Hong Kong Hustle (Part 1)

After my Malaysia trip, my next stop was the fragrant harbour, Hong Kong. This time I was with my family, taking advantage once again of cebupacific's promo. Coming from Clark, or as the locals prefer Disodado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), our airfare was Php2,950.76 each roundtrip then add on the terminal fee of Php750 and Travel Tax of Php1,620, then the total air travel expense was Php5,320.76 per person. I knew the DMIA was small but was surprised how really small it was. It's almost the same size as the Puerto Princesa Airport.

We arrived at Hong Kong International Airport at around 9am and took the A21 Bus to the city. The trip costs around Php198, cheaper than taking the train and offers a great view of Hong Kong, a must for first timers. Sitting at the front of the second level of the double deck bus also offers great photo opportunities. After about an hour of scenic views, we arrived at our stop in Tsim Sha Tsui and checked in at the Cosmic Guesthouse, Mirador Mansion. We got 2 rooms, one accomadates 4 and the other accommodates 2, for a total of Php7,890 for 2 nights or Php1,315 per person for our entire 3 Days 2 Nights stay.

Cosmic Guesthouse

After checking-in at the hotel, we immediately looked for lunch and found a hole in a wall of sorts in Tsim Sha Tsui. The restaurant appearance suggests otherwise but it was pretty expensive. Travelling with my grandma and a tired and hungry family, we ate there anyway just to have our first taste of Hong Kong food. Total Bill was around Php2,550 or Php425 each.

Hong Kong Disneyland

Next stop was Disneyland! We got an Octopus Card for around Php900 to get around Hong Kong with ease. And after a couple of changing trains from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR, we hopped on the Mickey inspired train bound for Disneyland. Lucky for us, my sister knows someone who knows someone who works at Disneyland and was able to get us a few passes. Almost all hotels and guesthouses offer tickets to Disneyland at a discounted rate of around Php2,200 instead of the park rate of Php2,400.

The wait time for the rides were quite long and most of our afternoon was spent on queues. We were able to ride on the Jungle Cruise, the 4-D attraction Mickey's Philharmagic, and the indoor roller coaster Space Mountain. Wait times on other rides were much too long that we decided to explore the park instead. We were then able to catch the Flights of Fantasy Parade which features Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, and other notable Disney characters.

Roasted Chicken, Cafe de Coral

It's almost sunset when we left Disneyland and returned to the guesthouse for a brief rest. Nathan road is more alive after sunset as colorful neon signs light up the streets. That's our queue for dinner and we found Café de Coral. The food was great and the price was more affordable than our first dining experience (Only Php1,500 or Php250 each. Going around Hong Kong you'll see a lot of Café de Coral chain, much like Jollibee in the Philippines.

For Hong Kong Hustle Part 2 click here.