Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [166]
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top picks
ONLY IN HONG KONG
Morning t’ai chi in the park Click here
Betting on the horses at uniquely urban Happy Valley (left)
Cheers and beers at the Rugby Sevens (below)
Watching (or joining in) the Dragon Boat Racing festival Click here
Hiking from city into jungle on the Hong Kong Trail Click here
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You have three choices if you want to attend a meeting. You can join the crowds and pay $10 to sit in the public area. Or, if you’ve been in Hong Kong for less than 21 days and are over 18 years of age, you can buy a tourist badge ($100 to $150, depending on the meeting), which allows you to jump the queue, sit in the members’ area and walk around near the finish area. These can be purchased at the gate on the day, or up to 10 days in advance at any branch of the HKJC. Bring along your passport as proof. The last choice is to join one of the racing tours Click here sponsored by the HKTB.
The HKJC maintains off-track betting centres around the territory, including a Central branch ( Map; Unit A1, Ground fl, CMA Bldg, 64 Connaught Rd Central; MTR Central, exit J3), a Wan Chai branch ( Map; Ground fl, Kin Lee Bldg, 130 Jaffe Rd; MTR Wan Chai, exit A1) and a Tsim Sha Tsui branch ( Map; Ground fl, Eader Centre, 39-41 Hankow Rd; MTR Tsim Sha Tsui, exit E).
Red-letter days at the races include the Chinese New Year races in late January or early February, the Hong Kong Derby in March, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in April and the Hong Kong International Races in December.
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RUGBY
The Rugby World Cup Sevens (www.hksevens.com.hk) sees teams from all over the world come together in Hong Kong in late March for three days of lightning-fast 15-minute matches at the 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium ( Map; 2895 7926; www.lcsd.gov.hk/stadium; Happy Valley) in So Kon Po, a division of Causeway Bay. Even nonrugby fans scramble to get tickets (adult/child $880/300), because the Sevens is a giant, international, three-day party. For inquiries and tickets, contact the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union ( 2504 8311; www.hkrugby.com).
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SLEEPING
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ACCOMMODATION STYLES
Hotels
Guesthouses
Hostels & Camp Sites
Rental Accommodation
RESERVATIONS
SERVICED APARTMENTS
Hong Kong Island
Kowloon
HONG KONG ISLAND
ADMIRALTY & WAN CHAI
ISLAND WEST
CAUSEWAY BAY
OTHER NEIGHBOURHOODS
KOWLOON
TSIM SHA TSUI
TSIM SHA TSUI EAST & HUNG HOM
KOWLOON WEST
YAU MA TEI
MONG KOK
NEW TERRITORIES
TAI MEI TUK
SHA TIN
OUTLYING ISLANDS
LAMMA
LANTAU
CHEUNG CHAU
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top picks
Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong Click here
The Four Seasons Click here
Golden Island Guesthouse Click here
Hotel Jen Click here
Mandarin Oriental Click here
Peninsula Hong Kong Click here
Putman Click here
Salisbury Click here
W Hong Kong Click here
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In a city where a foot of land, as the saying goes, is worth an inch of gold, money makes all the difference when you’re looking for a bed for the night. If you have cash, you’ll be spoiled for choice, so wide is the range of luxurious places. The middle range of the price spectrum tends to be crowded with adequate but less inspiring options, while further down the price scale the pickings get thinner – the defining feature here is hostels and guesthouses with broom cupboard–sized rooms.
But things have been improving of late. Since the easing of cross-border travel restrictions by China in 2003, visitors from the mainland have overtaken travellers from Japan and the West to become the single largest market for Hong Kong. As many of these northern visitors come mainly to shop, they seek out affordable accommodations in central locations. The global recession also means that hotels and guesthouses have to work harder to attract customers. Many budget addresses have improved their standards, and many midrange places and even top-end hotels are offering big discounts (especially during the shoulder and low seasons) on their posted rates, which are the ones listed in this chapter.