Summer is the perfect season to visit Hong Kong, because this is the season where the sky is bright blue all day without rain, with white clouds in the sky, birds chirping in cages, and the sun shining more brightly. longer than other seasons.

The year before, 2012, I visited Hong Kong at the start of the year in winter, and only had gray skies with chilling temperatures. Not to mention the rain that was pouring down Disneyland Hong Kong at that time, making me who came in the wrong costume with a T-shirt and shorts had to frown because of the city’s loss.

An experience that will make your next summer visit to Hong Kong so special and so #summerfun .

You don’t have to ignore the scorching heat, stay #soulcool , because it’s still better than the rain that locks you up all day at the hotel, yet you can still walk around in simple clothes without the need to bring a thick jacket like in winter. At most you only need to prepare sunblock, sunglasses, or a hat and umbrella to protect you from the hot sun; mineral water to keep you hydrated throughout the journey.

Also prepare for excellent physical and stamina because there are so many activities you can do to #DiscoverHongKong during the summer.

Activities to Do in Summer in Hong Kong

Have Fun at Ocean Park Water Park

I was fooled by the name Ocean Park which means a marine park, where I assumed it was a big park where I could play as much as I wanted. But it turned out that my guess was wrong because Ocean Park is not just an ordinary water playground.

Currently, Ocean Park is known as a combination of a marine mammal conservation area,  an oceanorium , a zoo, as well as a people’s amusement park. Ocean Park is so famous that 7.6 million people visited this park in 2014 and ranks it at number 13 in the world as the most visited thematic park. Of course, more visitors than Rabbit Town Bandung and Puri Maerokoco Semarang.

For the uninitiated, Ocean Park is one of the  oldest theme parks  in Hong Kong, being built long before Disneyland opened to the public. Precisely in 1977 by the then Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Murray MacLehose, which has since grown rapidly since it was renovated in 2005 at a cost of HK$5.5 billion, much less than the construction budget of Meikarta which has not yet been built.

This summer, Ocean Park also presents Michelin Chef Chan Kwok-keung’s special culinary offerings at Neptune’s Restaurant which also complements more than 100 other Caribbean-themed foods and drinks as part of the ‘Summer Carnimal’ event that takes place there.

Watching the Fireworks Show at Disneyland

Apart from having the wrong costume and being hit by heavy rain in the winter of 2012, one of the reasons that made me return to Disneyland Hong Kong in 2017 was to watch the spectacular fireworks display that takes place every night. Starting with a Disney character carnival in the afternoon around the palace, the show continues with the release of fireworks as the day turns to night.

One tip so you can get a strategic spot to watch these fireworks is to arrive early, which is around six in the afternoon, or queue at a special location with limited spots located right in front of the palace. The fireworks will usually take off around seven in the evening or when it’s getting dark.

Although the castle at Hong Kong Disneyland is currently under renovation, the fireworks display will not be shown until next year, but there are still many attractions that you can enjoy there.

For first timers , maybe Disneyland is the main reason why you visit Hong Kong. There is nothing wrong, especially if you are a fan of Walt Disney’s work and dream of playing with Disney characters such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Simba, Lilo & Stitch, and Buzz Lightyear. The nearest Disneyland from Indonesia, which opened to the public in 2005, now has seven main areas: Adventureland, Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Main Street USA – with plans to add two other areas, namely Frozen Land. and Marvel Land. It’s interesting to look forward to the presence of Elsa who will duet with Spider-Man, one day.

This summer, Disneyland Hong Kong will present the Water Play Summer Party, which is the first water play presented by Pixar – the film company that Disney bought in 2006 with a share ‘dowry’ worth US$7.4 billion. It is also reported that several Disney-Pixar stars will be taking part in the celebration, such as Mr. & Mrs. Incredible as well as Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

Shop Discount Items at Citygate Outlets

On my last visit to Disneyland Hong Kong, I took a moment to wash my eyes at Citygate Outlets, which is located not far from Disneyland – both are on Lantau Island, although slightly different directions from the station. For those who don’t know, Citygate Outlets is a storehouse of discounted items scattered in factory outlets inside, cheaper than the sometimes fake Indonesian marketplace discount parties.

When it first opened for business in 2000, this shopping center was known only as Citygate, only after a market adjustment in August 2006, the name was changed to Citygate Outlets and became a commercial complex with the addition of office buildings and the Novotel Citygate hotel there.

There are various well-known brands in Citygate Outlets, ranging from Adidas, Coach, The North Face, Timberland, Kate Spade, to Furla and Salvatore Ferragamo. For a complete list, see here . Personally, I like to come to the Timberland Outlet the most to see the price of my favorite items, which are  very expensive  and then discounted to become expensive .

Yes, if you can’t stand the summer temperatures, then going to the mall and shopping is one solution.

Buying Miscellaneous Needs at the Ladies Market

If modern shopping centers feel boring, then you can step into the traditional ‘shocked’ markets on Hong Kong streets that may only appear at night such as Stanley Market, Temple Street Market, Fa Yuen Street Market, or Neng ‘s favourite , Ladies. Markets. The goods sold here also vary, ranging from souvenirs, cosmetics, to electronics.

