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How many days for HK and recs?
We are hoping to go to Hong Kong next year and since we want to use miles and points for the trip we will start planning asap hoping to get the trip for the least amount of miles. We will be traveling with the kids who will be 6 and 4 at the time. More than likely we will not go until the summer but it is possible that we will go in the spring when DS is still in Kindergarten (way easier to miss time in Kindergarten than afterwards but we are trying to avoid that.) Oh, and DH lived in HK for 5 years as a kid and has been back to visit a lot and still has some family there that we would probably have a few meals with but nothing more than meals.
We are thinking of doing 10 days with 1 or 2 days at Disney, and I know many people will cringe at that but the trip is a family trip and let's be honestly, how many people do I know who can say they have been? Um, zero! I am questioning if we should make it 2 weeks. The biggest part of that is we have a dog that needs to go to doggie daycare/kennel when we are away which sucks for money and b/c I hate to leave her and we have never been away from her more than 10 days, the kids have never gone away more than 7.
How many days do you recommend?
What do you consider must-do? I am for recommendations b/c it will give me a better idea of how many days we need. And the kids will not be able to do a ton every day so the pace needs to be manageable for little kids. We plan on spending a lot of time in parks like Kowloon Walled City Park and Kong Kong Park (or is it Kong Kong City Park?) We will likely be staying at the JW Marriott and they have a pool too.
Oh, and will the heat/humidity be as bad as DH says in July or August?
Re: How many days for HK and recs?
Honestly, I think a week in Hong Kong is plenty. There's really not THAT much to see or do there in terms of big tourist attractions. I'd say the main attractions are shopping (albeit in some fun street markets as well as stores) and eating. If you have more vacation time, then I'd consider heading over to China for a few days.
ETA: Yes, July and August will be disgustingly hot and humid. Combine that with all the traffic, the crush of people, and the overly cold A/C in most stores (I think to keep you from loitering in them), and you could be in for a lot of headaches. I don't mean to sound down on HK; it's my ancestral homeland and I love it but just trying to paint you a realistic picture!
I agree with the PP about adding time in China and possibly Macau (although I haven't been since they vegasised it).
My recommendations are:
* Museum of history
* Big Buddha
* The peak
* Star ferry
* Light show
You can see my trip notes here
I live in HK with DH and our 2 kids - ages 4 & 6. A week is enough time to see the key sights of HK, but that assumes that you are already adjusted to the time difference. The last two times we traveled back from the US, it took our DS 3 days to adjust and our DD took a week. Not to mention that the travel time is anywhere between 15 - 24 hours (depending on connections/layovers). If you can swing it, 10 days is a good amount.
I never recommend that people visit in July or August. The heat & humidity is overwhelming. That's why I (and a ton of other expat wives) take our kids back to the US for 6-8 weeks in the summer! Spring is the perfect time to visit.
As for things to do with kids: Disney is good for younger kids. I think all but one or two rides are suitable for your kids ages. It's a small park which, if it weren't for the hour+ lines for most of the rides, could be done in 1/2 a day at a slow pace. Another good theme park is Ocean Park. It's easier to get to because it is on HK Island; about a 15 minute taxi-ride from the JW Marriott vs a 40 minute taxi or hour+ train commute to Disney. Ocean Park is also HK's "home grown" theme park. My 6 year old prefers it over Disney. The only down-side is that half of the park has rides that are too big for 6 year olds, but there is a breath-taking cable car ride, a good new aquarium and they have pandas.
Most the kid-freindly things we do revolve around the various transportation options here: the Peak (take the Peak tram one way & a taxi the other way to save time), Star Ferry to Kowloon, watch the nightly light show (book the Aqua Luna [the last traditional red-sail "junk"] if you can), riding the tram (the best value in HK), ride a double-decker bus (assuming this is a big deal to your kids, like it still is to mine!), visit the Big Buddha (take the cable car from the MTR), visit Tai O fishing villiage (on Lantau; most of the homes in Tai O are built on stilts over the water, you can also take a small boat tour from here to try and catch a glimpse of our famous pink dolphins [we've been twice & only saw them once]), Sampan tour in Aberdeen with lunch at Top Deck at the Jumbo (floating restaurant).
