Where from HKG for a week?

First time in my life I go to this part of the world, I don麓t know anything there. I will stay in HongKong in June for 7 days, I plan to go to Macau and I want to go somewhere for a second week, but where is the best to go to see something great from history and beuaties of nature (I want some days be on the beach). Where is the easier way from HK? Philippines or Vietnam or ...??? Thanks for your help!

Where from HKG for a week?

Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia are the popular beach destinations from Hong Kong. Hainan Island in China is another possibility but don%26#39;t expect the same sort of service.

Where from HKG for a week?

Thailand is cheap and many flights to Bangkok from Hong Kong. You could do three nights in Bangkok, then take a local flight to the island such as Koh Samui for 4 nights.

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China - Li River versus Three Gorges cruise

Are going to China in July 2009. Which is better Li River or Three Gorges because we don%26#39;t have time to do both. Is Three Gorges river now too high to merit the trip? Gateway will be Chengdu from Lhasa. Thanks for sharing.

China - Li River versus Three Gorges cruise

Li River is quite a short cruise compared to 3 gorges. Better still are the raft rides around Yanghsuo. Spending a few days in and around Yangshuo is better in my opinion.

China - Li River versus Three Gorges cruise

thanks, this was one of the things we were considering!

Li River is basically a day trip. Beautiful! Three Gorges is a good three-day cruise, but pick the right (Western style) ship.

If you want to save time, Do Li River Cruise as it takes 4 hours from Guilin to Yangshuo. If you do Yangtze Tour, it takes three days, moreover, you need to do it from Chongqing to Yichang, then fly to Shanghai, Xian or Beijing for your next stop. If you do Li River cruise, you need to fly to Guilin, do the cruise next morning to Yangshuo, one or two nights at Yangshuo then back to Guilin airport to your next stop. Just weigh both choice.

Morgen Mo

You might also consider doing the 3 Gorges cruise via hydrofoil, if you want to save time.

I%26#39;m a fan of neither, but I went on the 3 Gorges cruise in winter a couple of years back. If you%26#39;re interested in the full report and candid photos, email me at ellyse99@yahoo.com and put ';TripAdvisor'; and your own username (eg janet17130) in the subject line.

Reports on the hydrofoil are that you cannot see much out the windows because of the speed and wave splashing/dirty windows. I suggest you skip both Yangtze and Li River cruises. Instead head to Yangshuo and take several boat/raft rides. You can take a smaller boat ride upstream which is more interesting and not as lengthy. Then take a private bamboo raft ride down the Li River a bit. Nice quiet peaceful boat ride to examine the shores of this river. Then take the Yulong River raft ride, along with everyone else in the area...but still it is fun.

I never tired of the karst hills around Yangshuo. They are so unlike anything in the USA. Plan on three or four days for touring and visiting in the area. See Guangxi or Guilin Forum postings for more ideas.

I agree with most of the replies. I just came back from Yangshou and surrounding areas for 9 days. I went to the Three Gorges a few years ago, and while it was interesting and a bit of history-making to see the changes, it was long -- 3 days. I much preferred the relaxing and beautiful and tranquil rides down the Li River and Yulong River on bamboo rafts. Go there and experience so much more. The rice terraces in Longsheng are spectacular, too, north of Guilin.

how many train stations in Beijing

I am confused on how many train stations are there in Beijing?

where do we take the z- train to Xian or to Shanghai or to Datong?

thank you for your help.

how many train stations in Beijing

There are 4 stains. Main Beijing station, Beijing West, Beijing North, Beijing South.

Z trains to Xian depart from the Beijing West Station.

Z trains to Shanghai leave from the Main Beijing station.

Trains to Datong depart from both the Main Beijing station %26amp; the West station.

web hosting sites

travelzen

Hi,

Was wondering if anybody else used travelzen.com.

Just booked the Regent Beijing in Sept for an amazing rate and was just looking to see if people every had any problems with them ?

Thanks,

Conor

travelzen

I use ctrip myselft but travelzen is often recommended here by senior members. Much to early to book flights however.

travelzen

I%26#39;ve used travelzen for booking flights, mainly because there is no creditcard surcharge. For hotels, there is no need to pay in advance when using most sites - elong / ctrip / travelzen - so I usually pick the site that has the most choices of hotels / best prices.

