Korean Job Discussion Forums

SeoulShakin · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

Hey all -
I have a vacation coming up in August, and am thinking of heading to Hong Kong. I managed to find a flight online for 280,000 and am wondering if anyone out there has any suggestions on what to check out while I am there.
Also, does anyone know of an affordable hotel to stay in? (5 days)
Would it pay to go through a travel agent for such a short trip?
I was on the "Discover Hong Kong 2006" website, and the hotels they list seem to be quite pricey.
I don't want COMPLETELY break the bank, so any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Smile

Also - is it safe to travel there as a younger female without a travel buddy?

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Harpeau · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Coquitlam, BC

Just got back and had a real blast! Stanley Market is a great place to shop. Shenzen, China is pretty cheap as well (though, it's mostly immitations).

The Star Ferry is great and so is the Peak. I stayed at Novotel on a Cathay Pacific package for a night and it was great! (Actually 2 long days.) You've got to try the Dim Sum, it is superb. Have fun!

SeoulShakin · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

Thanks for the quick replies guys Smile

Basically I am just trying to figure out if this is cheaper to do on my own or with a tour. I like the freedom that doing this on my own would provide, but where I've never been there before, perhaps the tour would be the best bet.

Also, I looked into Disney, but I found that the admission was close to 300,000 - which is more than the flight I found. I can't justify spending more on Disney than I did for my flight.
Thanks!

polonius · Joined: 05 Jun 2004

Just got back from HK, did a package with Cathay Pacific. It wasn't a tour, just hotel, flight, and breakfast. Funny thing was that the hotel they put us in was near the Korea town, and had a Korean bar right across the street that sold Cass and Soju. Summer prices might be a bit more expensive. Lots of good shopping for real items, and they are cheaper than would be back at home because HK is a tax free zone. There are island hopping trips that can be very fun. Anyhoo, have a good time.

SeoulShakin · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

Cathay Pacific is just hotel and flight? Actually, that sounds about perfect for me. Gives me the ability to see what I want to see, but have a fairly cheap hotel and flight combination.
I'll have to look into this a little more seriously now.
Thanks for all the information
on the Cathay pacific link that you gave me - so just clarifying - the price that is listed already includes the hotel?
Thanks again

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

The other theme park is called the Ocean Park.

SeoulShakin · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

tzechuk - have you been to ocean park? Would you recommend it?

winnie · Joined: 08 May 2005 Location: the forest

You can do it it on your own....as a female...its not bad...there's not really that much to see there really...it's a shopper's paradise however.

The peak is hit and miss, lots of fog/smog can make for crappy views...big buddha is a must, oh and happy valley race course is fun...

ive heard the disneyland there sucks.

chuknnjivn · Joined: 05 Jan 2006

I just booked a five day trip to Hong Kong for August. I went through a travel agency and my flight was about 380,000 after tax so it sounds like you are getting a good deal. My hotel is kind of pricey, but I personally picked it out for a couple reasons so that was my choice. Anyway, I started a thread similar to yours awhile back and got some good advice on things to do through PM. If you are still looking for things to do PM me and I'll send you the ideas I received.

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

stvwrd · Joined: 31 Mar 2005

I'm putting together a last-minute trip to Hong Kong myself.

I was thinking of trying to save a bit of money by just staying in HK for a couple days, then going into China. Is this doable? Can I get the visa in HK, or do I need to do it ahead of time?

How about the price of food and transportation in HK?

Plan to leave a week from Wednsday. But, if it turns out to be too expensive (the hotels in HK are looking a lot more pricey than I expected), then I may just change my ticket to Bangkok.

ajgeddes · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Location: Yongsan

I spent 4 nights in Hong Kong back in May, it was great.

Anyways, if you want to save money by going into China, you will need to get the special VISA. However, if you only want to go to Shenzhen, you can just show up at the border (at the train station) and get a special Shenzhen VISA that allows you to stay IN the city for 5 days.

Caledonian Craig · Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Location: Edinburgh

I went to Hong Kong last October on my way home from Korea. I thought it was great. I had my bonus, so I wasn't really too worried about money, and if you have a spare few bucks, you can do a lot of shopping.

Food is fantastic, with all world cuisines there- great chinese, indian, north african, italian etc,. And not that expensive- especially the little lunch restaurants.

There is a unique colonial history to explore as well- there are science and history museums, and a world war 2 prison you can go to. Also do what I did and check out Macau island about one hour away by boat. Macau was a spanish (or portuguese?) colony, so it's pretty cool too.

There are tons of temples, and beautiful (small) parks throughout the islands. The metro is reasonably priced, and very clean and efficient. In the evening there are fantastic bars and clubs- check out Dragon.

You'll have a fantastic time there, I'm sure.