Attraction Review: Stanley Market, Hong Kong

Stanley market on Hong Kong Island is a cluster of about 150 shops which sell a variety of items (mainly clothes and accessories) at discounted prices. You will not fund branched labels here but will get unbranded stuff at good bargains. It is somewhat like Fashion Street in Mumbai but a few notches above.

How To Get There: You need to get to Central Station and walk a few blocks to the Harbor Exchange Square Bus Terminus and take any bus to Stanley Market. The Bus ride is beautiful and takes you through different parts of Hong Kong. You will see Repulse Bay and you may want to get off and take a stroll on the Repulse Bay Beach. Immediately after Repulse bay is Stanley Market.

Do note that you cannot bargain in Stanley Market. The prices are pretty reasonable however do check the quality of the item you are buying. I would recommend you stick to Clothes especially smart winter wear which I saw in several shops, linen jackets, accessories such as bags and purses. I picked out 10 neck ties for HKD 100 and the quality was good as well.

You can also buy some of the Chinese slippers and pouches if you are interested as you get these as throwaway prices. There are some shops selling electronics however I recommend you steer clear of them. Though I did not enter them but I know others who have and have had issues.
After shopping to your hearts content if you walk a few blocks you will come to a waterfront where they have 5 to 6 joints overlooking the bay where you can have a beer / coffee with some snacks. You should try one of these joins before heading back to Central station.

I would recommend that you complete Stanley Harbour and jumbo Restaurant in one day as they are very close to each other. You can start off at 2:00 PM in the morning from Central and spend about 4 hours in Stanley and then 2 hours at Jumbo before heading back to the hotel.

Happy Shopping!

If you have any queries you can write to Ask.Pranav@Gmail.Com and I will try to revert to you as soon as possible.

Attraction Review: Jumbo Restaurant, Hong Kong

Before leaving for Hong Kong almost everyone we spoke to had insisted that we need to go to Jumbo Restaurant for dinner. Now you need to know if you are a foodie or not, and by foodie I mean if you like to go and try out new cuisines and also scary looking stuff. If Yes, then Jumbo Restaurant is recommended, if not then please avoid. As I (nor my wife) are very adventurous with regards to food, we could have well avoided the Jumbo Restaurant, but given the recommendations we received we decided to give it a shot.

How to Get there: Jumbo Restaurant is in the Aberdeen Area and you can get there from central by cab or by Bus. You can take any bus which goes to Aberdeen (I think the number was 571 and you need to get off at the last stop). However I recommend you take a cab, as the Bus Drivers usually do not understand English and you will be clueless as to where to get off.

When you get off you will need to walk along the waterfront and take the complimentary ferry to the restaurant which is offered by the Restaurant. It will have a big and well lit signage clearly stating Jumbo Restaurant. There are some chargeable ferries which will also take you there and the owners will try to get you into one – but please avoid. Just walk along the waterfront (depending where your bus drops you off) until you get to the Jumbo Signage.

The ferry ride is about 7 minutes and is nothing much of a novelty – there is nothing to see. However the Restaurant is very richly done up and has 3 levels. The lower 2 levels are authentic Chinese cuisine and I cannot comment on the food as I did not try it, but if you are the stereotypical Indian obsessed with India Food or what we call Chinese Food in India then please avoid these 2 levels. The menu looked very scary and is very pricy as well – so you will not only not enjoy the food, but it will burn a hole in your pocket as well. However, if you are the adventurous sort then I guess this would be the place for you.

We went to the third level (which was International Cuisine) and as we were dying to have some Indian Food we ordered some Chicken Tikka and Naan and some Noodles and Rice. Both were pretty bad or much worse than what we get at Average restaurants in India. However sitting on the Upper Deck overlooking the River / Sea and sipping wine and the quiet surrounding made for a romantic dinner. The food was definitely below average. The restaurant was about 5% occupied that evening and a below average dinner for 2 including wine came to HKD 600.

If you are not adventurous with food, please avoid, if you are then please look up other reviews before going there.

For any further queries you can write to Ask.Pranav@Gmail.Com

Attraction Review: Big Bus Tour, Hong Kong

The Big Bus Company operates the Big Bus Tour in Hong Kong. There are 2 tour routes, the first on the Hong Kong Island and the second on the Kowloon Side. It is a great way to get started in Hong Kong by taking this tour.

