Hong Kong- with a 2 and something year old.....

[crumpet]

so we are planning a trip to Hong Kong next year possibly September when DD will be 4 months short of being 3.

Am looking for hotel recommendations, and what other parents recommend we see/visit while we are there.

Disneyland is the top of the list so far!

[SammyRo]

We did Hong Kong in Febraury, with a 3.5 and a 2yo. We loved it. Disneyland was awesome, even DS, the 2yo could go on many of the rides, and he was so into meeting the characters. I would personally give Ocean Park a miss for little ones, great for older kids and adults though.
We stayed in Kowloon, and there is a huge park there, with playgrounds and a swimming complex. We started most days with a walk through there to help blow off some energy.
The streets are crazy packed, so the ergo was priceless and Disneyland had some jogger prams you could hire for cheap. We also took some reins/harness for the kids to wear if they wanted to walk.
The first day there we did a big red bus tour, which the kids were happy to sit and watch as we drove around, but that was coming off the back of a flight from the UK so they were pretty jet lagged.
The Peak is good,and the kids enjoyed the vernicular tram, but it was so foggy at the top.
There is a huge park on hong kong island as well, but we didn't get to that.
Be prepared for your LO to get a lot of attention, especially if they are blond. Both of mine are white blonde, and we had people wanting their photos with them, just touching their head as they walk by, and some just out right staring. It was cute to begin with but got a bit annoying by the end of the week, and DD was totally over it by then too.

HTH!

[crumpet]

oh thats a great help thanks!!

we dont have a ergo, and have never baby worn ( i preferred the pram) so i dont know if DD would go in a ergo now?

Is it to busy to take a stroller??

[LuluHB]

We went last year when DDs were 3.5 and 4.5 and we had a ball. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Nathan Road which was a great location - you walk out of the hotel, cross the road and there's a subway station right there as well as a supermarket and obviously heaps of shops and restaurants. The hotel was clean, the staff lovely.

It is crazy busy but I found the people there were amazingly good with the kids - they squeezed themselves more tightly on trains so that our kids weren't squashed etc. I wouldn't have a problem tkaing a pram but it will be a bit of a pain because there are stairs EVERYWHERE!

We went to Ocean Park which is on Hong Kong island and it was great. Huge aquarium and lots of rides and things. There were some rides my kids couldn't go on so you would have that issue too.

There is a teddy bear factory where the kids go and make/decorate their own factory over near The Peninsula Hotel which was great. The space museum thing is good for adults and kids in small doses (or big doses if you're my DH!)

Like SammyRo said, you will get a ton of attention - when we went to Disneyland the girls had a photo with Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella and I swear there were queues of Chinese taking photos of our kids and not the princesses. Everyone wanted to take their photo and many wanted to touch them and the kids did get a bit overwhelmed with it all so we quickly learnt to herd them between the two of us and just politely say no to people that approached.

The peak tram is great, as is the cable car on the same island as Disneyland (sorry - brainfart). Its the longest able car in the world (?) and the kids loved it. We went on the ferry both at night and daytime, lots of trains, the double decker bus etc and the kids loved it all.

Get an Octopus card - you can use it for transport as well as lots of stores like Deli France - bit like a phone card where you just add credit to it. Makes life much easier.

Disneyland we stayed at the Hollywood Disney Hotel and it was great. Fantastic playground for the kids, close to the park with constant shuttle transfers. Ask for a park view room and you will be able to see the fireworks so if your LO is too tired you can go back to your room and still have the fun - we had one night in the hotel and one at the park but DD2 slept through the ones we stayed in the park for because she was just shattered.

Will have a think and see if anything else comes to me. I'm sure we did more but my brain isn't working this morning. Let me know if you have any specific questions

[crumpet]

We went last year when DDs were 3.5 and 4.5 and we had a ball. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Nathan Road which was a great location - you walk out of the hotel, cross the road and there's a subway station right there as well as a supermarket and obviously heaps of shops and restaurants. The hotel was clean, the staff lovely.

It is crazy busy but I found the people there were amazingly good with the kids - they squeezed themselves more tightly on trains so that our kids weren't squashed etc. I wouldn't have a problem tkaing a pram but it will be a bit of a pain because there are stairs EVERYWHERE!

We went to Ocean Park which is on Hong Kong island and it was great. Huge aquarium and lots of rides and things. There were some rides my kids couldn't go on so you would have that issue too.

There is a teddy bear factory where the kids go and make/decorate their own factory over near The Peninsula Hotel which was great. The space museum thing is good for adults and kids in small doses (or big doses if you're my DH!)

Like SammyRo said, you will get a ton of attention - when we went to Disneyland the girls had a photo with Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella and I swear there were queues of Chinese taking photos of our kids and not the princesses. Everyone wanted to take their photo and many wanted to touch them and the kids did get a bit overwhelmed with it all so we quickly learnt to herd them between the two of us and just politely say no to people that approached.

The peak tram is great, as is the cable car on the same island as Disneyland (sorry - brainfart). Its the longest able car in the world (?) and the kids loved it. We went on the ferry both at night and daytime, lots of trains, the double decker bus etc and the kids loved it all.

Get an Octopus card - you can use it for transport as well as lots of stores like Deli France - bit like a phone card where you just add credit to it. Makes life much easier.

Disneyland we stayed at the Hollywood Disney Hotel and it was great. Fantastic playground for the kids, close to the park with constant shuttle transfers. Ask for a park view room and you will be able to see the fireworks so if your LO is too tired you can go back to your room and still have the fun - we had one night in the hotel and one at the park but DD2 slept through the ones we stayed in the park for because she was just shattered.

Will have a think and see if anything else comes to me. I'm sure we did more but my brain isn't working this morning. Let me know if you have any specific questions

oh wow thats awesome thanks Lulu!

Is there 2 different hotels at Disneyland? or are they both the same company? i definitely want to stay there for a couple of nights

[LuluHB]

yep, there are two - the more traditional/colonial disney Hotel and then the new (only opened last year) Disney Hotel, which is the themed one. It is the cheaper of the two, so an added bonus. Not sure if tey're owned by the same company or not.

And I meant the kids can make their own teddy bears, not their own factories!!

[onthefly]

I've not been there with kids, but I wouldnt' take a stroller. Maybe a good toddler carrier like a kinderpack or a toddler-sized olives&applesauce or some such. She may want to walk a fair bit, anyway, but for when she's tired or transfers, etc, it would probably make life a lot easier.

[FabFiona]

My girlfriend went recently with her daughter who is 2.8 years old. They didn't take a stroller, just a hiking style backpack. Her daughter was happy to walk and she also commented on how there were stairs everywhere.

They had a great time.

[crumpet]

So maybe a hiking style carrier would be better than something like a ergo?

I've never used a carrier, had a baby bjorn and hated it, so it's something I'll need to look into and then get her used to.

But she is pretty good when going out walking so I think she would be ok.....

God traveling with toddlers is hard! Lol

[onthefly]

you want a soft structured carrier like an ergo (not a hiking one, they're rather large and bulky). The ergo might not be the best one for a bigger kid, though. You could start a thread in the baby slings forum and ask for advice about brands. She probably would be fine walking, you just want something you can roll up on your bag and break out if she gets tired or if walking isn't an option for some reason (busy traffic, on/off buses, or whatever).