My sister and I are taking my dad to Bangkok and Hong Kong in June for his birthday. We have five nights in Bangkok (1st night is an 11pm arrival) and 2 nights in Hong Kong. I've previously been to both, but my time in both cities was extremely short.
In Bangkok, I'm hoping to do two days of guided tours with Tours With Tong. I would love restaurant recommendations if there's anything really fantastic; if not, I love street food. Has anyone done a river cruise dinner? I think they'd love that, but I also recognize that the weather that time of year may be too hot/humid/rainy.
I had very little time in Hong Kong last time, so I'd love some ideas for the must-sees. We had dinner at Hutong last time and thought it was just ok. Again, recommendations would be great!
I can give you a lot of HK recs, let me know where you're thinking of staying and what type of food you want to eat (Cantonese, other Asian, western, trendy, traditional, etc). I actually have something typed up I did for my friends that I can post here later if your interested.
Also, are you bringing you DD (you have a toddler right? Or do I have the wrong person?) if so I can direct you to more child friendly stuff.
It's been a while since I've been to Hong Kong and I went for work so I don't really have recommendations. I just wanted to say have fun! I loved HK!! The food there is amazing! One of my top 5 cities I've traveled to for food.
I can give you a lot of HK recs, let me know where you're thinking of staying and what type of food you want to eat (Cantonese, other Asian, western, trendy, traditional, etc). I actually have something typed up I did for my friends that I can post here later if your interested.
Also, are you bringing you DD (you have a toddler right? Or do I have the wrong person?) if so I can direct you to more child friendly stuff.
Thank you! We're staying in Tsim Sha Tsui. I am really up for any and all food/budget ranges. My dad and sister are much pickier. Definitely dim sum! Trendy is ok, but probably mid-range budget.
DD is staying home with H for this trip, though I'd love to bring her.
I can give you a lot of HK recs, let me know where you're thinking of staying and what type of food you want to eat (Cantonese, other Asian, western, trendy, traditional, etc). I actually have something typed up I did for my friends that I can post here later if your interested.
Also, are you bringing you DD (you have a toddler right? Or do I have the wrong person?) if so I can direct you to more child friendly stuff.
Thank you! We're staying in Tsim Sha Tsui. I am really up for any and all food/budget ranges. My dad and sister are much pickier. Definitely dim sum! Trendy is ok, but probably mid-range budget.
DD is staying home with H for this trip, though I'd love to bring her.
Ok, I have guests in town so it might be a few days but I'll send you a list of all my favorite places. I live on the island so they are mostly island side, but easy to get to from tst.
Yardbird: trendy izakaya/yakitori place. They don't do reservations long and if you go at a peak time you might have to wait. yardbirdrestaurant.com/info/
I hate to say this, but is there any way you could go somewhere else in Thailand? One day in Bangkok was too much for me. If it is a possibility, let me know, and I will send some ideas.
I've spent a good deal of time in HK but haven't been in a couple of years, so no food recs. I do think it's worth the price ($$ cocktails) to watch the harbor light show from the lobby of the Intercontinental in TST.
In Bangkok I liked the Millenium Hilton & the Peninsula for hotels. I really like staying on the water. I had a problem with Tours with Tong a few years ago. They were terrible with communication and then we almost did not get a tour guide if we hadn't called to verify the night before. For food my favorite restaurants were Gaggan and Le Du. We almost went to the one MX mentioned and it was recommended to us by a chef so I'm sad we didn't.
In Hong Kong we stayed at the JW Marriott and it was really nice. I can't remember the meals we had but Din Tai Fung is a favorite of ours there (it's in almost all major Asian cities) and Bo Innovation for a fancier meal.
I hate to say this, but is there any way you could go somewhere else in Thailand? One day in Bangkok was too much for me. If it is a possibility, let me know, and I will send some ideas.
I'm actually a big Bangkok fan! Between the two days of tours, some pool time, and massages, I think my dad and sister will get a good taste. I'd love to go to other cities (Bangkok isn't my favorite, though I did like it a lot last time), but we only have a week.
cheezer, H and I staed at the Hilton last time! I love the riverfront hotels too. We are staying at Shangri-La this time. Tours with Tong isn't the best with communication, I definitely agree. I've found both times that if I email a follow up I get a much faster response. We used them last time and they were great, so I don't mind the extra checking in. I would be really upset if there were a chance that our guide didn't come though! How frustrating.
rupertpenny, thanks for the recommendations! We were out of town so I didn't get to write a proper response before, but I'm about to go through them all!
Do you have any recommendations for getting from the airport to TST area? I know H and I took a taxi last time, but I can't remember how much we paid. I need to compare Airport Express, private transfer, taxi, etc. Getting there quickly is a priority, but I don't want to pay a crazy premium.
Post by needsomehelp on Apr 6, 2015 17:29:01 GMT -5
I just got back from a week in Hong Kong.
