Hong Kong hotels and mass transit

Our flight to Singapore to board the Ocean Princess requires a 12 hour layover (8 PM to 8 AM) in Hong Kong. DH has never been there before and since our body time will be morning when we land, we thought it would be nice to see a little of Hong Kong. We booked a hotel in Mong Kok within walking distance of the Prince Edward MTR station, and according to Tripadvisor, the Airport Bus stops in front.

 

Travel time from/to the airport is very important and I need to know the fastest way. I wrote to the hotel and they responded that we should take the hotel shuttle bus that takes 90 minutes each way :(

 

I then asked for other options and was advised to take the Airport Express/MRT that requires two changes or the Air Bus. I have asked twice for travel time estimates for these two options, but haven't received a response. I'm on the verge of changing hotels. Can anyone tell me the fastest way to get from the airport to my hotel (and how long it takes) or recommend a hotel that can be reached faster?

Travel time from/to the airport is very important and I need to know the fastest way. ...

 

Can anyone tell me the fastest way to get from the airport to my hotel (and how long it takes) or recommend a hotel that can be reached faster?

You should be able to get from the airport to Prince Edward MTR station in about 30 minutes by taxi. If travel time really is important and you really want "the fastest way", I wouldn't be messing about with public transport.

Our flight to Singapore to board the Ocean Princess requires a 12 hour layover (8 PM to 8 AM) in Hong Kong. DH has never been there before and since our body time will be morning when we land, we thought it would be nice to see a little of Hong Kong. We booked a hotel in Mong Kok within walking distance of the Prince Edward MTR station, and according to Tripadvisor, the Airport Bus stops in front.

 

Travel time from/to the airport is very important and I need to know the fastest way. I wrote to the hotel and they responded that we should take the hotel shuttle bus that takes 90 minutes each way :(

 

I then asked for other options and was advised to take the Airport Express/MRT that requires two changes or the Air Bus. I have asked twice for travel time estimates for these two options, but haven't received a response. I'm on the verge of changing hotels. Can anyone tell me the fastest way to get from the airport to my hotel (and how long it takes) or recommend a hotel that can be reached faster?

 

Take a look at the map of Hong Kong.

 

The airport is on Lantau island, and it is rather far from downtown HK. Indeed, expect 90 minutes or more, especially if there is traffic.

 

What time does your flight land? And what time does your next flight take off?

You should be able to get from the airport to Prince Edward MTR station in about 30 minutes by taxi. If travel time really is important and you really want "the fastest way", I wouldn't be messing about with public transport.

 

 

MTR map may be useful.

According to Google Maps, the distance by car from Chek Lap Kok Airport HK to Prince Edward MTR station is 33km.

 

A significant part is by the highway but once you get closer to Mong Kok area, the traffic will slow down.

 

To be safe, you have to budget at least 45 minutes for the trip by taxi.

 

Taxi would be the fastest mode of transport.

Our flight to Singapore to board the Ocean Princess requires a 12 hour layover (8 PM to 8 AM) in Hong Kong. DH has never been there before and since our body time will be morning when we land, we thought it would be nice to see a little of Hong Kong. We booked a hotel in Mong Kok within walking distance of the Prince Edward MTR station, and according to Tripadvisor, the Airport Bus stops in front.

 

Travel time from/to the airport is very important and I need to know the fastest way. I wrote to the hotel and they responded that we should take the hotel shuttle bus that takes 90 minutes each way :(

 

I then asked for other options and was advised to take the Airport Express/MRT that requires two changes or the Air Bus. I have asked twice for travel time estimates for these two options, but haven't received a response. I'm on the verge of changing hotels. Can anyone tell me the fastest way to get from the airport to my hotel (and how long it takes) or recommend a hotel that can be reached faster?

 

If I were you, I would stay at a hotel much closer to the airport, and then explore HK from there.

 

One possibility -

 

http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-6239-novotel-hong-kong-citygate/index.shtml

Our flight to Singapore to board the Ocean Princess requires a 12 hour layover (8 PM to 8 AM) in Hong Kong. DH has never been there before and since our body time will be morning when we land, we thought it would be nice to see a little of Hong Kong. We booked a hotel in Mong Kok within walking distance of the Prince Edward MTR station, and according to Tripadvisor, the Airport Bus stops in front.

 

Travel time from/to the airport is very important and I need to know the fastest way. I wrote to the hotel and they responded that we should take the hotel shuttle bus that takes 90 minutes each way :(

 

I then asked for other options and was advised to take the Airport Express/MRT that requires two changes or the Air Bus. I have asked twice for travel time estimates for these two options, but haven't received a response. I'm on the verge of changing hotels. Can anyone tell me the fastest way to get from the airport to my hotel (and how long it takes) or recommend a hotel that can be reached faster?

 

As you have limited time and are at the start of your holiday, why start off with stress and hassle of take the train or bus. Take a taxi, they are cheap and plentiful.

 

As another member suggested get an hotel next to or near the airport, makes life a lot easier next morning avoiding rush hour traffic. I assume you will not have your luggage, so make arrangements with your hotel for a very late checkin, when you land grab a taxi and head for downtown Hong Kong. As your time is limited see if there are any tour companies do evening / night time tours.

 

Ron

was advised to take the Airport Express/MRT that requires two changes or the Air Bus. I have asked twice for travel time estimates for these two options, but haven't received a response. I'm on the verge of changing hotels. Can anyone tell me the fastest way to get from the airport to my hotel (and how long it takes) or recommend a hotel that can be reached faster?

