Travel Agent Thornlands

In November 2007 I travelled to Hong Kong for a work conference/educational trip.

I flew with Cathay Pacific to/from Hong Kong - one way in business class and one way in economy class. Business class service was great - comfortable and very attentive. Probably too much food served during the flight but one can never say no to the ice cream! Economy class - the usual - still great service but not comfortable for my larger frame. Thankfully a spare seat next to me was arranged by the airline - very good customer service. Hong Kong airport is very modern - reasonably easy to navigate and if you get disorientated when you arrive - just do what I did and follow the crowd.

We arrived around 10pm and stayed at the Regal Airport hotel, Hong Kong airport for the first night. This hotel is excellent quality and linked to the international airport by a covered walkway. It's easy to find and the Regal Hotel staff will even meet you in the arrivals hall and escort you to the hotel. Our rooms were comfortable and completely peaceful, even though the aircraft could be seen from the window. The hotel has a first class day spa sanctuary - a perfect place to book into for a couple of hours during a long transit. The hotel offers day use rooms which aren't the cheapest but you can't put a price on a good sleep.

We conferenced in the first class facilities of the Regal Airport Hotel and then were transferred by the Regal shuttle to the Regal Kowloon Hotel located in Tsimshatsui. Perfect spot to be able to walk to the waters edge to see the 8pm laser light show that happens each night. A must during your stay in Hong Kong!

The next day, again after a very comfortable sleep, we went on a half day city tour taking us up to the Peak, Stanley Markets and Aberdeen Harbour. Great way to orientate yourself and we had a great guide that told us about the Feng Shui of some of the buildings and the resident's homes.

A free afternoon and the ladies decided to go the luxury Peninsula Hotel for high tea. After an hour in the queue we finally dined on our delicious tea, scones and sandwiches. Dinner wasn't required that night!

On our last full day in Hong Kong before flying out, we took a full day tour to Macau. Macau is about an hour's high speed boat transfer away from Hong Kong and is a mecca for gambling. It's an interesting mix of colonial Portuguese architecture in the old town (my favourite) with the big catholic church frontage still standing and overlooking the old town that is now a shopper's delight. Reminded me a lot of the old towns of Montreal and Quebec. We then drove over to the casino side of town which is just another world altogether. It is Vegas in the making - construction continues on some of the biggest venues I've ever set my eyes on. We were fortunate to have a tour of the newly opened Venetian Casino but all of the 3,000 rooms were booked out so we had to settle for a tour of the casino floor. I've never seen a sea of people on a casino floor as was at the Venetian that day - Asia certainly loves it's gambling! Very entertaining was the Asian version of St Marks Square - replicated with the perfect blue sky ceiling and serenading Asian gondola man!

After our return to Kowloon, the last stop before returning to the airport was a dragon boat cruise on the Hong Kong Harbour. I was a bit suspicious this was going to be a bit tourist tacky - it was actually really enjoyable. The sunset and the lights of Hong Kong gently sparkled as we cruised the harbour and it seemed a fitting farewell to the city.

Hong Kong was a really interesting place to explore and although it's a bustling concrete metropolis, it still had some hidden peaceful gems which I really enjoyed finding. The shopping is great as always and there is certainly enough to entertain you for a couple of nights stopover or longer. Happy Travels!