Hong Kong 2010 Island Pacific Hotel Victoria Harbor View Day 1

Okay,  I really don’t know where to start :P  I love Hong Kong – the food, the buses and trains, the skyscrapers and the hills… there is much to love here!  I went here last year at around May or June.  It was so humid at that time.  I heard that it starts to get cold around December and so I booked last week of November (coz I couldn’t find cheap flights to Hong Kong on December).

When in Hong Kong, don’t forget to ride the bus and sit at the front row of the top deck (their buses are double deck – two levels).

It’s like a cheap way to tour Hong Kong at night.  The information desk at the airport was very helpful and they assisted us how to get to our hotel easily.  The moment I mentioned my hotel, they just printed out something and voiala – instructions on how to go to our hotel via bus was automatically printed out.

On the paper instruction said:

Island Pacific Hotel

Address: 152 Connaught Road West, Hong Kong

Tel 2131 1188

Transportation from Airport to Island Pacific Hotel:

1. Take Bus A10

2. Alight at Bus Stop No. 4 – Centre street, Connaught Road West (this bus stop is around 50 meters away from the hotel only – very near!

Island Pacific Hotel Review

This hotel is fab!  I booked it through Agoda.com early in July.  It cost around Php 16,000 per night, but I got the reservation at 70% off.  We only had to pay Php 3,000++ per night :)  When I saw the hotel at night, it amazed me.  It was so tall, and decorated with fantastic lights.

I originally booked a regular hotel room (facing the city).  I was so surprised and HAPPY that they upgraded my booking to a Deluxe Room – King size bed, top floor (25th) and overlooking the Victoria Harbor!!!  The view is amazing with the window glass from floor to ceiling!  I actually saw a big bird flying outside my window.  I was too late to grab my camera though. I would book here again if I come here to Hong Kong (again).  Most people on tripadvisor and other hotel review sites say that the hotel rooms are quite small and there is not enough space for closet and stuff.  While it might be true, it’s nt as very spacious as other hotels, it still (for me) is big enough for two people.

I noticed right away that our hotel is in the residential area.  People say it’s far from everywhere, but really, it’s just two stations away from Hong Kong Central Station.  The bus stop is very near our place and the tramway at a walkable distance too (around 50 meters away from the hotel).

On the streets near our hotel, you will find Mannings, Watson’s, 7/11, McDonald’s, Chinese restaurants and a mall beside our hotel!  Sweet!

Chinese Restaurants

Our area is quite residential and I don’t see a lot of tourists here.  I like it that way because this is how you will feel the locals with you around and you will see more of their culture.  I had an appreciation for staying in the residential area when I first stayed in a residential area in Singapore.  I really felt like I lived like one of them in 3 days.

Like I said, most people around this area are locals.  Therefore, the Chinese local restaurants are all in Chinese!  I still asked for an English menu and thank goodness they had one!  The translations are very simple though.  You will find, Rice with meat, Rice with salty fish and meat, rice with chicken and duck feet etc…

Their dimsum is very nice though! Both their siew mai (siomai) and char siew pao (asado siopao)

That’s about it for today.  Tomorrow, we’ll just go around Central and go to Victoria Peak 🙂 I love that it’s cold, not humid and not raining! I’m so excited to go out!

See yah later!