Hong Kong Traveler's guide

So, you're going to Hong Kong and aren't too sure of the best way to get around. We were the same and having now spent five days seeing the sights, let me pass on what I hope are helpful hints.
My reason for putting this page together was the frustration I experienced in trying to get all this information in one place, either in print or on the web. If it is there - I couldn't find it. So here it is.
(Click here for the picture gallery)

Arrival.
The first thing you'll need to do is to get from the airport to your hotel. Assuming your hotel hasn't laid on a driver with your name displayed on a white board as you exit customs, here are the options that we discovered.

1. The Airport Express train.
This is a wonderful train. Clean, quick and with only three stops to downtown Hong Kong. Cost is HK $80HK - which is very reasonable, however if you were hoping to transfer from Hong Kong's central station to one of the other MTR lines and hence to your hotel - forget it. You'll walk a mile, plus lug your suitcases up and down stairs and/or escalators. This is not a viable option in my opinion.

If your hotel does a pick up service from the Airport Express Station, which the Cosmopolitan and Cosmo does (where we stayed), then OK. Otherwise be prepared to take a cab or walk.

2. Taxi from the airport. Whilst a taxi will be door-to-door it will probably cost a few 100 HK dollars. We didn't try this.

3. Airport bus service. This is door to door, costs HK$140 per person and is how we travelled. As you exit customs, look for Booth B13 - Vigour Tours (see diagram) and buy tickets to your hotel. It is door-to-door, but your hotel may be at the end of the run. However it is a good way to see Hong Kong on the way in. It can take up to an hour to get to your destination.

4. Use a local bus. Regular bus lines service the airport and they are good value - if they stop near your hotel. This is often hard to check out in advance but is an option. (We found out that the A11 bus stopped about a 15 minute walk away from the hotel - not good if you're lugging a suitcase)

5. Octopus Card. This is a public transport card - like London's Oyster Card. It costs HK$150 with HK$100 of pre-paid fares already on it with the balance being the card deposit. BUY ONE. You can buy them from the booth in the centre of the arrivals hall at the airport, at most railway stations and corner shops.

You can use them on the train system, buses, trams, Star Ferry (a must) and even to buy food at some food halls.
Each time you hold it in front of the scanner as you go through the turnstiles, it flashes how much the fare is and the balance, so you always know how much you have left. It apparently also has a different beep when it gets low (ours didn't).

Getting around.
With your Octopus Card and a map in hand, you're ready to explore. One thing you'll find is that the train line (MTR) doesn't seem to go to the obvious places. It doesn't go to Central Pier (Star Ferry and other ferries) or the Peak Tram (to go up Victoria Peak) or even very close to the Kowloon water front to see the nightly light show.
You have to walk from the Central MTR station (also called the Hong Kong station) to the ferry terminal and likewise to the bottom of the Peak Tram in Central and from Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon) station back to the waterfront in Kowloon. This is a pain - but at least walking in Hong Kong is easy with the many elevated walkways from building to building.
Sometimes a taxi is the easiest option. They are all metered, air conditioned and plentiful.

Kowloon Waterfront
This is the best spot for watching the nightly light show (pic above) across both sides of the harbour. Designed by an Australian - the buildings are bathed in coloured light together with lasers firing from the tops of some of the buildings. It runs for 15 mins from 8:05pm to 8:20pm. It needs some fireworks to really make it 'take off' but then it would be like NYE on Sydney harbour. The accompanying music track needs some ommph ... but then playing loud music in public spaces is frowned upon in China but it's certainly worth watching.

The Star Ferry - which takes longer to get on and off than the length of the ride itself, lands right at the Kowloon water front - problem is that at the other end, its a walk to the closest MTR station. You can't win. Check out the video ....

You can also watch the show from any number of boats - run by a variety of operators. The cheapest, HK$100, is run by the Star Ferry Company and ran for an hour. It is pretty exciting being out on the water, dodging other boats with the light show happening around you.

Stanley
This is a resort town about 20 mins out of Hong Kong on the southeast coast of Hong Kong Island. Catch a bus here using your Octopus Card. Your hotel should be able to point you to a bus stop - the No. 6 bus (This route has lots of options, 6X, etc - but they all go to Stanley) goes to Stanley and it is a magnificent ride - up and down the Hong Kong hills. Sit up top in the front seat if you can - great views.
Bus stops all have a list of numbers of the bus route that stops there - its quite simple to work out if you know the number of the bus route you want to travel on.
Stanley has a wonderful market - outdoors and airconditioned (work that out). Well worth the visit.

Shopping Malls and Starbucks
These were our saviour in Hong Kong because they're airconditioned. However shopping malls have very limited seating - unlike Australia or the US - it seems that sitting down is frowned upon in China. Hence why we visited a Starbucks twice a day to sit down and to cool down.

Check out our pics of Hong Kong in the Gallery

The Po Lin Monastery and the world's largest seated Budda
The Po Lin Monastery is located in Ngong Ping on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. To get there, buy a ticket at Pier 6 at the Central Pier to Moi Wo. Cost is HK$25 (approx) and the ferry is airconditioned and takes about 30 mins. When you arrive at Moi Wo, look for the bus stop for the No. 2 bus. (It's to the left as you exit the pier). The ride takes about 30-40 mins and you travel through lush country.

When you get to Po Lin, look up to your right and you'll see the Buddha on top of the hill. Entry is free, but if you want to go inside the base of the statue and have a great vegetarian lunch, buy a ticket. It's well worth it. Adjacent to the monastery is the village of Ngong Ping which has been turned into a tourist village, all paved with souvenir shops and even a Starbucks.

Getting back to Hong Kong Central is simply a reverse of the above. Its a four hour round trip - allowing an hour at the monastery. Well worth it.

I trust the above has been helpful.