Any recommendations for budget travel to Taiwan/HK?
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Hi, i'm new here. hope you guys can help me out. :)
my friends and i are planning to go on a free and easy trip to either taiwan or hong kong.
could any of you recommend reasonably good and priced hotels in taiwan and hong kong that you've been to, like 3 star or something?
how about agencies? any good ones you guys have come across?
are there websites i can visit to check out cheap airfares?
is there anything else to look out for? coz this is the first time we're planning a trip, we ain't so sure about alot of stuff.
so far, the brochures and websites we've seen don't really appeal to us and alot of tour packages instead of f&e, so hope you guys can help me out. i'd appreciate it alot. :)
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What is your agenda for the travel. Sight seeing, shopping or what? Maybe you will say all. But your objective is very important.
Cheapest way to get to HK is via tigerairways to shenzhen. From shenzhen airport, there is direct bus service to HK. If you want cheap hotel, better stay in Kowloon instead of HK island. Go to seaview hotel at temple street. The price is about HK700 depending on the season. The best food is just downstairs and it is walking distance to Mongkok, the crowdest place on earth. MTR station also near, when you need to get back to Shenzhen.
If you want good view, book the YMCA at TsimShaTsui. But it is more expensive. It overlooks Central across the sea and the famous Xing Guang Ta dao is just downstairs.
If you low on budget, you might want to stay in one of the inns at TsimShaTsui area. But it's very dirty and not advisable for ladies.
Plan your trip properly. Don't book all nights at Kowloon. If you plan to spend one crazy night at Lam Gui Fong-HeiHei or Sugar, book a room at WanZai area, otherwise it cost you hundreds to take taxi back to Kowloon.
Don't forget to spend one or two days at Shenzhen. Shop cheap electronics at Sai Ge and enjoy cheap seafood at Le Yuan Street.
Have fun.
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thanks for replying! :)
hmmm, good question. i'll have to ask them exactly what's our agenda. we just thought we could just travel around and see see hong kong and then spend some time shopping. now that you ask me this question, i think we think too simple already. heh.
hmmm, my friend would prefer non-budget airlines. hmmm, instead of going to hk by bus, is it possible to take mtr to hk?
have you been to seaview hotel? what's your experience with the room and service there? hmmm, don't think we'd wanna stay in inns... we're all females, so yup, we'd like to look for a reasonably safe and gd hotel.
i see, how much did you pay for your whole travel + airfares?
how much would you recommend we bring for expenses?
thanks for the advice :)
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The airport in Shenzhen is Bao-an and it's quite a distance to the city. You need to get to Luohu in order to take MTR to Hong Kong and that's the Chn-HK border. To get to Luohu, you can either board a airport bus, take a taxi or ask the taxi to get you to the nearest subway Jiu-Guang station and from there find your way to Luohu, you might need to change train direction once, like City Hall or Raffles Place MRT. That is very troublesome and time consuming. Once you get out from Luohu station, you go through the Luohu commercial centre and find your way to the immigration checkpoint and from HK side, hop on a MTR to your destination.
The easiest way is like i said, take a bus that goes direct to Hong Kong and even the immigration check is faster. Get the one that goes to Mongkok at Kowloon, there you will find budget hotel at good location.
I stayed in seaview many times. The exact hotel for the hotel is "Dorsett Seaview Hotel" at Yau Ma Tei. The rooms are very small, like most cheaper hotels in Hong Kong but all facilities are there. The thing that attracts me to stay in seaview is the location. It is at the heart of Temple street. Go behind the hotel you get lots of food at temple street and further down is Mongkok. On the opposite side you find all the fortune tellers and sex toys vendors, it leads you to Jordan and you can walk the night market all the way to Tsim Sha Tsui. Of course where are many nicer YMCA hotels in Mongkok, but again, it the location.
Also the MTR is 50 meters away from the hotel the station is Yau Ma Tei. Lots of good food everywhere in Temple Street and Mongkok. Must try the Yunan Guo Qiao Mian Xian 云�过桥棉线, and the Che Zai Mee 车仔�at Woman's Street in Mongkok. Be prepared to share table with strangers if there are still empty seats.
