Womenality

So this is our day 2 in HongKong…

Our Fun Tour from Cebu Pacific does not include a complimentary breakfast so we tried the buffet breakfast at Royal Plaza Hotel. And since our hotel is one of the finest in HK, we expected the price to be a bit higher. So we paid 110HKD/person/breakfast. Yeah, that’s a whopping, almost Php1400 just for a breakfast. Well, despite of the high price, I must say that their food is great. But we tried it just once.

Oh before I forgot, when you’re traveling abroad and staying in a hotel,  in my experience ha, make sure that you have spare money for deposits. Or better yet, always have your credit card ready. If you’ll be staying in Royal Plaza Hotel, you’ll be required to deposit HKD2,000 or almost Php13,000 which is of course refundable. Again, pretty high.

After breakfast, we head on to our first destination of the day – the Peak. We used the MRT with the help of our friendly English map. It was a smooth journey. Hongkong has a good MRT system so if you’re planning to go there by foot, the MRT is definitely a big help!

At the Peak, there’s the tram ride and the wax museum called the Madame Tussaud. These two latter attractions are different payment from the Sky Terrace. But you can buy combo tickets at the Peak lobby which will save you money. See The Peak Hongkong website for more details on pricing.

If you’re getting the tour packages from agencies here in the Philippines, going to the Victoria Peak is usually not included. The first time we got there was at the mid-level only, which is a little frustrating. They do not include this in itinerary because there are times that the Peak is close for operation due to weather conditions. I also suggest that you go there during the summer months to fully enjoy the view. When we got there, it’s still foggy and really cold.

Madame Tussaud is the famous wax museum in Southeast Asia. It was a a great feeling to finally meet the rich and famous. . Our Sky Terrace experience is also unforgettable. I’m afraid of heights so it took me some time to finally look out the terrace. It was 14deg , dazzling and foggy during that time.

There are also several restaurants and shops at the Peak so be sure to lend one whole day in this attraction.

Here are some of the pics.

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It’s nice to be back! And this time, I would like to share with you my journey in HongKong with my red Pabder shoes last March 17-21, 2011. It was a birthday gift for me from my honey and also, my first time to celebrate my birthday on a foreign land. As you may already know, it is also my second time to be in HongKong.  (here’s my first HongKong trip)

The next picture are three shots on our second day in HongKong. We stayed in Royal Plaza Hotel in MongKok.

Hongkong - Royal Plza Hotel & The Peak

During our first trip to HongKong, we needed a tour guide so we purchased our tour from an agency. This time, we have decided to travel on our own. We purchased our hotel and airfare via the Cebu Pacific Fun Tour.  Our 5D/4N stay in a executive suite in Royal Plaza and economy airfare has cost us almost PHP38,000. Yeah, pretty high for a non-peak month.

Well, Royal Plaza Hotel is worth the price because of its location and amenities. The MongKok MRT station is just a walking distance and can be conveniently accessed via the adjacent Grand Century Mall.  Here’s a sneak peek of our 33sqm room. Too bad, I was not able to shoot the bathroom with bath tub. Now, they’re all memories…

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So far, this is the best hotel we’ve ever stayed…

to be continued…

update: here’s the part 2 of our 5-days HongKong trip.

I’ve been on a few trips to London recently, both with work and to visit friends so I’ve tried to fit in as much as possible whilst in our fair Capital City. As with any city London is pretty immense and I recommend making an itinerary before you go to make sure you fit in everything you want to see. Here’s my list of the top things to do when visiting London!

Covent Garden
Covent Garden is always a draw for tourists and is famous for its shops, street performances, restaurants and theatres as well as being home to the Royal Opera House. The market is always well worth a look round, especially for us girlies, and has lots of little boutiques and craft stalls as well as some brilliant little cafes which are great for people watching. Street performances include a massive variety of things but no matter what day you visit you are bound to see something whether it’s juggling acts, mime artists or musicians.

See a show in the West End
Visiting London’s West End is an absolute must and no matter what your taste there’s bound to be something for you. In the past few months I’ve seen Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre, Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre and War Horse at the New London Theatre; all of which were brilliant and although they are all very different I enjoyed all of them and I’d never miss out on a chance to visit some of the grandest and most beautiful theatres in the UK. I found tickets via the Really Useful Group official site.

The Natural History Museum
Easily one of the best museums that London has to offer, this is one fascinating place even for those who don’t really think of themselves as a ‘museum’ type of person. See everything from creepy crawlies, dinosaurs and vast plant collections and take a look at the natural phenomenon that shape our fair planet as well as various changing exhibitions. Utterly absorbing stuff and it’s free entry too!

The London Eye
A bit of a cliché maybe but for awesome views of the city where you can see as far as Windsor Castle (on a good day) which is 25 miles away, and if you’ve never been to London before this is highly recommended.

Buckingham Palace
When in London one must visit the Queen! Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen and you can even visit the State Rooms in August and September. If you’re visiting at other times of the year then fear not as you can still get to see the fantastic Changing of the Guard which happens on certain scheduled days and can get quite busy so arrive early to beat the crowds and get a good look.

So if you’ve got a weekend free, round up the girls and hop on a train/ coach/ car for a fabulous weekend in England’s gorgeous capital!