One thing that must be considered here is that we have to be smart in bargaining for the price of the goods we buy, when shopping at the market, not at a shop on the side of the road. One day, I once bid too low a price at the Ladies Market, then the seller immediately put on a pitiful look – as if he was the saddest person in the world, then cried and begged me to raise the price and buy his merchandise.

At first, I only knew of the Ladies Market as a place to buy Hong Kong souvenirs and some daily necessities with the salespeople who are good at acting, but it turns out that my wife found something else in this Ladies Market area. Well, what if it weren’t for the cosmetic and skin care shops that line the roadside and make it feel like you’re in Myeongdong, South Korea . A row of shops that made me tighten my belt, hold my wallet tight, and hide my credit card while pretending to be poor.

Mencicipi Ice Cream Mobile Softee

One night, while walking home from the Ladies Market to the inn, Neng and I found there was a queue for a classic truck with the back of the truck turned into a display case with an uncle with a dandy mustache inside. After I investigated, the truck that said “Mobile Softee” was selling ice cream, not sanitary napkins as I had previously imagined.

Ice cream, of course would be a great idea after a day of adventuring and shopping in Hong Kong, wouldn’t it?

The history of Mobile Softee, perhaps almost as legendary as the story of Uncle Ice Cream in Singapore, where the ice cream truck formerly named Mister Softee has been operating for more than 40 years in Hong Kong selling soft ice cream – such as ice cream cones at McDonalds, while rotating Blue Danube rhythm, a waltz by Austrian composer Johann Strauss II.

Basically, there are four categories of ice cream to choose from, namely soft ice cream placed in a waffle cone, on a nutty drumstick, in a cup, also mixed with orange sherbet. Prices vary from HK$7 to HK$10, which of course won’t make you poor like Andika Surachman and Annisa Hasibuan after being imprisoned.

Options to Stay in Hong Kong

There are those who think that the rental price for accommodation in Hong Kong is among the most expensive in the world, an assumption that in my opinion, hmfttt , is quite true. To get comfortable accommodation at an affordable price for students (D3, not S3) is indeed quite difficult, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

1. Hostels in the Bronx Chungking Mansions

Chungking Mansions (along with Mirador Mansions) is a legendary 17-story building that offers a wide selection of the cheapest accommodations in Hong Kong. Addressed at 36-44 Nathan Road – Tsim Sha Tsui, this building which was first built in 1961, is located in a very strategic location, just a few steps from the Avenue of Stars, which is still under renovation until at least 2019.

The inn here is not located on the ground floor, but on the top floor of this building, with an elevator that sometimes only serves odd or even floors. It cannot be odd and even at the same time like the streets of Jakarta before the 2018 Asian Games.

In 2012, I once got a triple room at one of the guesthouses in Chungking Mansions, named Paris Guesthouse which is located on Block D on the 7th floor. The price was quite reasonable, where I only had to pay one hundred and forty thousand Rupiah per person per person. night, for a narrow room with a hard mattress.

Before opening the door of the tiny guesthouse, I had imagined that I would be greeted by a receptionist as handsome as Olivier Giroud or as friendly as Ngolo Kante, but it turned out that the experience I got was far from the romantic name Paris. Behind the door of the white inn, was waiting for an old man of Indian ethnicity with a beard and a turban on his head. Aca…aca…Paris~

2. Traditional Apartment/GuestHouse around Mongkok

Can’t live in Chungking Mansions that looks like it’s about to collapse, but still want to stay at an affordable inn in Hong Kong?

Well , to overcome the high cost of lodging in Hong Kong, you can stay in flats as an alternative, with varying prices. For example, I stay in an apartment environment like the one below with the rental price of a narrow room with the smell of cockroaches, IDR 800,000 per night, fantastic isn’t it?

Unlike the lodgings at Chungking Mansions, which are mostly managed by ethnic Indians, these flats in Hong Kong are managed by native Hong Kong residents – who of course are now increasingly proficient in English to welcome their guests.

There is another reason that made me stay at the inn, besides the price which is still reasonable, namely its very strategic location, where I only need to walk five minutes to reach the Ladies Market, Neng’s favorite shopping place. Pockets safe, wife happy.

3. Five Star Hotels like The Modern Park Lane

If you have a lot of luck or you are lucky like me who won a quiz with prizes for traveling to Hong Kong to watch Manchester United which I hate, then you can choose to stay at five-star hotels such as The Park Lane which is located on Hong Kong Island which is more modern.

Staying in a five-star hotel, of course, is very safe and comfortable. You will not find cramped rooms, hard mattresses, the smell of cockroaches in the rooms, but unfortunately these hotels are not safe for the wallet, if you pay for it yourself. When this article was written, the price of staying at The Park Lane which is now included in the Pullman Group is starting from US$221, or around 3.7 million Rupiah per night.