Hong Kong and Macau

Lawn in Macau

Christmas Tree

Big Buddha

HONG KONG
Sights
LANTAU
DISNEYLAND HONG KONG
Disneyland Hong Kong is a great theme park, like other Disneys. There's a nice railway here and it's fun amongst its varied parks including  a ring to ride a car on magnetic rails. There are two hotels, the one where we stayed was the Hollywood Hotel by Disney with a fine pool, some fair rooms and a nice landscape including old vintage cars. There are some good eating options here; though, being vegetarians, we had to diet quite a bit. We had spent three nights here but we also wandered away for other sights in the midst of day. Great fun, especially for kids and there are some good shops in the park and hotel, too. The hotel also has nice gardens, very fine place.

BIG BUDDHA
Great, huge, Buddha statue in nice surroundings. There is also a cable car operating to it. Check out this site.

Lantau is also now a focal point for lots of development.

HONG KONG ISLAND

View from IFC Mall

 Around the Central pier, you'll find the IFC (International Financial  Centre). There is a nice mall in it, and it is not as crowded as other popular malls, such as Times Sq Mall. In and around the mall, there are several viewpoints offering views of the skyline, and also for just watching the traffic pass by.

 South of the IFC is Exchange Square, and south-east is the Statue Square. It is a nice public space very close to the Bank of China Tower, as well as the terminus for the Peak tram. Nearby is the St John's Cathedral.

Bank f China Tower (centre)

Inside St John's Cathedral

The awesome funicular will link you to the Victoria Peak . There are good views, but you need to be a bit lucky to get a clear day. There are a few places to eat, although not too much for the fussy vegetarian. There is also a big mall, pretty nice, where there's an "EA" store for around gazillions of games + a viewpoint. Fun on a foggy day, too. The first time we went, in 2004, was a clear day, and hence the views were spectacular.

View from the Peak

South of Statue Sq is the residential district of Mid-Levels. The main attraction is the Mid-Levels Escalator, connecting the neighbourhood to Central. It offers great views of the area, and one will marvel at how the area changes from ultramodern on the main road, to a place with a more local feel to it.

Residential district of Mid-Levels

The Escalator

View from the Escalator

You can find lots of places to eat here.

Nearby is the spectacular Man Mo Temple. It's famous for its sheer number of coils.

Coils in the Man Mo Temple

The district of Causeway Bay is famous for shopping and leisure. It gets amazingly crowded on weekend evenings with traffic jams all around- better to walk around at this time. Much action occurs around the famous Times Sq Mall.

Busy Causeway Bay

KOWLOON
We didn't see too much in Kowloon, though we ended up here using the efficient MTR network.. On our first trip, we used to take the Star ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui  and go for dinner. There were good restaurants, and good malls, also great night markets- such as

The Star Ferry is a classic way to reach, with unforgettable views, especially at night. From Tsim Sha Tsui, watch the laser show at 8pm.

Accommodation
We've stayed at the Renaissance Harbour View in Wan Chai. Rooms are decent and get a room with a view, because views are excellent.

Food
Hong Kong has loads of places to eat. Just look around anywhere and you'll find something.

- Habibi Cafe, reached via the Escalator in Mid-Levels, offers fine Lebanese cuisine, but portions are small. Try the Shoukolata dessert (or named something similar).

Transport
Transport is easy, with an efficient MTR system operating a Disney line, too. Fares depend on your stop and distance. Taxis are available, too, and handy.

Classic ways to get around include the trams and buses (including double decker buses).

TurboJet ferries link Macau and Hong Kong hourly and are great and reliable.

We have also been to Ocean Park.

MACAU

We stayed for 3 nights  but didn't do too much. We stayed at the Westin first where it was great to relax and chill out. We saw some parks, temples, cathedrals and other casino resorts. I highly recommend the Westin for its vibe; different to the rest of "touristy" Macau. We also tried Portuguese egg tarts. We went into different markets and the obvious Macau Tower from where the views were good. After staying 2 nights in Westin, we moved to the Venetian which was elegant, and very nice.
The topmost pic is the Christmas Tree at the Venetain.  The rooms were elegant and new and many parts were still in construction. This was a great Macauan experience.  And the topmost-left pic is some beautiful garden.

The Portuguese colonial architecture is well worth seeing.


Transport is easy, with taxis being reasonable and buses. We took a tour which departed from the Ferry terminal, which was good, too.

Eating options were great. There were Portuguese, Chinese, Indian and many more. And walking within an island is best.

Links
Renaissance Harbour View
Venetain
Westin
TurboJet ferries
Hollywood Hotel

Hong Kong

Time in HK and Macau

Other places we went to include Ocean Park and various  markets, cathedrals and temples, etc

Last visit- Jul 2014
No of visits- 4
Last visit- May/June 2004