Won’t go into all the details of our school holidays to Hong Kong, China (Shenzhen only) and Bali. Instead, will provide some highlights and tips based on our stay.
Date Visited: 28th March to 12th April 2025
Location: Hong Kong (mainly Island side), China (Shenzhen only) and Bali (Seminyak only).
Getting There: Main leg from we flew from London Heathrow to Hong Kong via Cathay Pacific. Mini-breaks to China via the MTR, and flight from Hong Kong to Bali with Cathay Pacific.
Cost: We tried to book ahead so all flights were c.£1,450 per person for economy class seats. Hotels in Hong Kong were double that in China, at about £220 per night for a room. We luckily had a villa organised by Cara’s aunt for Bali. Food and drinks extra.
Hong Kong
It was pre-Cara days since my last proper visit to Hong Kong, and the experience and especially food was just as good as I remembered. Luckily the GBP was relatively strong against the HKD which made things affordable as well. On arrival, we stayed at the Royal Plaza Hotel which is attached to the MOKO Mall in Mong Kok East. This made it easier to catch the train from there to visit Shenzhen the next day. It offers plenty of shopping and food options and was a great way to settle in after a long flight.
On our return to Hong Kong, we stayed across on Hong Kong Island at the Island Shangri-La, closer to family. Conveniently located near Admiralty MTR and above the Pacific Place mall, although its shops were a little too upmarket for us! It was a bit pricier for the older styled room we booked, but it had a cracking view of the Peak. The renovated rooms on the lower levels were even pricier, but that’s Hong Kong for you!
Given its location, it was super easy to navigate around Hong Kong, whether to visit the markets, restaurants, or even a laundromat. If you’re into fresh egg tarts and buns, I recommend popping by the Happy Bakery down the road (about 7 mins walk), I filled up twice! Other than eat and catch up with family, we literally did nothing – no sightseeing, theme parks, nothing!
Shenzhen, China
Not sure what we were expecting in Shenzhen, but this was probably one of the highlights of the trip. I had last visited the city when I was 13 years old, obviously a lot has changed since then. The food options was plenty and affordable, and the shopping was decent as well. We stayed at the Futian Shangri-La, easily accessible by the metro. Besides visiting the various shopping malls on the hunt for cute plushies and keyrings, we ventured out to Window of the World, which is a mini-snapshot of the famous world landmarks. It was starting to show its age but still very well maintained. As we visited during a weekday, there were no queues for any of the activities or rides.
Seminyak, Bali
90% of our visit was spent at the villa with family, only venturing out to local restaurants and the beach. So again, not much we can share with you activity wise. If you’re planning to visit the Flea Market, it’s only small and prices are very inflated. If you’re looking for souvenirs, there are plenty available outside the market for a fraction of the price. The sunset along the beach is fantastic, we recommend popping in to one of the many bars, restaurants or beach clubs prior to sunset to enjoy the view.
Travel Tips for Hong Kong, China and Bali:
- In Hong Kong, you can purchase a tourist Octopus card (for adults and children) at the Airport, there are offices near the arrivals hall and also on the platform. The platform one was definitely less busy. I think they only accepted cash, but there is a ATM next to the ticket booth. Be sure to return it before leaving if you can to receive your deposit back.
- If you’re looking for an e-sim, we used Nomad’s Asia pack for use in Hong Kong, China and Indonesia. It was approximately £15 for 10 Gb data, and £20 for 20 Gb for up to a month with the ability to top-up and hotspot from. No issues with usage, just need to remember to turn on roaming once you land.
- Be sure to load up WeChat or Alipay if visiting China to make travelling around and payments easier. We didn’t even take cash out, everything was a QR code scan and payment!
- As we most south-east Asian locations, download the Grab app (similar to Uber) where you can book taxis and request food delivery in Bali.
- Check your visa and entry requirements before travelling! We opted for the visa-on-arrival at Shenzhen Lo Wu station (upstairs visa office) which was an easy process but did take over an hour. For Bali there’s extra declarations for health and tourist tax you need to submit a few days prior to arrival.
