¡Hola! I know I’ve been quiet the past few weeks – I’ve been very busy with work & personal life. There’s so much going on around me & I barely have time to write & catch-up. I still owe you everything about my Sapporo trip last February but that’s coming really soon. For now, I will share to you some details about recent trip to Hong Kong.
Touchdown Hong Kong International Airport!
Last March, my high school friends & I went to Hong Kong for the weekend. You heard it right, just for 48 hours! We left Manila Friday afternoon & went back Sunday night. Yes, it was that quick but we managed to visit many places. I’ve been to Hong Kong in 2013 with my office friends so I made sure that I went to new places this time.
Plane Ticket
Last September 2017, Citibank Philippines offered promotional Cebu Pacific Air fares to Hong Kong. Flights from Manila cost as low as ₱1,299 (not including booking fee) per person. Cheap, eh? My high school friends & I took advantage of this promotion; we booked tickets for 10 people. Yes, cheap fares were overflowing that time.
My return ticket to Hong Kong; bought it for only ₱3,710.60
We got our round-trip ticket for ₱3,710.60 (including airport taxes & booking fee) each. A normal return ticket to Hong Kong will cost you around ₱5,000 – ₱8,000; we still got it for an affordable price!
Curios how I get access to or how do I get informed of these promotional fares? You might want to like my Facebook Page for alerts & updates on upcoming & current seat sales. I also wrote how I manage to book super tickets to various local & international destinations. Check the post here.
ACCOMMODATION
Looking for a decent & affordable place to stay in Hong Kong is quite hard. It got harder because we were a group of 10 people. Hotel & services apartment rates in Hong Kong are very expensive. A room in a decent hotel can cost around ₱5,000 per night for 2 people. There are a lot of guesthouses & inns but most of they aren’t that cozy.
Our small & basic double room at Shinny Inn, Hong Kong
My friends & I got lucky for booking our stay (via Booking.com) with Shinny Inn. It is a small inn in the 8th Floor of Alhambra Building along Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. We booked really early so we got the double room at HK$ 360 per night – that’s HK$ 180 per person / night. What a bargain! We booked 5 rooms in the property.
Had Tsingtao again after so long! Bought this while having dinner in a restaurant near Shinny Inn
The air-conditioned rooms were small (this is normal in Hong Kong) & basic. Each room has a private shower & ensuite, a small table & a cable television. Space is limited but it was alright. We were out most of the time anyway; we only need a place to sleep & prepare. Jeki (the owner) provided each room a free local sim card with a few credits & mobile internet. Our stay comes with free coffee & tea in the morning.
View from Shinny Inn’s balcony
They also allowed us to leave our bags after check out. Overall, I recommend staying at Shinny Inn. The place is affordable for such an expensive destination. The rooms are small & basic – again you just need a place to sleep!
48 Hours In Hong Kong? Challenge Accepted! Places Visited –>
As mentioned above, I’ve been to Hong Kong in 2013 so I decided to skip some places to visited like Hong Kong Disneyland & Ocean Park Hong Kong. Majority of the group went to Hong Kong Disneyland during our second day; but my friend, Echo, & I decided to go our own way.
Central Hong Kong
Central is Hong Kong’s business & retail district. You can find everything here – affordable & luxury brand stores, restaurants, businesses, etc. I’ve been to this area way back in 2013; but I missed visiting the famous Graham St mural. The mural shows rows of townhouses & apartment buildings beside each other, depicting the current Hong Kong situation.
Graham St mural
Echo & I also tried the mid-levels escalator in Jubilee St. This 800-meter escalator is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the word. We went there for the experience – it only works one way per few minutes plus you will see people at every end waiting for the escalator to go the other way.
Tried the mid-levels escalator in Jubilee St
Access: Central MTR Station
Peak Tram & Sky Terrace 428
Converted our Klook vouchers into tickets!
I’ve been to the Peak Tram & Sky Terrace 428 in 2013 but Echo asked if I can go there again & go with him. I had no choice but to say yes. We got our Peak Tram Fast-Track Combo Tickets from Klook for US$8.9 or around ₱460. The ticket included an express entry to The Peak Tram & a ticket to Sky Terrace to 428. Ticket redemption was easy & the express entry to the tram saved us a lot of time (instead of lining up in the regular queue).
Inside the Peak Tram on the way to Victoria Peak
Dropped by the Trick Eye Museum before heading up to Sky Terrace 428
The tram ride to Victoria Peak took us a little over 7 minutes. We skipped the Madame Tussaud’s & the Art of Chocolate Museum & we headed to the free Trick Eye Museum. We took some photos & then we finally went up to Sky Terrace 428. The weather was cloudy, windy & cold. We were not able to see the skyline in its glory. We stayed for a few hours but the weather didn’t improve. We had no choice but to leave.
The best view of skyline from Sky Terrace 428 – it was cloudy that day!
Access: Central MTR Station | Klook Ticket Redemption Area – Exit K
Hong Kong’s Monster Building
Quarry Bay’s Monster Building became popular on Instagram. Since then, Hong Kong visitors make their way to Quarry Bay area to see the building for themselves, also to get nice photos for their Instagram accounts.
