With barely a month of preparation, I'm so happy we pulled this trip of.
Thank God for Google!!!I needed this trip...BAD!
I'm getting tired of working and the heat in Manila is unbearable.
Needless to say, this trip came at a very good time.
Our flight was at 5:40 AM so we needed to be at NAIA Terminal 3 three hours before. Joining me on this trip is my sister Jollie who was even more excited about this trip than I was and I can't blame her... we don't get much opportunities to spend time together like this. We boarded Cebu Pacific flight 5J 108 bound to Hong Kong Int'l Airport. I didn't know Cebu Pac don't serve snacks (you have to buy them...even water!) in flight so it was a good thing that we ate at the airport after checking-in. The flight took 1 1/2 hours and by 7:30 AM we were on our way to Panda Hotel were we have a reservation for two nights. I knew 3 ways to get there: by the E31 bus, by the Hotel Shuttle, and by MTR. Since we didn't made the necessary arrangements for the Hotel Shuttle and going to the hotel by taxi will be expensive, our two choices will be by bus or by MTR. The cheapest way is by Bus so that was our first choice but unfortunately we weren't able to find the bus so opted for the MTR.
We took the Airport Express to Tsing Yi Station where we were supposed to transfer trains to Lai King, transfer again to Tsuen Wan Line and from Tai Wo Hau station it was less than a 5 minute walk to the hotel. But feeling adventurous, we asked Filipinas at Tsing Yi station of a way to get to the Hotel by bus. We were given instructions to ride the 409 and we found where the bus is, the only problem was that it went to the opposite direction. So yeah, we got lost but we made it to the hotel anyway by talking the same bus haha.
PANDA HOTEL. Booking.com gave us a really good deal with Panda Hotel. We were booked to stay for 2 nights in one of their deluxe rooms for only 1000 HKD plus taxes. Panda Hotel is located at Tsuen Wan in the New Territories and is just 30 minutes away from the Airport, Disneyland, Kowloon and Central. Good thing that the people at the reception desk are good in English and they were able to confirm our reservation quickly but they had to make us wait for an hour so that they can clean our room because we arrived a little too early than check-in time. They also asked for 50 HKD deposit that they would give back upon check-out.
So what can i say about Panda Hotel? It is good value for your money! The lobby is small but nicely decorated with panda stuffed toys. There's also a Info desk where you could inquire about tours, buy tickets for HK Disneyland and even ask for directions to spots in Hong Kong you would like to visit. Not to mention that the Hotel also has free shuttle to Tsim Sha Tsui that departs hourly. If you would walk around the surrounding area, there are fast foods like McDonald's and KFC. We didn't get a chance to try food at Panda Cafe so I can't really comment about that.
About the room, they aren't spacious and lavishly decorated, but they are adequate. Most important of all the room is clean. We asked for a room in their Non-smoking floor and contrary to what I've read that the rooms smell smoky, our room smells fresh and clean. The bed is soft and comfortable, the bathroom is clean and complete with toiletries, and the room is complete with fridge, microwave oven, water heater for your convenience. All in all, I would definitely recommend Panda Hotel. It is just a shame we didn't get to use the pool and the gym due to lack of time. Maybe next time...
While we were still resting at room 2737, we were in a dilemma. The plan on the first day was to go to Macau and then go to the Avenue of Stars to watch the Symphony of Lights. But bad decision-making, lack of preparation and bad luck prevented us from going to Macau on that day. We could go the next day but that would just ruin the itinerary I planned so we scratched Macau altogether from our list and adjusted the itinerary.
VICTORIA PEAK. Instead of going to Macau, we decided to check out Victoria Peak. We took the MTR Tsuen Wan Line and got off Central Station and from there we walked to get to the Peak Tram. It was a Sunday so the line was kinda long. The first time I've been to Hong Kong, we weren't able to visit Victoria Peak so I made sure that this time around I'd get to see the fantastic Hong Kong skyline I've heard so much about. And to get there, we needed to take the Peak Tram. The ride was ok... except when images of disaster happening gets into your head. I mean I can't help it, the tram is going up a very very steep hill! But once you get a glimpse of the view from the tram though, those disaster images will fade.
The ticket we bought was the one with an access to the Sky Terrace on top of the Peak Tower which gives the best view of the Hong Kong Syline. Here's a tip: go there sometime at the afternoon and stay there until it gets dark and watch how the view changes. While at the Peak Tower, you could shop at the mall for souveniers or dine in restos with fantastic view of the city. Truth is from the peak you could ride a bus to take you down, but we opted for the roundtrip ticket for the tram and by 7 PM we were on our way down to get to our next destination for the day.