Ctrip user here too. Although travelzen seem to come in slightly cheaper on some things but haven%26#39;t used them yet.

North Point MTR

Hi

Can anyone tell me what the area is like, just around this MTR station? We%26#39;re considering a hotel in this area, but I know it%26#39;s a lot of office bldgs. Is it totally deserted at night? Are there any street markets, food stands, inexpensive local restaurants? Any other comments about the area?

thx.

North Point MTR

There are lots of apartment buildings, which seem to have small restaurants in the bottom or fast food places maybe, for locals presumably. There is a huge mall with an ice skating rink and a food court which remains open until fairly late. Haven%26#39;t been there really late at night but I don%26#39;t see a huge problem as it%26#39;s maybe 20 minutes from central by MTR? What with walking through the stations blah blah I suspect it would take about half an hour to get to any nightlife in Causeway Bay Central or Admiralty.

North Point MTR

North Point is OK I have stayed there on a few trips. Lots of little restaurants and a few pubs. If you want late night entertainment you are only a few minutes from Wanchai and Central/LKF on the subway. North Point is also a good shopping area with local markets and a multitude of shops on Kings Rd.

where exactly in North Point? If it%26#39;s the Harbour Plaza, the immediately neighbourhood is kind of deserted at night, being next to a factory high rise and funeral home, and a few office buildings. My office used to be around there. At the other end of North Point, it%26#39;s mostly residential buildings with extremely busy shops and restaurants on the ground/1st/2nd levels.

It takes some effort to find expensive restaurants in North Point.

%26gt;%26gt; There is a huge mall with an ice skating rink and a food court ...

That%26#39;s not North Point. It%26#39;s 2 MTR stops away at Taikoo.

In general, North Point is a residential district with some concentrations of office buildings. But it%26#39;s still safe to walk around even late at night. It%26#39;s totally non-touristy, so not a bad choice if you like to see local life.

No big malls in the area, but as Guerilla suggested, Cityplaza at Taikoo is just a couple of MTR stops away. On the other side is the mega shopping district of Causeway Bay. Both are only 10 minutes away by tram.

Lots of local food everywhere, but most don%26#39;t have English menu. You can find some western cuisine around Tsing Fung Street and Electric Road near Tin Hau Station. And if you don%26#39;t mind venturing further east, you can go to Sai Wan Ho. Look for Tai Hong Street (within the Lei King Wan residential district). It%26#39;s a waterfront street lined with bars and restaurants, and it%26#39;s got a bit of vibe especially on weekends, though nothing compared to Lan Kwai Fong. It off the beaten tourist path so doesn%26#39;t get mentioned a lot.

Gosh sorry - so it is.

Hi, a hotel close to North Point MTR is IBIS North Point(exit A1,and take a right,and this hotel is just few yards away).

Across from North Point MTR station is also the North Point bus terminus,where from here,these following bus services(recalling from my memory) are available:-

Route 63- to Stanley Market

Route 23- to Lower Peak Tram Terminus,by alighting at Cotton Tree Drive bus stop

Route 18P- to Causeway Bay,and upto Sai Wan

Route A11-from the airport.

Across the road from North point MTR station(exit A1) is also the North Point ferry pier going to Hung Hom and Kowloon City.

Within walking distance from North Point MTR station,is also the Java Road municipal building where there is a cooked food court,where even famed celebrity chef-Anthony Bourdain had patronised.

Nearby,one also can purchase HK famed egg roll from the outlet known as Duck Shing Ho.

And along the same row of North Point MTR station,there are several eateries,serving food like wanton noddles, congee, and also fruit stalls,and dried food stalls.

It is not totally deserted at night.

Staying at IBIS North Point?

Hi, I%26#39;m the OP -

Thanks everybody for your comments. The hotel we are looking at is Harbour Plaza, so it is right near the North Pointe MTR. Main reason for this hotel is price (1 BR suite $138) and swimming pool, even though we%26#39;d prefer being a little closer in.

We%26#39;re with 2 kids, so won%26#39;t be seeking out the night life nor expensive restaurants ;)

the Chinese menus at local places shouldn%26#39;t be a problem

Do want to make sure we%26#39;re safe going home at night, tho - probably the latest would be 11 or so. Also, we%26#39;d like to be able to start sightseeing early in the a.m., then return to the hotel for a few hours in the early afternoon for a swim or nap. Is this feasable given the distance?

