General Travel Information on Hong Kong

General Travel Information on Hong Kong

General travel information on Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Hotels on Hong Kong Island, Hotels on Hong Kong Mainland, Hidden Hotel Costs in Hong Kong, Bars in Hong Kong, Using a Mobile Telephone in Hong Kong, General Travel Information on Hong Kong, Ocean Park Hong Kong, Transport in Hong Kong, Special Offers, Pictures of Hong Kong.

Secure HOTEL RESERVATIONS FULL LIST. THAILAND Asia Hotel Bangkok, Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Bangkok, Hotel Plaza Athenee Bangkok, Imperial Impala Hotel Bangkok, Imperial Queens Park Hotel, Imperial Tara Hotel Bangkok, JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, Merchant Court Hotel Bangkok, Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square, Novotel Bangna Bangkok, Peninsula Hotel Bangkok, Riverfront Residence Appartments Bangkok, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, The Landmark Hotel Bangkok, Zenith Hotel Bangkok, Asia Pattaya Beach Resort, Novotel Coralia Rim Pae Resort Rayong, Kamala Bay Terrace Resort Phuket, Phuket Island Resort, Ban Kaew Villa Samui, Chaweng Regent Beach Resort Samui, Peace Bungalows (Bophut) Koh Samui, Poppies Hotel Samui, The Imperial Boat House Hotel Samui, The Imperial Samui Hotel, The Princess Village, The Whitehouse Hotel Samui, Rayavadee Premier Resort Krabi, Imperial Golden Triangle Resort Chiang Rai, Imperial Lake View Hotel & Golf Club Cha-Am, Imperial Mae Ping Chiang Mai, Novotel Chiang Mai Hotel, Imperial Phukaew Hill Resort Petchaboon, Imperial Tara Mae Hong Son, Hotel Sofitel Raja Orchid Khon Kaen. PHILIPPINES Atrium Suites Manila, Bayview Park Hotel Manila, Citadel Inn Makati, Holiday Inn Manila, Hotel Inter-Continental Manila, New World Renaissance Makati Manila, Pan Pacific Manila Hotel, Peninsula Manila Hotel, Primetown Tower Makati, Imperial Palace Suites Quezon City, Badian Island Beach Hotel in Cebu, Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort Cebu, Golden Peak Hotel Cebu, Pearl Farm Beach Resort Davao. VIETNAM Caravelle Hotel Saigon, Hotel Sofitel Plaza Saigon, Omni Saigon Hotel, Renaissance Riverside Saigon Hotel, De Syloia Hotel Hanoi, Hotel Nikko Hanoi, Melia Hanoi Hotel, Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, Sunway Hotel Hanoi, Century Riverside Hotel Hue, Anoasis Beach Resort Long Hai, Furama Resort Danang. CAMBODIA Sunway Hotel Phnom Penh, Sofitel Royal Angkor HONG KONG Century Hotel Hong Kong, Century Harbour Hotel Hong Kong, Century Inn North Point, Eaton Hotel Hong Kong, Grand Plaza Hotel Hong Kong, Grand Tower Hotel Hong Kong, Great Eagle Hotel Hong Kong, Harbour Plaza North Point, The HongKong Hotel, The Marco Polo Hong Kong, The Prince Hong Kong, The Wesley. SINGAPORE Century Roxy Park Hotel Singapore, Hotel Rendezvous Singapore, Novotel Apollo Singapore, Raffles Hotel Singapore, Royal Plaza on Scotts, The G@llery Evason, The New Otani Singapore, The Royal Wing. INDONESIA Hotel Atlet Century Park Jakarta, Hotel Ibis Mangga Dua Jakarta, Hotel Ibis Tamarin Jakarta, Mercure Residence Puri Imperium Jakarta, Imperial Century Hotel & Country Club, Century Saphir Yogyakarta, Hotel Ibis Malioboro Yogyakarta, Novotel Hotel Yogyakarta, Melia Purosani Yogyakarta, Melia Bali Hotel, Novotel Benoa Bali, Pansea Hotel Bali, Century Mabisa Inn Bali, Century Saphir Bali, Novotel Coralia Lombok, Novotel Hotel Batam. MALAYSIA Century Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Melia Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Park Plaza International Kuala Lumpur, Hotel Century Manado, Century Mahkota Hotel Melaka, Promenade Hotel Kota Kinabalu, Mercure Ace Johor Bahru, Sofitel Palm Resort Johor Bahru, Avillion Village Resort Port Dickson. CHINA Century Run Hua Hotel Jinan, Sofitel Silver Plaza Jinan, Novotel Peace Beijing Hotel, Hotel Sofitel Zhengzhou, Novotel Hia Hua Hangzhou, Novotel Atlantis Shanghai, Sofitel Hyland Shanghai. KOREA Novotel Ambassador Kangnam Seoul, Novotel Amabassador Toksan, DUBAI Admiral Plaza Hotel Dubai, Al Maha Desert Resort, Dubai Marine Hotel, Dubai Marine Beach Resort, Emirates Towers Hotel Dubai, Four Points Sheraton Bur Dubai, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi, Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa, Metropolitan Hotel Dubai, Rydges Plaza Hotel Dubai, Sheraton Dubai Hotel & Towers, The Ritz-Carlton Dubai. LONDON Chelsea Green Hotel. (we are working very hard on this section, adding hotels all the time so do keep checking back).