Hong Kong Park right across the street from the JW Marriott. It has some neat water fountains and ponds with loads of fish and turtles. You can walk through the aviary on the way to the playground area. But, I have to say that I actually don't like the HK Park playground at all. There is little to no shade and it's multi-level. Inevitably one of my kids wants to play on one level and the other on another level. Makes it had to mind them. My favorite "park" is the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanitcal Gardens. It's well shaded, they have some animal cages (loads of monkeys, some snakes and an crocodile), and a small playground where its easy to keep track of the kids. Not sure if your DH told you, but a funny quirk about the "parks" in HK (or any area of HK for that matter), is that there is no grass - or if there is grass, you aren't allowed on it. So, don't expect to find a big open grassy space for the kids to run around in. If you want to let them loose to run the beaches are good spots. Just be aware that most expats don't think the water is safe enough to swim in. The "safer" ones are Deepwater Bay, Shek O (cute little laid-back village feel), and Cheung Sha (on Lantau, go to The Stoep cafe for a bite to eat).
If you like get out and experience nature, HK has loads of hiking trails. I've not done it yet, but it's a very popular pasttime here.
If you can, try to visit one of the smaller islands, like Cheung Chau or Lamma. You can take a ferry to the little villiages on either island and have an interesting seafood meal -- you'll get to choose your fish straight from the water tanks.
Macau is also easily accessible (about an hour by high-speed ferry). It's full of casinos, but not at all like Vegas or Atlantic City. I think it's pretty calm. The Ventian has a Circu du Soleil show that is really good & I bet the kids would love.
There are a few bus tours that go into the New Territories. I've used www.grayline.com.hk
Have you been on discoverhongkong.com? It has loads of good info. If you can, try to come during a Chinese festival - you'll get such a better feel for the culture of the city.
Let me know if you have any questions or need any other advice. Have fun planning!
I should have added that DH and I spent 10 days in HK 10 years ago. I was super jet-lagged or really it was probably more that I was in culture shock and it did not seem like too much time. We did one tour of New Territories and a tour of Macau, which I would not likely do with the kids but I was glad we got to see it. And we did Peak Tower which I will definitely do with the kids, I want to go up and then do one of the shorter walks up there. We also took the MTR to 10,000 Buddahas Monastery. We also ate Dim Sum 9 out of 10 lunches, I became quite the Ha Gao expert.
dpdw, thank you so much for the specifics. The biggest issue I probably have is that DH lived there as a kid which was a million years ago and has never gone with or hung out with kids in HK so he has no clue what to do with them. Oh, and he lived in Kowloon City near the old airport so while we will be staying on HK Island b/c that is where we can get a Marriott using points, DH is way more comfortable in Kowloon.
Should we skip Repulse Bay and Stanley Beach? These and Aberdeen Beach are the only beaches DH is familiar with although we are definitely up to checking out new locations. And thanks for the heads-up about the water. Actually I guess the more important question is whether or not we should skip the beaches all together.
Would you recommend Ocean Park even if the kids are not into sealife? They were much younger but when we did Epcot and the Boston Aquarium they were not into them at all, I would love to do Ocean Park but part of me fears just wasting money on it even though I have heard awesome things about it.
Thanks for the junk recommendation, DH is scared of them so if I tell him I got the recommendation from an American he might feel better.
Any recommendations about finding a good sampan tour? We went to Jumbo and I told DH we should go back, he did not think it would be good for the kids but if your kids are the same age as mine will be so I will push him to do it.
Oh, and have you ever been to Kowloon City Walled Park? Should I assume that I would want to skip public swimming pools?
Oh, and yes I have been checking out discoverhongkong.com, it is pretty awesome but I figured this board was a great supplement and I love the back and forth here.
Oh, one last question. What is October or November like as far as a good time to travel with kids?
I've been to Stanley Market (not the beach) a bunch of times with our kids. There's not really much to do except to shop and eat. Although they did just revamp Stanley Plaza and I heard it includes a pirate playground, but I haven't been to it yet.
