Hong Kong

I've been to HK a few times and most recently got back yesterday, my biggest suggestion is stay on Kowloon side not HK island.

- It is cheaper
- More of the actual local food and better shopping options
- Central/Wan Chai/Admiralty are ok but it's basically the same as any western city, if you want to see HK then spend your time on the Kowloon side.

If you are going for business stay on the island but otherwise there is no point, MTR will take you anywhere you need to go within 15 minutes so being located on the island isn't as important as it might seem.

A week is not too long, maybe I am easily entertained but I usually spend a week and a half per trip to HK and never find myself without anything to do.
Macau and Shenzhen (visa required) are easy options if you do get bored.
What are your interests and I'll see if I have any suggestions

>>1285662
I am looking to eat some good local foods, see some of the sites, one thing I want to see is where the old walled city was, I've read there is a park there now so I want to go see that. Probably do the peak, maybe the dragons back too. A big draw was the night life hence why I thought I should stay on the island itself, but is that a bad idea? I am pretty sure I can get a visa for shenzen while in Hong kong, does it cost money ? Is it worth a day trip to ?

Pay $1000hkd a gram, you'll find people selling it in LKF and wan chai.

>>1285668
here's a few ideas;
Ocean Park
Mong Kok Ladies' Market - fakes and flea market
Tian Tan Buddha
Yuen Po Bird Garden
Kowloon Park
Hong Kong Park
Victoria peak - tram to the top and walk down for great views
Victoria Harbour/Symphony of Lights
Tim Ho Wan - famous dim sum restaurant franchise
Chi Lin restaurant
Best free views in Hong Kong (city skyline views); Lugard Rd, Hopewell center elevator, ifc2 monetary authority, and central plaza
Atum Desserterant - If you're into 'art desserts'
Yung Kee Restaurant - roast goose
Oddies Icecream - eggette sundaes there are 10/10
M&C Duck - famous for their roast duck

You want to check on google maps for the peak times for a lot of the famous restaurants or be prepared to wait in a queue.

Yeah the visa for china costs money but its not expensive, I usually get a single entry visa for China before I leave for HK in case I want to go there. Check the visa requirements for your nationality online because it can vary depending where you're from.

HK island is ok to stay on but its just more expensive and there's no real need to stay there when the MTR public transit system is so efficient you can save money and not be far from the action in Tsim Sha Tsui or Mong Kok.
When you land at the airport your two priorities should be an Octopus card (150HKD) then sim card (~120HKD for 10 days and ~4GB data) both of which can be bought inside the terminal.

>>1285647
how much is rent in a small apartment on wanchai or kowloon for one month?

any websites i should chrck? the living costs seem reasonable excrt for rent

>>1286100
Maybe try airbnb? I'm not sure but that's where i would start, see if the owner will discount for an extended stay or something.

>>1286090
Octopus and sim card info very handy, what brand sim should I be looking for ?

How expensive will transport back to kowloon be from hong kong island if I am drinking every/most nights?

Is there much difference between goose and duck ? Going to save those names because I want to give those a go.

>>1286009
How readily available is it ? Is it heavily enforced ? I assume an island of bankers it would be readily available and the law enforcement would turn a blind eye to it ?

>>1286141
I got a CSL travellers sim card but they have a printed sheet with all the different packages, there is a shop in the arrival hall near the 7-11 which will sell sim cards and I think last time i bought it from the 7-11 itself but it was busy in there this time.
Octopus card is sold at an information booth next to the mcdonals or again I believe 7-11 as well, almost all airport staff speak english so just ask if you can't find it.

I didn't use taxis much at all, they aren't expensive but they are cash only so don't try to use a credit card in a taxi.. Ubers are everywhere so you can use that if you don't want to use public transport after a big night.
Also don't eat or drink on the MTR, you will cop a fine for that and use the lifts if you are with your luggage because people get pissy about blocking escalators. Every platform has lifts and at least one exit per station will, look for the yellow lift signs.

I would reccomend trying both goose and duck and judge for yourself, goose is a little more fatty but both are awesome!

>>1286100
You'd be looking at around US$2,000-ish per month minimum, probably with a 2 year lease. Shorter term lets will be more expensive

And remember there is no such thing as an apartment that isn't small unless you are mega-rich.

>>1285668
You **can not** obtain chinese tourist visa in Hongkong, except you are a Hongkong citizen or you have permanent residence in Honkong and HKID.

>>1286100
Your best bet would be to look at serviced apartment, that do1 month rentals and are used to deal with tourists/business travelers. Any regular flat will require a proper lease and without a working visa it should be difficult.
In 2012 we stayed in a 2 bedrooms flat in mid levels for a month (prime location) and paid the equivalent of 3000 EUR. It seems prices have risen a lot over the past years tho.I'm pretty sure you can find cheaper and smaller units in less desirable places the city.

