I want to share the Hongkong - Macau Itinerary my sister and I used on our Hongkong trip. My sister booked a round trip ticket for both of us to Hongkong November last year. I didn't really plan on any major travels or backpacking trip that time since my now hubby and I were saving up for our upcoming wedding that happened early this year. Sweet as she is, she planned this as our last bonding experience together before I say goodbye to being single. It was her gift for me and believe it or not, she never allowed me to spend a single Hongkong dollar in our entire stay in Hongkong. I felt like the luckiest person in the world! Imagine traveling for free? Up until now, I am very grateful to my sister. It was my first time to travel outside the Philippines and we all know, a trip to Hongkong isn't cheap.
The only thing she requested me to do is to take care of all the details about our visit in Hongkong. I embraced the challenge and lovingly researched. I first looked for an accessible, affordable and decent place to stay for the three nights. I don't want her spending too much for this trip, specially I know accommodation can be really pricey in Hongkong. After I found one, I started researching on the attractions we would be visiting. It was a challenge since I learned that there are too many to see yet we have a very limited time to visit, added the fact that she would also want to see Macau. I wasn't sure how to compress everything in a three day stay. So I just chose the places that based on the numerous articles I've read would be fit for first time visitors. I made a draft on the attractions and grouped them based on their proximity from each other. So my Hongkong Itinerary would show that in each day, we visited places that are quite near to each other or at least, within the same direction. I then browsed the web for info on how to go from one attraction to another and the approximate travel times. It was time consuming but patience proved to be useful. It was a breeze going to different locations and we saved time by not getting lost because of the guides. :) Lastly, I created a list for projected expenses.
I want to share this 3 Day Hongkong itinerary for those who are planning to go to Hongkong and would prefer not to spend a fortune and would want to maximize their stay. I have to remind you though that this is a very tiring itinerary and I wouldn't recommend this to travelers who are with elderly and kids. This itinerary is fast paced and would include a lot of walking. If you think you are fit enough and is game for a bit of an "amazing race" experience, this will work perfectly for you. Please click on the image to make it bigger and readable.
This is a doable itinerary. We managed to see and do everything included here except for the Symphony of Lights on the second day and dining in Tim Ho Wan on the third day. To get the most of your money's worth in paying entrance fees though, I would advise you to have one whole day each for Disneyland and Ocean Park.
I hope this 3 day Hongkong-Macau Itinerary will serve as a guide in creating your personalized itinerary. :) Have a happy trip!
Nice one! ok po ba yung Rooms sa Golden crown? may Bathroom po ba each room? planning to go there by november po. Thank you. -Gorgeous Sam
ReplyDeleteHi Sam! Their room is basic medyo maliit which I believe is common in HK if you're staying in budget accommodations but in the room where we stayed it still felt comfortable with the cool aircon, comfy bed and pillow plus duvet. Each room has its own bathroom which I find spacious, ironic bec as I've mentioned the space for the beds isn't much. As an added advantage, The owner's wife as well as the housekeeping staff are Filipinos kaya super linis talaga ng room.
Deletehi there...can we have your contact where u stayed in HK? we are booked on Aug 11-16 of this. hope its ok.
Deletethanks! :)
how much dd u spend including airport fees and food approximately?thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Diana. we spent around 20 thousand pesos each for everything excluding airfare.
DeleteHi! Golden Crown din kami =) super excited na ko sa september trip namin with my family! Susundin ko un itinerary mo pag papalitin ko lang un 2nd and 3rd day. hehehe =) Ask ko lang did u bought hong kong dollar dito bago kayo umalis? san mas mura?hehe thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Raymond. Wow, hope you and your family enjoy your vacation. Wala na kami time kasi non magpapalit kaya konting peso ang dala namin. Kaso pag ganon, maliit ang value ng peso sa HK. There are even money exchangers na di tumatanggap ng peso. Mas ok kung magpapalit ka ng peso here to is dollars then have it changed sa hk into hk dollars. What we did since ang liit ng exchange rate ng peso to hk dollars, we just used atm to withdraw money. Mas nagkng malaki value ng money namin. May konting charge from the bank but it was very reasonable.
DeleteHi! We're supposed to book at Golden Crown also but unfortunately, we were told that all rooms are full. Are there any other place which you can recommend for us to stay at? Our trip is 5D4N but we're going back to Manila early in the morning of the last day. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI apologize for this very late reply. I've been so busy the past few weeks, was not able to check my blog. On the same floor where the reception of Golden Crown is located, I saw Tai San Guest House. My friend who stayed there mentioned she also had a comfortable stay there. If I remember it right, the owners of these two accommodations are siblings.
