18/07/2024
Thinking of a 4-day itinerary in Hong Kong with kids and senior citizens? Check out ours! You can also find a blog version with photos and videos here, plus links to restaurants and websites where you can book activity tickets from
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Hong Kong! This country is such a famous travel destination, and we can’t believe that we are finally coming here!
Hong Kong is a fast-paced city with tall skyscrapers, a variety of noodle stands, giant finance buildings, and beautiful sceneries!
Our trip to Hong Kong is Team Tala Travels’s gift to our families. Since we are based abroad, we do not get to celebrate special occasions with them as much as we can, and as a way of celebrating all occasions that we missed, we decided to bring them along with us to Hong Kong for 4 days!
With so much to do in Hong Kong, it was a little difficult for us to think of activities that would fit into 4 days. Factor in the fact that we have 2 kids and 3 grandmothers with us, it was challenging for us to think of an itinerary that would be both enjoyable and not that tiring for the entire group.
This four-day itinerary in Hong Kong will give you ideas on where to go and eat, what to do, and where to stay. Hopefully, this will also help you in organizing your trip so that you can maximize your stay in Hong Kong!
Hong Kong Itinerary Day 1
Wolfgang Puck Kitchen + Bar, Hong Kong International Airport, Terminal 1, Arrivals Hall Level 5
We arrived in Hong Kong at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. The three of us, Team Tala Travels, traveled via Philippine Airlines from Cambodia, while the rest of the group (they are 10) traveled via Air Asia. We met at the airport and our hearts were just so happy to be together again after a year or so of not seeing each other!
Since we were already starving, we decided to eat lunch at Wolfgang Puck Kitchen + Bar. It is a full-service restaurant that provides Wolfgang’s unique food selections. Though it is a bit pricey, we still decided to eat here because of Wolfgang’s credibility in the food business. Also, it has a wide seating capacity that allows 13 of us to sit together while dining.
Our top favorites: Wagyu Burger, Rigatoni Chicken Alfredo, Black Truffle and Mushroom Pizza
Royal View Hotel, 353 Castle Peak Road, Ting Kau, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong
Before we went anywhere, we first went to our hotel to deposit our luggages and freshen up. We stayed at the Royal View Hotel for our entire Hong Kong stay. What we love about this hotel is that it gives you an awesome view of either the mountains or the beach. When we booked at Booking.com, we were asked to choose between rooms with mountain views or with an ocean view. Both views are awesome! We booked 3 ocean view rooms and 2 mountain rooms.
Another good point about the Royal View Hotel is its shuttle service. There is a shuttle service that brings hotel guests to the Tseun Wan MTR station every 30 minutes. Also, this shuttle service picks up Royal View guests back to the hotel at specific time intervals.
St. Peter’s Church, Wo Commercial Building, 20 Saigon St, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong
At 3:30 in the afternoon, we took the hotel shuttle service to Tsuen Wan MTR station. From there, we used our Octopus card to go to Jordan station, which is 12 stations away from Tsuen Wan station. The entire MTR ride took us around 15 minutes.
Since it is all of our first time to use the MTR, we were still confused as to which exits to take. When we got to Jordan station, we looked for exit B1 and walked for 3 minutes to Chi Wo Commercial Building, where St. Peter’s Church is at. The Holy Mass started at 6 in the evening.
S*k Hueng Yuen Cafe, 17 Saigon Street, Hong Kong
After the Mass, we went to S*k Hueng Yuen Cafe. This is just a street away from St. Peter’s Church. This is actually not our first choice to eat at, but since it is so hard to find a cafe that can accommodate all 13 of us, we just walked and walked until we could find a cafe that can seat all of us. Hence, S*k Hueng Yuen! The cafe offers a wide variety of Hong Kong and Malaysian cuisines. We ordered Fried Noodles with Seafood, Chicken Fried Rice, and Fried Chicken with Vegetables. The food was just okay, nothing to recommend except for the Fresh Lemon Juice with Honey, which both Tala and Kassie, the kids in our group, enjoyed a lot!
Temple Street Night Market
After dinner, we walked the streets of Hong Kong and went straight to Temple Street Night Market. This is just a 2-minute walk away from Saigon Street. Stretching from Jordan Road to Nanking Street, this night market attempts to showcase the multicultural aspect of Hong Kong. Such a must-see place!
