walk around and enjoy the view.
Peak Tram & Victoria Peak Travel Tips
Purchase your tickets online. We got ours for only $75 or P600 inclusive of the Peak Tram/Sky Terrace/Trick Eye Museum ( via KLOOK)
Make sure you're full before lining up for the Peak Tram. If not, make sure to bring food ---
because there will be a long line of waiting for the Peak Tram. Brace yourselves! We even waited for an hour.
By the time you arrive at Victoria Peak, your feet are surely tired from all the walking so make sure to stop by Burger King, eat something to fuel your energy and rest your feet!
Do not take your photos right away. Rest for a few minutes, enjoy the view, take it all in, and wait until a chunk of people decides to go home before you take photos.
Do not pose and pay for the $200 photo souvenir, you'll get awesome shots by just using your phone. Spend the $200 on something worthy elsewhere!
Do not buy souvenirs just yet! There are cheaper options in the night market on the 4th day of our itinerary!
*To go home, take the Tram, walk back to Admiralty Station, and take the MTR going to Tsim Sha Tsui.
Day 3: Ngong Ping Village
Because our first two days were hectic, our Day 3 was spent on a relaxing visit to Ngong Ping Village. Check out my full blog post of our Ngong Ping Village experience here.
How to Go to Ngong Ping Village
From Tsim Sha Tsui Station, take the train to Lai King (Tsuen Wan line/red line).
From Lai King, transfer train to Tung Chung Line (orange line).
Get off and walk approximately 425 meters (5 mins walk) going to the Tung Chung Cable Car terminal.
Ngong Ping Village Tips
Always make sure to bring FOOD!
Grab an English version of their map and brochure.
Relax and discover the rich culture and faith of Hong Kong.
Don't forget to take beautiful photos!
Day 4: Hong Kong City Tour
Day 4 was spent on an epic City tour. We went to some great places close to where we stayed. I blogged about our 4th day at Hong Kong here.
The first spot we went to was the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre which is just a few minutes walk from Legend Guest House. I recommend you use Google maps or Waze so you'll know where to go!
📍 Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre
Just a few walks from Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre was the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Space Museum, Museum of Art, Clock Tower, Victoria Harbour and Avenue of Stars. You can hit several birds in one stone around this area!
📍 Hong Kong Cultural Centre
📍Clock Tower
📍 Victoria Harbour
Right after the walking tour, we decided to visit Nan Lian Garden. An amazing garden right at the heart of the city.
How to Go to Nan Lian Garden from Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Walk a few minutes to Tsim Sha Tsu Station.
Take the Tsuen Wan Line (red line) and get off at Yau Ma Tei Station.
Transfer to Kwun Tong line (green line) and get off at Diamond Hill.
From there, take a few meters walk and viola! You have arrived!
📍 Nan Lian Garden
*If you don't wanna be reprimanded by the security, do not eat while touring around the area! :D
If you're a fan of Transformers, then you probably know about Montane Mansion, an epic location of one of their famous scenes. From Nan Lian Garden, we went straight ahead to Montane Mansion.
How to Go to Montane Mansion from Nan Lian Garden
From Diamond Hill Station, take the Kwun Tong line (green line) and get off at Yau Tong.
Get off and transfer to the train to Quarry Bay (violet line).
Using Google Maps or Waze, walk a few minutes from Quarry Bay Station to locate Montaine Mansion.
*Don't get your hopes high! Montane Mansion isn't a grand place like what almost everybody expects. It's an old apartment building where most of the low-middle class people of Hong Kong stay. But hey, aside from being a location from the Transformers movie, it's history and it being a landmark itself is already worth the visit! not to mention the IG-worthy shot of the apartment building as the background!
📍 Montane Mansion
How to Get to Sneakers Street & Ladies Market from Montane Mansion
In Quarry Bay station, take the train (blue line) to Admiralty
Transfer and ride the train to Mongkok (Tsuen Wan line/red line).
Use GPS and start walking around the night market!
📍 Night Market
There are lots of cheap options in the night market. Don't be afraid to haggle! And make use of the huge sale at Sneakers street. I got nice comfy black Puma shoes for only P2,000!
Make sure that you also try their street foods! We didn't have dinner yet and decided to gulp their mouth-watering street foods. I admit though, I didn't like the taste of some but I did have my favorites too :)
*To go back to Legend Guest house, take the train to Admiralty at Mong Kok subway and get off at Tsim Shah Tsui station.
MORE TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN TRAVELING TO HONG KONG
Rent a portable wifi if you want to share your adventure real time! You can have a Facebook live, or Instagram live while you're at Disneyland or Ocean Park. It also comes very handy when trying to navigate Google maps!
Always book your tickets online! Prices online are much cheaper!
Always bring food everywhere!
Download this very helpful MTR route map (here) so you know what train stations to get off and know your way around Hong Kong.
If you're not fan of the map, You can also download the MTR Mobile application (here). It's the best way to know which station to go and get off when traveling around via MTR.
Always bring a power bank.
Make sure to wear super comfortable shoes.
And that's it. That was the end of our Hong Kong Adventure! It was short but hectic! We had a lot of places that we were able to visit. Right after Hong Kong, we headed for a day tour of Macau which I will be blogging very soon!.
Anyway, if you're planning on an adventure this year, I say, Hong Kong is a great country to start your 2019 travel goals. And if ever you plan on visiting Hong Kong, I hope this travel guide will help you navigate through this amazing city!
