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Well I am not one to panic but I have to admit, the "swine flu" has been on my mind lately, knowing that I'm planning to take the entire family to a city packed full of people. I wouldn't worry at all but as everyone who has children knows; as parents, we always worry for their sake.

My wife's friend in Hong Kong says, "Don't worry". According to him, there have been around 900 cases and the hospitals don't even keep the infected now. They give them some medicine and send them home, just like normal flu. Boy, if this is true, it is a far cry from how Hong Kong started out handling this "epidemic".

So I guess for now, I'm still planning the trip. It would take an incredible batch of severe bad news to change our plans at this point.

Cheaptest time to visit Hong Kong

05/20/2009

My family usually visits Hong Kong in the early spring or late fall. The main reason for this choice is because the summer months are very hot and humid in the city. With all the walking we do there, it can get very uncomfortable during the hot and sticky days. We don't choose the winter because it can get cool there also, mainly due to the fact that they don't use heaters much. Also who wants to waste space in the suitcase for heavy clothing? I sure don't. We need all the room we can get, especially on the return trip!

So when is the best time to visit? In my opinion, it goes like this:

Avoid Chinese holidays if you can, because the city will be packed and hotels will cost you. The main holidays that I'm thinking of are of course, Chinese New Year and their Golden Weeks (1st week of May and 1st week of October).

The cheapest time to visit Hong Kong for saving on hotel cost is without a doubt the hot summer months. Everyone likes to go in the spring or fall because the weather is nice, so naturally hotel costs go up then. (NOTE: This is another advantage of trying to get a vacation rental. Their cost usually stays the same year round!)

But what about air-fare. This gets tricky because it seems that air-fare cost goes up during these hot summer months when the hotel is cheap. Also air-fare will probably cost you during the big western holidays, like Easter, Christmas, and New Years.

So this basically leaves the time right after Chinese New Year, late Feb. in to March. But also some slots in November or December might be good. What do others think?

Money Conversions

05/11/2009

If the owners of the apartments that I list on my web site have the cost only in Hong Kong dollars or Euros, I’ll leave it that way on my site. If they include a US dollar cost, that is what I’ll use because I’m more familiar with it. If you come across a currency here that you are not familiar with, just use a conversion tool like this one at Yahoo Finance. You can go from Euro to US dollar, Hong Kong dollar to Euro, or execute whatever conversion you want.

US Citizens need no visa for Hong Kong entry of 90 days or less

04/25/2009

Unlike Mainland China, Hong Kong is visa free for US citizens that are visiting for 90 days or less. So all we Americans need to worry about is making sure our US passports have not expired. If you are not a US citizen and want to check if you will need a visa or not, go to this page served up by the Hong Kong Immigration Department. The table is in part 2, number 12 on the page.

Money Exchange Rate for Hong Kong

04/25/2009

For those visiting Hong Kong, it is imperative that you know the exchange rate before flying. As of this posting, the rate is 7.74 Hong Kong dollars for 1 US dollar. It usually stays somewhere around this level but before you leave, be sure to check on the current rate. I recommend practicing some quick conversions in your head so that you are comfortable in doing so when under pressure in Hong Kong. For instance, what is $200 in Hong Kong. I always divide by 8 and that gets me in the ball park at least. So roughly, the answer would be 25 US dollars. A more exact answer would be closer to 26 US dollars.

Why is it so important to practice these conversions? Remember, Hong Kong is known for shopping and if you are visiting an area like Mong Kok, it is customary to deal or haggle over the price of a product. You will want to be able to convert these prices quickly so that you can bargain for the best possible deal. There is not always time to pull out that calculator!

Welcome to Visiting Hong Kong

04/24/2009

Hello and welcome to my blog page. I plan to update the blog from time to time regarding information related to visting Hong Kong. My family travels there almost every year and I often spend a great deal of time online attempting to find affordable hotel accomodations and/or air tickets. My main goal is to find affordable but nice short term flats to stay in while in Hong Kong for a family of five. While in the process of searching, if I come across really nice and affordable flats that are too small for us, I'll still list them for you. You'll find my current listing of flats here.

I do hope you get some use out of my web site and have a wonderful time in Hong Kong.
- Bill