7 tips to conquer Hong Kong (with a tot): A Muslim-friendly travel guide

Planning a trip to Hong Kong with a tot? Here are tips that will make your trip fun and memorable.

7 Tips to Conquer Hong Kong (with a tot!)

If you’re planning to take your young family on a plane for a vacation, this one is for you. Although we are referencing our Hong Kong holiday in this article, the large part of the survival tips article can be used for any vacation!

1. Take the MTR

It gets you everywhere and at a fraction of the taxi fare and time. However, do expect to walk – a lot! Walk up the stairs, down the slope and walk everywhere and if you’re thinking of elevators, you may need to walk longer just to find an elevator.

2. Leave the stroller at home -- babywear!

The best way to go around Hong Kong with a toddler is to babywear.

A stroller may be convenient but it requires a lot of arm power pushing up-slope and controlling down-slope -- and we recommend that you reserve the arms for the shopping bags.

Another advantage of babywearing is you keep your little one close to you at all times and it is also a bonus if he falls asleep easily in the carrier or wrap!

3. Keep a bag full of snacks, and if you run out, replenish quickly!

Toddlers get bored easily and food keeps them occupied. This is also helpful during plane rides to avoid murderous stares from your fellow passengers.

Keep a variety of snacks so that your kids are kept entertained but don’t over feed them or meal times can be a nightmare! Follow their lead and you’ll know when the snacks will come in handy.

#HHWT Tip: Choose big pieces and chunky snacks over bite sized ones. The big pieces will take longer to finish and the little hands will not be dipping into the cookie jar often.

Photo by Only Organic

4. Enforce naps -- unless you want a breakdown!

Yes, it’s a holiday but this happy occasion is not necessarily understood by the little human. The last thing you want on a holiday is an overstimulated child running amok. We learnt it the hard way and it wasn’t pleasant for us nor the onlookers!

Try to keep their nap schedules as much as possible; this is where babywearing comes in handy. Bundle them in the carrier or wrap and watch the sleepy dust drift them away! This also means that you need to plan baby-friendly activities around their naptime. The little ones wouldn’t want to miss a ‘live’ performance of The Lion King would they? If you’re wondering, yes, our little one missed it! :(

5. Don't stress over food

Some parents we know pack their portable rice cookers and buy fresh groceries from the local supermarket so that they can prepare food in the hotel rooms everyday. However, we chose the easy way out – we selected the friendliest food for our little one on the menu, and where possible, requested for less salt, sugar and spice.

Our little one certainly enjoyed her treat at Wai Kee and had her fair share of dim sum while we kept very calm about the salt intake and tried to override it with lots of plain water! Oh well, it was a holiday!

Halal Dim Sum in the Islamic Centre Canteen
Photo by Juni Ramli

6. Make sure to visit happy toddler places

Ocean Park is a great place for toddlers. It is a combination of zoo, aquarium and amusement park. Plan to spend a day here because there are a lot of places to explore. There’s even a cable car ride that takes you from one theme park to another.

#HHWT Tip: Bring a jacket for the little one. The North Pole encounter in the park is really cold as there are penguins there and if you’re not properly dressed, you won’t enjoy it as much.

Getting there: Take the MTR and alight at Admiralty MTR station. Follow the signs from the MTR station that takes you to the Tourism office of Ocean Park and purchase your ticket there. You get it cheaper than the door at Ocean Park and you beat the queue. The guide at the counter will guide you to the exit for the Citybus 629. There are signs everywhere to guide you. There are other ways to get to Ocean Park but we recommend this route as we found it the easiest.

7. Stay a night (or two) in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

The perk of staying in Hong Kong Disneyland hotel is the convenience and you can stay till the Park closes without having to worry about the crowd going back to Hong Kong Island or Kowloon.

If your budget allows it, plan to stay at The Kingdom Club room which gives you access to The Kingdom Club. The look on your little one is priceless when a pajama-clad Disney character pops in to say "good night". Be sure to have them wear their PJs too to complete the experience.

There is also a bedtime story telling session by the Kingdom Club cast member. If you have a younger tot, mummy and daddy are also invited to sit together. The well-stocked up food and drinks counter also had us coming back every half an hour to refill our ever hungry tummy.

Too tired to eat out? The room service menu gives you a few halal food options. Even though they are not friendly to the pocket, the options are appreciated. Also, do not expect much from the halal options. Food choices are limited and there are no presentation points as it was served in plastic bowls and accompanied with cutleries. #HHWT Tip: The halal food options are in the in-room menu. If you can’t find it, call the guest relations line to enquire.

Article originally appeared on Have Halal, Will Travel

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Have Halal Will Travel

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