I've driven past Repulse Bay beach a million times, but I've not stopped yet, so I can't say much about it. I've never heard of Aberdeen Beach, but next to Victoria Harbour, Aberdeen Harbour would be the last place I'd want to go in the water! The big problem is all the boats/ships/tankers that polute the water.
We've not done a "day at the beach" here because I don't want to fight with my kids about not letting them in for a swim. We have gone to the beach for a run-around and for parties, but we never brought our bathing suits so the explanation was easier. You know your kids best if it's worth the hassle. IMO, Hong Kong is not a beach-lovers paradise - it has amazing views, but there are better islands in Asia for swimming.
For the sampan tour of Arberdeen, just go down to any waterfront area in Aberdeen and you'll see loads of sampans. Each boat is privately owned by the captain so just negotiate the price for a 15-30 minute "tour" and have them drop you off at the Jumbo or return you to the dock where you started. I think the last time we went we paid HK$200 (about US$25) for 4 adults and 2 kids. Depending on the captain's level of English (or your DH's level of Cantonese) the captain will tell you about the fishing boats in the harbour. Once time we went the captain had decent English & pointed out a few things, another time the captain just took us around the harbour without saying a word. It's not a life-changing amazing "tour", but is an interesting perspective to see up-close how the fisherman live on the boats in the harbour.
The Jumbo is a restaurant, just like any other, so I'm not sure why your DH thinks it's not for kids (or maybe that's why he thinks it's not for kids). On the weekends they have a pretty big buffet and a tiny little "play area" for kids - the "play area" is really just a small room off the dining area where they have a babysitter on staff to mind the kids and have them do a bit of coloring while the grown-ups can eat their meal in peace :-) We always bring out-of-town guests here because a floating restaurant which you have to take a boat to is kind of neat, it has a nice view and it's a bit of old Hong Kong that's still around. Apparently there used to be a bunch of floating restuarants, but this is the last remaining.
You asked about public swimming pools - I've only been to one which is within walking distance of the Jumbo pier called Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool. It has a fun kids water-play area that my kids enjoy. I even had fun splashing around. From what I've heard about public pools in general, they are safe for swimming, but it's definitely not a touristy thing to do.
Despite the name, Ocean Park doesn't have a whole lot to do with sealife. The aquarium is small by US standards, but HK is very proud of it. Notwithstanding the queue you can be through the whole thing in about 15 minutes. Is Ocean Park worth the price of admission? Hard to say for sure, but it is cheaper, less crowded, and easier to get to compared to Disney, so for us it is better - even if the kids can't go on half the rides. That said, the kids will definitely have fun in Disney too. Who says you can't do both? Plus these are the only tourist attractions in HK that are purpose-built for kids. That's kind of the odd thing about HK, it's not particularily kid-friendly even though they love kids and you see kids everywhere.
I have been to a park in Kowloon that we call Kowloon Park, but I'm not sure if it is the Walled City park. It was a huge park (with a playground and I saw a swimming pool), but I don't remember seeing any walled areas, asain buildings or signs with that name - then again I am generally chasing my kids around trying not to lose them in the crowds, rather than taking a stroll to admire the sights. LOL!
October and November are good times to come to HK, beacause it's still warm, but not unbareable. However, that's also our typhoon season.
dpdw, thanks. The Kowloon Walled City park might have been the name of a different park, I thing I am confusing the two. I Am going to follow your lead about the beach and if we need to run around we will go but no bathing suits. I am definitely not expecting a beach vaca but just looking for fun things for the kids. And the pools is just a back up if needed, I know some are inside but I doubt we would go since the JW has one but it is outside. As for touristy things, I am fine balancing tourist and local experiences, after 10 days it would be nice to experience both sides to HK.
I guess our big decision is when to go, we are supposed to go to Orlando end of may or early June next year and DS will be in Kindergarten so we have to decide to brave the summer, do two vacations in kindergarten or do one in K and one in 1st, I think I would rather him miss more Kindergarten which is not require by law and he already reads at the end of K level. Decisions!
Thanks!!!