Trip to Hong Kong 2024 with 2 kids
The last time we went to Hong Kong was before COVID happened and Chase was only 3 months old! Now we’re back and Chase was 5.5 years old, and Jasiel was 1.5 years old. I know it may seem crazy to travel with young kids to Asia because of the flight and the time difference, but HK is familiar to us and we love going there. Travelling to HK in the spring break time was actually quite nice for the weather, with it being around 18-22 degrees, so it wasn’t hot and humid at all. In fact, we had to wear a light windbreaker here and there due to the wind and us staying close to the water.
Thoughts about the flight
I must say that if you can avoid it, try to fly direct to the countries as flights with layovers can be quite exhausting. I mean, either way it’ll be exhausting, but, just some thoughts! This time around, we took JAL as we were planning to go to Tokyo on the way back, and it was cheaper this way. So, the flight going there (already 11 hours) included a 3 hour layover in Tokyo, and then another 5 hour flight to Hong Kong. As the flight was at 1PM, we were quite tired by the time we got to Tokyo, then we had an 1.5 hour layover then another 5 hours to Hong Kong. I personally find it hard to sleep holding a baby, so I expected not to sleep especially on the first leg. Thankfully, Chase travels really well so he was very entertained with his iPad and shows. We borrowed an inflatable bed for Chase (flyaway kids) during this flight, which was really nice and comfortable for him to rest and sleep.
We did pay for the bulkhead seats and coincidentally had no one beside us on the flight there, so Jasiel was very happy and played around those seats happily. She also made lots of laps walking (and running) around the plane. It was harder for her on the flight just because at that 18 months old, she could barely watch any TV, and couldn’t really sit to color/do activities. I did bring some for her, which kept her entertained for a while, but it was usually short. She did sleep on the flight, but I personally couldn’t sleep much. So in our 17 hour trek, I probably slept for about 30 mins or so.
For long-haul flights, the inflatable beds are helpful. It is an extra piece to bring in the luggage, but it is worth it
I would download shows and offline apps on the iPads for the kids. Netflix and Youtube are usually a good place to start.
Offline apps: Offline games (has lots of games to play with), My Very Hungry Caterpillar, Miffy, Baby Games, Bible for Kids, Sketchbook
I would bring “disposable” activities for kids. I printed coloring sheets instead of books, that way I can make them smaller to fold into my bag, and toss them afterwards so I’m not carrying too many things, even on the flight back home.
As long as your baby and you can do it, I would bring a baby carrier, as it is so much easier to move around the airport and travelling. It was really helpful for Jasiel to nap on the flight and later on as well during the trip.
Once your baby can stand, I would start practicing changing while standing, as it is so much easier than lying down on the tight airplane changing tables, and in Asia, sometimes, there’s no change tables so you'll just have to do it standing in a corner, haha.
TIPS FOR JETLAG
We stayed in Hung Hom with Clement’s aunt, which is always nice as hotels in Hong Kong can be quite expensive and also difficult to find for 4 people. It’s also close to Tsim Sha Tsui, so Clement really enjoyed running first thing in the morning. Chase surprised us by not really having jet lag on this trip, but Jasiel had a tiny bit but overall both of them travelled really well. We basically tried to do as many activities as we could during the day, and tried to eat at the normal times (and of course stopped for snacks), and slept at a decent time at night. We also used melatonin gummies / drops for all of us. They were very small in dosage, and we only used it for the first few days just to help all of us get some sleep and I think it really helped all of us sleep through most of the nights.
Mcdonalds
No matter where we go, we always check out McDonalds haha! And we particularly love the McDonalds in HK. Their breakfast sandwiches are great, the egg is so soft and fluffy and the “ham” one is our personal favorite, but it really looks more like a ham patty.
WhAMPOA GARDEN
Our place was very close to Whampoa, just a few blocks away. This area is nice because it has a lot of restaurants, shops, and has a huge kids area as well - arcade, toy stores, you name it! Since it’s so close to us, we frequented it often. We liked to visit the Tiny HK Store, which had all the miniature cars, buses, and all sorts of cars from HK. Chase and Clement always spent a lot of time in this place. And of course, Jasiel passed out because she was jetlagged.
sushiro
One thing you can count on in HK, is delicious food from all places. Especially Japanese food! This conveyor belt sushi came highly recommended by our HK friends so we had to try it. There was one at Whampoa so we just had to go. It was fresh and delicious and quick!
In’s Point
Chase and Clement love searching for miniature cars, so our friends told us about In’s Point in Yau Ma Tei. It was such a busy place. I had never seen sooo many cars, legos, and everything collectible!
Chatterbox cafe
For dinner, we went to Chatterbox Cafe, a place from Singapore, that serves delicious Hainanese Chicken. We had a fun time spending with family then we walked around Tsim Sha Tsui that night before taking the double decker bus home. As Chase was already more than 5 years old, he had to have his own child Octopus card.
Bakehouse
This place we saw a lot on Instagram! And since Clement was running so early in the morning, he decided to line up for it as we heard they would sell out after awhile. We wanted to try their sourdough egg tarts. It was so delicious!
New World Millennium Hotel Buffet
Something about hotel buffets being so good in Asia, so we had a buffet lunch with Yeema and Mahmah at the New World Millennium Hotel Buffet. Jasiel of course fell asleep again haha, she often had two naps on this trip instead of just one. The buffet had a good variety of food, which was great. It showcased many cuisines like Chinese, Japanese, Singaporean, and so much more.
legoland discovery centre
While Clement had to go deal with his paperwork, the kiddos and I went to the Legoland. It’s pretty cool but it is fairly small. Then, we took the bus back to Whampoa. I’m glad we got to have this little adventure and take the bus just us!
