It was our final day in Hong Kong and fortunately it was to be a long one as we had arranged overnight flights back to the U.K. The sun was shining brightly through the large windows of the hotel restaurant as we enjoyed our final breakfast at the IBIS North Point. Back in our room …
We woke to yet another bright, sunny morning and after eating breakfast we took the MRT to Central and sped along to ferry pier 4 with just a few minutes to spare before the 10.10 a.m. fast ferry to Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island departed. We paid the HK$16 (£1.60) fare using our Octopus …
Our plan for the day was to explore places in Hong Kong that we hadn't previously visited. We started off the day with a journey on the MRT to Hong Kong University station (HKU) Exit A. The University of Hong Kong was established in 1911 and is the city's oldest university. It is located on …
Continue reading Day 9. Visiting the Monastery of 10,000 Buddhas in Sha Tin, Hong Kong
We thought we had set our phone alarm for 7.30 a.m. but for some reason we didn't wake until just after 9.00 a.m. Fortunately, our lie in didn't affect our schedule and we still had time for breakfast in the hotel before going out. Our plan for the morning was to take the MRT to …
Continue reading Day 8. Tai Kwun – Hong Kong’s newest landmark
On our first morning in Hong Kong we were awake quite early and were eating breakfast in the hotel's 2nd floor restaurant soon after it opened. The selection wasn't as extensive as at the Manila Sofitel but it was quite adequate for our needs. Our first task on leaving the hotel was to purchase two …
Continue reading Day 7. Victoria Peak, Hong Kong and the mid-autumn Fire Dragon Festival
We woke at 8.00 a.m. and enjoyed our final breakfast in the Sofitel where guests are really spoilt for choice as there are so many dishes to choose from. I started the day with a freshly made honey and oat smoothie which was delicious, then had some fruit and yoghurt before paying my last visit …
Continue reading Day 6. Leaving Manila and heading to Hong Kong
We enjoyed a long, leisurely Sunday morning breakfast in the Sofitel's attractive Spiral's restaurant enjoying glasses of Prosecco alongside our usual cups of coffee. The hotel runs a free shuttle bus service to the nearby Mall of Asia so we took the opportunity to have a look around and boarded the bus at 10.30 a.m. …
Breakfast at the Manila Sofitel is absolutely delicious, the only difficulty being deciding what to select from the vast array of dishes on offer. We were shown to a table overlooking the indoor stream and settled down to a long, leisurely breakfast, eating too much as usual! After the previous evening's fruitless attempt at hiring …
Continue reading Day 4. Manila sightseeing followed by dinner at the historic Ilustrado restaurant
We must have slept for at least ten hours as we didn't wake until 8.00 a.m. It would be wonderful if all mornings could start like this as we drew back the curtains to be greeted with such a beautiful view of Manila bay. After showering in our luxurious bathroom we headed downstairs to the …
We had just over two hours to stretch our legs whilst in transit at Hong Kong airport. As it was early morning many of the airside shops and cafes had not yet opened so we settled for McDonalds where we had some hot drinks and took an opportunity to catch up on the news on …
Continue reading Day 2. Manila – our first impressions of the capital of the Philippines
