Travel Log - Hong Kong Day 1

The past three months had been pretty depressing (being a *NEET and all), so I wasn't expecting to be travelling this year. Imagine my surprise when my mother actually gave me the green light to travel with friends (special note: this is my first friends trip). 😇 

[*NEET - Not in Education, Employment or Training]

Day 1: Singapore -> Hong Kong

We got a Cathay Pacific Flight+Hotel Package deal (find out more here) which cost around SGD 490/Pax for 4D3N in Hong Kong - which is really affordable because its Cathay Pacific 😍 = 20kg check-in baggage, in-flight meals + entertainment + hotel all covered.  

So we took the early morning flight at 06:45 and reached Hong Kong Intl Airport around 10:45. 

At HKIA's airport express station, we got our Airport Express Tickets to Kowloon which cost HKD 70/Pax (Group of 3 Price) as well as our Octopus Card (a.k.a Ezlink) at HKD 150/Pax (HKD 50 Card Deposit & HKD 100 Card Value) for easy travel around the city!

Gloomy Hong Kong :x

Airport Express to City from HKIA

Free Hotel Shuttle from Kowloon Station

We arrived at Metropark Hotel at around noon (earlier than expected) so, since our rooms weren't available for check-in yet, we left our baggage with the concierge and got started with our itinerary for the day.

The iconic streets of Hong Kong

First stop: Sheung Wan (上環)

As we had plans to head to Macau on our third day, we decided to head to the ferry terminal at Sheung Wan, which is just next to the MTR station, to get the tickets first (the other ferry terminal is in Kowloon).

Links to Ferry providers/prices: Cotai Water Jet | TurboJet

As soon as that was settled, we went to take the HK Ding Ding (a.k.a Tramways) from Macau Ferry Terminal (Tram Stop: 78W) to Burrows St (Tram Stop: 54W) to get to our lunch place - Sun Kee Cheese Noodles in Wan Chai.

Ding Ding (also known as Tram)

On board the HK Ding Ding (Tram)

For more information on the HK Ding Ding (Tramways) route, click here.

Unfortunately for us, the store was closed when we were there... 😞 so, to calm our raging stomach and disappointment, we decided to head to a restaurant that we passed by earlier while looking for the Sun Kee Cheese Noodles store.

Capital Cafe (華星冰室) @ Wan Chai 
Map: Kwong Sang Hong Building Block B-d, 6 Heard St, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Macaroni & Ham

Store Front

Second Stop: The Peak Tram

After a late lunch, we took the MTR from Wan Chai to Central with the intention to visit Victoria Peak which is known for its amazing view of Hong Kong's city landscape. It was an uphill walk from Central MTR station (J2 exit) to The Peak Tram where you get the tram tickets to get to Victoria Peak [map].

We were put off by the extremely long queue to get the tickets, so we decided against queuing. Instead, we just sat at the neighbouring building to get some rest for our visit to the shopping streets = walking from Jordon to Prince Edward.


Third Stop: Temple St (Jordon MTR) & Ladies Mkt (Mong Kok MTR)
Temple Street Map: Temple St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ladies Market Map: Tung Choi St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

The shopping streets tend to be more crowded at night.. which sells a variety of items from bags to t-shirts & souvenirs, etc. If you found something that you're interested in, you could put your bargaining skills to use and try to haggle for a cheaper price (subject to store owners' mood and liking, but don't push your luck too far or you might just be cursed at in Cantonese without knowing 😆).

Hui Lau Shan (許留山)
Map: 263 Shanghai St, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong

Having walked a distance, we decided to take a break at this Mango Paradise! If you love Mango (like I do)... this is the place to come to. They have many outlets around, so there isn't a need to come to this specific branch, but if you are visiting Temple Street and need a break to rest your legs, this could just be the place for you. 😋

Last Stop: One Dim Sum (一點心) near Prince Edward MTR
Map: Hong Kong, Prince Edward, Playing Field Rd, 15號號 號 地舖 1-2 號 Kenwood Mansion

After a long walk through the night shopping streets to Prince Edward MTR Station, we were finally headed to our last stop for the day: DIM SUM!

You can't say that you've visited Hong Kong if you hadn't tried their dim sum!

One Dim Sum had previously attained a one-star Michelin title back in 2012. Despite not being able to retain the title, they are still a popular Dim Sum place frequented by both locals and foreigners!

A yummy way to end the day, though we did have a long walk back to our hotel after that.

Metropark Hotel, Kowloon
Map: 75 Waterloo Rd, Ho Man Tin, Hong Kong

Deluxe Room for Three

All amenities provided... 

Everything about the hotel was great, EXCEPT, the location. We had to walk about 15 mins to/from the hotel if we wanted to get to the MTR stations (Mong Kok/Yau Ma Tei)- which can be quite disastrous if you're with small children or the elders. Apart from that, it was easy to get to/from the airport since there is a shuttle service between the Airport Express Station (Kowloon) and the Hotel.

Next Post: Travel Log - Hong Kong Day 2