 

The airport express will take 20 minutes to Kowloon station. It leaves every 10 minutes. From there, take a taxi to your hotel. As someone said, they are cheap and plentiful. However, I would look for a hotel within walking distance of what you want to see in HK. In Kowloon, the Salisbury Hotel is the very best value so it fills up quickly. Across the street is the 5 star Langham. Both are 5 minutes from the MTR subway and the star ferry. I can recommend both. No trip to HK is complete without a crossing of the harbour on the ferry. I don't personally know the hotels on the island side.

The airport express will take 20 minutes to Kowloon station. It leaves every 10 minutes. From there, take a taxi to your hotel. As someone said, they are cheap and plentiful. However, I would look for a hotel within walking distance of what you want to see in HK. In Kowloon, the Salisbury Hotel is the very best value so it fills up quickly. Across the street is the 5 star Langham. Both are 5 minutes from the MTR subway and the star ferry. I can recommend both. No trip to HK is complete without a crossing of the harbour on the ferry. I don't personally know the hotels on the island side.

 

From the first post, it sounds like OP will be in HK from 8pm to 8am. If I assume that the flight lands at 8pm and the connecting flight departs at 8am, it means that OP doesn't really have much time.

 

Well, HK has a pretty vibrant night-life.

So much information and so many ideas :) Thank you everybody. It seems that getting into and out of Kowloon or Hong Kong island would be a bit of a hassle and maybe time consuming.

 

The question is, would it be worth it? It depends on what's open at night. The only things I've been able to verify as being open after about 10 PM is the Night Market and bars. We don't do the bar scene or shopping. Do you all know of any touristy things that are open late at night? I checked a couple of tour company websites and discovered that their "night tours" begin too early for us.

 

Maybe a private/taxi tour? Maybe one that would pick us up at the airport and drop us back at the airport or at our hotel?

AIRPORT EXPRESS trains have FREE shuttle buses to the major hotels near its Kowloon and Hong Kong stations.

 

The Hong Kong (as I've used it) and the Kowloon stations have check in for a dozen airlines. We checked in our luggage and got our boarding passes in the morning and then spent the rest of the day at Ocean Park before heading to the airport via Airport Express.

 

Here's the link to http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/transport/to-from-airport/airport-express.html

AIRPORT EXPRESS trains have FREE shuttle buses to the major hotels near its Kowloon and Hong Kong stations.

For more detail about the shuttle buses, see this page: http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/getting_around/complom_free_bus.html

Then you Philob & Globaliser for the information about the Airport Express and its free shuttle service. I now know that if we're to use those services, we'll have to find a different hotel because the one we have booked isn't on the lists.

What time does your flight arrive? If you land at 8pm, you will be able to get to city earliest 9:30pm by taxi, there is hardly any tourist place to go this late other than shopping/bars/ eating. The only thing maybe is to experience the harbour view by ferry. Assuming you leave your luggages at the airport, you may go straight to Tsim Sha Tsui directly from airport to take star ferry ( last ferry is around 11:00 and the ride is 10 mins). When ferry arrives Hong Kong island, there is an option to take another taxi to the peak tram station (5 mins taxi ride), take the peak tram (last ride is close to midnight) to the peak where you can look at the night city view from hill top. Take a taxi on your way back to hotel. If you stay near airport there will be nothing to do for the rest of the night. If you stay near Mongkok, you can walk around the area for late night snacks or check out temple street/ ladies market. As for Prince Edward, there is not much to do so it's pretty much the same as staying near the airport. The other members are right, if you are this rush don't bother taking shuttles or MTR, prepare to take taxis everywhere, it's not congested after 9:00 pm.

So much information and so many ideas :) Thank you everybody. It seems that getting into and out of Kowloon or Hong Kong island would be a bit of a hassle and maybe time consuming.

 

The question is, would it be worth it? It depends on what's open at night. The only things I've been able to verify as being open after about 10 PM is the Night Market and bars. We don't do the bar scene or shopping. Do you all know of any touristy things that are open late at night? I checked a couple of tour company websites and discovered that their "night tours" begin too early for us.

 

Maybe a private/taxi tour? Maybe one that would pick us up at the airport and drop us back at the airport or at our hotel?

Having been to Hong Kong a short time ago, it is a fantastic place and alive until the early hours of the morning. I think I would be tempted to stay near the airport, and catch a cab into Kowloon, a walk along the harbour to enjoy the lights, catching the ferry across the river from Kowloon to Hong Kong is good, not sure if the tram will still be running late at night, if it is catch the tram up to Victoria Peak and enjoy the views, also a cocktail at the Bar in The Peninsula Hotel is a must, very quirky and although an expensive hotel the drinks were very reasonable. The MST is a very fast system, and if I remember correctly we had a bus to the Airport and it took us nearly an hour, the airport is a fair distance from Kowloon. Hope this helps.

Some points of information from someone who grew up in Hong Kong.

 

Taxi fares from the airport into town runs upwards of HK$300. If you know how to negotiate you can get it for 70%.

 

The fastest way from the airport into town is the Airport Express and the fare is about HK$110 per person but same day returns are FREE.

 

The hotels nearest the Prince Edward Road MTR station are the Royal Pacific, the Metropark and the Newton. You can walk around these hotels and get the local favor.

 

What about storing your carry on and just go into town for a few hours. When you come back you can use the airline lounges or there is a pay lounge where you can get a shower and relax. I think it is about HK$200 per head.

Thank you, WWIL.

All useful information. About using the airport lounges: Cathay Pacific' webste says that theirs closes after the last flight leaves. Since we'll be in Hong Kong all night - any idea when the airport lounges close?

Why not fly into Hong Kong a day or two early and not be so rushed. We are flying to Singapore in January 2013 and will stop off in Hong Kong for 7 days. The airfare is the same.