Swing around Hong Kong
May 12, 2002 | 12:00am
There’s more to Hong Kong than shopping. True enough, you’ll discover this once you explore its places, savor its cuisine (it’s not called the culinary capital of the world for nothing), enjoy the hospitality of its people, admire its culture and traditions and many more.
Most of all, if you’ve joined its festive and colorful celebration of the Chinese New Year which we did, thanks to Philippine Airlines (PAL) which flew us to the Special Administrative Region (SAR).
PAL has had a long history of serving Hong Kong, dating back to Sept. 5, 1946 when it first flew to the then British territory from Manila using a Douglas DC-3 aircraft. The country’s flag carrier was just starting to explore foreign skies, with the Hong Kong maiden flight becoming its second international destination after its historical trans-Pacific journey to Oakland, California in July 1946.
Through the years, Hong Kong has become one of PAL’s busiest and most important overseas stations where the airline steadily upgraded its services. That Hong Kong is one of PAL’s most valued destinations was shown when, in 1954, the Philippine government ordered the suspension of all of PAL’s international services, with the exception of Hong Kong, to conserve scarce financial resources. Today, PAL is one of the biggest carriers from the Philippines to Hong Kong, operating five flights daily from Manila.
To ensure the best accommodations for our group, PAL’s advertising and promotions department, through its manager Jess Garcia, made arrangements with no less than the Holiday Inn Golden Mile.
It was, indeed, a very good choice for a hotel since the marketing director of Holiday Inn Golden Mile is a Filipino – Sonny Ang, the highest ranking Filipino manager in the Hong Kong hotel circuit.
A University of the Philippines (UP) Tourism graduate, Ang has been with Holiday Inn Golden Mile for about four years. It was he who declared that there is more to Hong Kong than shopping.
When staying at Holiday Inn Golden Mile, transportation is never a problem. The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) – counterpart of our own MetroStar Express – is adjacent to the hotel. The pier where one can take the famous Star Ferry and boat tours is a mere five minutes walk, while the cross-harbor tunnel to Hong Kong Island is only a few minutes away. From the hotel, the Chep Lap Kok International Airport is 45 minutes by limousine, taxi, shuttle bus or MTR.
Its strategic location is just one of Holiday Inn Golden Mile’s selling points. With 19 floors, it has 600 spacious (310 square feet) tastefully furnished guest rooms and suites, including one Presidential Suite, four Corner Suites, 100 Executive Club Rooms, three Executive Club Suites, 172 Deluxe, 270 Standard and 50 Single Economy Rooms. All rooms have two-double or a king-sized bed, complete with all features and amenities. Broadband Internet access and personal facsimile machines are available in all suites and selected rooms.
That a guest’s comfort and satisfaction is, indeed, the ultimate consideration at Holiday Inn Golden Mile is evident in its amenities and features. For instance, toiletries are of no less than the top-of-the-line Avalon and Gray brands. Aside from the king-sized bed, pillows are "king-sized" too. The pillows, according to Sonny Ang, are imported, just like the chicken they serve, thus no worry for the bird flu.
The quality of accommodation at Holiday Inn Golden Mile is complemented by its food and beverage outlets. Its five restaurants offer a wide variety of Western and Asian cuisine.
Guests need not miss their daily physical fitness regimen when staying at Holiday Inn Golden Mile. There’s a rooftop swimming pool (with a poolside bar), table tennis facilities (during summer) and the Health Club complete with exercise machines and sauna facilities. Massage service is available upon request.
Another distinction is Loong Yuen Cantonese Restaurant’s winning the Gold Award for Dim Sum in Hong Kong Tourism Board’s "Best of the Best" Culinary Awards in October 2001.
We got to sample the resto’s cuisine during our welcome dinner in the company of Sonny Ang. We could not agree better with the judges; the food was mouth-watering, indeed.
Yes, there’s much more in Hong Kong than shopping, as we discovered during our short, yet enjoyable stay there. The Chinese New Year celebration was a spectacle in itself. Add to this the various tours, in the company of our tour guide, Winnie Cheng.
We also had sumptuous lunch and dinner hosted by the Charter House and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). Equally hospitable were Charter House’s executive assistant manager Paul Gill and sales and marketing director Tony Pao as well as HKTB’s PR manager for short-haul markets Boyd Fung.
Fung was instrumental in bringing us to a vantage point at the Hong Kong harbor where we had a very good view of the fireworks display. A typical Hong Kong "nationalist," he was even more admirable when he said that he was not working at HKTB for the money, but for Hong Kong!
Considering the array of activities that a traveler can engage in while in Hong Kong, three days and two nights were very short. Still, it was a very pleasant stay, especially with the best accommodations at Holiday Inn Golden Mile, the warm reception and company of Sonny Ang, the hospitality of Gill, Pao and Fung. Lest we forget, we are also grateful to PAL’s Hong Kong office for the "escort service" by one of its staffers, Joseph Gonzalez, who accompanied us to Charter House.
If you’re planning to go to Hong Kong, it will be worthwhile staying at Holiday Inn Golden Mile. And when you are there, don’t forget to look for Sonny Ang, our kababayan, for an even more pleasant stay in the hotel. Most of all, go there via PAL, which operates five flights daily from Manila with convenient departure times, from early morning to early evening. It also has daily flights from Cebu via a code-share arrangement with Cathay Pacific Airways. For more information on "Swingaround Hong Kong," get in touch with PAL’s 24-hour reservations office.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
