When traveling the first time with your kids, the best country to visit is definitely Hong Kong. Aside from having one of the shortest travel time from Manila at just about 2 hours (same with Macau and Taipei), they got Disneyland, Ocean Park, Peak Tram, etc... I've been to Hong Kong countless times, but the experience is a whole lot different when you're traveling with kids. Below are some tips for a tipid Hong Kong experience.
1. Flight
When booking for flights, always watch out for promo fares. On the average, our Hong Kong roundtrip airfare is P4,000/person via Cebu Pacific. I prefer a weekend trip and so the slightly higher rate. It can get as low as P3000 when you are available to travel on weekdays. Usual one-way base fare to Hong Kong during promo is P888, and so the total including all charges for a roundtrip flight would be P4000. But twice a year, Cebu Pacific offers P10 base fare to international destinations and total fare can just be P2000 roundtrip. If you don't plan ahead, regular airfare would cost P10,000. Don't forget to include the Phil Travel Tax and airport terminal fee in your budget.
P1620 - travel tax for adults
P1010 - travel tax and processing fee for kids below 12
Free - kids below 2 years old
P550 - terminal fee
As for me, I haven't tried the Clark airport. NAIA has been my only choice because the long drive might spoil the excitement of kids, plus it's taxing too.
*NOTE: Baggage Allowance on Cebu Pacific allows use to combine several luggage to meet the weight/kilos purchased. No need to prepay on an individual basis.
2. Hotels
We are a family of 2 adults and 2 kids. Most hotels in Hong Kong have a maximum occupancy of 3 persons. After all the research I did, I always choose Holiday Inn Golden Mile (HIGM) along Tsim Sha Tsui. The MTR is just across the hotel entrance. I find this perfect since kids get tired easily from walking. The other option which is Marco Polo is a bit far from the MTR though it's nearer the ferry. (Marco Polo rates are slightly higher than HIGM) These hotels allow 2 adults and 2 kids in their rooms. Make sure to choose the room with 2 queen/double beds. When you book at hotel sites like agoda.com, maximum occupancy states 3 persons. But the hotel actually allows 2 adults and 2 kids. Also, it is better to book directly at the Holiday Inn website since they give the same rate, and if you sign up for free membership, you earn points as well. Average nightly rate is P8,000-P10,000, kinda expensive but there are just too few hotels that allow 2 adults and 2 kids, otherwise, you'll be booking 2 rooms which is unnecessary.
If you have a BDO credit card, I believe they offer 8% discount at agoda.com. (kindly check promotion period) This may result in cheaper rates than booking directly at the hotel's website.
3, From airport to hotel
Sometimes, it is cheaper and easier to ride the taxi than the airport express. You just have to compute and weigh your priorities.
Are you pressed for time?
Taxi is the best choice. With airport express, upon arriving at the MTR station, there's another waiting time for the free airport express shuttle bus to bring you directly to your hotel, plus they make several stops at different hotels which can also take up some of your time.
Do you want the cheapest fare?
check out this link for the estimated taxi fare from airport to different HK destinations:
http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/transport/to-from-airport/taxi.html
below is the link for airport express rates, remember to check for group rates to save some dollars:
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/fares_tickets/tf_index.html
There's also the tourist card that gives you unlimited MTR rides for 1 or 3 days. Again, just compute the best option for you.
HK airport is extremely tourist friendly, there's no way for you to get lost. There are signs to guide you along the way.
4. Park tickets
If you plan to visit Ocean Park and Disneyland, make sure to get your discounted tickets at the China Travel Services counter in the HKIA Arrivals Hall counter A04. It's easy to locate; upon exiting, counters are on the left side near Burger King.
For instance, general admission tickets of Ocean Park are HKD280 each. They sell it for HKD240. Also, when you arrive Ocean Park, you don't have to queue to get the regular tickets, there's a special counter where you exchange the tickets you got from them to park tickets. Saves you a lot of time!
For Disneyland, general admission tickets are priced HKD399. Their website says HKD388, but I got ours for HKD370. The best part is that the tickets you get from them are the actual tickets already, no need to exchange them. You can go straight to Disneyland entrance.
here's the link for China Travel Services website:
http://www.ctshk.com/english/ticket/admticket_hk.htm
5. Water and Basic Needs
Always look for the nearest supermarket in your area - Wellcome supermarket is the most common. Avoid 7/11, Watsons and Mannings, their prices are like the 7/11, Mercury and Ministop here in the Philippines..
