This week one of our members has a question about how to enjoy some luxury, without bill shock come checkout time
I’ve booked my wife and I on a trip to Japan via Hong Kong. The flight is a 1st class award redemption with a 1 night stop over in Hong Kong. I’m hoping for a touch of luxury, is anyone aware of good value upmarket options for dining and/or accommodation?
Being the capitalist heart of China, Hong Kong has been doing luxury for a long time. From having an attendant dry your hands in the washrooms of the Peninsula hotel after High Tea, to shopping the High Street brands in Central, luxury experiences are on offer everywhere you look. So what is the budget, and how much time does our member have?
It’s hard on the spend front as I have no real idea of what my money can buy, but I’m thinking less than $400 total for accommodation and dinner. Ideally substantially less. We are travelling in Feb 2015, arriving at 5:45pm and flying out at 8:40am the next morning. With this timing we won’t be doing any general sight seeing.
Like many cities, you pay a premium for rooms in the city most nights of the week. Hong Kong is no different on that score, with rooms often above $400 for harbour view rooms. With a budget in mind that also includes dinner for that price, it’s perhaps best to stick to the mantra that you cannot eat a view. Fortunately, there are often alternatives in less favoured locations offering similar amenities, without the view and its associated price tag.
Hong Kong has developed a very good public transport system thanks to its large population living mostly in high rise buildings across the islands. This includes the airport express train, which takes 25 minutes or so for its journey to Kowloon. One of the little known features of the airport express, is its single fare is the same price as a same day return, around $13 Australian Dollars. With the train on offer for dinner downtown, and a desire to maximise First Class lounge time the next day, a hotel near the airport seems to make the most sense according to our members.
I can vouch for the Regal Airport Hotel being very good value considering it’s a five minute walk from the terminal. I’ve stayed there before on an overnight stopover and can say there’s nothing like the feeling of waking up, getting ready and walking to the terminal! As others have indicated, if you drop your bags when you get there, take the airport express in to town for dinner.
Would you head downtown for a spot of luxury as part of a short stopover? Or is the convenience of an airport locale better suited in your view? You may have another idea on how our members can enjoy luxury in Hong Kong on a budget, why not join the conversation HERE.
