HONGKONG: How to Explore Hong Kong in 12 hours

HONG KONG: How to Explore Hong Kong in 12 hours

A friend of mine had this wild idea of  joining her husband while he spent a 12 hour lay-over in Hong Kong on his way to India. They both left Manila together for Hong Kong, spent 12 hours together and took separate flights from Hong Kong, one back to Manila and the other on the way to India.

She asked me to make her an itinerary. Since it's around 30 years since she visited Hong Kong, I made her an itinerary suited for first-time visitors.

So if you want to do the same thing, go on a date in Hong Kong and just spend a day there, or if you have a 12 hour lay-over and wonder how you can make the most out of your waiting time, this is my recommendation.

In this itinerary, this is what you do and see:

1. Ride the airport express train.

2. Visit the Avenue of the Stars

3. Walk along the Tsimshatsui side of the Victoria Harbor and see the Hong Kong skyline.

4. See the exterior of the Hong Kong Cultural Center, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Tsimshatsui Clock Tower

5. Ride the Star Ferry

6. Ride the Peak Tram

8. Explore the Peak Tower and see the view of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak.

9. Visit Statue Square

10. See the famous HSBC building by Sir Norman Foster.

11. Eat dimsum lunch at the famous Maxim's Restaurant at City Hall OR eat at Cafe de Coral, a popular Hong Kong Chinese fastfood restaurant.

12. Visit Harbour City, the largest mall in Hong Kong and see high-end shops like Prada, Louis Vuitton, Christian Loubotin, Chanel, etc.

13. Take home Laduree Macarons, Cha Cha Sweets Cream Puffs,   Pasteleria Ko Kei  peanut candy or Portuguese egg tarts.

13. Walk along Nathan Road, the famous golden mile.

14. Dinner at Cafe de Coral, a popular Hong Kong Chinese fast food restaurant. 


The estimated cost of this itinerary is 460 Hong Kong Dollars per person, broken down as follows:

Airport Express train roundtrip ticket: 160HKD

Star Ferry: 2.50 HKD per person 

Taxi from central pier to peak terminus: 27 HKD per person

Peak tram: 40 HKD per person roundtrip

Estimated cost of lunch at Maxim's: 200 HKD per person

Star Ferry: 2.50 HKD per person

MTR from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui: 10 HKD 

Estimated cost of dinner at Cafe de Coral: 40 HKD per person

Food to take home: 

Laduree Macarons: 3 HKD per macaron

Cha Cha Cream Puffs: 18 to 25 HKD per piece

Pasteleria Ko Kei Black Sesame Peanut Candy: 63 HKD per large pack 

Portuguese egg tarts: 1 box of 6 pieces: 54 HKD 

ONE DAY HONG KONG ITINERARY

7:00 AM:

Arrive at Hong Kong airport.

8:00 AM:

Buy airport express ROUNDTRIP train tickets to Kowloon Station. Airport express train tickets counters are located beside the HKTB Information Counter at the airport.

Price of 1 roundtrip ticket: 160HKD

Airport express train ticket booth before the arrival exit

Airport express train ticket booth beside the corridor going to the train

See the the airport express train ticket booth on the left
The path leading to the train is in the middle.

This is the path leading to the train

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM:

Ride the airport express train and get off at Kowloon Station

Inside the airport express train

You watch the blue light above to see the train route.

Upon arrival at Kowloon station, you get off the train
and pass through this turnstile.

Find the free airport express shuttle bus service when you arrive at Kowloon Station

Check out the sign on the post that says
"Airport express shuttle bus".
Follow the arrow.

Ride this elevator leading to the shuttle bus

Get off the G floor

Board the K2 bus and get off at Stop 4: The Kowloon Hotel/The Peninsula Hong kong

The route of the K2 bus is shown below:

	K2 (To Tsim Sha Tsui around Canton Road) Service hours 06:12 - 23:12 (every 12 minutes) Stop 1: Prince Stop 2: Gateway Stop 3: Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel Stop 4: The Kowloon Hotel / The Peninsula Hong Kong Stop 5: The Royal Pacific Hotel & Towers / China Ferry Terminal

Wait at the K2 bus exit

It says that the K2 bus will arrive in 10 minutes.

Riding the K2 bus
(I took this photo at night that's why it's dark outside)

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM:

Walk from Peninsula Hotel to Avenue of the Stars. See map below.

Explore Avenue of the Stars. Walk along the bay from Avenue of the Stars to Star Ferry pier and see the the Hong Kong skyline, passing by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Cultural Center, Space Museum, and the Tsim sha tsui Clock tower. Go to the Star Ferry Pier

By walking along the Avenue of the Stars, you see:
The Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Skyline
The series of buildings along the Harbour like the
Hong Kong Cultural Center
The Space Museum
The Hong Kong Museum of Art

Jackie Chan at the Avenue of the Stars

Handprint and Signature of Jackie Chan

The Hong Kong Skyline

Hong Kong Museum of Art
Hong Kong Cultural Center
Space Museum

Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM:

Ride the Star Ferry and cross the Victoria Harbour to Central

Price of Star Ferry: 2.50 HKD per person

The Star Ferry

Inside the Star Ferry

The view from the Star Ferry

Upon arrival at Central Star Ferry Pier 7, take a taxi to the lower peak tram terminus to save time.

