We may receive a commission when you use our referral links. We truly appreciate your support!!
Getting to Hong Kong from New York was a very long flight, but was made much more enjoyable in Cathay Pacific’s business class. With yummy food and lie flat seats, 16 hours in the air doesn’t seem too bad. My anxiousness to arrive was the worst part of the flight. As we descended into Hong Kong, I was glued to the window admiring the mega city that we were about to explore. Please enjoy our Hong Kong trip report!
HONG KONG TRIP REPORT BEGINS: ARRIVING AT THE AIRPORT
Once we arrived at the airport, we made our way to immigration since we had all of our bags on us. We usually pack light heading to our destination so arriving is a breeze. The immigration line was pretty long, but there were several agents working so the wait wasn’t terrible.
After immigration and customs, we looked for an ATM to pull out some cash. I rarely exchange money at home prior to our trips since we get a poor exchange rate plus fees with our bank. By using our Charles Schwab debit card at the ATM, we get excellent exchange rates through Visa, zero foreign transaction fees and all ATM fees are reimbursed.
After pulling out some cash, we bought a train ticket to Kowloon. In my opinion, it’s the cheapest, most efficient way to get from the airport to Kowloon or Central. It took about 20 minutes or so and we were in Kowloon where we got off.
GETTING TO THE CITY
Hindsight is always 20/20, but once in Kowloon, I should’ve bought an Octopus card and loaded it with money for our stay in Hong Kong, since we used the metro (MTR) the majority of the time we were there. From Kowloon we could’ve taken a train to one of the stations near Tsim Sha Tsui, but as mentioned I didn’t plan that part out. We ended up taking an Uber from the Kowloon station to our hotel.
Uber is alive and well in Hong Kong and it’s a very convenient option, but if you’re on a budget like we were, the MTR is your best best to save some money. Ubers and taxis can get a little pricey. The MTR is very easy to use and can get you to just about any place you want to go to in Hong Kong. There are signs in English everywhere, so navigating the stations and figuring out your route is never a problem. Plus you can refer to Google Maps as well to know what lines to ride to your destination.
THE FOOD
The food in Hong Kong was amazing! We definitely needed more time there to enjoy more of it!! The cool thing about the city is that there are Michelin star restaurants everywhere, but not all of them break the bank! In fact in a couple of places that we went to, Tim Ho Wan and Yat Lok, were under $30 for both my wife and I!
The dim sum, pork buns, roasted goose, wontons and many more food items were so delicious! We found that the restaurants were super efficient and designed to get people in and out quickly. Depending on where you go eat, there’s about a 50/50 chance that only cash is accepted. If you plan to only hit up the fancy restaurants with valet parking, then more than likely your card is accepted. But if you eat street food like us, then make sure to have cash.
THINGS TO DO
Hong Kong is a mega city with so many things to do. The only problem we had was not having enough time to do everything. Enjoying the world famous skyline during the day and night is a must. There’s a cool light show that you can enjoy at 8pm nightly. The best place to view it is across the street from the famous Peninsula hotel. Get there about 20 minutes before so that you can get a good spot to enjoy the show. It’s only about 10-15 minutes long, so it won’t take up your entire evening.
Just about everyone going to Hong Kong visits Victoria Peak, and for good reason. The views there leave you speechless. You can stare at the skyline for hours. The peak offers spectacular views both day and night. Be ready to fight off some tourists for a good picture, but it’s well worth it.
Another cool place to visit is the Temple Street Market. You can find some good deals on souvenirs and other “must have” items. Part of the fun is haggling with the vendors. It’s welcomed and expected.
We got to Hong Kong a day late, as they have horse races at Happy Valley racecourse on Wednesdays. I would have liked to have checked this out. Another thing I would’ve liked to have experienced was the Hong Kong Museum of History. As with all vacations, it seems like there’s never enough time to squeeze in all of the things you want to do. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to come back!
CONCLUSION
Hong Kong is a giant city that shouldn’t be missed. There’s lots to eat and lots to see and can be affordable if you plan it right. If you leverage your miles and points, you could score award flights to Hong Kong and beyond while saving a lot of cash on your hotel stays. I can see us visiting Hong Kong again since it’s a convenient stopover into the rest of Asia when flying Cathay Pacific. I hope you enjoyed our Hong Kong trip report! Will you be visiting Hong Kong in the future?
Check out our YouTube Video
