I had always wanted to visit Hong Kong. When I was a child, the only amusement park I went to was Enchanted Kingdom but that was all. I had never been to other places because we couldn’t afford the luxury of traveling around the country, much less abroad.

When I started earning, I promised myself I would go to Hong Kong. And I promised myself I would take my mom with me as a treat.

Booking a Flight to Hong Kong

It all started when Cebu Pacific Air slashed 50% off their international flights in July. I booked a flight to Hong Kong for my mother and myself scheduled in November. It was supposed to be a mother-son bonding weekend in Hong Kong. I had long wanted to treat my mother to a trip overseas and the seat sale by Cebu Pacific Air opened an opportunity.

The problem was, the moment my sister heard about the news, she also booked the same flight for her, her son and our niece. It was also her dream to take the two kids in our family to Disneyland Hong Kong. That made us a group of five: three adults and two kids.

The cost of a roundtrip ticket to Hong Kong at the time was P4553 for adults and P3844 for children. That includes everything — from travel insurance to web admin fee to taxes.

Apparently, booking flights was the easy part.

Preparing the Necessary Travel Documents

Because it would be my second time to travel abroad (first was Singapore), I already had a passport. The problem was, I was the only one in the family. My mother, sister and the two kids were yet to apply.

Since we booked in July and the flight was scheduled in November, we had plenty of time to secure passports. My sister worked on the passport application, scheduling an appointment online via the DFA Appointment System website. Their appointment was set some time in September.

IMPORTANT: If you’re applying for many members of your family, take advantage of the Family Application feature of the website. You will find that here. This makes it easier for you and avoid hassles since you can only set an appointment via their website for a number of people. It has a per day limit.

Imagine, we did this in July and the schedule given to us was in September so make sure you set an appointment early.

Another problem we encountered was that my niece would be traveling with just us and her parents won’t be joining us so we also had to secure a DSWD travel clearance for her.

For more information on how to prepare requirements for passport application (especially if you’re traveling with kids), click here.

Finding Cheap Accommodations in Hong Kong

Since we decided not to take an arranged tour from any travel agency and just pull of a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) trip, finding affordable accommodations was a challenge. But because many of my friends had already been to Hong Kong, I asked around for the hotels or hostels or inns they stayed.

It dawned on me that the hostel or hotel I should look for must be in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. I was able to find a number of hostels in the area online. My boss recommended the Burlington branch of Tai San Guest House. It is very much like an ordinary apartment unit but the rooms are being rented out to tourists. The location is perfect, near a bus station and a few steps from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station.

The rate was reasonable. HK$500 per room per night. The room could accommodate all of us — 3 adults, 2 kids. (It was actually a pretty small room but we were OK with it since we were used to small rooms, hihi, and because it was really cheap. I mean, come on.)

The place was being managed by Ate Yolly, a Filipina, making it easier to reserve. Two months before our flight, we already had a place to stay. Sweet.

Click here to visit Tai San Guest House’s official website.

Preparing a 3D/2N Hong Kong Family Trip Itinerary

Technically we only have 2 full days because of our flight back to Manila would leave in the morning of our 3rd day. Also, remember that I had an almost-senior citizen and two mischievous kids with me on this trip:

Day 1

• Leave Manila, arrive in Hong Kong
• Check in at Tai San Guest House
• Breakfast
• Ocean Park Hong Kong
• Victoria Peak (7pm)
• Dinner
• Boulevard of the Stars

Day 2

• Disneyland Hong Kong (day)
• Mong Kok Night Market (night)

Day 3

• Check out: Tai San Guest House
• Leave Hong Kong

Although this was the original plan, we were not able to follow this successfully as it was too tiring for the kids and I also had other reasons. Read my other Hong Kong posts to learn more about what actually happened on our trip and to see the places we visited.

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