The cost of this tour is approx HKD 350 per head which includes a Start Ferry return ticket as well as a Peak Tram Ticket. I would suggest you take this tour on the first 2 days of the trip to get a good feel of Hong Kong. You have a running commentary of all the key destinations and you get all the relevant information with regards to the history of the city and the destinations.

Hong Kong Island Tour: The tour starts from the Staff Ferry Terminal so you need to walk the over bridge from Hong Kong or Central Stations. The bus leaves from here every half hour and you can be rest assured they leave on time – I was very impressed by the punctuality. This tour will take you through the Business District to the Peak Tram, to the jail, the Police Head Quarters, the Sohond street escalator etc. It is recommended that you get off at the Peak Tran and spend about 5 hours here shopping and eating and enjoying the view from the Peak. The end to end tour takes about 1.5 hours and I recommend you get off at the Peak and if necessary at the Street escalator. The commentary is pretty informative and if you like to get the history of the place listen carefully especially the details of the Japanese take Over and HK now becoming a part of China and the reactions of the people. That is explained pretty well.

Kowloon Island Tour: This tour starts from the Avenues of Stars promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui. You can board the bus right in front of the promenade (you may have some problem finding the stop (follow the map provided at the time of buying the ticket). This part of the tour covers the avenues of Stars, the Jordan Night Market, Mongkok Ladies market, takes you through the by lanes which have a very Chinese feel to them and is more of a residential area of the middle and lower middle class and you can get an idea of the lifestyle of the residents of Hong Kong. The Ladies market in Mongkok and Jordan Night Market for electronic gadgetry is highly recommended. Also catch the Sound and Light Show at the Avenue of Stars.

Star Ferry: The Star Ferry ticket comes free with the Big Bus Tour. Sit on the upper deck and enjoy the view. It is a 10 minute ferry ride which crosses the bay between Kowloon and Hong Kong. Keep your cameras handy as you will get great shots especially if you going in the evenings.

For any further queries you can write to Ask.Pranav@Gmail.Com and I will try to revert to you as soon as possible

Hotel Review: Q1 Resort and Spa, Gold Coast, Australia

This resort located centrally in Gold Coast in the Surfers Paradise Area is a 99 storey silver tower the tallest one in Gold Coast, which is clearly visible from all over Surfers paradise. We stayed in a One Bedroom Apartment on the 34th floor.

In the Q1 Spa and Resort, please ensure that you do not book into a room below the 25th floor. Any apartment in a room above the 25th floor would give you an awesome view of the Gold Coast, the city as well as the sea. My “wow” moment at this resort was when I went to bed and as I lay on the bed which was close to the open windows, I could see the whole city of Gold Coast below me and planes landing and taking off from the airport in the distance. I could see the sea as well (though it was not very visible at night). Due to this reason and the beautiful views from the resort alone, I would recommend this propery to anyone and everyone.

I paid approximately Rs.16000 (UDS 350) for 3 nights here and I had done my booking through RCI Rentals. Do take a look at the Trip Advisor Website for traveler photos on this hotel, however believe me that the resort and the views from the same are much better than those that can be captured from the photos.

The resort unit comes equipped with all the regular amenities available in a time share unit such as an LCD TV, DVD player (there is an Indian store across the road from where we rented DVDs to watch), Dish Washer, a fully equipped kitchen with a cooking range, crockery, cutlery, a separate dining table, 2 cupboards and a very tastefully done up bathroom. There was a sit out area adjoining the bedroom from where you could get a great view of the beach as well as the city.

You get Indian food very very easily and there are 2 Indian Restaurants very close to the resort. There is a Hard Rock Café 2 blocks away as well. Sea World is fairly close and is 20 mins away by bus and Warner Brothers Movie World and Wet n Wild World are about 35 minutes away. You can commute to the airport as well as to all these locations using the Surfside Bus Routes, the map of which is available in the resort lobby.

There are 2 restaurants on site and a big swimming pool and gym. The gym has a massage chair which can be operated by putting in money which I tried out and I can vouch that the same is very relaxing. The resort is about 7 minutes walk from the beach, however we did not go to the beach too much as the water was very cold. You can get wireless Internet in the room, else you can access it at the Business Centre. The resort can also arrange a barbeque for you if necessary. The staff is very warm and friendly and willingly gives you directions to all the local attractions.

