Bejing and Hong Kong

Anyone been to either ( or both ;-) ) places recently? What are the best hotels ? Thanks

Are you talking BEST Quality or BEST Value?

Hong Kong:

Peninsula Hotel. One of the worlds BEST hotels. Located one block from the Cruise Terminal. Rooms start at about US$425 a night.

YMCA. One of the BEST Values in Hong Kong. Located one-half block from the Cruise Terminal. Rooms start at about US$90 a night.

Beijing:

Peninsula Palace or Grand Hyatt (Both near Forbidden City and Tienanmen)

Rooms start at about US$150 a night for both places.

Jianguo Hotel. More "Downtown" on Jianguomenwai Ave. More of a budget travelers hotel. Rooms start at about US$125 a night.

Phillip217,

We are planning on a two week pre-cruise in China in March, 2005. We need a MULTIPLE entry visa. I have called the consulate in California. They tell me I can't get multiple entry in the US. I have also contacted Princess' visa service. They tell me to get one on Hong Kong or Bangkok. But they have no phone number or contact info. Do you have any information?

We arrive Beijing (on a plane) on March 8. We fly to Bangkok to board the cruise on March 24. Then the ship makes its way northbound, with stops in Shanghai and disembarks in Beijing. So we will make 3 entries into China in a 38 day period. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help.

Gina

Hi--

As to Hong Kong, I agree with Phillip. While pricy (probably US$500 per night), get a tower room in the Peninsula with a view of the harbor for at least one night. Check the Peninsula website for exact prices, etc. It is a splurge well worth it - one of the best hotels in the world. Also, it includes high tea in the atrium in the afternoon - a very elegant throwback to colonial times.

As to visas, try contacting Zierer Visa Service, located at least in California and Washington, DC. They usually know how to do these things.

Good luck!

The easiest way to get the visa quickly is going through Hong Kong. China Travel Service (CTS) is the main Travel Group that can do it for you. They must have a website you can check out.

I haven`t lived in Hong Kong since the handover; things may have moved or changed. The building where China Visas are issued is in Wanchai, near Central (on Hong Kong Island). Very close to the Grand Hyatt Hotel. I normally paid extra for expedited next day service and received the visa after about 24 hours.

Note: they will need to keep your passport during that 24 hour period, leaving you with a receipt.

We preferred the Regent (NOW INTERCONTINENTAL)......very special, on the river with views of Central. Too many tourists gaping at the Penn.

Hi Artgrl,

We were at the Hong Kong InterContinental in October and loved it. The location on the water is so beautiful. This was the first time in over 40 years I justed wanted to mellow out and look at the view. It was a great location for museums and shopping, also -- which we managed to do.

Sheila

We preferred the Regent (NOW INTERCONTINENTAL)......very special, on the river with views of Central. Too many tourists gaping at the Penn.

I totally agree! I stayed there for a week in a waterfront room. The whole hotel including all the restaurants were wonderful.

I'll respcectfully disagree with the recommendation for the Peninsula (just to show both sides of the coin).

The Peninsula being one of the most famous, has zillions of tourists marching through the lobby all the time. It's almost a frantic pace.

The other thing I don't love about it (as well as the Regent/InterContinental) is the location on Kowloon.

I think it's better to stay on the HK side rather than the Kowloon side - better restaurant choices, nicer streets, etc. It's easy to get to Kowloon by ferry on any day you want to go.

That said, the three hotels I highly recommend are the Mandarin Oriental, The Grand Hyatt and the Shangri-La. The Shangri-La has the prettiest rooms I've ever seen (and huge)and wonderful service, though it's not walking distance to the ferry. The Grand Hyatt has typical Hyatt rooms (upscale but western) but has a great location, great service and some great bars and restaurants right in the hotel. Grissini's is HK's best italian and the Champagne bar is the perfect place for a nightcap. I've never stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, but have been in their lobby and it's wonderful and in an excellent location.

I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental and it was wonderful. Go for it!

We will be on the Oct. 2005 Beijing to Bangkok Diamond Princess cruise. We are planning on a pre-cruise out of Beijing or Shanghai and post-cruise in Bangkok to Cambodia, both probably arranged with a tour agent. I hadn't thought about visas, will we need additional or extended visas for these stays?

Go to http://www.zvs.com (Zierer Visa Service). This website will give you all the info you need for Visas. We use them for all our travels.

Sheila

We will be on the Oct. 2005 Beijing to Bangkok Diamond Princess cruise. We are planning on a pre-cruise out of Beijing or Shanghai and post-cruise in Bangkok to Cambodia, both probably arranged with a tour agent. I hadn't thought about visas, will we need additional or extended visas for these stays?

We did Bangkok Cambodia 3 yrs ago as a pre cruise tour thru HAL.It was the best tour we ever did.You must get a Visa for Cambodia in advance.You can bye one at the airport when you land in Saim Reap,but you never know if they will change that and they are very corupt and can give you A hard time.They will have there hand out.If you need more advise on Angkor Wat and Cambodia let me know.

We like the YMCA in Hong Kong - now it's called the Salisbury - right next door to the Peninsula. Very convenient, and quite nice for the price. Nancy