There were so many China-made items in the night market, ranging from signature bags and wallets to branded watches and perfumes. There were also souvenir items, such as keychains, magnets, and shirts with beautiful Hong Kong designs. My mom bought a dozen shirts to give away to her friends back in the Philippines.
On the other side of the night market were lines of Hong Kong street food that smelled really great! We really wanted to try them, but since we were so full from our dinner, we decided to try them some other time, hoping that we will see other street food stalls before leaving HK.
This marked the last activity for our first day in Hong Kong!
Hong Kong Itinerary Day 2
Today is our first full day in Hong Kong! We were so excited for all the activities lined up today, but first, we had to eat our breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast area is situated on the 3rd floor of the hotel. The hotel offers a plated breakfast for all the guests, and we had to present our breakfast stubs that we got during check in before eating.
There are 3 breakfast set meals to choose from. One is an American breakfast with sausage, pancake or waffle, and eggs. The other one is English breakfast, consisting of assorted croissants, eggs, and sausage. The third one is Hong Kong breakfast, with siomai, corn bread, and sticky rice pudding. There is free-flowing coffee, tea, and fruit juices for everyone.
The Peak Tram, No.1 Lugard Road, +852 2849 7654, thepeak.com.hk.
This tram is a 10-minute ride to the top of the Peak, which is Hong Kong’s largest mountain, standing at 1,700 feet. It is open daily from 7:30 in the morning up to 11:00 in the evening, and the trams run every 15 to 20 minutes. A return ticket cost us 88 HKD per person.
How to Get to the Peak Tram
From our hotel, we took the shuttle service going to Tseun Wan MTR station. From Central station, we originally wanted to take an Uber car going to the Peak Tram. We were at Chater Road that time, which was surprisingly full of people, which made it hard for our Uber car to pick us up. Later on, we found out that Chater Road is closed to vehicles every Sunday as many Filipino workers, whose day off is on a Sunday, gather together to mingle and enjoy as one community.
While waiting for our Uber ride, Tala decided to make a vlog as a way of making her own fun. (This is Habit #1 from Sean Covey’s 7 Habit of Happy Kids).
After several Uber bookings and cancellations, which lasted for about 30 minutes, we decided to follow Google Maps and just walk our way to the Peak Tram, which is just a 12-minute walk away. It was just a challenge since Mamala, one of our senior companions, walk with a cane because of a knee condition. But since it is the most viable option, we decided to walk . What an exercise, right?
Inside the Peak Building
Once you get to the entrance of The Peak building, you will see two lines, one of which is for those buying tickets, and for those who already have tickets for scanning. Since Emman already purchased our tickets online, we went to the second line and waited for our tickets to be scanned. Once we were inside the building, we went through a series of escalators, probably 5 or 6 sets, to reach the Peak. For those with strollers or who are physically challenged to use the escalators, there is an elevator that the public can use.
When we reached the topmost floor, we were greeted by an amazing 180-degree view of Victoria Harbor, Kowloon, and the hills surrounding the island. The Peak truly gives us a spectacular view of Hong Kong! We stayed at the Peak for about 30 minutes, and this is where we shot our “Welcome to Hong Kong” video!
After about 30 minutes at the Peak, we decided to head back to the Peak Tram, which gave us a reverse view of the tram ride going up. Both ways are a great experience! To get to the exit, go down the escalators to the Ground Level and follow the signs to go out.
TramOramic Tour
From The Peak Tram, we rode an Uber car going to Western Market Terminus, where our tour will begin. We chose this terminus because it is closer to The Peak Tram, but if you are closer to Causeway Bay Terminus, you can also begin your TramOramic ride from there. We made sure that we were at Western Market Terminus before 1:45 pm for our tour. For details about TramOramic schedules, click here.
A ticket costs HKD150 for adults and HKD95 for kids aged 4 to 11. Kids under 4 years old are free. These prices are inclusive of bottled water, earphones for the guided tour, a box of ginger candy, a TramOramic bag, and a tram puzzle souvenir.
The tram has two levels, and we decided to sit on the open top level to give us a better view of the tour. It is important to put on sunscreen and wear protective clothing for the afternoon sun!
Honestly, I enjoyed only the first half of the TramOramic tour. The tram kept on stopping at various points because of the audio guide, and I think the stops were unnecessarily long to the point that the tour became dragging and boring. But still, it is recommended to try this tour at least once when you are in Hong Kong!
