Booking a bassinet with British Airways

I'm flying back to the UK on Sunday with my 10 mth old baby and wanted to confirm we had the bassinet.  In the past, my travel agent has always managed to secure this prior to our trip. However, I just got this message from him:

BA now have a system where passengers reserve the bassinet upon check-in / on board (we are no longer to able to request these via our reservations system). 

Now I'm wondering whether to use the in-town check in, 24 hours in advance to try and ensure I secure the bassinet?  I also think that the smaller babies have priority in bassinet allocation.  I'll keep you posted as to what I decide to do!  Don't fancy having my lump of a 10 month old sleeping on me the entire journey....

Ideas for weekend away from HK: Tokyo

We used to live in Tokyo and for me, it is a captivating, exotic city.  When my daughter was 18 months old we decided to take her for a long weekend to revisit old haunts (read restaurants!) and friends

BOOKING THE TRIP

• My travel agent, Concorde Travel found us a good deal flying ANA business class and staying at the Shibuya Excel Hotel

THE FLIGHT

• Tokyo Haneda Airport had just opened its international terminal which makes a huge difference to your journey.  Tokyo Narita Airport is over an hour out of the city by Narita Express but you can get from Haneda into the city in 30 minutes
• I was impressed by ANA (part of Star Alliance), a very clean plane, delicious food and efficient staff.  Our 18 mth old was too big for any bassinet but she slept on me for the journey (approx 4 hours).  The business class seats were old school cradle style rather than flat bed but for that short journey it was fine

THE HOTEL

• We wanted to stay in the heart of the city, Shibuya.  From here you can easily hop on the tube/train links across the city.
• I highly recommend the Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu.  Yes it's not one of the fanciest hotels in town but rooms are decent sized, clean and nicely furnished.  You also can't beat the location with direct access into Shibuya station 
• They do speak good English but we had a Japanese friend call the hotel to confirm our baby cot as there was some confusion over this intitially
• There is a bus direct from Haneda Airport to Shibuya Excel Hotel

WHAT TO DO

• As ex city residents our prime goal was to revisit all our favourite restaurants and catch up with friends.  However, I found this great site with recommendations for kids:
• http://mylittlenomads.com/tokyo-with-kids
• Tokyo is super stroller friendly with wide streets, few steps and expanses of flat ground.  Just wandering the Shibuya/Omotesando/Harajuku areas can provide hours of excitement
• The Tokyo subway and train system is easy to navigate and in English.  Tokyo is a big system and taxis expensive so take advantage of public transport

WHAT TO EAT

• For me, Tokyo is the gastro capital of the world.  Despite living in HK now, my favourite Chinese restaurant is in Tokyo.  Here are a few favourites:
• Gonpachi for yakitori
• Gyoza Lou for succulent and cheap dumplings
• Rainbow Roll Sushi
• Teppanyaki Ten
• Il Mulino - yes i know you think i'm crazy but it's amazing Italian!

 Shrining it up

 What a view from the hotel window!

Gluttonous delight with a Harajuku crepe

Travels in HK: Disney

I have such fond memories of visiting Disneyworld as a kid that I can't believe it's taken 5 years of living in HK to get there.
I had a friend in town with her 2 daughters (4 mth & 2.5 yrs) and we were looking for something special to do.  I consulted with the gurus on a HK Mum Facebook forum to see if I was mad to take our young daughters but most replied that Disney truly had that WOW factor.  And indeed it did.

ADVANCE PLANNING

http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage

• Disney is extremely stroller friendly unlike most of HK.  'Stroller Parking' is plentiful where you can safely leave your stroller to take your kids on the rides.
• There is some shade but pack hats, suntan lotion and lots of water
• I was surprised by the quality of food at the park, in addition to the usual junk (btw chips are amazing), they had lots of healthier options and delicious frozen pineapple at the icecream stands. I would still pack loads of kids snacks.
• Check out the Daily Calendar for Parade and Show times.
• I arrived at the Park at 11.30am and it was already very crowded.  Apparently the best time to go is first thing in the morning (normally 10am opening)

GETTING THERE
You can buy tickets at MTR Hong Kong station (below IFC mall) in the Tung Chung Line Concourse.  If you are travelling with strollers don't do the obvious and take the lift down to the platform. The Disney Express Ticket Office is situated at the other end so you need to take the escalator by the Watsons on the Airport Check in level.

If you live in HK it's well worth buying an annual pass.

Once you have bought your Park tickets you then need to purchase MTR tickets to Disney at the ticket machines.

It takes approx. 25 minutes from HK Station to Sunny Bay.  At Sunny Bay you alight and then cross the platform to the Disney train.  From here it is only a 10 minute train ride to the Park.

TOP TIP  - When you exit to the Disney train station, buy your return train tickets as it will be a bun fight later in the day.  Also make sure you have lots of notes and change for the ticket machines.

AT THE PARK (with one 3.5yo, one 2.5 yo, one 4 mth old and 3 adults)

• We arrived and immediately went for an early lunch at a Cafe on Main Street that had an excellent choice of kids meals
• The 1pm Flights of Fantasy Parade was incredible.  Our kids were captivated by the singing, dancing and beautiful floats
• We spent the rest of the day in Fantasyland, the most appropriate for young children.  We queued 20 minutes for It's a Small World (brilliant), 45 minutes for Winnie the Pooh (I didn't think as good as Small World) and 10 minutes for the Cinderella Carousel.
• By 4pm we were exhausted and headed back to HK Island.  Apart from a queue to buy return MTR tickets it was a straightforward journey home
• You will end up buying Disney paraphernalia for your kids - who can resist the Minnie ears!

Chiang Mai? Say aye!

Did you know that you could fly direct from Hong Kong to Chiang Mai?  No, neither did I...