Price of taxi to terminus: 27 HKD per taxi

When you arrive at tram terminal, buy peak tram tickets. Ride the peak tram to Victoria Peak.

Price of Peak tram: 40 HKD per person roundtrip



11:00 AM - 11:30 AM:

Explore the peak tower

The view from Victoria Peak

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM:

Ride the peak tram to go down Victoria Peak.



12:30 PM - 1:00 PM:

Walk from the peak tram terminus to Statue Square.

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM:

Go to Statue Square, see the famous HSBC building by Sir Norman Foster

The HSBC building

FROM HERE, YOU CAN OPT TO :

EAT DIMSUM AT MAXIM'S CITY HALL

or

EAT AT CAFE DE CORAL 

If you opt to eat at  Maxim's, below is the itinerary

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM:

Walk from Statue Square to Maxim's City Hall

1:00 PM- 3:00 PM:

Eat dimsum at Maxim’s Restaurant

Check out my post: My Guide to Dining at Maxim's Palace City Hall

Estimated cost of meal: 175-200 HKD per person

You choose your dimsum from a cart going around the restaurant

Walk from Maxim's Palace Chinese Restaurant to Central Station Exit K.
Ride the MTR Central Station to Tsim Sha Tsui Station. 

Get off at East Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit L6. 

Price of MTR from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui: 10 HKD per person
NOTE: Star Ferry is cheaper but it's double the distance to walk to Central Ferry Pier 7.

If you opt to eat at  Cafe de Coral, below is the itinerary:

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM:

Walk from Statue Square to Central Station Exit K.
Ride the MTR Central Station to Tsim Sha Tsui Station. 

Get off at East Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit L6. 

Price of MTR from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui: 10 HKD per person
NOTE: Star Ferry is cheaper but it's double the distance to walk to Central Ferry Pier 7.

Walk from Exit L6 to Cafe de Coral at Star House

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM:

Lunch at Café de Coral, popular Hong Kong Chinese fast food place. They have a branch at Star House.

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM:

Go to Harbour City

Visit Harbour City, the largest mall in Hong Kong and see high-end shops like Prada, Louis Vuitton, Christian Loubotin, Chanel,etc. Take home Laduree Macarons, Cha Cha Sweets Cream Puffs.

Harbour City entrance near Star House

Harbour City entrance along Canton Road

OUTSIDE HARBOUR CITY ALONG CANTON ROAD

INSIDE HARBOUR CITY

Go to Hankow Road for Pasteleria Ko Kei  peanut candy and Lock Road for Portuguese egg tarts at Macau Restaurant

Check out my post: My List of the Best Souvenirs or Pasalubong from Hong Kong

Walk along Nathan road on the way to Kowloon hotel where you board the K2 bus you boarded in the morning

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM:

Walk to K2 bus stop where you got off in the morning and ride the bus to Airport Express Station Kowloon Station

You can check-in already at the Airport Express Kowloon station, unless you already did web check-in

Ride the airport express train and arrive at the airport



8:00 PM - 9:30 PM:

Go to immigration

Dinner at Café de Coral, popular Hong Kong Chinese fast food place. They have a branch at the airport at Terminal 1, Departure East Hall, Level 7.

Estimated cost of meal: 40 HKD per person



9:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Boarding


NOTE: If you can get a 12 midnight flight back, you will have time to watch the Symphony of Lights.

Below are some photos and a video to help you decide whether it's worth viewing: 

Elevated viewing area for the Symphony of Lights

CEBU: The Gym @ Radisson Blu

CEBU: The Gym @ Radisson Blu

Not all hotel gyms are created equal, even if the hotel is a 5-star hotel. The gym at Radisson Blu Cebu has the following features that I love which makes going to the gym something to look forward to, even while on vacation.

Why I Love the Gym at Radisson Blu

It is spacious, with plenty of equipment.

Info from the hotel website:  

Available equipment includes: 

Cardio: four treadmills, two cross trainers and four stationary bikes 

Free weights: dumbbells (five to 50 pounds), flat bench and stability balls 

Weight resistance: TRX, Smith machine, multiple adjustable pulley machine, lat machine, chest-shoulder machine press, leg curl and leg extension machine 

They have a high-end treadmill that measures distance, gradient, speed.
It also monitors heart rate by holding on to the rails where the sensors are located.

You only need to bring headphones.
You can watch cable TV in the monitor with plenty of channels to choose from

They provide towels.

They provide water

They provide snacks like apples.

You can make your own dalandan juice with honey.

They provide hand towels and a hand sanitizer.

There's a first aid box near the entrance.

The gym is on P2 level and has direct access to the pool 

so you can swim at the pool after a workout.

Operating Hours: 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM

CHECK OUT THE BEST RATES OF RADISSON BLU CEBU HERE

BAGUIO: What You Will See When You Visit Mansion House

BAGUIO: What You Will See When You Visit Mansion House

These are the things you can see when you visit Mansion House:

1. The building from afar

When you enter the gate,  you can only enter the grounds up to this point.

