Tempting Hong Kong

An iconic city in its own class, Hong Kong is a true metropolitan hub that never fails to excite. Indeed it has more to offer, not just a great shopping and culinary destination.

The strong ringgit (about RM39 for HK$100) obviously makes Hong Kong a very tempting destination even for repeat visitors.

So when will it be a good time to visit Hong Kong? The summer months (June to September) are pretty hot but generally anytime of the year is a great time to be in Hong Kong as long as you can obtain both cheap air tickets and accommodation.

A RM600 all-inclusive fare to Hong Kong is a steal but can be a short lived joy if you were to fly in the midst of a major trade event.

Like most world-class cities, accommodation is the single biggest factor that can make or break your vacation. Hong Kong is no exception and as a leading MICE destination, the wide hotel room rate disparity is only to be expected.

A typical HK$800 room (three-star hotel) in the heart of Kowloon can cost twice as much, and sometimes more if you choose to visit Hong Kong at the wrong time of the year.

For leisure travelers, the rule of thumb is to avoid Hong Kong during major holidays, including the Golden Week in early October, and major trade events and exhibitions. Similarly, avoid Macau on Fridays and Saturdays with the exodus in droves of the Hongkies to the gambling enclave during the weekends.

Hong Kong is a busy and crowded city even during normal working days. It pays to visit Hong Kong during the least busiest times. It's hassle-free and you can enjoy shorter queues for meals or even your favourite rides at Disneyland.

Between the peak and off peak periods, the collective savings can be as much as RM1,800 for two persons for a typical four-day trip with a budget carrier and tourist class accommodation. The savings are substantial, more than adequate for your meals and transportation, and even moolah to spare for shopping.

Travel Tips: Survey the room rates and determine the traveling dates before you book the air ticket. And don’t forget to get the Octopus Card on arrival in Hong Kong.

Is Sapa or Tibet your cup of tea?

Been done, done that. You are in a group of seasoned travelers, and a fast growing one in Malaysia who are getting increasingly tired of the group and FIT tour packages to popular holiday destinations.

Chances are that you would not take a second look at mainstream tour print ads with the so-called new re-packaged itineraries and private tours. And you would not get excited either with the increasing number of cheap fares by Air Asia or the more aggressive Middle East airlines.

Some of the bigger local tour operators have put some decent efforts to introduce customised tours and exotic destinations but none caught my attention as much as El Sol Travel and Yongo Travel.

Continue reading if off-the-beaten and exotic destinations like Tibet, Sapa in Vietnam, the Bhapa Pass in India and Yunnan’s red earth are your cup of tea.

Yongo and El Sol are obviously run by people who are passionate about travel and have turned such interest into a commercial venture. I have bumped into David Lim of El Sol some years at MATTA Fair and I have visited his website regularly.

I recalled David talking enthusiastically about his tour offerings and he is certainly not a typical tour consultant you would find in most travel agencies.

El Sol, like Yongo, has started to offer tour programmes three to six months ahead, giving adequate time for people to plan their holidays. The good news is that such exotic tours are no longer as expensive as they used to be.

Check out some of the upcoming trips and these holidays will certainly be a refreshing change from the usual and predictable vacations.

Affordable Melbourne

Planning to visit Melbourne but discouraged by the surging Aussie dollar? You are not alone if you are giving the world's seventh most expensive city a pass.

An all-inclusive Melbourne package tour with a full-service airline will easily set you back by at least RM5,000. And for that budget, you have many tour options and chances are that you would be looking elsewhere.

I did not pay RM5,000 or even RM4,000 for the Melbourne trip in May 2011. About RM2,000 was what I paid for a return air ticket and ground arrangement (excluding meals). And it has a lot to do with timing and a little bit of luck.

Check this out ... RM754 for the return Air Asia X flight. You can call it a steal and the fare was inclusive of in-flight meals, baggage and airport tax.

It was A$385 (about RM1,200) for the five-day ground package – four-night accommodation (twin sharing) at Causeway 353 Hotel, two full day tour plus a bonus half day city tour, and airport transfer.

I booked the package after the usual survey among the popular Australian tour specialists at MATTA Fair in March. Malaysian Harmony offered the perfect deal with one of my preferred hotels in the list. And a pleasant surprise – free half-day city tour thrown in with Causeway 353.

Interestingly you can choose to pay in A$ instead of ringgit. Travel agents’ exchange rates are usually less attractive and at the time of booking, the standard rate among the agents was RM3.25 to A$1. It was then less than RM3.10 to a Aussie dollar at the money changers. Obviously I opted to pay in A$.

Causeway 353 Hotel was a natural choice – a popular and highly rated tourist class hotel (ranked 32^nd in TripAdvisor). You can’t find a better hotel for value or location. It’s a fairly new hotel, less than 3 years, with an excellent location (Little Collins Street) – walking distance to the busy Bourke Street and Flinders Street.

Perhaps the only gripe with the Causeway chain is breakfast – it’s continental rather than usual lavish and hot breakfast spread we are used to in most Asian cities. Internet at the hotel, like most hotels in Australia, is not free. It's A$20 a day and way too expensive but you can enjoy free WiFi at McDonald’s. Across Causeway 353, there’s a great food court at The Galleria and Internet is also free. The food court, however, closes by 6pm.

Entertainment aside, Melbourne is a wonderful place for foodies. A decent meal will cost you anything between A$15 and A$20. Want cheaper meals? No worries and the common choice is Subway or McDonald’s.

Enjoy the great sights in Victoria during autumn and forget about shopping in Melbourne. It’s so much cheaper in KL and other Asian shopping havens. Product offerings in Melbourne are no better either.

Travel Tips: book the ground packages, inclusive of day tours in Malaysia. Full day tours conducted by APT or Gray Line will cost a bomb in Melbourne. It’s A$150 for a full day tour of the Great Ocean Road.

Do your research and plan your trip ahead. You will discover in no time Melbourne is an exciting city and is far from expensive.