>>1286217
yes you can, I am australian and I did it 6 months ago.

>>1286141
The MTR stops at 1, but if you're in LKF they have special minibuses to carry drunk gwailou back across the harbor to Yau Ma Tei (and along the way; they'll drop you off at Hung Hom if you ask) for the rest of the night; they're $20 HKD.

>>1286273
Fuck. I am okay with just a double bed and a small kitxhen. Or hell even just a double bed and toilet.

2k? Jesus fuck

>>1286217
This is wrong

>>1286333
>>1286502
Of course, if you are from countries of "golden billion" - you can get anywhere, even without a visa. But citizens of Ukraine(poor nazi failed state in Eastern Europe) can't obtain chinese visa in Hong Kong if they are just tourists without HKID.

>>1286511
>Of course, if you are from countries of "golden billion" - you can get anywhere, even without a visa
If you are from countries of "golden billion" you pay more

>>1286471
Then take a private room at a hostel. You are still looking at 1000 dollars a month, factor in eating out and doing your laundry outside, + commuting from a remote~ish part of town (if you want to spend time in the desirable parts of HK island while staying in Kowloon for instance). You can fix your meals, do laundry and actually feel at home in a serviced apartment... you can also just spend a lazy day when you feel like it, without being trapped in a 90 sq.ft. white block of cement. do the maths and see what works best for you.

>>1286391
Okay awesome, what is the hostel scene like ? Young people or do a lot of residents stay for a cheaper place to stay ?

What clothing should I pack to wear out in December?

Excuse my ignorance but why is housing in Hong Kong so high? I read the country is like 70% nature? Why don't they build more houses?

>>1287018
Because the 70% nature are cliffs and peaks and mountains that require enormous amounts of money and engineering to make hospitable. They even had to build an artificial island for their airport, this should give you a hint.

>>1287018
They have pretty much already built on any section of land stable enough to put a high rise from what I've seen.. demand is just a lot higher than available space and that shows in the size of apartments as well.

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>>1287036
40% of Hong Kong is actually protected country park. Property developers are trying to convince the government to let them build on it. The problem is the developers only want to build luxury flats that no-one, other than wealthy mainlanders and property speculators, can afford.

Recently Eton Properties had the bright idea of dividing up a block of 18 luxury flats to make 270 allegedly affordable apartments where, if you try to have a wank you'll bruise your knuckles on the opposite wall. And they still want around US$1,000 per month

>>1286090
>Chi Lin restaurant
Holy fuck, this place. The best meal I've ever had was at this place.

>>1287153
Some of those I actually found because of previous HK threads here, so I might have actually found that place because of you if you posted about it haha

>>1287086
I didn't know that, interesting.
I hope they manage to find a solution to the property market there, HK is such a unique city it would be such a shame to see the locals pushed out of the market entirely.

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>>1286623
>What clothing should I pack to wear out in December?
I can't speak for everybody (different climates & thresholds for temperatures), but I wore clothes that I would normally wear in spring or summer. Hell, I brought a jacket & wool hat with me, and the only time I wore those was when I was leaving/returning home. Even a hoodie was too hot to wear in Hong Kong.

>>1287273
The temperature rarely falls below 10C in Hong Kong. The coldest part of the year is Dec-Feb

>>1287284
That's literally 5-10 times hotter than my country during December to February.

>>1287284
It was around 16 to 24°C when I was there from November to December.

Pretty cold for where I am from, similar to my winter. Are there dress codes for bars/clubs or will I be fine in a shirt and jeans ?

>>1287301
Most places you should be fine. There may be a few places with dress codes but they're not the kind of places I would frequent so I can't be certain

>>1287301
>will I be fine in a shirt and jeans
I would say at this point that it would really depend on the style of said shirt and jeans.

Shirts:
>plain with no designs
>tight/form-fitting
>v-neck (if wearing a non-collared t-shirt)

Jeans:
>again, plain, no designs, tight/form-fitting
>no tears or bleach/acid marks
>should be fashionable jeans (not baggy nigger jeans, or practical carpenter jeans)

Now it all rests on your footwear. Just wear typical business-casual brown leather shoes, square-toes if possible.

>>1287315
I could pack button up shirts too, can I get away with black chucks or will I need boots or business shoes ?

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>>1287327
>black chucks
You mean Converse Chuck Taylors (just double-checking here in case I'm mistaking some other shoe)? Not a chance.

Get something like derby shoes.

>>1287315
>nigger jeans
what the fuck are they

Hong KongUnless you are planning on Dining at the Jockey Club or fancy hotel restaurants the most you are likely to be asked is to wear a shirt with a collar and no flip flops. If you are just going clubbing and drinking in Wanchai or Lan Kwai Fong just skip the flip flops.