Din Tai Fung , G/F, 68 Yee Woo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
After an hour on the tram, we reached Causeway Bay Terminus, the end of our TramOramic tour. We enjoyed our late lunch at Din Tai Fung, a restaurant made popular by its super delicious Xiao Long Bao! Of course we ate chicken and pork xiao long bao, noodle soup, shrimp pork dumplings, and black pepper tenderloin. So yummy!!!
Star Ferry Central / Tsim Sha Tsui Service
Next on our itinerary is the Symphony of Lights Show in Kowloon. But first, we have to cross the river through a ferry ride. Ferry ride ticket prices are different on weekends and weekdays. Since it is a Sunday, our ticket prices are slightly higher. Ticket prices for adults are HKD6.5, while those for kids aged 3 to 12 are $3.9. The cruise takes around 10 minutes only.
How to Get to Star Ferry Central
After eating our late lunch, we tried (again) to look for an Uber car that will bring us to Star ferry Central station. Just like in the morning going to the Peak Tram, we had several unsuccessful Uber bookings. We later on found out that Hong Kong is strict with pin locations in Uber. It is not possible for Uber cars to just stop anywhere a passenger wants to be picked up. As such, we walked to different pin locations to find out if each location is okay for passenger pickup. We felt too bad for Mamala who had such a hard time walking with her bad knee. We know better next time, Mamala!
Ninang Thea’s group decided to just hail a cab going to Star Ferry Central. In our case, just as we were about to cancel our existing Uber booking, a van stopped in front of us and ushered us to enter as fast as we could. Apparently, we were still in a no-pin location in Uber, but the driver decided to pick us up anyway. Thank you, Mr. Driver for this 10-minute ride to the ferry!
Before the scheduled ferry ride, we decided to look for hot coffee since the weather was chilly that night. Our beanies and sweaters were not enough for our tropical country bodies! Good thing we saw Uncle Russ Coffee, a small coffee shop that offers a wide variety of hot and cold coffee drinks. They also have gourmet coffee flavors and chai drink selections. We love how the barista, a friendly and charismatic Nepalese, conversed with us in Filipino! He said that with the number of Filipino customers that he engages with every day, he eventually learned the language, which is simply endearing!
What can you do in Hong Kong for one full day?
Symphony of Lights, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
We headed to the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront directly outside the Hong Kong Cultural Center to have a good view of the Symphony of Lights. This is a light and music show that showcases the multicultural and dynamic elements of Hong Kong. It happens every night at 8 pm. We were so excited to see if it was anything similar to Disneyland’s light and music show, so we waited in anticipation!
At exactly 8 in the evening, the first beat of the soundtrack pulsated and the lights on buildings began to spark collectively. Countless lights and LED screens lit and danced for the entire 10-minute lights and music show.
It was a great and impressive symphony of lights. The lights of almost 40 participating buildings danced to the beat of the music. What made the symphony of lights a little difficult to appreciate was the fact that there were lights from hotel logos and billboards that were directly in our vantage point but were not really part of the symphony of lights. Maybe it would be good to turn these lights off just while the symphony of lights was going on.
Central Station to Tsuen Wan Station
Right after the performance, we walked along Man Yiu Street to get to Central Train Station. It was a fun and relaxed 10-minute walk as we relived the fun activities and the mishaps that happened during the day. We enjoyed this walk so much and we took a lot of photos and videos along the way.
When we got to the Tsuen Wan Station, we heard our tummies rumbling so we gave Hot-Star Chicken a try. This branch was situated on the first floor of Tsuen Wan Station, right across the spot where our hotel shuttle service will pick us up from. We tried Hot-star chicken in the Philippines years ago and we did not like it much, but we thought maybe the flavor in Hong Kong will be different. We ordered their large fried chicken and this time, it did not disappoint! It was so yummy! We ended up ordering other food items, such as fried crab, fried squid, and fried green bean! Everything was delicious!
This marks the end of our first full day in Hong Kong! Overall, it was tiring but incredibly fun! Definitely one for the books!
Hong Kong Itinerary Day 3
On this day, our group will be divided into 2. One group, Team Kassie, Team Dranoel, and Team Mamala, will go to the happiest place on Earth… Disneyland!!! They are all excited because it is their first time to go to Disneyland together, and some of them, including Kassie and Dranoel, will go to Disneyland for the first time ever!!!
Our group, Team Tala, on the other hand, already went to Disneyland in the past. Instead of revisiting the place, we decided to explore other parts of Hong Kong, such as Mong Kok and Kowloon. Exciting!!
