Wait till you to try to get a hotel. Not like mainland China where you can get a room for 200 RMB. Expect to pay a pretty penny for a tiny nasty room. If kids are in tow, expect to pay more. The 100 for the train will seem like nothing. Bring ATM card and plenty of cash.
Yeah, you can get a cheap room, but you'll wish you didn't. I found one on Ctrip at under 200 (per person), but it was shared for 9 people. Also, the cheapest rate was male/female in the same room.
If you have the entire family you can get better than that (but still tiny) for the price.
Most people are creatures of habit which limits their growth severely. Every time I go to HK I make it a point to use a different entry/exit point so I can know all the surrounding area and where each exit will bring me.
If you are short on cash, HK is not the place to go. Trains charge by distance, so the further you go the more you pay. Keep a lot of loose change in hand. First time I visited I was amazed at how the taxi meter moved and the fares kept rising right in front of my eyes.
Good side is there of plenty to eat anywhere and everywhere but prices are much higher than good old Kunming.
Expect to go into many (mansions) hotels to ask for rates and then walk out to look for another.
I am not going there for fun and am not looking forward to it. I hate spending so much money for things like transportation, hotel, food but it's a one time thing and then done for 10 years. Hotel is 300/night.
I just see spending 500 for a 20min train ride as excessive.
Wow, 500 for the train into town is far too much.
For multiple people it may even be cheaper to take a taxi, and Hong Kong taxis are bigger than what we have here in Kunming.
Speaking of expensive, I just noticed the air fare is much, much higher than it was when I booked at the end of May to go in June. I'm now looking at travelling in mid-August. Is that a peak period?
Right now is pretty expensive but by the end of August we saw fares for 600 round trip.
Anyone with a 10 yr visa should know that they must exit the country very 60-90-180 days. Few are so lucky as to get 180 days. So be prepared to go to Laos, Vietnam, and Hong Kong again and again. Only time will tell which is more time consuming and which is more expensive.
That sucks unless you have money to burn.
Although HK is expensive to visit, in the long run it is the best place to do a visa run provided you can do it all in 1 day and do not have to stay in HK overnight. Even with a brand new 52 page passport, a 10 yr visa will quickly use up a new passport with visas and entry - exit stamps. Especially with those jerks at the border who open any page and put a stamp wherever they want.
I know one poor slob (single) who has a 10 yr visa with 60 day stay. He is going bankrupt from coming and going and his passport is all used up and he does not even have the visa for 2 years yet. It is very difficult to live ones life with a 60 day deadline looming over ones head all the time. Also, 60 days does not equal 60 days because of weekends and holidays and avaiability of transport (cheapest fares). A person can exit a few days shy but do not exceed your stay or there will be repurcussions. Imagine doing this with a family of 4 every 60 days. Hehe!
Also, forget about travel and leisure as this 60-90 day mandatory exit will use up all your vacation money. Hehe!
People who are trying to use the 10 yr visa as a means to live in China will soon find out this is NOT the way to go. Just wait and see how many foreigners get turned in or get caught working illegally with a 10 yr visa. Hehe!
Wait until you get to HK and they say NO or they say you must wait 5-10 days. Hehe!
HK is nice, they don't actually stamp your passport anymore.
Take a taxi as AlPage suggested. The train is convenient and nice, but if you're in no rush and don't need to be in central during biz hours, then taxi is effective for a group.
Fbt agency is a bit difficult to locate, so research that ahead of time if you need their help.
Isn't it illegal to work on a spouse visa also? I'm not a fan of sixty days, but as US citizen you can probably get either a ten year 60 day or a single entry 60 day in HK for the exact same amount, so it's silly not to get the ten year.
