I wanted to tally up the total costs and expenses of our trip to Hongkong so I can help out other people who are scouting for resources online on the approximate budget if they want to go to the places I’ve been. So here I am, after two months, counting numbers and costs. After adding everything together, I realized that I splurged in my first trip abroad – despite eating less and not sleeping in a hotel.
Travel Dates: September 1-8, 2010
Duration: 6 whole days
Destinations: HongKong and Macau
Number of People: 3 (There were supposed to be around 9 of us but only 3 pushed through)
US Dollars
Hong Kong Dollars
Remember that prices may change but this is just to give out a rough estimate on the things that you might have to pay for.
Cebu to Hong Kong Expenses: Fares and such
100 Php – Taxi cab fare from Cebu IT Park to Mactan International Airport (300 Php divided by 3 people)
1204 Php – Air Fare with Cebu Pacific’s Piso Fare Promotion (booked one year ahead)
500 Php – Terminal Fee (in Cebu)
1620 Php – Travel Tax
———————–
3424 Php
Hostel Accommodation at Tai San Guesthouse in Tsim Sha Tsui
750 HKD – I paid 150 HKD per night for 5 days. This is my share of our 450 HKD/night room.
Food from Day 1 to Day 6
468 HKD – This is composed mostly of KFC Bucket meals that served as our lunch/dinner
Transportation:
213 HKD – Octopus Card (inclusive of 50 HKD refund)
20 HKD – taxi from Wynn Hotel to Macau Tower
———————–
233 HKD
Entrance Tickets:
335 HKD – Disneyland Ticket
230 HKD – Ocean Park Ticket
60 HKD – Victoria Peak Transportation including Sky Terrace Entrance Ticket
290 HKD – Cotai ferry Jet between Hongkong and Macau (back and forth fare)
———————–
915 HKD
Shopping:
158 HKD – Buffalo wireless router at Mongkok Computer Center
749 HKD – Clothes and Shoes
676 HKD- Shopping for Souvenirs/Gifts
205 HKD – Macau cookies (3 boxes)
———————–
1788 HKD
Miscellaneous:
60 HKD – Disneyland Locker (big) (divided by 3 so 20 HKD each)
33 HKD – 3 Umbrellas (33 HKD each)
40 HKD – airport baggage counter for 3 items in 4 hours (10 HKD per bag per hour)
50 HKD – Ate Eva’s Tip for being our tour guide at 150 HKD total (in Macau)
2416 MOP – Macau Bungy Package with Video and Pictures
———————–
2599 HKD
3424 Php – Peso Subtotal
4337 HKD – HKD Subtotal (Exchange Rate: 1 HKD at 6 Philippines Pesos) = 26,022 Php
2416 HKD – MOP Subtotal (Exchange Rate: 1 HKD at 6 Philippines Pesos) = 14,496 Php
———————–
43,942 Php
-6,500 Php – Minus Items that somebody paid me after buying it for them
———————–
37,442 Php – Total
IF I did NOT include the cost of the bungy jump and shopping for items,
The total cost WOULD HAVE BEEN only 18,718 Php (including airfare and terminal fees!)
My, my, I spent a lot of money on my first trip outside the country. But I don’t have any regrets. For one, we really saved a lot during our Cebu to Hong Kong flight using Cebu Pacific’s Piso Fare Promo. We were able to book a year prior to the actual flight. It was a long wait but when the moment arrived when we had to board the plane, it was all worth it.
Now I better go back to my other jobs (freelance and blogging) in order to pay off whatever debt I incurred in the process. hehe
If you want to get a more detailed account on the expenses on each day, you can check out my entries here:
- Hong Kong Trip: From Cebu to Hongkong
- Hongkong Trip: Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok Computer Center
- Hong Kong Trip: World Trade Center & Times Square in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai
- Hong Kong Trip: City Gate Outlets and Disneyland
- Hong Kong Trip: Ocean Park
- Hong Kong Trip: Victoria Peak
- HongKong to Cebu
- Modern Toilet Restaurant in Mongkok
- Tips and Things to Know about Hong Kong
Posts about my Macau Side Trip:
- Macau Side Trip: Venetian Hotel, City of Dreams, Grand Lisboa
- Macau Side Trip: Senado Square and Ruins of St. Paul
- Prosperity Tree and Dragon Show at Wynn Hotel
- Macau Side Trip: Macau Tower and Fisherman’s Wharf
- My Bungy Jumping Experience at the Macau Tower
- Thoughts and Tips on My Trip to Macau
Total Budget Expenses
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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
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For questions, advertising, and other concerns, shoot an email to ed@soloflighted.com.