Wherever you stay, don't stay in Hong Kong island hotel, they are expensive and nothing exciting there except the Lam Gui Fong, Pacific Place, IFC tower, that's all. All the actions are in Kowloon.
Book your hotel before you go. Find your hotel here : http://www.asiatravel.com/. I always book through this website, no online credit card transaction, you pay at the hotel.
For Shenzhen, just be extra careful especially ladies. There are many pickpockets and conmen. Just hang on to your valuables tight in crowded place and don't entertain strangers who offer you things on the street.
If you plan to visit Shenzhen also, I will offer you separate advise.
Allocate SGD200 a night for a twin-share room. Food is about SGD15/pax per meal if you eat at stalls along the streets, MRT to Luohu is about SGD20 and most place is few dollars only. Oh I forget, for ladies, not forget to visit causewaybay. Lots of ladies fashion. But mongkok is enough i think. If you want to buy the latest and cheapest Handphone (most are water-goodsæ°´è´§) but they function perfectly, visit Xian Da (先达ä¸å¿ƒ) at mongkok.
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thanks for giving so much advice.
one of my friends mentioned that jetstar goes to hk. so i guess my friends are keen on that.
one friend suggested renting an apartment to stay in for the trip. i'm not sure if it'll be better as compared to hotel. cos in her experience, she thinks apartment will be cheaper and it's not unsafe.
hmmm, thanks for the intro to the different places to visit. i'm not really sure if my friends (there're two who are going for the 2nd time to hk on this trip.) know where exactly to walk. so i think this will help. :)
i'll have to get them to sit down and really talk about the details of the trip. they said not to worry just take mtr and walk. heh. i'll input your advice to me. thanks!
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Wow sorry, just notice your reply. You come back already?
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lol... it's ok...
we deciding to go during june. but some of my friends have conflict with budget vs package. so... let them compromise ba. i shall just stand aside and await the outcome.
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ok. Dun stay in rented apartment if you are there for less than 14 days. Hotel is safer and more comfortable. Let me know if you need more information and help. Cheers.
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hmmm, 2 of my friends keep suggesting service apartments/ service apartment hotels (same thing or...?) as they think it's cheaper. i'm sitting on the fence eh, coz though i understand budget can save money but are we going to the extent of sacrificing our safety and comfort by trying to go as budget as possible? one of my friends got a reasonable package from a tour agency - $666 for united airlines and 3 star hotel.
hmmm, tough to please everyone. haha.
thanks for your information and help all this while.
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are they talking about the apartments near yau ma tei mtr station, or around temple street. These are very small and crampy. unless you are talking about those in new-territory. Hotel is still the best choice. It"s holiday you know, why suffer? You will be surprise to find out who are your neighbour and what they do. Getting a package is a smart move and the deal you are having is very good. I might need ask you which agency you got it from.
Plan your itinerary probably, travel light, bring lots of polo shirts you can wash yourself daily. Trust me, choice a hotel where access is convenient and lots of interesting happening and my 1st choice is still dorsett seaview hotel.
Don"t forget to visit shenzhen and shop at saige electronical centre.
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i'm not sure. got one is called olympic terrace, another is bridal tea house or sth. and i dunno if this is a hotel or service apartment, it's called the nest. haha, some of my friends have a budget so they wanna save if possible. you mean as in they could be some shady characters??
i got the deal from apple holidays. it's located in chinatown. i'm not sure if it's reliable though, but my friend who went to find out the info, says that this is the best price around.
my friend told me dorsett seaview's reviews are not so gd, i went to search and i found gd reviews though.
hmmm, my friend was suggesting panda hotel instead.
thanks, i'll check em' out. :)
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olympic terrace is far off along the way from tsimshatsui to new territory, but i think there are at least two olympic. Bridal tea house is at temple street and it is very small, it"s walking distance from dorsett seaview on the way to mtr.
Don't even think about panda hotel, they are all close to new territory and very ulu.