Star ferry / Hong kong island
After spending a few days in Kowloon, we decided to take Star Ferry to explore the Hong Kong side. Honestly this trip we didn’t have too many sightseeing things to do an accomplish, we just kinda wanted to revisit our fave places and make new memories with our kiddos. Especially when you’re travelling with little kids, try not to overload the schedule as they can be overstimulated / overtired. Chase thankfully was such a good sport (we didn’t bring a stroller) and walked a ton, but there were times he was tired. We took transit whenever possible, too! The buses are easy to understand as they have English written all over it. During this trip, we really noticed how “quiet” it was in the malls and on the streets. I mostly carried Jasiel in the carrier (Happy Baby) we love this carrier as it’s honestly so comfortable for my back, and it’s so lightweight as we would often stuff it in the backpack, too.
tsim sha tsui harbour city
Toys R Us at Harbour City was huge! We loved checking it out. We had dinner at Pizza Maru, which had really unique pizzas, and it was delicious! A nice break from all the Asian food we had been eating. Then, when we were about to leave, I decided to get the Mammy Bubble Waffle but our bus came already, so Jasiel and I stayed and she had some ice cream she was so happy with. One thing I really try to do with our kids is to give them some special one on one time, and this time we had some with Jasiel!
family time
One of the main reasons why we went to Hong Kong was also to spend time with Clement’s family, so we often had slow, lazy mornings with HK breakfast, playground time, and just walking around our area. The best thing also about travelling with family, is that we get to do things on our own. So I got to go to K11 Musea for a few hours on my own.
Then we had dinner at Sha Tin area with the cousins! It was so lovely to see them.
visiting rapha and halfway coffee
Back when we visited Hong Kong with Chase, he was only 3 months old! We went to Halfway Coffee for the photoshoot and we came back now for the coffee! And, Clement really wanted to visit Rapha so we just had to go check it out. We took the Star Ferry again cause it was nice and convenient for us. Then, the kiddos were already hungry so we had Pret for the first time, it was so yummy. There were a lot of stairs on the way to Halfway Coffee so Clement had to carry Chase up, haha! Rapha didn’t open till 11am so we waited until it opened. Clement was so happy to get some HK swag.
Tim ho wan
On the way back, we stumbled upon Tim Ho Wan for lunch and it was so yummy. It’s still one of my favorite places for dim sum! Of course we had to get the baked cha siu buns, but my personal favorite is actually the xiu mai from their place. The kiddos loved eating it!
mongkok: Moko playground + Ladies street sik fan co.
After heading home to rest, we went to Mongkok area to walk around and explore. We hit the sneaker street and was able to grab new shoes for Chase. The Moko Mall playground was also so fun! We followed Sam and Victor on Youtube a lot and they recommended the Ladies Street Sik Fan Co. and we really wanted to try a nice daipandong place, so we made reservations a few weeks before our trip, just made it via the Google listing. While it’s on the expensive side, it was very fresh and delicious. We especially loved how they cooked the razor clams! For dessert, we had Mr. Softy!
hong Kong disneyland
We spent our last full day in Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Disneyland. We got there pretty early, as we had gotten the Early Entry and Priority Access pass. I got the tickets from Klook, which was very convenient as it already had the park reservation and ticket rolled into one, so I didn’t have to worry whether or not there were park reservations for the day we were planning to go. Early Entry gets us 1 hour before park opens to access the World of Frozen which is the new section, and we went for the priority access for 3 rides (from choice of 5 rides) because Jasiel/Chase weren’t tall enough for the 8 pass to make sense.
I think the park opened at 10AM, and we were there around 830AM for the 9AM opening. It was a good thing we were there early as a lot of people come very early for Disneyland access. The Early Entry was worth it, as we were able to access the World of Frozen with virtually no line at all, and in fact the park wasn’t ever too crazy busy, but it was nice that we never had to wait in line for any of the rides.
The Frozen Ever After was available for everyone, so even Jasiel got to ride it! She was so good and was just so curious about the ride. Chase didn’t want to attempt the rollercoaster, but we did go watch the show which was cute. Later on, we came back to Frozen land for the lunch, which was decent for Disney.
In this trip, we did bring a stroller as we were travelling with my MIL, and Chase / Jasiel enjoyed sitting on the stroller as well as needed. We also tried all sorts of rides, like the Dumbo, Slinky ride in Toy Story, Jungle Cruise (where Jasiel slept the entire loud and rocky water ride), Mystic House, Ant Man and Avengers. I personally think I haven’t enjoyed any other Disneyland as much as this one, just cause it was so quiet and not busy at all. The weather was just right, and the rides were fun, and the kids really enjoyed it. I indulged in one of the cute headbands, too! So adorable!
saying goodbye to hk
We barely did much on the last day in Hong Kong except to head to the airport, which is a fun place to hang out in. Unfortunately, this was the day that Clement felt really sick and we were in a bit of a panic as to what to do, whether or not to stay in Hong Kong to take advantage of the familiar language and access to hospital facilities, or continue on to our next leg which is Tokyo. Thankfully, it wasn’t a blockage, but Clement was unwell nonetheless and it was a terrible flight for him to Hong Kong. By God’s grace, we were able to make it in spite of the long customs delays in Tokyo. I’ll share more in our Tokyo blog! We did remember to take a picture of Chase and Jasiel by the window, to see how much bigger they’ll get the next time we go. Looking back at these happy photos of our trip, I can’t wait for us to go back one day.
