Our one hour and forty five minutes flight to HK was smooth.
We forgot to fill out our arrival cards.
Cheaper to buy one way Airport express train tickets than round trip.
HK$80 per one way ticket per person
Nyke—-“Mom you don’t need any of that. You’ve been to HK a dozen times”.
Mom—–“Fifty times”.
Nyke—-“O, ayun naman pala”.
Mom——“Kuha na rin tayo”.
I am actually not sure if I’ve been here 50 times more or less. There was a time when I came here several times a year for business. That was when we were publishing a trade directory called Buyers Guide to Philippine Manufacturers and Exporters. There were no color separation yet in Manila during those days and the choices of papers used in printing books were limited, and HK offered more variety at a much lower cost.
Lobby of Excelsior Hotel
I wasn’t sure about the size of the room that I booked. I’ve stayed at this hotel a dozen times before and I was satisfied with the rooms. But that was many years ago. The last time was when Aileen and I attended an exhibit in Guangdong. On our way back, we stayed here for three nights. I found the room too tight for two adults. Although I got a Harbour View room, the window was small. I was hoping the rooms had been renovated. I kept on asking the front desk about the size of the room. She was a little perplexed that I found a 28 sq m room too small.
At 2:30 pm, our room was not yet ready. We were given a free welcome drink on the mezzanine. My son found the buffet food tempting.
Orange juice for him, watermelon for her.
Our soup bill, $28 for me $32 for Nyke. No O.R. for vat input.
We went back to the hotel at 4 pm to check -in. Our room was ready.
The minute I entered room 1524, I felt disappointed. With our luggage, I found it cramped. It’s old and aging. It looks better in photo. I was hoping the hotel had been renovated. The toilet also needs some upgrading.
The narrow window has view of the nearby old buildings and a partial harbour view with cranes and all. Hotels in HK are really expensive. For US$320 I would expect a lot more.