After a long time, I can finally pack my bags and explore new places, but oops! I forgot that I have a family of my own now. I remember the saying "A family that travels together, stays together". So, I decided to surprise my partner and my baby with a trip to Hong Kong.
I think that traveling with family is a great way to make memories that will last a lifetime and grow closer together. Hong Kong offers a unique cultural experience that we can enjoy together as a family.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that the total budget in the title of this blog post does not include airfare. This budget is based on the idea that you are traveling from Thailand and may not work for all destinations. Also, the plan below is made for a family traveling with a baby, but it can be changed to fit the needs of other travelers.
New Requirements to Enter Hong Kong
- For overseas travelers looking to enter Hong Kong, the government requires you to have a rapid antigen test (RAT) within 24 hours of your flight's scheduled departure time. Alternatively, you must take a PCR-based nucleic acid test within 48 hours. The RAT test is self-administered, and it is compulsory for all travelers aged 4 and above. Remember to comply with these regulations to ensure a safe and smooth entry into Hong Kong.
We actually took a self-administered RAT test 24 hours before the flight and took a photo of it. Filled out the Electronic Health Declaration Form online. Then the website provided us with the QR code to show once we arrived in Hong Kong airport. However, when we arrived in Hong Kong, they did not ask for the QR code as well as the photo of the RAT test result. It's like the usual process before COVID.
You can check the latest travel requirements at their link: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/index.html.
Accommodation
I really did all the research, watched Hong Kong vlogs, and read a lot of blogs; where is the best place to stay in Hong Kong at an affordable price and best for families. There are a lot of affordable places, especially in the Tsim Tsa Tsui area. However, I am not really confident with those affordable accommodations, as I am concerned, like, is it safe for my baby? Is it clean? Do they have a kettle to heat the water? This is the reason why I booked the Wharney Hotel.
The Wharney Hotel is the perfect accommodation for us. It is located at 57–73 Lockhart Rd., Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The room is clean and comfortable; they have a kettle, and their staff can speak English. Aside from its amazing rooms, the hotel is located where restaurants are, there is a convenient store nearby, and it is a 3-minute walk to the train station. And this is perfect for us and for our baby.
Itinerary: Day 1
As I mentioned above, there are numerous restaurants nearby our hotel that serve a variety of cuisines, so we started our day by looking for a good place to eat breakfast. However, there's a twist: 80% of these establishments don't speak English. It was my first time experiencing a language barrier problem when traveling to a non-English country. So we just wing it! We found a local restaurant that was open, and luckily they had an English menu. We went inside and used our body language, like pointing at the menu item we wanted and saying "take away".
Yes! We wanted to "take away" because we wanted to eat in our hotel room so we could move freely and eat comfortably. It's not that eating out is not comfortable; it's just that we have a baby, and it is much easier to feed him when there are just the two of us in a space. I hope you get what I mean, LOL!
We survived ordering food, but the next thing is that we are confused. The lady talked to us (not in English) and said something we couldn't understand. After a few minutes, we learned what she meant: to pay first and wait outside. That's how our day started!
Victoria Harbour
The Wharney Hotel is just a 20-minute walk to Victoria Harbour, so for us to better see what Hong Kong is like, we decided to walk to Victoria Harbour. It was fun walking, seeing those tall buildings, clean streets, and calm, breezy air. It was such a fun experience to walk. I saw a lot of interesting sights, like parks, greenery in the middle of the city, senior citizens exercising, and a lot more. This is me enjoying the walk, and I don't mind walking.
Victoria Harbour is definitely beyond beautiful; I don't know how to describe its beauty, but it's definitely beautiful. It reminds me of Singapore's Marina Bay, but in its own unique way. We strolled around Victoria Harbour and had lunch in the IFC mall.
We couldn't find an affordable restaurant to eat at inside the mall, so we decided to dine at McDonald's. The experience was hilarious, the staff were so kind, and she spoke English and recommended what to order. The humorous part was that you must eat like a soldier; I meant that you must eat quickly. Because someone is waiting to sit at your table next. So we find it funny because we can't eat comfortably while enjoying our burgers and chicken nuggets; we eat like we're running a marathon.
