Visiting Hong Kong with a toddler

[NorwichMummy]

Hi there,

Dh and I are going to New Zealand at the end of Feb with ds who'll be 22 months at the time. we're having a three day stopover in Hong Kong on the way and was wondering if any of you knowledgeable mumsnetters would be able to offer any advice on suitable and fun things to do whilst we are there.

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated

Ah-ha, been there done that! I took DS to HK in November to visit my Kiwi friend, he was 18 months at the time.

DO NOT GO TO CENTRAL. At least not unless you have DS in a backpack, the pavements have lots of steps on them, and it is hellish with a buggy.

Disneyland HK is quite small, but good fun, go midweek and it is very quiet (prepare to be photographed and stared at, the mainland Chinese go mad for little caucasian children, DS was a superstar ) - they have areas for little children, DS had a good time. There is also Ocean Park which is easy to get to, we saw giant sea lions etc and DS was enthralled by the pandas.

Go down to Stanley market for good shopping, loads of children's clothes cheap as chips, it's an easy cab ride.

No-one seems to use car seats, by the way, I sat in the back with DS on my lap (facing me) and under my seatbelt.

Oh, and take the Peak Tram up to the peak, fab views, and Star Ferry over to Kowloon!

Thanks for the advice Lapin, we're staying in Kowloon I believe (should really check everything through again!) I'm sure we'll manage to fill our days easily with those suggestions.

Have a fab time

I live in HK and my youngest is exactly the same age as yours. Ditto the comment about the pushchair: they're useless jut about anywhere on Hong Kong island.
Ocean Park is a great one, they have a kiddy land, then a cable car over the hill to the adult area which also has a great aquarium and shark tank. Never been to Disney Land because it's very expensive and an hour's travel.
The Peak is good if it's not too cloudy: great views, a circular walk around the top (pushchairs okay) and one of the few restaurants in HK that has a children's menu - the Peak Lookout. You can eat outside and the staff are very tolerant of toddlers running round and throwing stones in the fountain.
Stanley Market is okay, there's a beach there and sea view restaurants, but your toddler will hate the actual market, it's very claustrophobic.
Best of all (and free), just go to Hong Kong Park and the Botanical Gardens that stretch from Admiralty to Central. The Park has a huge waterfall that you can walk behind, lakes with turtles and fish and fountains, an amazing aviary that recreates a rain forest (you walk through a raised path through the treetops), and a decent playground. The botanical gardens have monkeys and birds and a miserable jaguar.
For baby supplies go to Bumps to Babes on the fifth floor of the Pedder Building in Pedder Street, Central, next door to Shanghai Tang and just nearby Marks and Spencer. Stocks everything from milk, medicines, toddler snacks to toys, books and baby equipment. Mostly UK imports.
Have a nice trip! We live on one of the outlying islands called Lamma - if you want a longer boat trip than the star ferry, catch boat over to Lamma from pier number 4. We have lots of seafood restaurants and a nice beach.
Kerys x

Unless you desparately want to, would not recommend Disney if you are only in HK for 3 days - Ocean Park better for the little ones in any case. (One tip, if you go to the kiddieland bit, at the back, behind the frog hopper there are signs for the dolphin university. If you walk down that path, you can watch the dolphins being trained and see the mothers and calves who are not in the shows ... it's all informal, and you get very close. Great for the little ones.)
Star ferry is good fun and trip up peak. (Could do all in one day. Star Ferry to Central from Kowloon and then take the open top bus to the Peak Tram and then peak tram to top for a walk around.) Second the recommendation for eating at Peak Lookout. Also good playgrounds up at peak (one on a terrace inside the peak galleria.)
Other good places to eat with kids around HK (kids menus and high chairs etc) are ... Dan Ryans (american fare... burgers, chicken, ribs etc) which they have at Ocean Terminal on Kowloon side and Pacific Place on HK Island. Fat Angelos - A few places on HK island (pastas). Pizza Express down at Stanley or the Boat House both on the sea front also has a kids menu and nice atmosphere for grown ups too (either eat outside or inside.)
For 22 month old, would probably say only go to Stanley if your lo loves bus rides or if you want to shop for kids clothes (gap, osh gosh, next etc). Otherwise, it's a long way and the market is busy. There isn't much else to do there. The bus route is fab though - great views of south of island and the eating places are nice.

End of Feb could be cold. It's currently about 9deg, which might not feel too bad to you if you are coming from UK, but it's too cold today for the beach. That said, it might be 26deg when you come!

Enjoy!