Hey All-

My Fiancee and I are looking at going to China/Hong Kong for our Honeymoon next July. We're starting to plan now because we know we'll have to save some if we want to go there.

Has anyone ever been? We're mainly looking into Hong Kong and Beijing, and then possibly going to Tokyo from there. The only problem is that neither of us has any knowledge of China except for what we've read and seen on TV. I've been doing a lot of research online though.

My main questions are can anyone recommend an airline to get there or a hotel to stay in in any of the cities? How much English is spoken there? Im a little worried about the language barrier. How is the dollar in comparison to the Yen or the Hong Kong Dollar? Then, of course, any other knowledge anyone could add we should know would be appriciated!!!!

Thanks all...

 

I was in Hong Kong about 2 years ago. I went through a travel agent my friend knew. The airway was Cathay pacific. Ticket was quite cheap and only one stop. Definitely wouldn't hesitate to use them again. I am not to good at what hotels you may like for your honeymoon because I was looking for convenience.

I stayed at the hotel metropole and found it to be pretty nice and inexpensive as well. Everyone I talked to at the hotel was helpful and patient even though we didn't always understand each other . English speakers was hit or miss. Most of the people my friend new spoke English and Cantonese. So I basically had a translator with me the whole time . Most places with English speakers were guys in electronic stores and places like that, and some of the restaurants that were a bit nicer understood what you were saying.

Transportation was easy. Had no issues getting around whatsoever. Unfortunately I cannot comment about china or Tokyo other than I would love to go. Hope it helps a bit

 

English in Hong Kong is fine.

English in just about all of China is useless. I spent 1.5 weeks in China and except for the really really urban areas, I was very surprised by how useless English was.

What do you want to do on your honeymoon?

The other thing to note is that HK/China in July is nasty hot and humid. I cut my first trip to HK short because I couldn't take the summer weather.

 

Hong Kong is a great place to visit at least once in your lifetime. You'll get around fine without knowledge of any chinese since a majority of HK citizens speak english. I would advise taking the underground subway as a means for getting around since taxi drivers typically don't speak english as well as others that work in store fronts.

as far as beijing goes, i would try and book a tour guide who speaks english & chinese to take you around. many mainlanders don't speak english so you're going to be in trouble if you try to be adventurous and find your way around only speaking english.

as far as the weather goes in july...it is crazy humid and hot. HK gets to be around 28C but with the humidity, it feels like 103F. you'll be sweating bullets that for sure.

good luck with your travel plans! and congrats on your marriage!!

 

I've never been to China, but I think Japan would be a better choice... I have a bias beause I've been there, but it just seems to be a more "western" country if you want to feel comfortable. Places like Kyoto are amazing and quite romantic... and in most of the large cities, english is NO issue whatsoever.

May I ask what peaked your interest in China so we can possibly offer better advice?

 

Hello from China! I just got here in China two days ago and will visit Hong Kong tomorrow. You will be fine speaking English in Hong Kong. The current exchange is about 7.75 HK dlls to 1 US Dlls. Both Hong Kong and Beijing are busy cities and since the olympic games are in Beijing there are going to be a lot of people visiting. When are you planning to go? I suggest you to avoid going in the summer because is pretty hot and theres a lot of humidity. There's a lot to see and do in HK. The food is great and unexpensive. Make sure to book hotels thru travel agencies, it will be cheaper than calling it for yourself. I am sure you will find both China and HK very enjoyable places to visit.

 

Thanks everyone for all the replies. Luckily, Im not too worried about the heat and the temps just because Im so used to it, being a born and raised Floridian. For example, its like 95 degrees here today and hot as hell. Our Honeymoon would be in the summer though, since we're getting married in June. It's interesting how we decided to go, my fiancee has been all over Europe, and I have some to a degree, so it was a once in a lifetime place that we could both agree on. We definitely want to see the sights (great wall, Forbidden City, etc.), and eat the food and just have a romantic relaxing time, while also having a lot of fun.

Bobster, could I ask what airline you flew over on? There are a bunch it seems. Also what part of CHina are you in right now, before you head to HKG. Also, can you recommend anywhere that you're staying?

Thanks

 

I go to China/Hong Kong/Japan once per year.

If you never have...better to to China or Hong Kong...it would be an amazing experience...

 

I have traveled in China quite a few times on business so we never had a problem with communication. In most cities the people at "Tourist" hotels will speak english otherwise find a young child, they are all learning English starting at a young age. I have found that they are more than willing to help because it gives them a chance to practice speaking English to a real Westerner.
The Forbidden City will take you two days to see if you really want to explore it, otherwise one full day and you will see more than you probably wanted to. The Summer Palace is very nice too. The Great Wall isn't that exciting but you HAVE to go see it. It's a felony if you travel to China and don't go see the Wall. We traveled from Beijing to Badaling(sp?) to see it.
Go to Xian to see the Terracatta Soldiers. It' a long trip; take an plane, but it's pretty impressive.
A REALLY NICE place to go if your on your honeymoon is Haungjou(Hungjjoe), it is considered the nicest place in China and a hugh vacation destination for most Chinese. There is abundent shopping, Tea Plantations, Pagodas and the Lake to visit. There are lots of nice hotels along the lake and great restaurants everywhere and most people speak enough english for you to feel comfortable.
Be careful about the restaurants, you might have to walk into a room full of aquariams filled with fish, shellfish, turtles and other water life that you can have for dinner. It's kind of wierd, one restaurant we went into had a baby Seal in a tank. It was really cute but it was going to wind up someones dinner.
Shanghai is a great place to visit, especially down by the river at night. On one side of the river you will see all of the nice new fancy buildings with neon all over the place. On the otherside are all of the old parliment buildings from when Western society had government contingents in China, it's very pretty at night. Plus there is a huge river walk that you can stroll up and down.
I will try to find some of the hotels we stayed in and post them for you.
In Beijing we stayed at the Friendship Hotel. It used to be the headquarters for the Russian Communist Party but is now a nice hotel and conference center.

 

dont. period.