Wow.. am impressed… up to the last cent man gyud.. this is a great help for me..
Just 1 question though.. in the website of Ocean Park the cost of a ticket for an adult is HK$250 but in your expenses it was HK$330.. nag price increase diay sila?
thanks..
Janette
@janette: thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment! it's only 230 HKD through ate Yolly. i was scouting thru my old notebook, that's a typo! 😀 thanks again for telling me! 😀
Vongga kau ang gastos but still worth it! 🙂
@praline: Hi pra! haha, yeah, it was expensive but really worth it! now it’s back to working freelance and double time! got any leads? ill work for you! haha
Worth it nga! Dami niyo napuntahan at nasulit. The bungee jump in Macau is priceless… errr not really pero rare experience 😀
@ Edcel, bay asa mo nakapalit ug barato na admission ticket sa Disney ug Ocean Park? Naa pa ka email add or contact number nila? nakadungog ka ug CTS(china travel services) barato man gud ilaha mga tickets like sa Ocean Park? ,wala na ba sila dagdag na fee kay agency ra ba sila?
salamat bay.
hello!
this post has been uber helpful! many thanks!
i'll surely be visiting this site often since i love travelling, too.
thanks much again. keep it up!
@OiEnNe: thanks a lot, glad that it helped you! 😀
Hello,
Your blog is really helpful. Just a quick question, is it really advisable to get the octopus card and is it worth it? We plan to go to places that you've visited to like Disneyland and Ocean Park. Can we use the octopus card to go to those places? Which one did you get the 150HKD which is on-load or the airport express with the 3 days unlimited MTR and etc.? Your advise will be highly appreciated.
Thank you!
@Miyuki: Hi Miyuki, we used the Octopus card instead of the Airport Express since we stayed there for 6 days which was a lot cheaper compared to the Octopus card. At least we just had to reload the Octopus Card every now and then and it was a better option for us. so to answer your question, yes, it’s worth it. Disneyland you can get there via the MTR and Ocean park, you can get there riding an MTR and a bus going there. You can just use your Octopus cards for both. But the entrance tickets, you have to buy them separately. Thanks for dropping by! 😀
now I have an idea at nangangatog nako a few days before the trip. hahaha. big help edz.thanks a lot. detailed talaga. bilib. now kailangang tipid trip gagawin ko—oldo ikaw kasi 5 days. 3 days lang kami. at titipirin ko talaga si wifey. no shopping.hahaha. at nalala ko 1st out of the country din namin. I spent 40k sa Sg. tangengot kasi ako. airfare palang 17k na inabot. buti nalang me friend ako don. free na accom at transpo, if not, I would have spent a fortune. lol
@pusang-kalye: no prob!
hi! nice blog & very informative. i'm planning a macau-hk trip and this article of yours is really helpful. more or less i have an idea of how much to budget and the places i must visit. i just want to know aside from the bungee jumping, what are the other fees that i might incur while in macau? thanks & wish u more travels!
@gazerbites: glad that this was useful! fees would be the 100 HKD ticket if you just want to go up the Macau Tower minus the bungy. taxicab fares only. we didn’t spend much in Macau. Unless you want to play in the casinos, you’ll be shelling out more. Other than that, we didn’t spend at all.
thank you! big help esp sa mga first timer like me.. ask ko lng.. 3 kau sa trip? noh kinuha nyo na room sa tai san? double? thanks. 😀
@marie: you’re welcome. yep, 3 kami sa trip then double room yung kinuha namin. may dalawang single beds na pinagdugtong plus extra foam na binigay.
how much po ang addtl payment sa foam? pano nyo po na contact ang guesthouse? thank you so much. 😀
thank you so much.. 🙂
@marie: kasama na yun sya sa package ng hostel. not very sure as it was my friend who booked the place. i think yung nabook namin is double room na ginawang triple room together with the extra foam. 450 HKD per night yung room with the extra foam.
my number ka ng tour guide sa macau? thanks. 🙂
@charlo: sorry, we lost the phone number. 🙁 but there will be lots of tour guides waiting at the port. actually, those are workers na sumasideline as tour guides. 😀
thanks a lot. 😀
ed, pano pala ung hotel? kung di ako naka book ng hotel, madali lang ba makahanap ng mura dun kung sakali dun na ko maghanap pagdating? Thanks!
