Thinking about going to Hong Kong over the Christmas Holidays. Any advice would be much apprciated

Hotel,food,shopping etc

Go to Lantua island and see the Big Buddha. Take a ferry and bus to get there, spend a few hours, then take the cable car back to Hong Kong. You could plan an overnight trip to Macau (another country, but about an hour long ferry ride away). If you go there DO NOT stay at the Holiday Inn. It has bed bugs. It was neat walking through the casinos in Macau. Back in Hong Kong, so to some of the markets. I did a self guided walking tour that I found in Fodors or Frommers and saw some truly interesting stuff - I can't remember specific locations other than the jade market.

I was in HK in 2008 and stayed at The Langham in Kowloon for three nights. It was a great place to stay, although a short subway right from most tourist areas. There is a huge mall right across the street with a subway station on the bottom. The subway always seemed very clean for the enormous amount of people that filled the trains at all times. There were some other places to stay along the water that also looked pretty nice (Sheraton?). I recommend just walking around HK island and taking the train up to Victoria Peak. If you are looking for a thrill, ride the top deck of a bus on the way back down. The central park on HK island is a nice place to enjoy a walk and take in the local culture.

I've been to hong kong a few times and will probably be back for new years this year again. I love it. It is a fantastic city.

Things to do:
-The big buddha on lantau.
-Taking the star ferry back to hong kong island from Kowloon. It costs $0.50 and is one of the oldest ferry services still active.
-In kowloon, there is the jade market (has other jewelry besides jade), ladies market, men's market (night market) and just other generic shopping.
-Lan Kwai Fong is the night area. It is a active place every night.
-Go to the peak on the first clear day you have. I prefer to go near sundown (to say get there early enough to watch sunset) and then stay for the laser light show from all the buildings.
-Take an afternoon and go down to stanley on the south side of hong kong island. There is a market there, but it is just a relaxing slowed down part of town in an always moving city.
-The MTR is really reliable and really easy to use. At christmas time, the weather will be a little bit chilly so it will be perfect.

Enjoy!

Agreed on the above. I also did a day trip to Macau and enjoyed it immensely.

- Drinks in Lan Kwai Fong
- Dinner in SoHo
- Shopping on Nathan Road in Mongkok
- Take the Peak Tram to the top - great views
- Nighly light show over the harbor @ 8:00

Hong Kong's a great city. I always have a lot of fun there.

Take double decker bus,top front, to Stanley market. Used to be good buys and a great trip.

I second Spore comment. It is intense!

We loved Lamma Island, which was a short ferry ride out of Hong Kong. It was peaceful, beautiful, and the food was amazing.

The night life on the island is surreal. If you can find the place that serves flaming lamborghinis, you have hit the right spot.


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Thanks for the tips. Also thinking about taking @ days and go over to Bangkok. Any thoughts?

Bangkok is going to be a lot different than Hong Kong. It is really cheap right now though. There are some neat things to see there though. You could also do cambodia or if you want beaches, bali or P huket.

Sorry, I keep for getting that an island in Thailand is censored.

[This message has been edited by FHKChE07 (edited 9/13/2010 11:07p).]

Bangkok is great and they typically have a great New Years celebration. Great time of year to head out to P huket or Khao Lak, as it will be sunny and warm