But first, all of us convened at the restaurant for our breakfast! Yummy!!
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Hong Kong Disneyland, Lantau Island
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on Lantau Island. The group hired a driver to take them there, which is roughly 15 minutes away from our hotel.
It is important to purchase entrance tickets online as tickets easily get sold out. Luckily, the group was able to buy tickets weeks prior to our trip, so there was no problem whatsoever with this regard. The park is open from 10 am to 8:45 pm, so it is best if you can maximize your all-day pass by going to the park as early as possible.
Team Dranoel enjoyed thrilling rides, such as the roller coaster! You can see in this video how Dranoel had so much fun on this ride! Meanwhile, Team Kassie enjoyed going around and meeting Elsa of Frozen!
Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street Mong Kok
Team Tala decided to explore Mong Kok first! We took the train from Tseun Wan station to Mong Kok station without knowing what exactly to see in the place. We were so happy to see that just a few meters away from Mong Kok station is a fancy mall called Langham Place. It is a 15-storey shopping mall that houses over 200 local and international brands. We shopped for perfumes, while Tala played in the Lego store on the 12th floor. She even got a new Gabby’s Dollhouse Lego toy from Ninang Kat as an advance birthday gift! Thank you, Ninang Kat!
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Do you know what is unique about this shopping mall? It has the longest escalator that I have ever seen in my life, spanning 4 floors! There is an escalator that brings us directly to the 12th floor from the 8th floor! Mind-blowing! If you want to just go one level up or down, you can just take the stairs at both sides of the mall.
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Sa Sa, Nathan Road, Hong Kong
Just in front of Langham Place is a line of shops that sell cosmetics and fragrances. We went inside Sa Sa, a well-established cosmetic retail store in Asia. Mommy and Ninang Kat were able to purchase skincare products for a cheaper amount as compared to Duty Free and other stores in the Philippines.
Jollibee, Mong Kok
One of the things that we have been looking forward to on our Hong Kong trip is the chance to eat at Jollibee!!! We missed eating crispylicious, juicylicious chickenjoy! As always, Jollibee did not disappoint! Yummy as ever! We ate all the chicken that we could devour! We also ordered Jolly Spaghetti and Mushroom Rice. Oh, our tummies were so full!!!
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New Town Plaza, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
At around 3 in the afternoon, we headed to New Town Plaza located in Sha Tin. We were scheduled to meet with Rachel, the person who opened the door to Emman’s job in Cambodia as a School Counselor. Since she is based in Hong Kong, we did not want the opportunity to personally thank her to pass.
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How to Get to New Town Plaza
We took the train from MongKok station to Kowloon Tong station. Then, we transferred to the East Rail Line and took the train to Sha Tin station. Then, we walked to New Town Plaza for a good 9 minutes.
Sephora, New Town Plaza
Of all the shops that I saw in New Town Plaza, what stood out for me is Sephora. I have never shopped there, but as a writer, I have written an article that talked about how sustainable the production and working practices in Sephora are. They are also saying no to animal testing of their cosmetic products, so as a fan of sustainability, I decided to buy something from them.
I bought a Pixi DetpxifEYE serum, which is a caffeine-infused serum that helps decongest and hydrate the eye area. I like it because it is cool to the eye and I feel that it is really adding hydration and moisture to my under eye area.
Mommy and Ninang Kat also bought Neogence Advanced Double Serum, which adds double moisture to the skin to prevent aging and wrinkles! Happy we!
McDonalds, New Town Plaza
Aside from Jollibee, we also miss McDonalds a lot!!! (We don’t have both food chains in Cambodia). But we were not that satisfied with McDonalds Hong Kong because all their fried chicken are spicy and they do not serve rice. Their ice cream machine is also broken, so we did not get to eat McFlurry. Boo-hoo =(
One Dim Sum, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
At around 8 in the evening, we decided to have our late dinner at an authentic Hong Kong restaurant. We took the train back to Mong Kok and took the interstate train to Prince Edward Station. We decided to walk up to where our feet will take us.
Four minutes away from Prince Edward Station, we saw One Dim Sum, a Dimsum restaurant with one Michelin star! Of course, we want to try it! We tried their shrimp ha cao, pan fried turnip cake, shrimp and vegetable dumplings, and deep fried sesame balls! Oh, so yummy!!!!
