Hi, everyone! Welcome to another travel-related article on Greta’s Junkyard, a blog I started in 2013 that serves as a dumpsite of my favorite things. These topics include mostly fashion, beauty, home, and lifestyle. My name is Gretchen Gatan Fragada, and I’m a writer and editor based in Metro Manila, Philippines.
I’m also the editor-in-chief of The Metro Edit, your curated source of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle in the Metro. On top of this, I’m a wife to Cayo, a fur mom to Booboo and Bellatrix, and a first-time mom to a toddler daughter named Cambria. Last December, my whole family and I flew to Hong Kong to celebrate my parents’ 35th wedding anniversary. So if you’re looking for a toddler-friendly Hong Kong itinerary, keep reading!Planning Our Hong Kong Trip and Itinerary
Early in 2023, Cayo and my brother Reno both won free roundtrip tickets to Hong Kong from Cathay Pacific. This sparked the idea that perhaps our whole family should go at the end of 2023. Incidentally, my parents were celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary in December so my siblings and I decided to surprise them and treat them to a trip to Hong Kong!
Our group had 11 people in total: my parents Rene and Marivic; my family of three; Reno, his wife Karina, and daughter Kara (who is the same age as Cambria!); my sister Giana; and my cousin Ina and her partner Jen.
Cayo, Cambria, Reno, and I booked our flight with Cathay Pacific while the rest booked with Cebu Pacific. It was Cambria’s second and last trip as a lap infant (her first was our Singapore trip in March). Cathay provided us with a tiny seatbelt that could easily attach to my seatbelt. We bought seats that had a lot of leg room, too.
Meanwhile, for our accommodations, it took a bit of research. In the end, we chose Park Hotel Hong, a toddler-friendly, 4-star hotel in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui.
For airport transfers, we booked via Klook, which was very convenient. Cayo also ordered a local SIM card from Klook for our pocket WiFi, which we picked up at the airport.
Our Toddler-Friendly Hong Kong Itinerary
Day 1: Avenue of Stars and Symphony of Lights
We arrived in Hong Kong on a Wednesday morning and were granted early check-in at the hotel. After settling in, we had lunch in the area, which is full of highly recommended restaurants. When lunch was done, most of us took a nap while some explored the area since our hotel was also near malls and shopping centers. At around 6 in the evening, Cayo, Cambria, and I started walking to the Avenue of Stars, which was about 15 minutes away. We wanted to be near the Symphony of Lights by the time it started at 8 PM. Because of this, we ended up having dinner at Lemna of the alchemist, a fancy restaurant inside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
We met up with everyone else a little before 8 for the Symphony of Lights. Kara and Cambria enjoyed watching the show and seeing all the boats around the harbor. When the show was over, we walked back to the hotel together and went to sleep early in preparation for the next day.
Day 2: Hong Kong Disneyland
Perhaps the highlight of our trip was visiting Hong Kong Disneyland with our babies! We rode the MTR all the way, which was both cheap and convenient. The trip from our hotel to Disneyland via MTR took around 40 minutes. Of course, everyone — adults and babies alike — had a blast at the theme park.
Comparing it to Cambria’s experience in Universal Studios Singapore, she was able to ride more rides at Hong Kong Disneyland. These included Mystic Manor, It’s a Small World, Orbitron, Cinderella Carousel, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, and Slinky Dog Spin. We got to watch Moana: A Homecoming Celebration at Adventureland as well. Additionally, we enjoyed walking around the Garden of Wonders and the Fairy Tale Forest presented by PANDORA.
However, we didn’t get to see as many Disney characters walking around as I had hoped. It was also unfortunate that Disneyland canceled the fireworks show and parade that specific day to pay respects to someone who had passed away and was important to the Disney community — at least that’s what they explained to me at City Hall on Main Street when I inquired why the show and parade were canceled.
To make up for it, Disney opened the World of Frozen in the evening (even though it was scheduled to open to the public two weeks later). So my family and I got a sneak peek and even rode Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs! I think that was a pretty good trade-off!
There are so many dining options inside Disneyland, in case you’re wondering! We had lunch at Starliner Diner located in Tomorrowland. It’s a Marvel-themed restaurant that serves American-style fried chicken and burgers. Then throughout the afternoon, we kept eating snacks from a variety of stores so we were too full to eat dinner. Instead, when we arrived at Tsim Sha Tsui, we just took out food (beef brisket noodles!) from one of the street stalls and ate it at the hotel.
Day 3: Ocean Park
On our third day, my parents along with Reno, Karina, Kara, Cayo, Cambria, and I went to Ocean Park. Giana, Ina, and Jen had their separate itinerary, which involved visiting coffee shops and artsy places. We rode the MTR again. But this time, the trip was much shorter — around 15 minutes — since Ocean Park was closer to our hotel.
As usual, both Kara and Cambria enjoyed the experience — especially because they’re obsessed with Pink Fong’s Baby Shark! We took our time going around the different areas but prioritized seeing the animals since the babies couldn’t ride any of the rides yet. For lunch, we ate at Club Panda, which serves a variety of Asian delights. We ordered their Kids Combo for Cambria and I was so surprised how much she ate!
After lunch, my parents decided to head back to the hotel so that they could rest. Meanwhile, the rest of us finished going around Ocean Park. We went back to Park Hotel Hong Kong around 5 PM.
That night, we had dinner at a delicious restaurant called Kings’ Lodge right beside our hotel. We ordered Peking duck and other delicacies for our last evening in Hong Kong! After dinner, we walked around Tsim Tsa Tsui for a bit before calling it a night.
Day 4: Tsim Sha Tsui
The following day, which was our last day in Hong Kong, Cayo, Cambria, and I had breakfast in Cafe Crepe, which was also within Tsim Tsa Tsui. After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for the airport.
We booked an airport transfer through Park Hotel Hong Kong, which was priced reasonably. A large cab picked us up and brought us straight to the airport where we had our lunch.
Overall, our trip as a family was truly memorable. Though our Hong Kong itinerary felt a little bitin, it was still great to have spent time with everyone while exposing our babies to new things. After all, I firmly believe that traveling with Cambria is an enriching experience. Beyond the excitement of exploring new places together, I love how it fosters her development. Every journey offers endless opportunities for sensory stimulation, language acquisition, and social interaction! From navigating unfamiliar environments to encountering diverse cultures, each experience ignites her curiosity and broadens her understanding of the world.
If you have any questions about our Hong Kong itinerary, feel free to comment or send me a direct message on Instagram at @gretchengatan. I hope you enjoyed reading my article. Until the next one! Thank you for visiting Greta’s Junkyard.