Hong Kong’s Monster Building from the ground
This area is composed of 5 buildings, namely Montane Mansion, Oceanic Mansion, Yik Cheong Building, Yik Fat Building & Fook Cheong Building, which form a gigantic E-shaped complex. Echo & I went to this complex to see the buildings in person & to take photos. There’s another famous & colorful complex named Choi Hung Estate but we didn’t have enough time to go & visit.
Another one!
Access: Quarry Bay MTR Station – Exit A + Walk along King’s Road to Tai Koo
Nan Lian Garden
Nan Lian Garden is a serene classical Chinese garden in Diamond Hill, Hong Kong. Surrounded by skyscrapers, this garden features several walking paths, ponds, wooden & stone structures, trees & a wooden pavilion. The garden’s design followed the designs during Tang Dynasty.
A good friend of ours recommended this place to us. I’d like to echo her. This garden is truly a must-see when in Hong Kong.
Access: Diamond Hill MTR Station – Exit C2
Kowloon Public Pier
View of Central skyline from Hong Kong Convention Center grounds
Given the Avenue of Stars is closed for renovation until early next year, Echo & I looked for a place to relax while enjoying the view of the Central Hong Kong Skyline. We sat down in one of the benches in Kowloon Public Pier & enjoyed the view on a cold windy late afternoon. The skyline wasn’t at its best due to the not-so-favorable weather.
Central skyline from Kowloon Public Pier
Access: Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station – Exit E + Walk towards Hong Kong Space Museum
Hong Kong Clock Tower
The Hong Kong Clock Tower is an iconic landmark in Hong Kong. Located at the back of Kowloon Public Pier & beside the Hong Kong Convention Centre, this iconic tower is the only remnant of the former Kowloon Station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway built in 1915.
Access: Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station – Exit E + Walk towards Hong Kong Space Museum
Mong Kok
Busy Mong Kok on a Saturday night!
Mong Kok is Hong Kong’s busiest & most crowded shopping district. One can find everything here – from original pairs of shoes to class A one. This is the best place to go shopping for tourists. The famous Ladies Market is also in this area. Make sure you know how to haggle when visiting this place.
Had Cafe de Coral’s roast duck meal for dinner. Yum!
Echo & I met the rest of the group here for dinner & some shopping. We also walked around the Ladies’ Market & got some nice finds.
Mong Kok’s Ladies Market!
Access: Mong Kok MTR Station
St Teresa’s Church – Kowloon Tong
The whole group attended the 8:30 am English Sunday Mass at St Teresa’s Church in Kowloon Tong. This church is along Prince Edward Rd West, about 15 minute walk from Prince Edward Station. You will pass by the Hong Kong Flower Market when you walk to the church from the MTR station.
Access: Prince Edward Station – Exit B2 + Walk straight towards Prince Edward Rd West
NGONG PING
Gate to the Tian Tan Buddha & Po Lin Monastery Complex
The group decided to visit Ngong Ping before flying back to Manila in the evening. Weeks before our trip, we bought the Ngong Ping 360 Standard Cabin tickets from Klook. Each person paid US$21.3 (around ₱1,100) for a round-trip cable car ticket. Upon arrival in the ticket station, we exchanged our Klook vouchers to physical tickets, then boarded cable car to Ngong Ping. The cable car to Ngong Ping was 25-minutes long.
Lantau Island’s famous Tian Tan Buddha
Upon arrival in Ngong Ping, we hiked 268 steps up to see the bronze Tian Tan Buddha up close. This status is commonly known as Lantau Island’s Big Buddha. Access to outside of the Buddha is free of charge. After going down from the Buddha, we went to Po Lin Monastery. Located opposite of the Buddha grounds, this Buddhist monastery houses different Buddha statues & Buddhist scriptures.
Outside Po Lin Monastery in Ngong Ping
Access: Tung Chung Station – Exit B + 5 minutes walk to Ngong Ping 360
CITYGATE OUTLETS
Our last stop before heading to the airport is CityGate Outlets. This retail center is the largest outlet mall in Hong Kong. The mall has a lot of international brands, with almost all shops offering discounted items. We did some shopping here before going back to the inn to get our things.
Access: Tung Chung Station – Exit B
To more 48-hour (or more) trips with these people!
And that’s 48 hours in Hong Kong! Our schedule was a bit tight (not for the other group who spent a day in Disneyland) but was all good. We managed to visit a lot of new places given the limited time. My highlight of the trip was definitely the visit to Nan Lian Garden. I can easily spend a day there! I look forward to going there again.
View from the Ngong Ping 360 cable car on our way back to Tung Chung Station
Have you been to Hong Kong in the past? What places did I miss? I plan to go back there winter of next year to try the hiking trails in the different islands. Suggestions are welcome! Got any questions about anything mentioned above? Feel free to post them in the comment section below. You can also send you questions or thoughts via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. You can also drop me a message on Facebook, post a comment on Instagram or send me a tweet on Twitter.
Thank you for your time & have a nice day!
PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.