Victoria Peak
From the IFC mall in Victoria Harbor, we walked 20 minutes to Victoria Peak. I know there's a lot of walking, but we preferred to see the streets of Hong Kong. And now, when we arrived at the Peak Tram,we showed our roundtrip tram ticket, "Victoria Peak Tram Sky Pass in Hong Kong," that I bought beforehand at Klook. I paid 1,956 PHP for 2 adults, and my baby has a free ticket because they only charge children starting at age 3.
There are a lot of tourists, I say, but the tram is exquisite; it's a glass tram where you can see the view outside in 360 degrees. Imagine being on a roller coaster that only goes up; the tram is crowded; we didn't get a seat, but that's okay; and the view is breathtaking!
We arrived at the Victoria Peak Tower. There is also the famous Madame Tussauds in the building, so we went up to Sky Terrace 428 and saw the magnificent view of the whole of Hong Kong. It was a really breath-taking view, and our baby did enjoy walking there. There are also some souvenir shops and restaurants in the area.
Disneyland
We are supposed to take the train from the Peak Tram to Disneyland; however, it's almost 3:00 PM and we have a little time to enjoy the amusement park, so we decided to take a taxi and paid around 4,000 PHP for an hour's drive.
Once again, I pre-booked our Disneyland ticket via Klook for 8,390 PHP for two adults, and once again, our baby is free of admission.
I just watched Disneyland on TV, in vlogs, and in social media, but I never thought that I would be finally experiencing my own adventure in Disneyland with my family. They say Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, and I did feel that. My happiness goes beyond the excitement; I even felt goosebumps seeing those Disney characters that I only saw on TV. Amazing!
There are so many things to do at Disneyland, and I'm sorry we didn't get there earlier. Allow me to explain. I thought there were fireworks that day because I saw this vlog of a family that went to Disneyland. They went to Disneyland in the morning and stayed until late at night to see the fireworks, but they decided not to wait any longer because their baby was already so tired. I was thinking the same thing. I don't want us to be tired and bored after spending a long time in Disneyland. My calculations are definitely wrong!
So, a piece of advice if it's your first time in Disneyland with a baby: just start in the morning (not too early) because you will never get bored and tired in Disneyland and you will enjoy every moment of it from morning until night.
Let's move forward to the food. Many people complain that the food in Disneyland is expensive, so I figured why not book a meal package in Klook for Disneyland as well? When I did my research thoroughly, I found that the voucher value in Klook is a little bit lower than if you buy directly at Disneyland. So I decided to buy food directly at Disneyland, and I was correct.
We dine at Royal Banquet Hall, which is so easy to find; it is just in front of the carousel area. Inside the Royal Banquet Hall, there were a few cuisines to choose from; we went with an international meal. Their food selections are not that much, but it's a set already, like a meal with drinks and rice, or a pasta meal with drinks. And the highest price is 150 HKD, or 1,050 PHP. I know it's a lot for just a meal, but my tip is to order one meal only because their plating appears to be large enough for two people.
Going back to the city from Disneyland is also not a hassle; there is a train in Disneyland that will bring you to the city, so there's nothing to worry about if you stay late to catch the fireworks.
Itinerary: Day 2
Today's tour is not the best experience; finish reading this blog till the bottom so you will understand "WHY." Moreover, I will also provide a breakdown of costs, tips, and suggestions for other places you can go.
Lin Heung Kui
I really want to try local cuisine, so I decided to have our breakfast at Lin Heung Kui. Lin Heung Kui got a Michelin Bib Gourmand and was one of the few places that still served dim sum from push carts. What interests me the most is that this place is always crowded with locals, and I've seen on vlogs that you don't have to wait for someone to help you find seats and tables. You have to find yourself.
When we arrived at the place, it was quite confusing where to enter; all I knew was that there was an elevator to go up since the restaurant is on the second floor. There is this small local shop, and I'm not sure if the elevator is inside, so we asked around where is the Lin Heung Kui, and the man pointed us to that shop. Good thing we found locals as well, going inside to the shop then to the elevator. We followed, up to the 2nd floor. Then I was "shocked"!
