T&J Travels #13: Hong Kong 2019 (Part 1)

Basically this trip was born out of spontaneity. The moment I saw the Van Gogh Alive! ad on my feed and how it's barely weeks till it leaves HK I immediately asked the bf if it's OK for us to go and wouldn't you know it he agreed! I think I've already ticked the top destinations on my previous trips as far as I'm aware so we are not pressed into doing a stringent IT this time.  

+ DAY 1 +

I incorrectly booked our Grab to take us to Terminal 3 Bay 1 when it was supposed to be Terminal 1. We were already in line at the tax payments when we learnt this, where we were only told we are on the wrong terminal. My anxious planning sort of paid of because we were there 3 hours earlier, enough time to get another Grab to Terminal 1,  queue getting IN the airport, queue for ages at the Hong Kong Airlines check in counter only to find out we still need to pay taxes (in all fairness the one at Terminal 3 already said we're good) and queue for the third time. We were lucky to still manage to get through around 20 minutes before loading. It's just a really good reminder to be as early as you can in the airport, you have no idea when something like this happens.

+ Hong Kong Airlines +

They are a fairly new budget airline that opened routes to our country and knowing how the prices would eventually cost like it is in Ceb Pac (it's an unplanned trip after all, no promos anymore) we tried it for the sake of trying. Plus comparing the prices between them and Ceb Pac / Air Asia, it's very competitive. Cathay and PAL had sales but only AFTER I booked our tickets. I'm still bitter about it. 

We always fly economy because our trips are not long hauls anyway so we are just as fine in sacrificing a few inches (I'm not tall so...) of leg space or those tasty meals really good airlines offer. Which is why it's a bit of a "luxury" to get in flight entertainment, some snacks and a blanket on the trip.  I don't even have to add for luggage since it's already on the ticket already. Snacks are nothing to rave about, but since it's free, I have not much complaint. 

Other than the long line from NAIA, I liked the overall experience. I also find it really convenient that they're a part of the In Town Check In, something you won't get from other budget airlines from PH.

+ KKDay +

Both passes and WIFI are from the app. It's convenient because their booths are easy to spot from the arrival area of the airport. We arrived early so there was no queue, but nonetheless there weren't any hassles in redemption. We just presented our print outs to them and barely even a minute later and we already got our device and pass (different booths). 

Returning the WIFI device and balance retrievals (from the Octopus card and passes) are also a breeze. If I find myself brave enough to travel on my own finally I would still get the services of the two. 

+ Novotel Century Hongkong +

We've learnt our lesson from our first trip and got ourselves a room at Wan Chai, away from the shoebox rooms they have near TST. It was actually hard looking for a place with decent pricing and some space to move around. Agreed that it's on Hong Kong Island, far from wherever we want to go, but! This is Hong Kong. Transportation should not be an issue.

There are so many things I love about this hotel. We were able to get free shuttles from the airport, and another one back to Central Station. This is not only just saving a few bucks, but also the effort in hauling luggage. The location is also perfect, near bus stops and MTR. It's also not in some back alley, restaurants abound, and it has a unique feature of being situated on a corner. Left doors would take you to 7/11 and the right one to where you could walk to take the buses. 

First time you open their doors and it blasts you with some nice AC and perfume. We weren't able to check in early because they're fully booked but they are gracious enough to allow us to leave our things with them. We were able to do this as well AFTER we checked out on our last day, more perks! 

Interior of our room is excellent. I don't know if it's because they upgraded our room or it's just what normally it should look like. It's modern, it had all the amenities we could hope for. Nice AC temp throughout the night, comfy pillows, clean sheets and comforter. They have an abundance of charging stations, they even left one adapter for us to use in case we haven't thought of bringing one.

The bath is amazing. Water pressure and temp is like as if I'm home, and the towels are thick and soft. They also provided us with so much hangers and storage which is one of our none negotiables when it comes to hotels.

+ Jade Market +

After dropping off our stuff, we're free to roam. An officemate wanted to buy some jade rollers at Jade Market, Jordan which we just went to do first since it's very far from our hotel. It was some dead hour, there's barely any people and the stalls most often sell the same thing. We were stuck in one of the stalls who was excessively selling us her stuff. It was really hard to say no to her because she's quite eager and possibly because she's a bit old, we don't want to sound rude.

We didn't stay here for too long because I'm not exactly a fan of jewelry. But if it's your thing and if you have the time, maybe you could get some really good deals. Not sure if they'd allow non-cash payments but we only used paper money when we're there.


+ Space Museum +

Time went by quick! When we've arrived we didn't made it in time for the showing and it would be late when we try the 4pm slot. So we just went in to see the exhibit.

The museum is interactive and would be a hit for kids who are curious and wanted to learn more about space. It's actually cute seeing parents and their kids bonding over science. I've overheard numerous adults explaining the display . I would also love to bring my kid someday, and maybe watch the 3D show!

Price: 10 KHD / adult