DeleteHi! Kamusta po weather last yr? Papunta din kmi ngayon Nov. Malamig na kaya? Ano kaya maganda maisuot may kasama kasi akong bata.
ReplyDeletePatulong naman ng itinerary namin. May kasama akong baby and 7 y.o with my bro and sis darating kami sa HK ng 7:40 am nasa lantau island ang hotel namin. 3 days lng din kami sa hk. Plan namin 2nd day Disneyland 3rd day Ocean park.. 1st day possible kya na Ngongping (2 way cable car) ? > The Peak > Avenue of Stars
Thank you in advance ������
Nov in HK is post autumn kaya medyo chilly na during late afternoons. Ok lang ang light clothing during day time kasi mainit pa din at tirik ang araw. Pagdating ng mga 5PM, bigla na lumalamig at palamiig ng palamig habag gumagabi. Just bring jackets. Ok don pag November, yon daw kasi ang month na pinakakonti ang rainfall o di talaga umuulan.
DeleteTama to spend one whole day each in Ocean Park and Disney para mas masulit nyo at maenjoy ang place. If I remember it right, the airport and jumpoff to NgongPing are both located in Lantau Island. Pwede kayo don the first half of the day tapos sa gabi punta kayo ng The Peak (located in Central). I think lang baka wala na kayong time for Avenue of the stars (kowloon).
Hi I would like to ask, how to pay reservation fee at Golden Crown Guesthouse via credit card? and pag andun kna sa place tumatanggap prin ba sila ng credit card to pay for the balance? pls help me because its opur first time.. thank u in advance.. :)
ReplyDeleteHi! They asked us to pay thru paypal for the reservation but when we arrived, we paid the Disney tickets by debit card. I believe they are also accepting credit cards.
DeleteThey are offering discounted tickets for some of HKs attractions.
so is it reasonable and better to exchange money from peso to us dollar then us dollar to hongkong dollar? mas nagiging malaki ba ung value ng pera pag ganun? nung nsa macau kau anong ginamit nyong pera, hk dollar or MOP? thanks
ReplyDeleteYes it is advisable. Mas maliit ang kakalabasan kung peso to HK Dollar ang exchange. Some banks and money changers there don't even change Peso. Another option is to withdraw from an ATM machine. Ganon ginawa namin, mas ok ng konti yong exchange but be careful kasi that same night when we withdrew, napansin ng sister ko na nadebit sya ng Php12000. Sabi ng bank may nagwithdraw daw bukod pa sa ginawa naming withdrawal. It's a good thing after 3 months of bank investigation, sabi nila fraudulent activity daw yon and they credited the amount back to my sister's account.
DeleteWe used HK Dollars in Macau, it's accepted there. Pero pag magpupublic bus kayo around, better to have MOP, yong exact amount kasi di ka na masusuklian.
Thanks for sharing, helpful indeed! tanong ko lang kung may visa ba na kailangan kapag magtravel ka from hong kong to macau? ang sabi kasi parang dadaan pa ng immigration? :)
ReplyDeleteNo need for Tourist Visa unless you'll be traveling there with Philippine diplomatic and official passport.
DeleteHi! Thanks for this. Will use this as our itinerary for this jan. 15-18. If i may ask, maulan ba sa hkg pag jan? And how much dapat dalhin for two people? May side trip din kasi kaming macau for 1 day. Hoping to hear from you soon. Thanksss!!
ReplyDeleteHI Sarah! Late na ang reply ko, I apologize. How was your trip in HK? Hope you had fun. :)
Deletehi im planning a solo backpacking trip in hk for 3days .. ung macau trip nyo wla dn visa needed right?? 1st time ko mg solo trip hindi ba nkakaligaw kng within hongkong lng
ReplyDeleteHi Kroy. Siguro my reply is already too late. Didn't open my blog for quite some time. No need for tourist visa in Macau. Sa HK din no need if you'll just traveling as a tourist unless you'll go there with a Philippine diplomatic and official passport. Medyo nakakalito din sa HK at first but get some free maps upon arriving in their airport, it will help a lot. Saka their places are well marked, di ka maliligaw.
DeleteOMG girl! you just helped me so much! I have the same travel dates this 2014. the diff is night of Nov 10 ang dating namin. Nevertheless, I'll use this as my guide. thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Diane. I'm glad to hear this had been helpful. Enjoy your trip and keep safe. :)
Deleteok lng ba yun? after ng half day city tour yung disneyland?