Hotel Reviews Hotels in Bangkok, Hotels in Phuket, Hotels in Koh Samui, Hotels in Manila, Hotels in Cebu, Hotels in Jakarta, Hotels in Bali, Hotels in Hong Kong (Island), Hotels in Hong Kong (Mainland), Hotels in Hanoi, Hotels in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), Hotels in Dubai, Hotels in other countries.

THAILAND - General

Bangkok - Hotels in Bangkok, Bangkok International Airport, Bars in Bangkok, Calypso Cabaret Bangkok, Restaurants in Bangkok, Transport in Bangkok, Shopping in Bangkok, Chatuchak Market, VAT refunds for purchases in Thailand, Things to do in Bangkok, Internet Cafes in Bangkok, Pictures of Thailand.

Koh Samui - Hotels in Koh Samui, Bars in Koh Samui, Restaurants in Koh Samui, General Information on Koh Samui, Map of Koh Samui, Pictures of Thailand.

Phuket - Hotels in Phuket, Restaurants in Phuket, Special Offers, Pictures of Thailand.

Vietnam - Hotels in Hanoi, Hotels in Ho Chi Minh, Beach Resorts and Inland Resorts in Vietnam, Transport in Vietnam, Bars in Vietnam, Restaurants in Vietnam, Special Offers, Pictures of Vietnam.

Indonesia Hotels in Jakarta, Hotels in Bali, Bars in Jakarta, Melia Purosani Hotel Jogyakarta, Special Offers.

Philippines Hotels in Manila, Hidden Hotel Costs in manila Hotels, Restaurants in Manila, Bars in Manila, Pictures of Manila, Money and Exchange Warning in the Philippines, General Information on Manila, Hotels in Cebu, Restaurants in Cebu, Pictures of Cebu, General Information on Cebu, General Information on Palawan, General Information on Boracay, Transport in the Philippines, Special Offers.

Singapore Singapore Hotels Reservations, Singapore Hotels Reviewed, Changi Airport review, Hidden Hotel Costs in Singapore Hotels.

Dubai - Shopping Festival 2000, Hotels in Dubai, Bars in Dubai, Restaurants in Dubai, Golf in Dubai, Pictures of Dubai, Pictures of Dubai May 2000, Special Offers, Visa Requirements.

Other Country Tips - Paris, Singapore, Japan, Korea Many hotels and tips not covered above.

General Travel Tips - Planning your trip, Arriving at the destination, At the hotel, During your stay, Using e-mail on the road, Cutting the stress of travel, How to avoid Culture Shock, Beat Jet Lag.