At around 9 pm, we decided to go back to our hotel. We took the train and waited for our shuttle service at Tsuen Wan Station to bring us back to our hotel. We reached the hotel at around 10 in the evening.
We super enjoyed our Mongkok and Sha Tin exploration today! I’m sure the Disneyland group equally enjoyed it, as well.
Hong Kong Itinerary Day 4
As the famous cliche says, all good things come to an end. And, sadly, our Hong Kong trip is ending today! It’s our last day in Hong Kong! Boohoo!
Since we needed to be at the airport at 2 in the afternoon, we decided to simply stay in the hotel during the day. We began our day by eating our very last breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and afterwards staying at the lobby until the van to take us to the airport arrives.
Quick Review of Royal View Hotel
In general, we enjoyed our stay at Royal View Hotel. We loved the prompt service, the good food, and the overall look of the hotel.
Rooms
Both the Ocean View and Mountain View rooms have exquisite views that make you feel relaxed and comfortable. The rooms are spacious and clean, too.
The Ocean View Rooms, though smaller than the Mountain View Rooms, have a kitchen with a microwave oven. Both rooms have access to a drinking water dispenser in the hallway where you can get self-service water refills upon demand.
One of the issues that we had in our room was a faulty hot/cold shower. It was actually hard to control the shower mechanism as it becomes too hot or becomes too cold even without moving the shower controls.
Food
We enjoyed the food served to us during breakfast. Each one of us is entitled to one plated breakfast, and we had to choose among the 3 breakfast sets available for the day. All breakfast sets are delicious and filling! The free-flowing coffee, tea, and fruit juices are also commendable.
Vendo Machine
There is a vending machine available at the lobby of the hotel. There are chocolate bars, chips, frozen meals, and toiletries available in the machine. You can either use your Octopus card or cash to pay for the merchandise.
Look at Tala’s vlog as she used the vending machine to surprise me with my favorite chocolate bar. Thank you for your help, Ninang Kat and Ninang Thea!
Shuttle Service
We appreciate the convenience of having a shuttle service to bring us to Tsuen Wan station every day. The shuttle is comfortable, cool, and safe. It is important to know the shuttle schedules from the hotel and back to the hotel so that you can enjoy the free ride. Otherwise, you might have to get an Uber ride to the station if there is a scheduled tour that you would not dare miss!
Amenities
There are many amenities that can be enjoyed in the Royal View Hotel. There is an outdoor swimming pool, a Health Club with sauna and whirlpool bath facilities, and a Kids Club where kids can play. Of all these amenities, it is only the Kids Club that we got to try because of our packed schedule. Look at Tala playing at the Kids Club!
Hong Kong International Airport
At around 1 in the afternoon, our hired driver picked us up from the hotel and brought us to the airport. It was a smooth 20-minute ride, and our hearts are a little sad for leaving too soon.
But, all good things have to end. And, we just had to go back to our usual schedules and plan for our next trip!
Team Manila’s flight was at 5 pm via Hong Kong Express, while the three of us, team Cambodia’s flight was at 8 pm via Philippine Airlines.
McDonald’s, East Hall, Departures Level 6
We had our final meal together at McDonalds. We strategically chose this place because we know that it is spacious enough to seat all 13 of us. We ordered our favorites, and we are so happy that the ice cream machine is not broken here! Hooray for McFlurry!
Wonder Eggshell, East Hall, Departures Level 6
We were amazed to see that right in the middle of Hong Kong International Airport Departure area was a giant eggshell play area with climbing nets, net tunnel, and slides. The Wonder Eggshell play area also has a bird-themed digital game that kids aged 6 to 12 years old can enjoy. Since Tala was turning 6 in a week, she was allowed to play inside. Awesome!
Gordon Ramsay Plane Food to Go, Terminal 1, Departures Level 7
We stayed at the HKIA food court while waiting for our flight. Emman saw Gordon Ramsay Plane Food to Go and ordered food for Tala. We ordered Truffle Risotto and Iced Americano. So good!
Our Hong Kong experience, albeit short, was magical and fun! I think everyone should experience the madness and excitement of Hong Kong at least once in their lives.
I hope that through this 4-day itinerary of our trip to Hong Kong, you were able to find ideas on what to do and where to go when you plan your tour
Hong Kong! This country is such a famous travel destination, and we can’t believe that we are finally coming here! Hong Kong is a fast-paced city with tall skyscrapers, a variety of noodle st…
