Hong Kong Day 2: Hong Kong Disneyland

 

After half an hour of train ride, we arrived at Disneyland Resort Station at 12.30pm via the Disney train with Mickey Mouse's shape windows, handles and figurines in it. We entered a magical kingdom inspired by 7 themed lands to explore. 

The first themed land we passed by was Main Street, USA, where we came across Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad. You can hop on to the train at this station for a scenic tour of Hong Kong Disneyland Park. I decided to save this ride for later.

Main Street, USA, is a replica of 20th-century small-town America. It felt like we were being transported back in time, with the vibrant energy of the street filling us with excitement.

The colourful framed buildings lined up along Main Street gave it a vintage feel. Many souvenir shops can be found in one of the buildings, offering a refuge from the brutal sun and a chance to purchase souvenirs to bring home.

A variety of shops and eateries made Main Street, USA, outstanding. As we reached the end of the street, we eagerly ventured into the other lands awaiting us.

Hong Kong Day 2: Exploring Novotel Citygate Hong Kong

I managed to sleep for a few hours during this trip as compared to my past few trips. I went to bed at 11.45pm, woke up at 1.50am and stayed awake till 3am. The next time I woke up was already 6.40am.

Sunrise came early in Hong Kong. By 6.45am, the sky was already so bright. Since our itinerary for today was only Disneyland, we can enjoy a slower pace and no need to get out of bed so early. I rest for another hour before getting up to prepare.

We headed down to Essence restaurant at level 1 for breakfast buffet at 9.10am. The selection was decent with a fusion-style Chinese and Western dishes. I was leaning more towards the Western dishes.

The swimming pool was located at level 3. From our room, I could see an outdoor area for guests to roam around. Captivated by the view, I decided to check out this area.

We enjoyed staying at Novotel Citygate Hong Kong so far, experiencing the best of both worlds with the stunning views of the hill and sea.

This was the view that guests staying in the room opposite ours would see, I still preferred our room view. From this angle, you can catch a glimpse of the cable car on the left side of the hill.

We went back to hotel to drop off our loots. By the time we reached Tung Chung MTR station, it was already 12pm. I went to the customer service counter to purchase an Octopus Card at HKD200 (or S$34.84). We then took a train to Sunny Bay MTR station, just one stop from Tung Chung, to transfer to the Disneyland Resort line.

Disneyland, I am coming.

Hong Kong Day 1: Novotel Citygate Hong Kong + Banchan & Cook

I made my second visit to Hong Kong, a bustling city brimming with activities for travelers. Having been to Hong Kong before, this trip felt a bit like coming home, giving me the chance to explore new places that I yet to discover and revisit old favourites. It left me feeling even more captivated by the city's charm.

It drizzled the entire morning as we made our way to Changi Airport Terminal 3 and arrived at 11.30am for our flight at 1.05pm. As our boarding gate was a distance away, we took a sky train and walked to our boarding gate.

Meal was being served at about 3pm and I enjoyed Black Pepper Chicken with Steamed Rice and Seasonal Oriental Vegetables. The black pepper chicken accompanied by a flavourful sauce was delicious. The meal also included an appetiser, bread and juices. Udders Salted Caramel Ice Cream for dessert was served after we were almost done with the meal. 

Eating was a bit challenging due to minor turbulence and some shakiness as we flew over the South China Sea.

The view of Hong Kong slowly came to sight. We landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 5.25pm. Visitors are required to fill out an arrival card, which we completed on the plane. Customs clearance was efficient, taking only about 15 minutes. However, we had to wait a bit longer for our baggage, which took around 20 minutes.

My exchange rate was S$1 : HKD5.74.

After we collected our baggage, we walked towards the taxi station outside the arrival hall. There are three types of taxis available:

- Urban taxis (red) operate in most areas in Hong Kong

- New Territories taxis (green) mainly operate in the north-eastern part (i.e. north of Sha Tin) and north-western part (i.e. north of Tsuen Wan) of the New Territories. 

- Lantau taxis (blue) operate only on Lantau Island and Chek Lap Kok

We went to the third lane designated for blue taxi and we were the second in the queue. While there were plenty of red and green taxis already waiting, no blue taxis were available at that moment. We had to wait for one to arrive. Thankfully the wait was not too long, we got into the taxi within 5 minutes.

The taxi ride from the airport to our hotel was about 10 minutes drive and the fare was about HKD60 (or S$10.45). I spotted our hotel, Novotel Citygate Hong Kong, in front of the hill with the blue wordings.

We arrived at Novotel Citygate Hong Kong around 6.15pm. We were staying at the hotel for three nights at about S$659.61 ($219.87 per night), inclusive of breakfast. This 23 floors, 4-star hotel with 440 stylish rooms and suites offer either airport, cable car, sea or hill views.

Novotel Citygate Hong Kong

51 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung Hong Kong

Our room was situated at the furthest end from the lift lobby, right next to a large window. The lobby was a little dim with only spotlights from the doors and natural light streaming in from the window at the edge.

As we were outside our room, we were treated to this sea view from the large window at the side. With our time in Hong Kong limited to just two full days of exploration, one day in Disneyland and another day in central area, we chose to stay in Tung Chung, an area conveniently close to the airport and just two MTR stops away from Disneyland.

We stayed in standard room (28sqm) which was spacious by Hong Kong's hotel standards. It was a cosy room located minutes away from everything. Though it was a 10 minutes walk from Tung Chung station, the hotel was directly connected to Citygate Outlets mall, allowing us to shop along the way while heading to the MTR station.

The bathroom was quite spacious, featuring a well-thought-out layout. On the left, there was a bathtub accompanied by a rain shower. The basin was in the center and on the right was the toilet bowl. 

Right after turning left from the hotel lobby, Citygate Outlets mall came to sight, connected from two levels. Our hotel was close to QB House (level 1) and Tommy Hilfiger (level 2).

We initially planned to dine at a particular restaurant but it appeared to be closed for an event. With time ticking, we decided to dine at the first restaurant we passed by.

The first restaurant that we passed by was Banchan & Cook, a Korean restaurant with a fusion of Western and Japanese style. It was already 7.30pm and we did not want to waste any more time searching for food, so we decided to settle here.

I had Mentaiko Pasta with Pork Katsu at HKD95 (or S$16.55) before service charge. The pasta was on a creamier side, resembling of carbonara with mentaiko sauce very subtle. The pork katsu, on the other hand, has a crunchy exterior and juicy interior.