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Picture Gallery Phuket, Koh Samui, Chaweng Cove (Samui), Bangkok, Koh Samui (Jan2000), Bangkok (Jan 2000), Bangkok (May 2000), Pictures of Chatuchak Market, Pictures of Bangkok International Airport, Hong Kong Night Life, Hong Kong Government House, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Harbour, Hong Kong (Jan 2000), Ocean Park Hong Kong, Pictures of Manila, Pictures of Cebu, Dubai, Dubai (DFS), Pictures of the ATM 2000 in Dubai, Dubai (May 2000), Paris France, Paris, France (March 2000), Pictures of the Press, Hanoi Vietnam.

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This page gives you all the general information on Hong Kong such as the climate, banking hours, a little background on languages, water, identification, tipping, post offices, newspapers etc. To return to our main Hong Kong section click HERE or to return to our home page click HERE.

Climate : Hong Kong is fortunate as it enjoys four seasons, it also is unfortunate in that it receives Typhoons from time to time. Winter can be chilly and runs from mid December until February, you will need a jacket, during 1999/2000 temperatures went as low as 6 degrees. Spring starts to get a little warmer with temperatures generally ranging from 18-27 degrees and it runs from March to mid May, in the earlier months a light jumper or jacket would be advisable, especially for the evening. Summer heats up and humidity soars, from late May to mid September you will get by with light clothes. It is advisable though to bring a light pullover as restaurants and shops tend to blast their air conditioning units at full blast. It is very easy to catch a cold when moving from very hot and humid to cold air conditioning. Autumn from September to December is a lovely time of year, as the humidity drops and the temperatures begin to cool off. You may require a light pullover or jacket for some evenings. The Typhoon season can be chaotic, and runs from May to November. The meteorological dept. keeps a very keen eye on all Typhoon developments and there warnings are taken very seriously. As a Typhoon comes closer, they issue warnings as to its' strength, with 1 being the lowest and 8 being very strong. Hotels restaurants and shops display message boards to inform you of the severity of the Typhoon. Once the signal reaches 8 then most if not all shops and businesses close down, and some flights may even be cancelled. If you would like to see the power of a force 8 typhoon, take a look at our pictures HERE, and you will see a building being blown by a typhoon. It is the bottom left picture. We do not recommend you go outdoors when it a force 8 has been hoisted. It can be dangerous with things fling around and other things falling from balconies and buildings. Take care.

Language : The official languages in Hong Kong are Chinese and English, although the latter may come as a surprise to those that now Hong Kong well. If you are moving around by taxi we do advise that you ask your hotel to write down the address in Chinese to help both you and the driver.

Water : Water is mostly safe to drink in Hong Kong, especially in hotels. Bottled water can be bought from any shop as well.

Tipping : Most hotels and restaurants add on a 10% surcharge for service, however if you would still like to tip HK10 or HK$ 20 should always suffice. With taxis you normally round up to the closest dollar, though most of the time they will do this automatically.

ID : While in Hong Kong it is law to carry your identification around with you at all times, we do not recommend this. It is much safer to leave your passport in the hotel safe and just carry a photocopy with you in case you do need it.

Newspapers : There are two major English language newspapers in Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Standard, we recommend the South China Morning Post, but that is a purely personal recommendation. If you are looking for a job then this is an excellent source. The Thursday issue carries sales and executive postings and the Saturday issue will blow your mind with the amount of job advertisements. If you are staying in a hotel, note that some hotels remove some of the classified sections on a Saturday, so just check with your local shop that they are the same thickness.

Banking Hours : Major banks are open from 9am to 4:30pm Mondays to Fridays and from 9:00am to 1pm on Saturdays. Offices follow normal International times and run generally from 9am to 5:30pm some with a half day on Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

Post Office : need to send a letter home or send off all those postcards you have been writing ? The major post offices can be found next to the Star Ferry terminal on the Island and at 10 Middle Road in Kowloon. They are open 8am to 6 pm, Mondays through Saturdays, and 8am to 2pm on Sundays. Or you could simply ask your concierge to send them for you.