Hong Kong - Fun or not?

Idx86

I have an opportunity to travel to Hong Kong as a "tag-along" for a business trip my wife needs to take in the spring. Essentially I would need to pay for airfare, and the company picks up my hotel and some food costs. She would be working all day, leaving me to my own devices in the city from Sunday until Wednesday.

I lived in Japan for 6 months and saw a lot of famous temples, so seeing stuff like that doesn't really excite me too much. Victoria's Peak sounds intriguing, but I need 3 days worth of solid tourist stuff to justify this to myself.


Is it worth going to visit Hong Kong if I have already seen the same type of stuff in Japan? Or is there enough cool, unique stuff for me to do that would make this a trip I would look back at and say I was glad I went?

corcorigan

I've heard good things from friends and family who have spent a few days there.

Gafoto

My brother was in the exact same situation as you. His friend was going on a business trip to Hong Kong and he was able to tag along and share the hotel room, etc. I went to Japan a year before he did and when we compared notes it seemed like Hong Kong was very unique from Japan. I think you'll be able to find lots to do.

On the other hand, my brother stayed for only about 5 days and said that the amount of time spent in the air couldn't justify a trip that long. I believe he was in the air 16 or so hours as he first flew into Narita (of course you would know what kind of flight that is), then took a connecting flight to Hong Kong. So if you can stand the extreme amount of time in the air and the jet lag you will probably have a great time for those four days.

I'm not sure that spending the amount you will on airfare and other things justifies four days of vacation. Maybe save the money for a future trip where you can spend more time in a place (and enjoy it with your wife too!)

Cauld

I liked Hong Kong. I spent a week there or so. We walked around, shopped a little. Went to HK Disney. The peak is pretty nice. Also there's an awesome laser light/music show every night at 9:00 I think from across the bay looking at downtown Hong Kong. But like Gafoto said, I'm not sure it's worth the airfare. Assuming you're traveling from another continent you probably wouldn't even get adjusted before your time was up. I would consider combining this with another vacation to start immediately after your wife's business meetings are completed. Anywhere in Asia really. Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam... plenty of good choices. Having spent a decent amount of time in Japan I'm sure you're familiar with them.

Also, I feel obligated to point out that Macau is 1 hour away from Hong Kong, by boat so that's definitely an option.

Idx86

Thanks for the help, guys. She is not interested in traveling outside of the region except to Japan and having lived there myself and her visiting me within the past few years we're not going that direction. Looks like we'll be doing either Mexico or the Bahamas.

LewieP's Mummy

Go to HK! We did as part of our 25th anniversary holiday, it was amazing. A 3 day itinerary - Day 1 Victoria Peak, Botanical gardens in HK town; Day 2 other side of the island, Stanley, Floating Restaurants in Aberdeen, stop off at one of the beaches. That night, go over to Kowloon, go to Temple Street night market - weird place, Hello Kitty stuff on the same stall as sex toys of all shapes and sizes, then catch the Star Ferry back over to HK town and watch the light show over the harbour. Day 3 do Disney. Its an amazing city, full of strange quirks - trees growing out the side of buildings on the Mid Level escalators - oh, you have to go on them, too, they go down hill from 6:00 am til 10:00 am, then uphill from 10:20 til late evening, so the middle classes and cleaners can get to their jobs.
Have fun wherever you go.

Chen

Disney World Hong Kong is a bit piss or small to be precise. You can better go to Tokyo for that.

To go to Hong Kong is to go experience Cantonese cuisine. There's nothing in the world that tops their culinary arts in my honest opinion, though tastes may vary of course. With culinary arts I don't mean noodles, but fresh seafood, roasted meat and slow-cooked soup dishes. You don't have to go to a 4-star restaurant for that, small restaurants are everywhere in Kowloon with their own specialties.

If you're feeling adventurous, take the train line to Lo Wu which takes you to New Territories. When you enter Sha Tin you're basically in a massive shopping mall. Or you can go take the bus from Kowloon to Sai Kung which is famous for their seafood. Kowloon should have enough places to sightsee though. It's no where near as massive as Tokyo, but there's a lot of stuff going on in districts such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po. Taking the subway and getting from place to place is pretty easy and fast. It's not as menacing as the Tokyo subway that's for sure.

I mean, don't go to Hong Kong for their hospitality, because people from Hong Kong are arrogant. It isn't as bad as it used to be though. Their English skills aren't great either compared to other Southeast Asian territories. Weather ain't nice except this time of the year. Basically, eat, eat, eat.