The stories are true; there were a lot of people; it's all locals; I think I saw 1 foreigner and Koreans. But the majority are Hong Kong locals. I was intimidated at first, like we were going into war without bringing any weapons. LOL! But I did not turn my back and headed inside, looking for a table for the three of us. I don't know! But I think the universe realizes that I am scared that I might fail this mission to eat local dim sum. Until someone called my attention—finally a Filipino kababayan. She helped us settle, and she is very kind and sweet.
So, in Lin Heung Kui, you need to have something like a card, and you will bring it to the push carts to get your food. In their push carts, they have different kinds of dim sum and local food. If you can't speak their language like us, we just choose by appearance, point at what we want, and the lady will mark the number in our card. Once you're done eating, bring the card to the cashier. I think I paid 1100 PHP.
The food is delicious and tasty, and although we do not know what it is, it all appears to be incredible. I strongly advise you to try Lin Heung Kui; the experience and food are both excellent.
Hong Kong Star Ferry
Next stop, we tried to experience the Star Ferry to cross to another side of Hong Kong and experienced it as well; the cost is 3.2 HKD or 23 PHP. Honestly speaking, I did not feel anything special about boarding the ferry. It feels the same taking a ferry in Thailand.
Sneaker Street
When we arrived on the other side of Hong Kong, we entered Harbour City Mall to find a place or coffee shop to sit and relax and feed our baby his lunch.
The next place we're supposed to go is Choi Hung Estate, a famous basketball court with pastel colors. After that, we're supposed to go shopping on Sneaker Street and have dinner at Street Sik Fan Co. We began to alter our plans at this point.
Let me enumerate my reasons:
- Since we started our day, we have been always walking, carrying the strollers up and down the stairs inside the subway train because few train stations don't have lifts. And it is really exhausting!
- On our way to Lin Heung Kui, we lost the wheel of the baby stroller inside the subway. We did our best to find it, but it's all gone.
- We wanted to go to Choi Hung Estate, but it's a bit far if we took a train or bus. We wanted to take a taxi, but two of them had already refused to bring us there. I don't know why. According to my partner, maybe because it's not their way to go.
- We also cancelled the dinner at Street Sik Fan Co because our baby is really crying and irritable already; he is hungry and tired. So, we decided to have our dinner at the mall, beside the big Jordan shop at Sneaker Street.
- We are all honestly tired this day, and I realized that having a baby when traveling means allotting more time and days. Our stay in Hong Kong is only 4 days and 3 nights, including the flight to Hong Kong, so basically we only have 2 full days in Hong Kong, back-to-back and non stop wandering. It's totally not ideal. I realize the next time we plan to visit another country or domestic place, we should have at least 5-7 days or a day to rest in between.
Back on Sneaker Street, we searched and strolled around, but we couldn't find affordable shoes. I mean, Thailand is much more affordable to buy different brands of shoes. The cheapest shoes I found are 420 HKD, or 3000 PHP. In Thailand, we can find at least a minimum of 2,000 PHP.
After the dinner, we went back to our hotel.
Key Takeaways
Tips
- Once you arrive at Hong Kong International Airport, go to the 7-11 store inside the airport and buy an Octopus card. This is so convenient because you get discounted fares for trains and buses, and you can also use this card to pay at selected stores and restaurants. Moreover, you also have to top up the Octopus card. I think in our whole stay in Hong Kong, we only spent less than 100 HKD or 700 PHP on our transportation using the Octopus Card.
- Food, food, food! It's really hard to find rice in Hong Kong, especially if you don't know how to order it. If you have a baby like us, I think it's better to bring your own mini rice cooker. LOL! or if you have extra budget instead of booking a hotel room, why not try Airbnb if you want to cook your own food.
- Wear the most comfortable shoes; you will be walking a lot.
- I also noticed that the locals in Hong Kong are a bit straight forward you might find them strict and angry, but actually not. It's just their culture. As others have said, Hong Kong is not for the faint of heart.
Suggestions
We haven't visited other places in Hong Kong due to the limited time we have; however, below are places that we are supposed to visit.
- Choi Hung Estate basketball court
- Nan Liang Garden, open to the public
- Dinner at Ladies Street Sik Fan Co
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