August had one of my longest vacations this year. Lucky me was able to take a leave from work for 10 days. I spent half of that in Hong Kong and Macau.
We arrived at the HK International Airport at around 8am. I must say, this airport is really huge! The plane had to run on wheels for about 30 more minutes after it has landed as if looking for a parking space. Unlike any other airports that I've been to, the immigration in HK Airport comes first before claiming the baggages. I didn't know this at the time so our group was running around in the airport like little kids looking for the next stop. The immigration and baggage claim went on smoothly after that. As advised by most bloggers, we took a lot of free maps and brochures from the airport. These helped us a lot in our adventure on the days that followed.
Our next challenge in the airport was to find the counter that sells Octopus Cards. Since HK's primary mode of transportation is via trains or MTR, the Octopus Card became very useful especially for travelers like us. It can also be used in buses, 7/11 outlets and others. There are several types of Octopus Cards available. We bought the Airport Express Tourist Octopus card for HK$ 220 which includes the following:
Airport Express One Free Single Journey + 3 days unlimited travel on MTR + $50 deposit + Stored value $20
We also found the China Travel Service (CTS) counter at the airport. This travel agency sells discounted entrance tickets to HK's tourist attractions. We were able to compare the rates before we left for HK so we already know how much we're going to save. Its not much, but when you're out of the country, every penny counts.
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We arrived at the HK International Airport at around 8am. I must say, this airport is really huge! The plane had to run on wheels for about 30 more minutes after it has landed as if looking for a parking space. Unlike any other airports that I've been to, the immigration in HK Airport comes first before claiming the baggages. I didn't know this at the time so our group was running around in the airport like little kids looking for the next stop. The immigration and baggage claim went on smoothly after that. As advised by most bloggers, we took a lot of free maps and brochures from the airport. These helped us a lot in our adventure on the days that followed.
Our next challenge in the airport was to find the counter that sells Octopus Cards. Since HK's primary mode of transportation is via trains or MTR, the Octopus Card became very useful especially for travelers like us. It can also be used in buses, 7/11 outlets and others. There are several types of Octopus Cards available. We bought the Airport Express Tourist Octopus card for HK$ 220 which includes the following:
Airport Express One Free Single Journey + 3 days unlimited travel on MTR + $50 deposit + Stored value $20
We also found the China Travel Service (CTS) counter at the airport. This travel agency sells discounted entrance tickets to HK's tourist attractions. We were able to compare the rates before we left for HK so we already know how much we're going to save. Its not much, but when you're out of the country, every penny counts.
| Comparison of Original and CTS rates |
Once all the purchasing was done, we located the train station for the Airport Express. The Airport Express is a bit more expensive than the regular MTR rides. This line is only dedicated to 3 stations from the airport unlike the other lines with frequent stops. The train is also equipped with its LED lights and screens that indicate the location of the train as it reaches the next station. The seats are more comfortable and new too. After a few minutes, we arrived at Kowloon Station. From there, we had to transfer to the shuttle bus (also free with the Octopus Card) that would bring us our final stop near our hostel at Tsim Sha Tsui.
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| Inside the Airport Express |
Hop Inn has made its name in the HK Hostel Industry as one of the best in its league. It has received several awards and praises from the hotel review website: Trip Advisor, as well as in the online booking websites - Hostelworld.com. This hostel is famous for its painted walls and decorations that feature local artists and illustrators. Its a bit more expensive than the regular hostels in TST area but the amenities are at par with 3 star hotels. Check out their website for more info: www.hopinn.hk
It wasn't hard to find the Hop Inn building once we've arrived at our bus stop. The map and directions provided by the hostel admin upon booking was very direct and easy to follow. We arrived at the hostel earlier than the check-in time. There wasn't a vacant room available yet so we just left our luggages by the corridor which the receptionist assured was completely safe. All payments for the rooms were made upon arrival. The reservations didn't ask for any deposits or downpayment upon booking.
After all the our luggages and payments have been settled, we left the hostel for our next destination: HK Disneyland!
