See also China Spa Princess for more information about China and Hong Kong.

Visa: If you have a UK passport you will not need a visa for Hong Kong for stays less than 6 months, but you will need one for China. 

Adaptor: Our hotel had UK plugs so no need for an adaptor!

Flight time: If you can get a direct flight from London to Hong Kong it will take just under 12 hours.  Our total flight duration, with 45 minute stop in Helsinki was 13 hours 25 minutes. 

Vaccinations: You can use this very good website (see right), but I would advise that you visit your GP surgery to make sure you are properly informed.

I had already had all of the jabs I needed; diphtheria; tetanus; hepatitis A; typhoid; but it was good to have a chat with the nurse about rabies.  It’s very rare, but dog or bat bites should be double checked (and yes, there are a lot of bats in Hong Kong - but not in the neon areas!)

Currency: Hong Kong dollars; available in the UK.  In September 2010 the exchange rate was around HK$12 to £1.

Time zone: 7 hours ahead of London time when we travelled in September 2010.

Drinking water: There’s a lot of debate about whether Hong Kong’s tap water is safe to drink.  I go along the lines that it is better to be safe than sorry, and also I used the few days here as a time to get into good habits for China - like making sure I brushed my teeth with bottled water.  You can boil it for tea (it’s not salinated.) 

Bugs: Don’t forget that you are in a rainforest, and, despite the pollution there is a lot of wildlife, so be on the safe side and put on a little bug spray.

Safety: The general consensus is that crime on tourists is restricted to petty theft and we felt very safe - but hyper aware in busy areas like Jordan and Temple Street.

Packing:  Essentials - raincoat, sun tan lotion (very easy to get sunburned when the sun jumps out!) bug spray, swimwear for the beach, (umbrellas are cheaper on the street here than in London but may not be as robust!) posh shoes if you want to have tea at The Peninsular.

Getting around: Hong Kong has an incredible public transport system - the tube or MTR (no eating or drinking on here!) buses, trains, ferries and even, my favourite, the tram that goes around Hong Kong Island. 

You can either get a tourist pass (HK$55 per day) or a pay as you go Octopus Card.  You buy a ticket, load it up with cash and it charges you fares as you go (very much like a Pay As You Go Oyster card) and includes the public ferries.  At the end you hand it back for a refund of your deposit and anything left on the card (less a HK$7 handling fee if less than 3 months from purchase.)  We used around HK$55 a day so there really isn’t much to choose between the two.

Face masks: Hong Kong is paranoid about coughs and colds (probably because of Hong Kong flu) which means they have body temperature scanners - very cool at the borders.  Also you’ll often see people wearing face masks on the train, or anyone giving you a massage.  Also, if you clear your throat, everyone stares at you!  Whatever you do, don’t sneeze in public!

The Guide: After dipping into many guide books this time around, the DK Eyewitness Top 10 is still my favourite.  Although it may be a little outdated in places it still got us to the most restaurants, helped us find our way around and provided the most useful background information.  We couldn’t have managed without it!