Will try to post pictures soon. I would appreciate your comments, feel free to post them here. Thanks!
1. Flight
When booking for flights, always watch out for promo fares. On the average, our Hong Kong roundtrip airfare is P4,000/person via Cebu Pacific. I prefer a weekend trip and so the slightly higher rate. It can get as low as P3000 when you are available to travel on weekdays. Usual one-way base fare to Hong Kong during promo is P888, and so the total including all charges for a roundtrip flight would be P4000. But twice a year, Cebu Pacific offers P10 base fare to international destinations and total fare can just be P2000 roundtrip. If you don't plan ahead, regular airfare would cost P10,000. Don't forget to include the Phil Travel Tax and airport terminal fee in your budget.
P1620 - travel tax for adults
P1010 - travel tax and processing fee for kids below 12
Free - kids below 2 years old
P550 - terminal fee
As for me, I haven't tried the Clark airport. NAIA has been my only choice because the long drive might spoil the excitement of kids, plus it's taxing too.
*NOTE: Baggage Allowance on Cebu Pacific allows use to combine several luggage to meet the weight/kilos purchased. No need to prepay on an individual basis.
2. Hotels
We are a family of 2 adults and 2 kids. Most hotels in Hong Kong have a maximum occupancy of 3 persons. After all the research I did, I always choose Holiday Inn Golden Mile (HIGM) along Tsim Sha Tsui. The MTR is just across the hotel entrance. I find this perfect since kids get tired easily from walking. The other option which is Marco Polo is a bit far from the MTR though it's nearer the ferry. (Marco Polo rates are slightly higher than HIGM) These hotels allow 2 adults and 2 kids in their rooms. Make sure to choose the room with 2 queen/double beds. When you book at hotel sites like agoda.com, maximum occupancy states 3 persons. But the hotel actually allows 2 adults and 2 kids. Also, it is better to book directly at the Holiday Inn website since they give the same rate, and if you sign up for free membership, you earn points as well. Average nightly rate is P8,000-P10,000, kinda expensive but there are just too few hotels that allow 2 adults and 2 kids, otherwise, you'll be booking 2 rooms which is unnecessary.
If you have a BDO credit card, I believe they offer 8% discount at agoda.com. (kindly check promotion period) This may result in cheaper rates than booking directly at the hotel's website.
3, From airport to hotel
Sometimes, it is cheaper and easier to ride the taxi than the airport express. You just have to compute and weigh your priorities.
Are you pressed for time?
Taxi is the best choice. With airport express, upon arriving at the MTR station, there's another waiting time for the free airport express shuttle bus to bring you directly to your hotel, plus they make several stops at different hotels which can also take up some of your time.
Do you want the cheapest fare?
check out this link for the estimated taxi fare from airport to different HK destinations:
http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/transport/to-from-airport/taxi.html
below is the link for airport express rates, remember to check for group rates to save some dollars:
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/fares_tickets/tf_index.html
There's also the tourist card that gives you unlimited MTR rides for 1 or 3 days. Again, just compute the best option for you.
HK airport is extremely tourist friendly, there's no way for you to get lost. There are signs to guide you along the way.
4. Park tickets
If you plan to visit Ocean Park and Disneyland, make sure to get your discounted tickets at the China Travel Services counter in the HKIA Arrivals Hall counter A04. It's easy to locate; upon exiting, counters are on the left side near Burger King.
For instance, general admission tickets of Ocean Park are HKD280 each. They sell it for HKD240. Also, when you arrive Ocean Park, you don't have to queue to get the regular tickets, there's a special counter where you exchange the tickets you got from them to park tickets. Saves you a lot of time!
For Disneyland, general admission tickets are priced HKD399. Their website says HKD388, but I got ours for HKD370. The best part is that the tickets you get from them are the actual tickets already, no need to exchange them. You can go straight to Disneyland entrance.
here's the link for China Travel Services website:
http://www.ctshk.com/english/ticket/admticket_hk.htm
5. Water and Basic Needs
Always look for the nearest supermarket in your area - Wellcome supermarket is the most common. Avoid 7/11, Watsons and Mannings, their prices are like the 7/11, Mercury and Ministop here in the Philippines..
Will try to post pictures soon. I would appreciate your comments, feel free to post them here. Thanks!
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