2. The grounds

People  can only explore the grounds up to the front

3. The gate

The gate, the arched entrances and the stone wall facade are the ORIGINAL ones that survived the bombings during World War II. The Mansion house building itself was damaged and was rehabilitated in 1947. 

(source: http://www.gov.ph/2011/01/03/the-mansion-house-baguio-city/)

4. The markers

" On December 30, 2008, the Mansion House marked its centenary with the unveiling of two historical markers (one in English, and the other containing the text translated in Filipino) detailing its history. On January 16, 2009, the board of the National Historical Institute, through Resolution No. 1, series of 2009, declared the Mansion House a National Historical Landmark."

(source: http://www.gov.ph/2011/01/03/the-mansion-house-baguio-city/) 

My reasons why you should visit Mansion house:

1. To see the summer home of the President of the Philippines. 

This place has been the summer home of the Governor-General of the Philippines since 1908 and now the summer home of the President of the Philippines. But the structure you see now was  built in 1947 because the old one was destroyed by the war.

2. To see where the summer home of the President of the Philippines is located.

Before it was built, the choice was to place the summer home of the Governor-General in the midst of official activities, where Baguio General Hospital is currently located, or to place it far from government activities, at Pacdal Plateau, called Outlook Point. 

(source: http://malacanang.gov.ph/about/malacanang/mansion-house/) 

When you actually see this place, you can understand why the builders chose Outlook Point. 

3. You can make a quick stop at the Mansion house, even if you don't have a lot of time.

You do not need to schedule it during their open hours (which is 9:00 AM - 5:00 pm) because the only difference in visiting it during open hours is that you can enter the gate and take an unobstructed photo of the house.

PHOTO FROM THE OUTSIDE

PHOTO FROM THE INSIDE

Click the photo above to see the panoramic view

Click the photo above to see the panoramic view

3. Admission is FREE!

FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE HISTORY OF THE MANSION HOUSE:

See: http://malacanang.gov.ph/about/malacanang/mansion-house/

BAGUIO: The Mansion Oval: The Best Place to Jog

BAGUIO: The Mansion Oval: The Best Place to Jog When we went on vacation in Baguio, Iwas following a 41-day run streak initiated by Runner's World . I was determined not to miss a day of my run streak while on vacation so I researched the best place to run/jog. If I didn't find any place that suited my needs, my default place would have been the gym at SM City. I do not like to visit malls while on vacation, encounter crowds and traffic, so I was glad to find the Mansion Oval, which perfectly suited my needs. Where is the Mansion Oval located:  The term Mansion Oval is actually a misnomer. The Mansion Oval is actually part of Wright Park. It is known as the Mansion Oval because it is located across the gate of the Mansion House, the summer home of the President of the Philippines. It's actually a paved road surrounding the Pool of Pines at Wright Park where locals run/walk/jog in the morning. Why the Mansion Oval is the Best Place to Walk/Run/Jog:  1. It is relatively safe compared to other areas. Since the Mansion oval is across the Mansion House, there are guards present in the area. There's greater probability you'll be safe jogging in this area compared to other areas. The Mansion House is seen from one end of the Pool of Pines. 2. The oval is paved.  This is the entrance of the Mansion Oval across Mansion house 3. It is near food, particularly the strawberry taho.  The strawberry taho vendor is stationed near the gate of the Mansion house. In case you need a snack after your exercise, you can buy strawberry taho nearby. Check out my post: BAGUIO: Where to Find the Best Strawberry Taho 4. It is near a clean comfort room. Look for this sign along the oval to find the comfort room. The comfort room is where the red mark is pointing to. 5. It is near two (2) popular tourist spots in Baguio: The Mansion House and Wright Park This means you can go sightseeing after you exercise.

BAGUIO: Where to find the Best Strawberry Taho

 

BAGUIO: Where to find the Best Strawberry Taho

Taho is a Filipino snack in a cup composed of slices of soft soya bean curd or tofu and tapioca pearls, topped with sweet brown syrup. In Baguio, they made a variation of the ordinary taho and used strawberry syrup and called it strawberry taho. 

I encountered two kinds of strawberry taho being sold in Baguio. The more common one is simply made with strawberry syrup instead of brown syrup. We found it being sold at Mines View Park and Pink Sisters Convent. 

This the strawberry taho we ate at Mines View Park.

The other kind of strawberry taho had chunks of strawberry in it. I found it being sold in front of Mansion house after a run at the Mansion oval.

This is what a real strawberry taho should be, with chunks of strawberry in it and not just strawberry syrup.

This costs 20 pesos, the same as the other one. 

Where is the best strawberry taho located?

It is sold in front of Mansion House
(see the vendor on the left side of the "No Littering" sign)

Hours the vendors are there: 6:00 AM-12:00 PM, 1:00 PM
Note: I was able to see at least one of them at 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM.
 They disappear for lunch from 12:00 PM-1:00 PM.

This is me eating strawberry taho in front of the Mansion House.