This hotel is in Shatin. An ideal place to relax and collect your thoughts. It is a long bus journey from the airport but one that is both direct and I believe cheapest to reach, unless you can afford the Regal airport hotel. If you book online and in advance, the early bird promotion is a good deal. You can take a healthy stroll by the river or visit the wide array of shopping centres networked together just over the bridge.

Regal Riverside Hotel
Tai Chung Kiu Road
Shatin
Hong Kong (A41 bus from Airport)
Regalhotel.com

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Would you like to avoid lugging your suitcase all the way to the airport? All you need to do is make use of Hong Kong's airport express train. Direct to Hong Kong Island/Airport in 25 minutes, you can also check in before departure at the train station. This becomes ideal when you have to check out of your hotel by 12 but you don't have a flight until the evening.

www.mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_express/intro_index.html

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What it is: Hong Kong's Octopus card - a prepaid travel card that can also be used to pay for items at convenience stores as well as travel.

Why I recommend it: One of the headaches of travelling to a new place is dealing with all of the change and new currency. A big headache can be removed by getting an Octopus card (which can be bought from the Airport Express counter). You can purchase an Octopus card at any MTR station or at the airport that can be charged up with a return Airport Express journey (or single) and 3 days unlimited travel on the MTR. Buy one card and you can also use it for paying for chewing gum, water or whatever at your local 7-11 store as well. A guide on how to use it can be found online.

Airport Express One Free Single Journey + 3 days unlimited travel on MTR + $50 deposit + Stored value $20 = Price HK$220.

Airport Express Two Free Single Journeys (valid for 180 days) + 3 days unlimited travel on MTR + $50 deposit + Stored value $20 = Price HK$300.

You can also get a card which excludes the Airport Express transfer if you don't need it. Also remember that there is a refundable deposit on the card too.

www.hong-kong-travel.org/Octopus.asp

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I can highly recommend a day trip to Macau, another SAR (Special Administrative Region), for the gambling and the architecture. There's a regular ferry service that will take you on the 45 mile trip (the threat of pirates in the area will give you something to look out for along the way). Alternatively, wait until 2010 and you can get there via an 18 mile long bridge that has just been commissioned by Beijing. When I was there, I used Macau as my departure airport to go to Thailand as it was cheaper than flying from Hong Kong.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau

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Amazing! Check in and get rid of your luggage 24 hours before your flight time. So you can stroll around the city and not have to hang around in the airport. A great idea - why don'y we have this in London? (actually... we know why...)

Airport express check in. Hong Kong station - Central

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