One thing I would like to caution viewers – I visited the resort in the first week of December which coincides with the Schoolies festival where the Australian schools close and the graduating batch from local schools like Melbourne and Sydney throng Gold Coast. 5 or 6 schoolies get together and take a room in Q1 Spa and at this time the whole of Gold Coast is full of these schoolies. They party really hard and puke all over the place, in the resort life / lobby etc. which are frequently closed for cleaning. They play loud music and spill beer all over the aisles etc. This is one thing which can be a botheration, so just ensure that you get an apartment on a floor which does not have any rooms allotted to schoolies. With the exception of this point, my experience at this resort was first class.

I would also like to add here that some portions of “Singh is King” were filmed in the Q1 Resort and Spa. If you have stayed at the resort you will immediately be able to identify the parts which are filmed here.

For any queries you can write to Ask.Pranav@Gmail.Com and I will try to revert to you as soon as possible

Hotel Review: The Panda Hotel, Hong Kong

I stayed at the Panda Hotel in Tsuen Wan Hong Kong for 4 nights in the first week of January, 2010. My experience was great and I have reviewed my hotel stay as given below.

The Panda Hotel is located on the outskirts of the Hong Kong City is the suburb of Tsuen Wan. However it is well connected to the heart of the city by bus routes as well as the Metro which in Hong Kong is called the MTR. The Tai Wo Hau MTR Station is a 5 minute walk from the hotel and gets you to Central Hong Kong (Tsim Sha Tsui & Central) within 35 minutes. The taxi drive from the airport is 250 HKD and takes 30 minutes. I would not rate the location as a constraint if you have that extra 30 mins to travel up and down.

The room is very well equipped with all the basic amenities. It has a flat screen TV, a comfortable bed, a side table and a sofa set and a clean and well maintained bathroom with a bath tub. If you are lucky to get a room above the 20th floor you get a good view as well. A Tea / Coffee Maker is also available and the facilities match that of an average 4* Hotel

The great plus point of this hotel is that it has eateries all around within walking distance. A McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC are just blocks away and if you do not enjoy the Chinese / Japanese food served in the 4 restaurants in The Panda, you need not worry; you can just visit these eateries. A China Bank ATM is also across the road.

The Panda Hotel also has 3 levels of shops where you can get good deals. My wife got great deals on some perfumes she bought on level 2. Internet access for 1 hour is available for 100 HKD which is much better than the other hotels. The staff is very helpful (though they cannot speak fluent English) and the Room Service is prompt. The Room Service Menu is not very impressive and the Room Service shuts down after 1:00 A.M. The check in and checkout processes are smooth and I did not face any issues at all. I paid INR 12000 (USD 280) for 4 nights which was very reasonable.

I did my booking through RCI Rentals and could avail of a Hot Deal however the rack rate will be around Rs.4500 per night. I would strongly recommend this hotel to all budget travelers who are visiting Hong Kong for a week or less. I would not advise the hotel for a long stay due to the distance from the city.

Attraction Review: Ocean Park, Hong Kong

I visited the Ocean Worlds in Hong Kong on 10th, 2010. The tickets to ocean World are HKD 250 per adult which translates to approximately INR 1500 (which is very cheap in my view compared to the rides of offer and the activities you can do there – as compared to Essel World and Water Kingdom which I have been to in Mumbai).

You can get to Ocean Park, Hong Kong from the Admiralty Station. Bus No.629 takes you straight to the Ocean Park at the Peak Entrance. It is important to note that there are 2 parts to Ocean Park. The first one is on the Peak and the second part is the Waterfront. These 2 parts are connected in 3 ways. You can choose any of the following 3 ways to travel between the Peak and the Waterfront.

(1) Ocean Park Express (Train Ride)
(2) Cable Car (Very Scenic and highly recommended, however scary for people who are afraid of heights)
(3) Shuttle Bus

The map of Ocean Park is also split into 2 which is the Peak and the Waterfront and you will need to plan the 2 parts separately as you would want to move from one to the other only once in a day, else you will end up wasting time and miss out on all
the fun things to do in Ocean Park.