If not... other suggestions please?

Thank you!

It%26#39;s perfectly fine re. safety late at night. Just that there is very little pedestrian traffic after 8 or 9pm as there are almost no regular shops in the immediate area, especially on that side of the road.

Note that Harbour Plaza Hotel, while technically located at North Point, is actually much closer to Quarry Bay MTR Station than North Point Station. The closest station exit is C of Quarry Bay.

This Java Road side of the area will be very quiet at night as the hotel is next to a funeral home, across from government offices and a police station, and near office buildings. The area is very safe though. King%26#39;s Road will be much livelier thought still very local.

See link below:

www.mtr.com.hk/jplanner/images/maps/qub.pdf

four points Sheraton Daning

Hi,

Is the location of the Four Points Sheraton Daning too far from the main attractions in Shanghai?

the other option is the St. Regis (another starwood hotel), but that will cost more.

I am trying to use my starwood points and this hotel looks fine. I am just concerned about the location.

This hotel has 2 double beds, anybody knows if they let 4 people share the room? (my kids are 17 and 14).

do you know of any hotel in Shanghai would have room for 4? I am trying to save hotel cost by not having two separate rooms.

thanks ahead for your help.

four points Sheraton Daning

The place is a typical American Shopping Mall, just all store is 4 to 5 floors building instead of flat building, there are lots of shopping and dining, epically dining, but nothing really a tourist would expect, unless you would like to investigate a local chinese%26#39;s everyday life; 4 points by itself has nothing wrong.

four points Sheraton Daning

thanks.

I had to narrow down to the starwood hotels that have 2 double beds (as opposed to 2 single beds) and hope that the hotel will let the 4 of us share the room.

If you%26#39;re planning to use the metro to get around, metro line 1 Yanchang Lu stop is right outside the hotel, so that would be a plus. You%26#39;re about 6 stops away from People%26#39;s Square.

Otherwise, there%26#39;re 2 disadvantages that I can think of for that location. Firstly, there%26#39;s a highway (elevated road) right outside the hotel, I%26#39;m not sure if the traffic noise would be a problem. Secondly, if you%26#39;re using taxis to get around, going south on the highway would soon run into the highway intersection near Shanghai main train station, and this spot frequently has traffic jams, especially during the rush hours.

Have you considered perhaps serviced apartments? Some choices you might want to try would be Somerset Xuhui, Somerset Grand, Hong Kong Plaza, Citadines Jinqiao and New Harbour.

thanks Ellyse

I have budget constraint so still try to fit 4 people in the 2 double bed room and use starwood pts.

Some hotels%26#39; web site states that they only allow a maximum of 3 persons/room even with the 2 double beds. Do you know if this is really enforced or I can just take a chance and ask to pay for an extra person once we are there.

if you have budget issue, then Da-Ning is good for you, I do not think the hotel would seriously check how many people actually stay in the room every night, if they do ask, how about answer them those are prostitutes, are you gona to report to the police?

Instead of Metro 1, you also have plenty of buses near your hotel, because there is a Shanghai University campus around. Used to have lots of cheap restaurant, I really miss those time.

If you have 17 and 14 yr old kids why not book a 4 bed dorm in a hostel. Try Koala International Youth Hostel in Shanghai (No. 1447, Xikang Road). Its clean, the staff speak English and its close to downtown by subway or taxi. Give it a try.

Sorry, I have no idea if they%26#39;d frown upon squeezing extra people in the room.

However I wouldn%26#39;t really advise travelling around on public buses as the majority of the routes are in Chinese characters only. They%26#39;re already difficult enough to figure out for those of us who do understand Chinese, let alone you or other travellers who don%26#39;t.

And yes, getting a quad room in a hostel might be a good idea too.

thank you all

I will look into the suggested options re. hostels.

Travel from Huanggang to Disneyland

I would like to travel from Huanggang to Disneyland, Is it a good idea? How much does it cost? How is the Human traffic there, would it be better than in Lowu?

Travel from Huanggang to Disneyland

The good thing about Huanggang is there are direct buses that go there. The cost is $80 but the last bus departs at 13:00 on weekdays and 14:00 on weekends.

Huanggang%26#39;s traffic is tolerable but the air quality is quite nasty.

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