AVENUE OF STAR. While surfing the net for the top tourist spots in HK, I would always stumble on the Symphony of lights show so I made sure that I witness this for myself. It starts at 8:00 PM and lasts for a good 15 minutes so better be at the Avenue of Stars 5 minutes before 8. We went to Admiralty Station and rode the train to Tsim Sha Tsui, walked to get to the Avenue of Stars and at 8 PM the show started. Basically its a lights and laser show that a group of buildings in HK has been doing for quite some time now. It is quite nice and every night a good number of tourists would watch this laser and lights spectacle that is best viewed from the benches at the Avenue of Stars. Because of too much walking, we decided to call it a day and went back to the hotel. We were supposed to look around the vicinity for night markets but decided against it and went to bed instead...
We took the Airport Express to Tsing Yi Station where we were supposed to transfer trains to Lai King, transfer again to Tsuen Wan Line and from Tai Wo Hau station it was less than a 5 minute walk to the hotel. But feeling adventurous, we asked Filipinas at Tsing Yi station of a way to get to the Hotel by bus. We were given instructions to ride the 409 and we found where the bus is, the only problem was that it went to the opposite direction. So yeah, we got lost but we made it to the hotel anyway by talking the same bus haha.
PANDA HOTEL. Booking.com gave us a really good deal with Panda Hotel. We were booked to stay for 2 nights in one of their deluxe rooms for only 1000 HKD plus taxes. Panda Hotel is located at Tsuen Wan in the New Territories and is just 30 minutes away from the Airport, Disneyland, Kowloon and Central. Good thing that the people at the reception desk are good in English and they were able to confirm our reservation quickly but they had to make us wait for an hour so that they can clean our room because we arrived a little too early than check-in time. They also asked for 50 HKD deposit that they would give back upon check-out.
So what can i say about Panda Hotel? It is good value for your money! The lobby is small but nicely decorated with panda stuffed toys. There's also a Info desk where you could inquire about tours, buy tickets for HK Disneyland and even ask for directions to spots in Hong Kong you would like to visit. Not to mention that the Hotel also has free shuttle to Tsim Sha Tsui that departs hourly. If you would walk around the surrounding area, there are fast foods like McDonald's and KFC. We didn't get a chance to try food at Panda Cafe so I can't really comment about that.About the room, they aren't spacious and lavishly decorated, but they are adequate. Most important of all the room is clean. We asked for a room in their Non-smoking floor and contrary to what I've read that the rooms smell smoky, our room smells fresh and clean. The bed is soft and comfortable, the bathroom is clean and complete with toiletries, and the room is complete with fridge, microwave oven, water heater for your convenience. All in all, I would definitely recommend Panda Hotel. It is just a shame we didn't get to use the pool and the gym due to lack of time. Maybe next time...
While we were still resting at room 2737, we were in a dilemma. The plan on the first day was to go to Macau and then go to the Avenue of Stars to watch the Symphony of Lights. But bad decision-making, lack of preparation and bad luck prevented us from going to Macau on that day. We could go the next day but that would just ruin the itinerary I planned so we scratched Macau altogether from our list and adjusted the itinerary.
VICTORIA PEAK. Instead of going to Macau, we decided to check out Victoria Peak. We took the MTR Tsuen Wan Line and got off Central Station and from there we walked to get to the Peak Tram. It was a Sunday so the line was kinda long. The first time I've been to Hong Kong, we weren't able to visit Victoria Peak so I made sure that this time around I'd get to see the fantastic Hong Kong skyline I've heard so much about. And to get there, we needed to take the Peak Tram. The ride was ok... except when images of disaster happening gets into your head. I mean I can't help it, the tram is going up a very very steep hill! But once you get a glimpse of the view from the tram though, those disaster images will fade.
The ticket we bought was the one with an access to the Sky Terrace on top of the Peak Tower which gives the best view of the Hong Kong Syline. Here's a tip: go there sometime at the afternoon and stay there until it gets dark and watch how the view changes. While at the Peak Tower, you could shop at the mall for souveniers or dine in restos with fantastic view of the city. Truth is from the peak you could ride a bus to take you down, but we opted for the roundtrip ticket for the tram and by 7 PM we were on our way down to get to our next destination for the day.AVENUE OF STAR. While surfing the net for the top tourist spots in HK, I would always stumble on the Symphony of lights show so I made sure that I witness this for myself. It starts at 8:00 PM and lasts for a good 15 minutes so better be at the Avenue of Stars 5 minutes before 8. We went to Admiralty Station and rode the train to Tsim Sha Tsui, walked to get to the Avenue of Stars and at 8 PM the show started. Basically its a lights and laser show that a group of buildings in HK has been doing for quite some time now. It is quite nice and every night a good number of tourists would watch this laser and lights spectacle that is best viewed from the benches at the Avenue of Stars. Because of too much walking, we decided to call it a day and went back to the hotel. We were supposed to look around the vicinity for night markets but decided against it and went to bed instead...
the next day should be interesting since we have a lot to visit according to our itinerary...
PART TWO HERE
PART TWO HERE