Rides: Majority of the Rides are there on the peak. You have the mine train and another roller coaster both of which are very scary and very awesome. I would recommend all these rides and they do end up pumping your adrenaline quite a bit. While taking these rides you get an awesome view of the Aberdeen Bay and Repulse Bay in Hong Kong – so take your camera with you when you are going on the ride

Stalls: The stalls are there in the peak as well as in the waterfront. These are mainly game stalls, the same variety which you see across the world and you can win tokens which can be accumulated and later exchanged for cheap gift

Shows: Please make a note of the show timings as soon as you enter. There was this spell bound show on the peak side which runs every hour which I found really good and another one performed by gymnasts near the balloons and giant trampoline. The other shows are OK; however do not miss these 2 shows

Wildlife: At Ocean Park you can see wildlife from close quarters. There are seals, different types of pandas and many varieties of fish on display. If you are interested do visit. I was pretty much irritated at the amount of time my wife spent taking photographs with these animals (the point I am trying to stress is that unless you are a diehard animal lover – do not waste your time on the wildlife have a re-run on the rides)

Places To Eat: There are several places and stalls to eat within Ocean park including KFC, McDonalds and other stalls. Please note that with the entry tickets of HKD 250 you get coupons of HKD 50 for food and gifts which can be redeemed at the food outlets. I loved the candy floss available for HKD 20 at the Waterfront entrance.

I enjoyed the scenic Cable Car Ride most of all. So please do not miss that and do carry a camera. An Ocean Park visit is a must do on your visit to Hong Kong and there are several things to do – so make it a point to go early by 10:00 AM and stay till the park closes.

If you have any queries do write into Ask.Pranav@Gmail.Com and I will try to respond to you as soon as possible.

Hotel Review - Club Mahindra Fort Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur

I visited the Club Mahindra property in Kumbhalgarh near Udaipur in November, 2010 for 4 nights. I would rate this as one of the better properties from the Club Mahindra stable and it definitely deserves the Gold Crown Status given to it by Resorts Condominium International (RCI).

The resort is at the foot of Fort Kumbhalgarh about 6 kilometers from the mail entrance of the fort. Contrary to what I had heard before visiting the resort is that the resort is not located within the Fort boundaries itself. It is I think approximately 120 kilometers from Udaipur and is about a 2 hour drive. For travelers like me who are car sick all the time I would also like to state that half the journey is very smooth on the National Highway and the remaining half is a topsy turvy road leading upto Kumbhalgarh. I got very car sick so request you to take the necessary tablets before undertaking this journey.

Once you reach the resort you experience utter bliss. The staff is very warm and friendly and the check in process is very smooth. We had a 1 Bed Room apartment which had a hall, kitchenette and a bed room. The hall had a Flat Screen T.V, DVD Player and a Sofa Cum Bed with a sit out overlooking the hills where you could easily spend the lazy afternoon reading a book and sipping a cup of tea. Adjoining the hall is the dry kitchenette which has all the crockery, cutlery, toaster and microwave. You can get yourself the necessary supplies from the resort store and make the basic meals such as sandwiches or any other stuff that does not require a cooking range.

The bed room has a very comfortable bed with roll down cane windows. There is a small balcony outside overlooking the hills where you can have your breakfast in the morning or your evening tea. I think the room design of this Club Mahindra Resort coupled with the amenities is very good and you can have a great family holiday here, within the confines of the resort itself.

Food is always out of the world at Club Mahindra Resorts. If you avail of the Fun Dining you get a 5 Star spread for all 3 meals for Rs.550 + tax which is a very reasonable deal. The alacarte menu is limited but is also very good. The resort also has a library, Internet Kiosk, a Games Room and a DVD Rental store which add to the things you can do when you stay at the resort.

For sightseeing outside the resort there are primarily two attractions.

(1) Fort Kumbhalgarh: This is a must visit for all residents of the resort. You will be able to get a guided tour from the resort. Please ask for one of the in house Club Mahindra tour guides who are local residents. They double up as Tour Guides as well as Drivers and explain the history related to the fort very well. Do not take a guide from outside the fort.

(2) Haldi Ghati: This is where the Battle of Haldi Ghati was fought by Rana Pratap and the Mughals (if I remember correctly) Chetak (the horse of Rana Pratap) died here as well. This is 50% of the way between Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh and you should go there either on your way from Kumbhalgarh Resort or on your way back from there. Again take an in house guide from Club Mahindra

Hope you have a great trip as and when you decide to visit Fort Kumbhalgarh!