DeleteHalf day in Disneyland is ok (that's what we did) but honestly, I missed a lot of shows and haven't had time to try the rides so if you can help it, mas ok pa din na whole day ang Disney to get your entrance fee's worth. Sayang kasi.
DeleteHi. thank You for this. My sister and I are also planning to go to HK and Macau next month graduation gift for her and b-day gift for me. Great itinerary...will surely use some of it. Any recommended restaurants or food that we could try? And about the buses, what's the mode of payment??
ReplyDeleteWow, congrats to your sister and many happy returns to you. :) You can try Tim Ho Wan, the cheapest Michelin star dimsum restaurant. I'm hearing a lot of raves about them although I was not able to try it because of time constraints. I ate in their Singapore branch though and I liked their food. I'm assuming their original location in Mongkok might be better though. We mostly ate in food establishments where we were during meal times so I just remember having lunch in a Greek restaurant in Ngong Ping Village, a Japanese stall in The peak, dinner in the food court of Venetian Mall (Macau), street food in Mongkok and some Arabian and Cantonese restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui.
DeleteFor fares, I'd strongly suggest that you purchase an Octopus card, it's a card preloaded with credits and you can use it mostly anywhere - buses, MTR, and even 7-11 and McDo purchases.
Hi, ask ko lang for Octopus card kelangan b each person meron or pwede share sa isang card. And enough na ba yung 150HK$ na iloload. Thanks
DeleteYes dapat one Octopus Card f
DeleteYes, one Octopus card for each person. Depending on how long you're going to use it, &150 may be even more than enough. We had ours preloaded with $50 then tapped it up as we deemed necessary.
Deletemam wat do u mean mop
DeleteCurrency po sa Macau. :)
DeleteHi! Did you avail of extra baggage when you went to HK? Gaano kabigat? or did you settle for hand carry? How much baggage do i need to allot for pasalubongs and other purchases? thanks!
ReplyDeleteSis, question, approx how much ung ferry to and fro Macau?
ReplyDeleteHi! Here's the link for the current rates ng ferry from HK to Macau. We purchased yong sa economy tickets when we went there.
Deletehttp://www.turbojet.com.hk/en/routing-sailing-schedule/hong-kong-macau/sailing-schedule-fares.aspx
http://www.cotaiwaterjet.com/en/ferry-schedule/hongkong-macau
woah. sorry super late.. many thanks. sa Jordan kmi magsstay so ano same ferry terminal lng un sau ba? btw sis, ask ano expected weather during that time of november?
Deletehi po ask ko lng po kung maulan sa hk pag july then how much po yun golden crown hotel per day and malapit po ba sya sa mga lugar like desneyland at iba pang tour attraction and also how much po yun entrance sa disney ng adult at ng baby age 1y/o and 2 months.. and last question if ever ng mag balak kami pumunta ng macau how much po yun ticket and ilang hour po yun travel - kindly reply.. many thanks & God Bless and if
ReplyDeleteWe paid 300 HK dollars per night sa Golden Crown. Sa Kowloon Island yong hotel which is located far from Disney pero very accessible sa mga attractions. Most of the time, MTR lang ang kelangan sakyan papunta sa mga attractions.
DeleteFrom Golden Crown hotel, you just have to take the MRT (Red Line) Tsim Sha Tsui Station (which is just almost infront of the hotel) to Lai King Station. Then sa Lai King station, pwede ka magtransfer sa MRT Orange Line going to Sunny Bay Station. Sa Sunny Bay, connected din yon to the train that will take you to Disneyland. Pls refer to the MTR route map in this link, http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/getting_around/system_map.html
Regarding rates ng Disneyland, I've checked their current rates. Please check here for both adults and children. http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/ticketsAndReservations/overview?name=OneDayTicketPage
For fares from HK to Macau, please read my reply to the comment above yours. Thanks.
Hi ms. Pang, after i read ur blog lalo ako naexcite sa upcoming hk trip nmin ng family ko on oct.. 3days 2nyts kmi..my bro.suggested to have travel guide kasi first trip nmin abroad..ok ba yun? Parang magastos kasi..may kids din kami kasama..
ReplyDeleteWow upon reading your blog it is very useful i'll try this out to treat my partner this November for our DIY hongkong trip.
ReplyDeleteMay I also ask is it cheaper to buy tickets sa dysneyland na mismo or online?
And nakaktuwa pag binabasa ko yung conversation you we're able to answer all their queries.
So credit card and debit card is our best option and US dollar.