Monday 24/6/24
I managed to get about 3.5 hours of sleep, waking up at 2:30am and again at 5am. After that, I could not fall back asleep.
Staying in a hotel with such an amazing view, the first thing I did every morning was to check out the scenery. It was only 5.40am and the sky was already bright, with natural light flowing into the room through the slightly opened curtain.
We arrived at Essence restaurant to have 40 minutes buffet breakfast at 9am. The selection was exactly the same as yesterday, so I ended up taking almost the same things I liked from yesterday. I was expecting some variety as hotels typically switch some dishes to offer guests a different experience each day.
After the breakfast, we went back to our room for toilet break and to take our bags. We set off at about 10.15am.
We settled for Lei Garden, a Cantonese-style restaurant awarded The Plate Michelin in 2020. As we were not very hungry, we only ordered Yang Chow Fried Rice and Deep Fried Chicken Wings Marinated in Shrimp Paste. The chicken wings had a juicy and crispy bite with shrimp paste fragrance. The fried rice was too much for us that we could not finish. The total bill including tea and service charge was HKD262 (or S$45.64).
It was a 40 minutes journey back to Tung Chung station, we reached the station at 8.50pm. I returned the octopus card at the train station and got back HKD100 balance. Most of the shops were already closed by 9pm, the only place I could still shop at was Taste Supermarket and I got a pack of Dried Mango at HKD42 (or S$7.32).
We reached hotel at 9.30pm. I spent some time packing since I had bought quite a fair bit of items today.
Tuesday 25/6/24
It felt like déjà vu as I woke up at exactly the same times again, 2:30am and 5am. At least, I managed to get a few hours of sleep to ease my tired body.
We headed down to Essence restaurant for a half an hour breakfast at 8.45am. Everything was the same selection except for the donut. We then went back to hotel for final round of packing and check out the hotel at 9.45am.
Novotel provides a complimentary shuttle bus service to and from airport at 20 minute intervals from 6am to 11.40pm. We patiently waited for the 10am slot, there were only 3 of us on board the shuttle bus.
I had a wonderful stay at Novotel Citygate. It provided a temporary escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, allowing me to unwind and let my stress melt away.
I was very impressed by Hong Kong's smart Check-in kiosks, which can even be used by international passengers. The departure process can be done on our own, making it fuss free and fast, leaving us ample time for shopping. We did not had lunch at the airport as meal will be provided on plane.
Even though things at the airport were more expensive, this was my last chance to make purchases, so I bought some snacks using the remaining notes.