Hotel Review - Cambay Resort and Spa, Jaipur

I visited Jaipur for 4 days in November, 2009. I stayed at the Cambay Spa & Resort.

The location of the resort is slightly on the out skirts of Jaipur in the Kukas area. It is about 30 kms from the heart of the city centre but only about 7 or 8 kms from a lot of the tourist attractions such as Amer Form, Jal Mahal etc. The Trident as well as the Le Meridian are fairly close by. While it is out of the city the travel can be managed by taxi. Please note that if you are staying at this hotel you will either need to have a taxi or your own car. Public transport is altogether non-existent.

I would rate this as a 4 Star Resort with average 4 amenities. The buffet breakfast was not included in the room rate and we had to pay Rs.250 per head for the buffet breakfast. Due to the low occupancy perishables items were not a part of the Buffet and needed to be ordered separately, however the food was very good but a bit expensive though. Even the Room Service Rates are slightly on the higher side.
The room was a studio apartment and was well equipped with a flat screen TV, a very comfortable bed, a tea, coffee maker, and a very clean and well done up bathroom. The interiors of the room are very nice and could be rates as just below some of the 5 start amenities in Mumbai. The Resort is fairly large and I got the feeling that it was not even 25% occupied. I wonder why? …… may be because it was on the outskirts of the city.

Amongst the external facilities, what they showed me as a swimming pool was not a swimming pool at all and was more like a pond …. So please assume that this resort does not have a pool. However it has a very good spa offering excellent massages as well as haircuts and everything that women would like to do in their free time. However it is to be noted that the prices are a bit on the higher side – but the massage is definitely worth it.
I would like to add that the same time we stayed here …. So did Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and Bharat Dabholkar …… so if they would the resort good enough to live in … so will you.

I paid approx Rs.9000 for 1 weeks stay out of which I utilized only 4 nights. I did the booking from RCI rentals and this was listed as a Hot Deal with them. I think I got more than my money’s worth in terms of the facilities on offer in this resort. I would recommend this resort to all ……. Just keep in mind that it is a few kilometers outside the city.

For any queries you can write to Ask.Pranav@Gmail.Com and I will get back to you as soon as possible

Hotel Review: Vincci Condal Mar, Barcelona (4 Star)

I stayed at the Vincci Condal Mar for 4 nights in January 2008. I would rate it as more of a Business Hotel and less of a Leisure hotel. It is located about 30 minutes from Barcelona International Airport and it takes you about 50 Euros by cab to get to the hotel from the Airport.

Location: However, location does not pose to be too much of a problem, as the Metro Station (Selva de Mar) is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. The area appeared to be safe and my wife and I walked from the hotel to the metro station late at night, and even though the streets were deserted, I think it was pretty safe. The locality is on the out skirts of Barcelona and may not be five up market, but it is not bad either. By Metro it will take you about 30 minutes to the city centre and if you do not mind the travel it is great.

The rates are economical and I would strongly recommend this hotel as it is very good value for money. There is a buffet breakfast which was top notch however I was not very impressed with the ala carte and room service menus. It is ideal if you are going to do a lot of sightseeing in Barcelona and use the hotel for a good night’s rest and a sumptuous breakfast.
The ambience of the room is very different from most hotels – I felt as if I was entering a futuristic land with black and bright red designs in geometrical shapes all across the hotel and lobby. However it was not bad either, it was just very different, something I am not very used to in hotels. The bathroom does not have a door separating it from the room. The shower tub is not directly visible from the bedroom, it is in a small enclosure on one side but there is no separating door which I found a bit weird at first but then got used to it. The rest of the room amenities are as per expectations from a 4star hotel. Internet Access is extensive at this hotel; they just have 1 PC in the lobby and charge 5 Euro for a 10 minute coupon.
I would recommend this hotel as it is good 4 star hotels and give you Value for Money. I did my booking through RCI Rentals and got a per night charge of Rs.5000 which is very reasonable for a 4 start hotel in Barcelona (I think you get this rate only if you are an RCI member, else it is about Rs.7000. It is just a bit out of the city located at one end of the Diagonal Mar but well connected by Metro and you do not mind the 30 min train journey to all major attractions, please try out this hotel, you will not regret it.