Here are my recs:
1. Get an octopus card; it pays for itself in a day. Then use the map at any MTR (subway / high speed rail) station to get around. You can easily get from the airport to TST via MTR. Might cost a few dollars (USD), and it's not worth taking a bus (too many stops) to save $. A taxi is also a reasonable option, but it will be a lot more expensive and if there's traffic, it could take a lot longer.
2. My favorite thing was to aimlessly wander around Kowloon and TST. So many food options!
3. Other highlights: Stanley seashore (great local artists, had my favorite meals here), Ten Thousand Buddhas (each buddha is a large/unique gold statue; had an altercation with monkeys, but it was amazing), the Nunnery that's just northeast of Kowloon (great garden), Victoria Peak ("the peak"), the Star Ferry (never got old), hiking the hills around the city (great views), the cultural museum (took half a day), the gondola on Lantau Island to the Big Buddha, Lantau fishing villages on stilts, and Macau (take a ferry from kowloon, skip the gambling/casinos, and get on a bus to see the ruins of st. paul).
4. It's great to have a physical map with you; in some areas (like Macau an Lentau), taxi drivers don't speak english, and pointing to where you're trying to go is super helpful.
5. The best place to exchange $$ (by FAR, the best rates) is in Chungking Mansion in TST. Don't go to the $ changer closest to the entrance; go to one of the ones that's further back.
rupertpenny, thanks for the recommendations! We were out of town so I didn't get to write a proper response before, but I'm about to go through them all!
Do you have any recommendations for getting from the airport to TST area? I know H and I took a taxi last time, but I can't remember how much we paid. I need to compare Airport Express, private transfer, taxi, etc. Getting there quickly is a priority, but I don't want to pay a crazy premium.
I would probably take the airport express to Kowloon station (so second to last stop) and get a cab from there. That station is relatively close to TST and I'd be very surprised if your taxi fare was more than $10. I think the airport express is is about $11 a person. Taking a cab the whole way would probably be about $35 so with 3 people the costs would be similar, but I fin the airport express to be easier and faster.
Post by rupertpenny on Apr 7, 2015 20:54:56 GMT -5
chicago Now I am coming back to say DEFINTITELY take the airport express. I got home from a trip last night and decided to take a taxi instead of my normal airport express then taxi home and it took soo much longer.
Fabulous, thank you! (Not fabulous that you had to sit in traffic for forever.) I will probably be bugging you over the next few months about what we should be doing! I have been watching flight prices like a hawk, but because of the holidays they've been jumping up hundreds of dollars. My hope is to land around noon on a Monday and depart at 11:30am on Wednesday. Not sure what we will do as our "must sees", so any recs that you have will be appreciated! Last time I was in HK it was for less than 24 hours, so we pretty much wandered for a bit and went to Hutong for dinner. Neither my dad nor my sister has ever been to that part of the world, so I'm sure they'll just be wide eyed the entire time.
Fabulous, thank you! (Not fabulous that you had to sit in traffic for forever.) I will probably be bugging you over the next few months about what we should be doing! I have been watching flight prices like a hawk, but because of the holidays they've been jumping up hundreds of dollars. My hope is to land around noon on a Monday and depart at 11:30am on Wednesday. Not sure what we will do as our "must sees", so any recs that you have will be appreciated! Last time I was in HK it was for less than 24 hours, so we pretty much wandered for a bit and went to Hutong for dinner. Neither my dad nor my sister has ever been to that part of the world, so I'm sure they'll just be wide eyed the entire time.
Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it.
No problem! I think with about two days I would spend half a day going to the Peak, half a day looking around the markets in Mong Kok, half a day going to a smaller island like Cheung Chau, and the rest wandering/shopping/eating. I am happy to answer more specific questions anytime though
Just commenting so I can find this later. We are going on a cruise in November that sails from Hong Kong and stops near Bangkok, so I will need all these recs!
Post by maddiepaddy on Apr 7, 2015 22:57:02 GMT -5
I had two full days in HK last June. It was incredibly hot and humid. The heat sapped our energy pretty quickly, so we didn't get to see quite as much as I would have liked. But, the highlights of the trip were Victoria Peak, the Star Ferry, and Ten thousand buddahs. Ten thousand buddahs is incredibly beautiful, and not super touristy at all. It's a bit of a hike up to the top, so take that into consideration since you're traveling with your dad - especially since I imagine that the weather will be similar for your visit.
In Bangkok we really enjoyed a Thai cooking class with Amita Thai. They arrange pick up and you take a boat to her compound on a canal off the river. You take your cooking class in an outdoor kitchen and then eat your meal in a beautiful spot on the water. It was a nice day and a break from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok.
Post by thedahliharpa on Apr 11, 2015 10:30:05 GMT -5
I prefer staying at The Metropolitan Bangkok. Their breakfast is great and the restaurant Nahm is at the hotel. If you don't want to do a river cruise you can have dinner on the river at the Mandarin Oriental. Get a Thai massage, of course.
My favorite restaurant in HK is a kitchy but authentic Swiss restaurant called The Swiss Chalet. The owners are amazing and will remember you for years to come if you chat with them.