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>>1287369
I'm talking about shit like pic related. They were a lot more common back in the 90s and early 2000s, but some people are adamant about keeping them.

>>1287369
I'm going to try do it fairly cheap, maybe a few expensive meals every now and then. So just a pair of black boots or converse will be fine ?

My main question was if any of the clubs or bars would refuse me without being dressed in a somewhat smart manner.

What is the cheapest way to drink over there ? I've been told 7/11 is that right ? Or are there some cheap dive bars somewhere ?

>>1287372
ahahahah. If anyone dressed like that they would probably be mistaken for a pile of used laundry. Nobody wears clothes like that in Hong Kong

>>1287375
Club 7/11 yes, in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong. Buy a tinny and hang out in the street soaking up the atmosphere. It's what all the expat brats and do.

Most places won't care much about what you wear so long as it is vaguely decent. Your eating options are enormous and again unless you are dining at a 5 star hotel no one will care much.

>>1287382
Just do a Google image search for Lan Kwai Fong, you'll get the idea

If I want some western food are there any good burger places that you guys suggest ? From what I've read they got rid of all the street food vendors but just put them in shops ? Do I have to go up like 10 floors of a building to find them or are most ground floor ?

>>1287391
https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/restaurants/best-burgers-hong-kong

>>1285647
LKF lol, not worth it in my opinion, drinking inhong kong is expensive unless you have a vagina.
I would defiantly visit Macau overnight for the casinos, if you can afford the ferry.
Why the fuck would you want to stay on Hong Kong Island the metro system is really good.
500-600HKD for a decent hotel with a gym and pool. ~85usd p/n

You can get cocaine off the paki's but I haven't as cocaine is expensive and buying off drug dealers is bound to be of dubious quality, do not forget to bargain.
I would say a week is not enough.

>>1287447
So I should stay Kowloon side? If so what area ? Any other tips? Is shenzen worth an overnight trip ? Or would I be cramming too much in ?

Someone said it's $1000hkd a gram ? That's nearly a third of the price in Australia so it's relatively cheap to me.

>>1287391
There's a place called Si Sun Fast Food in Hung Hom that I went to all the time‚ tint greasy spoon type place with great burgers.

Are Chungking and Mirador Mansions total dumps? Looking for cheap accommodation and AirBNB is an option but I figured I'd shop around first.

>>1287391
Shake'em Buns in Central District. Just be careful going up the stairs.

>>1287562
I wouldn't trust staying in Chungking Mansions.

Even if you can tolerate the substandard "rooms," the filth, the stench, the roaches, and the bedbugs, the one thing I wouldn't want to be caught up in is fire hazards.

I have no experience with Mirador myself, but a lot of people say that it's at least better than Chungking.

>>1287562
>Chungking and Mirador Mansions
Both are in Tsim Sha Tsui which is the extremely crowded tourist epicentre. Chungking is the bigger dump but you'd be happier if you could avoid staying in TST altogether.

>>1287485
I haven't been to Mainland China, but if you are american, my understanding is your visa is free, you still might need to apply, most locals do not have nice things to say about the mainland except everything is poisonous including the air, it is not as cheap as it use to be, too many mainlanders lol but you can get very cheap massages, imho I would not go there for a day, visa or no visa.
I have had a colourful past, but do not rate cocaine high on my list of drugs to do again, especially considering the price difference to something like mdma, I also would never buy coke from a street dealer abroad.
But yes you can get it, however I have no experience buying drugs in HK as the penalties are quite harsh.
Hong Kong Island is expensive, so staying there would not get you the best value for money, you can get to central from Mong Kok in 12-15 minutes, or 30-40 minutes from most MTR lines, taxis are cheap as well, would not expect to pay more than 200HKD for a 20minute ride 30usd regardless of the time.

Rambler Oasis is very cheap but requires catching a 4HKD mini bus to Kwai Fong, the location is not convenient, but the hotel was adequate although there was an additional charge for the pool.
You can get hotels closer to MTR lines but most are located closer to the airport.
Something like hotels dot com some be sufficient.

A thing that rarely gets a menton is how busy it gets on Sundays and Saturdays due to the fillipino's getting a mandatory holiday from baby sitting the chinese kids, where they will lie and sleep at the under passes footbridges, parks ect

>>1287637
What's the price for mdma ? I also heard ketamine is popular over there, any info on price and availability would be appreciated

>>1287641
Sundays is the day off an they are concentrated mostly in Central. Indonesians in Victoria park, Causway Bay

>>1285647
just stay in TST, chungking mansions or something, super comfy

>>1287641
Sunday Funday, it's quite well known