Dorsett seaview is small, but it has the best location of all. On the left is mongkok, on the right is tsimshatsui, downstair is temple street where all the best food are at night. After a tiring day, you can da bao dimsum back to your room, with a cup of milk tea. There is one store selling the best porriadge in the world.
okay, if you don't mind squeezing with your friends all in one room, go for the YMCA at mongkok, the room is very big and you can have at least six persons in a room with extra bed. And it is cheap. There are few YMCA at mongkok, i am referring to the one opposite a secondary school and YWCA.
I cannot imagine if you stay at olympic or panda, how much taxi money will be wasted.
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yup i think there are a few olympic apartments.
really? i must let my friends know.
so many opinions and conflicting views, i also dunno what to do le. heh. i just hope there'll be a compromise soon. if not will end up, stay in sg for holidays.
i'll let them know about the ymca, they dun seem very keen on dorsett seaview though the last time i mentioned to them.
that's scary, i also dun want us to make a wrong choice.
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are you a school teacher? why holiday in June.
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haha, nope... i'm a student. :) my holiday starts in june.
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oic, still a xiao mei mei. Hong Kong is a very charming place. It makes you want to go back there again. Don't know why.
I was there two weeks ago but only my transit place to china. I regreted not staying one night or two to rekindle the wonderful memories. Beautiful night view at Tsimshatsui and tipsy nights at Lan Kwai Fong. I still remember the actor of Happy Ghost stand side by side with me at the urinal in sugar.
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xiao mei mei? no eh, i'm old! how old are you, then we can see if i'm a xiao mei mei. haha.
hmmmm, really hope i can make it to hk. you saw a celebrity? you make me feel like hopping on a plane and fly there now.
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Originally posted by lenore:
xiao mei mei? no eh, i'm old! how old are you, then we can see if i'm a xiao mei mei. haha.
hmmmm, really hope i can make it to hk. you saw a celebrity? you make me feel like hopping on a plane and fly there now.
I am 23, you leh?
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i'm 22 eh! not so xiao mei mei after all. hahaha.
now they debating abt the week they wanna go in june. craap.
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y there's no talk about Taiwan cos i wanna go this year-end leh
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Originally posted by lenore:
xiao mei mei? no eh, i'm old! how old are you, then we can see if i'm a xiao mei mei. haha.
hmmmm, really hope i can make it to hk. you saw a celebrity? you make me feel like hopping on a plane and fly there now.
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Hi, I suggest not to take Panda Hotel as it is located in Tsuen Wan, the New Territories. Although there is MTR, it is still far away from the famous shopping areas (like Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui or Causeway Bay).
In my opinion, Metro Park Hotel Mongkok is ok to me considering its location and close proximity to Prince Edward MTR. If you want a cheaper one, try Hotel 36 which is only a 3-minute-walk away from Prince Edward MTR. But bear in mind that these hotels are infested with tourists from Mainland China.
Cheers!
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Originally posted by Undertakerpoppin:
hmmm, is there a problem?
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Originally posted by Crab939:
Hi, I suggest not to take Panda Hotel as it is located in Tsuen Wan, the New Territories. Although there is MTR, it is still far away from the famous shopping areas (like Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui or Causeway Bay).
In my opinion, Metro Park Hotel Mongkok is ok to me considering its location and close proximity to Prince Edward MTR. If you want a cheaper one, try Hotel 36 which is only a 3-minute-walk away from Prince Edward MTR. But bear in mind that these hotels are infested with tourists from Mainland China.
Cheers!
hi there... i see... thanks for the info!
eh... is it comfortable and safe? on a scale of 5, how would you rate the metro park hotel and hotel 36? ehhh... is there a problem if it's infested with them?
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hongkong has gd sight seeing and urban shopping.Quite similar to spore..
If u wanna stay in HK island..probably can go for metropark wanchai/wharney guangdong in wan chai..but well this place not so happening as compared to jordan,mongkok district.But still,its city area.Very near to central.Travelling a breeze with their efficient MTR