@Jhon: what we did is book in advance (2 months prior to the trip) — i think there will be a number of hotels available but it depends on the budget again as well as convenience. It would be difficult to arrive in a place and you still have to scout for hostels or hotels in Hong Kong then and there. Depende na yan. Mas mabuti lang talagang makapagbook in advance 😀
Halo Ed, bisaya ka no? ask lang ko plan mi moadto sa HK dis july but wala miy booking sa hotel ok ra kaha na sa immigration? di ta pangitaan ug hotel booking inig adto na sa immigration sa airport?
filipina ba si ate yolly?
@ann: mas better if you have a booking sa hotel cause it usually depends na sa Immigration on what they will ask and what documents you have to prove that you’ll be there for a vacation, the hotel booking would serve as part of your proof that you’ll be there as tourists. As for Ate Yolly, yeah, she’s a Filipina working for her boss who’s Chinese. 😀
thnx Ed! have a nyc day! 🙂
hello.. I will be in Macau on June 24,2011 until 27. But I did not book the hostel yet. Hahanapan ba ako ng taga Immigration? Kasi balak ko sa friend ako mag stay. So, need ko pa ba mag submit ng Invitation letter? First time ko din to mag out of the country. AT the sametime, me lang mag isa.hehehe
Mga tips naman if how much mga foods sa macau? Balak ko kasi on June 26 day tour lang ako sa HK.
@philip: yes, it would be wise philip that you can get even confirmation from the hostel about your reservation cause they might question your purpose there. It usually depends on the situation; they might ask for it, they might not. If you’re staying at a friend’s house, just make sure you know the address and your friend’s contact details. The thing is, at least you should show proof that you really have a friend there. Not sure about the invitation letter (it’s usually required in Visas). Foods sa Macau I’m not really sure because we only ate those free food (cookies and beef jerkey) sa Senado Square which are just sample tastes.
Hi Ed! I would just like to ask if Ate Yolly will e-mail any confirmation docs about the booking? I'm afraid the immigration might ask for it. Thanks.
@faith: Hi faith! you should have email confirmation especially when you reserved your rooms so that there wouldn't be any hassle from the immigration as well as when you get to the guesthouse. 😀
hi eds…can you help me on how to get a confirmation letter sa accomodation…medyo worried kasi eh…i tried to email mr.ken as advices of ate yolly to get an email confirmation since last week until now ndi pa nagrereply c ken…help naman po..thanks
Hi Sarah. I don’t think I can help you already as it’s out of my scope. I don’t know who Mr. Ken is as it was my friend who processed everything (and I’m unable to contact her these days). Do you have a receipt of the reservation? That would already suffice.;
hi eds…i have paid ate yolly through western union…do you have a sample picture of your reservation confirmation so i will be familiar with it…thanks so much for replying…
hi sarah, i just don't have it with me as it was my friend who booked the reservation for our hostel and it's probably gone now since it's been a year since that time.
hi ed. Sorry but i can't find how much you paid for the tour guide in macau. we have been in macau early this year feb 18 yata for a 3 day hk & 1 daytrip macau but we didn't hire a tour guide just for security's sake. we even got lost in translation coz we did a DIY trip. just want to know how much you paid for the tour guide. we'll be planning again to visit hk & macau soon. thanks
@edwin: it depends on what you can agree on (with the tour guide). but what happened was that we visited some casino sites. on top of our agreement, we paid 50 HKD each for 3 persons as an added tip as what our guide just asked for. good luck!
hi ed, im torn between ocean park and disneyland since i have limited time , and i am going to Macau whole day, can you help me ? thank you
@gregg: if you want extreme rides, go to Ocean Park. if you want slow rides, go to Disneyland. 🙂
2416MOP only? did you booked it ahead or not?
@Z: Hi Z, it's in Macau Pataca. converted to Philippines Pesos, that's about 14K plus. 🙂
hi! your blog was if great help, just like to ask how did you pay all bills online, by using a credit? mind telling which kind of credit card.
thanks for sharing. this really a great help. I can’t stop myself of dropping here because it’s a great tip for those who are planning their 1st out of the country trip. more power.