Travelling around Thailand with the kiddies just got better with direct flights from Hong Kong to Chiang Mai with Dragonair.  The flight times aren't convenient if you're looking to go for a long weekend (they don't fly every day).  However, it is great to know the option is there:

http://www.dragonair.com/da/en_HK/offerspromotions/offerslanding?refID=d147c90612d67310VgnVCM62000007d21c39____&cm_sp=HK-_-SALES-_-YCLPROM-HKGCNX-28MAY12

Chiang Mai will definitely be on my list of places to visit for 2013

Ideas for a weekend away from HK: Chime Long Resort, Guangzhou

I've mentioned Chime Long before, it's had some rave reviews from friends as an easy weekend away with the kids from HK (2 hour train journey to Guangzhou)

I still haven't made the trip there but my friend Bec has just come back and here's her review:

Chime Long, Guangzhou

After hearing so many great things about Chime Long, Guangzhou (http://www.chimelong.com/engroup/) from some of our friends, we finally decided to find out for ourselves if Chime Long was as good as everyone kept telling us. As I sit here writing this review, I think back to the wonderful time we had at Chime Long and I can honestly say that Chime Long is definitely worth the visit – it is truly a kids dream location!

Chime Long is a theme park resort located in Guangzhou, China. It consists of four parks in total – safari, waterpark, crocodile and adventure park (rollercaosters) plus an old style circus in the evening. From HK, the best way to get there is by train from Hung Hom Station. It is a very pleasant 2hour train ride in a VIP style train and tickets can be pre-booked at http://www.it3.mtr.com.hk/b2c/frmIndex.asp?strLang=Eng. From the train station in Guangzhou, catch a taxi to Chime Long which should cost about 60RMB. I would suggest taking a print out of the address from the website as we had trouble getting the taxi driver to understand us.

The Chime Long Resort is a five star resort and as a family of four, we stayed in the Hunter Room which was large enough to cater for us. I booked the hotel direct and the operator’s English was of a good standard. Each room contained a mini bar and free wifi was available in the resort. The pool at the hotel was lovely and when we were not at a theme park, we spent our time in the resort pool.

We spent three nights, four days at the resort which was the right amount of time for us. With a young family we were restricted by sleep times so we needed the extra time to ensure we spent enough time at the theme parks. We booked our tickets for the theme park at the hotel and the staff were extremely helpful ensuring that our needs were met. We visited the water park (2 day ticket) and the safari park and the kids had a great time at both.

I had heard varying reports on the standard of food at the resort but we thought the standard of food was very high. The room rate did not include breakfast and we ate at the breakfast buffet each morning. The Unicorn Restaurant is a great option for dinner with kids and the Butterfly Chinese Restaurant is worth a visit as well. There is defiantly a shortage of western food but when in Rome….

Chime Long is well worth a visit and is a dream holiday location for kids and adults alike!!

Villa Review: Villa Bali Impian, Jimbaran Hill

I recently had an amazing 4 day trip to Bali and stayed at Villa Bali Impian.  However, this is not my usual review as.. I didn't take the kids!  That said, I thought I'd review it anyway as Bali is an easy kid friendly destination

BOOKING
I used http://www.balivillas.com/ a company I have used before.  They have a wide range of villas all over Bali and varying in price.  If you book early you get a 10% discount.  Villas are fully staffed with villa manager, driver, chef and houseboys.  There really is no need to lift a finger...

FLIGHTS
It's a 4.5 hr flight from HK to Bali.  We were met promptly by our driver and it took about 25 minutes to get to our villa.  You have to buy a visa on arrival so make sure you either have $25 USD or rupiah equivalent as they don't take credit card.  The trick to this is to have one member of your party take the passports to go and buy the visa whilst the rest of you line up in immigration

THE VILLA
This was a spacious 4 bed villa.  I wouldn't recommend for adults who want young kids in separate bedrooms as there aren't any on the same level. There are lots of stairs and balconies.  Each bed has an ensuite, two with glorious outdoor showers.  2 of the bedrooms are on top of each other, 1 bedroom is out by the entrance to the villa and the other is separated down some stairs by the pool.  The pool is large and there are 6 sunloungers.  There is ample lounge space, an outdoor dining area and the highlight, a sala with a pool table.  The food was of a high standard and the staff outdid themselves with a bbq by our pool one night.

If you are staying in Jimbaran area, I recommend a trip to Jimbaran Bay for seafood on the beach.  If you're looking to pose and be seen (highly unlikely if you are travelling with your kids!) then head to Potatohead in Seminyak.  We also enjoyed sunset cocktails at nearby Karma Kandara where you take a little lift down to the beach (free after 6pm).  Beware though, drinks are pricey

What to pack in your children's holiday medical kit

Unfortunately one thing you can't factor into your holiday is getting ill.  On our travels we've had hospital visits in Koh Samui, emergency doctors in Melbourne and London and numerous late night pharmacy visits.
One thing you can plan is your medical kit.  I asked my kids' pediatrician (the lovely Dr Susanna Chow http://www.drchild.hk/Home.php) for her top tips.  She divided it as follows:

• FEVER
• Thermometer
• Pain/Fever relief and inflammation e.g. Ibuprofen
• Pain relief e.g. Panadol
• LUNGS
• Antihistamine e.g. Piriton
• ABDOMEN
• Nausea relief e.g. Gravol
• Stomach cramp relief e.g. Buscopan
• Diarrhea rehydration salts

In addition to this, I would add band aids, nail scissors, syringes for dispensing medicine, savlon antiseptic spray and insect bite cream. I also have some Voltaren suppositories for high fever.

In any case... don't panic!  However remote your travels, there are always pharmacies and always doctors.