Holiday in Hong Kong
A list of the coolest, most sophisticated cities on earth includes places like London, New York, Berlin, Hong Kong…
Because I had always heard how cool it was, the thought had crossed my mind a few times that I should move to Hong Kong. But I really had no idea what to expect when my plane touched down. But within the first 5 hours I had gotten lost multiple times, found the inn I had booked, carried 4 huge suitcases up 12 stories of stairs because the elevator was broken, and then saw a cockroach for the first time in my life (as it scurried under my bed)… Yikes!
Bear in mind this is only one person’s experience in Hong Kong, and understand that I’m not trying to scare you from visiting. I actually had some of the best times in my life in HK; I just wished that I had done a bit more research and planning beforehand.
What you will see during your holiday
Hong Kong is an exciting, fast paced, and wonderfully interesting place that combines so much of an old world with so much of a new one. Expect to see high end fashion stores like Gucci and Prada built right into the same structure as a derelict apartment building that looks like the remnants of some post-apocalyptic civilization.
In all seriousness, there are a tonne of cool attractions to see such as Lamma Island, the Big Buddha Statue, the many street markets, Daoist and Buddhist temples, Asian Disneyland, and Macau which is just a short boat trip away.
Areas in Hong Kong
Hong Hong is divided into districts including Central and Western, Wan Chai, Eastern, Southern, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, North, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Sai Kung, and Islands.
Be sure to check out the location of your inn in relation to the places you would like to visit before booking anything.
How to find the best inn in Hong Kong
I suppose “best” is a relative term as it depends on what you are looking for. If you seek adventure on the cheap and are not afraid to slum it, then you may want to try one of the sketchy hostels that HK is famous for (ie. ChungKing Mansions). But if money is not an issue and you want to stay in place where you will be pampered, there are also many expensive hotels.
How to know if a Hong Kong inn lives up to what its website claims
Some inns will claim that they are super clean, that the staff is friendly, and that the location is excellent. But anyone who has done more than a little bit of backpacking will tell you not to believe everything a hostel or hotel tells you.
I recommend searching the inn that you would like to find out about on Google Maps. Then click on the link that says “reviews”; here you will find firsthand accounts of people who have stayed at that particular location.
Price
Prices vary immensely depending on whether you want to live in the lap of luxury or if you just want a place to lay your head. When I visited Hong Kong I stayed in the district of Kowloon, which was a short walk to the water and a short subway ride anywhere else.
For a 2 bedroom unit during Chinese new year it cost me 60 Hong Kong Dollars per night; this is less than $8 American Dollars. This was also during one of the most expensive times of the year. On the other hand, some people pay several thousand Hong Kong Dollars per night.…