Higher than High in Hong Kong

Tourists and locals alike say if you were to visit Hong Kong and only had one attraction to visit, go to the Victoria Peak. Visitors having a stopover in HK do not even have an excuse not to visit this site as the airport is connected to the central station where one may catch the Peak Tram going to The Peak. Luckily our short trip to HK did not limit us to one attraction as we stayed in three different hotels in different locations letting us experience, Disneyland, Lantau, and Causeway Bay in a short period of time. Our one day stay at Causeway Bay was surprisingly very productive as we got to dine in two Michelin starred restaurants, shop a bit, ride the ding ding tram, and visit the breathtaking Victoria Peak.

We're higher than high, having stood 428 meters above sea level at the Sky Terrace in the beautiful Victoria Peak

DAY 1

We arrived HKIA a little before 7pm and headed straight to Disneyland Hollywood Hotel via taxi (paid around HK$ 120 or Php800) although the MTR was as accessible as the taxi, fare is much higher at HK$60 per adult and child at around HK$ 20-40. Iñigo was asleep during the ride but woke up upon arrival at the hotel. He was mesmerized by all the Mickey Mouse logos he was seeing, the brass statue of Mickey, the Mickey Mouse show on the TV at the lobby, and the talking elevator featuring who else but Mickey and his friends. We stayed in the Garden View room (number 8691). There were two beds which they referred to as single but looked like two queen beds to me. The sheets were very clean and soft. I loved the smell of the whole hotel which we noticed as soon as we stepped in at the lobby. They had a tub which I and the little one enjoyed. The room had subtle Mickey Mouse touches including a brass painting on top of the beds.

All smiles at the hotel room

For dinner we shared a bowl of Ramen and a sandwich. Also had three beers. Total price paid: around HK$ 300 or Php 1500-2000 

We had dinner at Hollywood and Dine and had a quick tour of the hotel grounds. We saw the pool which was full at that time of the night (around 9pm). Iñigo played a quick game of Space Hockey at the Malibu Games and didn't want to leave anymore. We went back to the room so late and he still didn't want to sleep in his own bed. I had to tuck him in with us since it was also way too cold.

Loved the soft sheets at Hollywood Hotel

DAY 2

We woke up to the greenest view I have ever seen. The lush trees in Hollywood Hotel were so refreshing to look at. Our itinerary that day included a swim in the piano pool and character dining at Chef Mickeys.

Morning dip at the Piano Pool, Hollywood Hotel

Picture taking with Chef Mickey

It was also our first day at the Park. Here we are about to enter Disneyland:

We brought everything we needed for the day: water, snacks, change of clothes, umbrella, stroller, and a happy disposition.

Contrary to popular belief, HK Disneyland is not a one-day park, especially if you are Disney-enthusiasts. Some of the attractions like Mystic Manor, Festival of the Lion King, and PhilHar Magic are comparable to the shows in other bigger and more celebrated Disney Parks in the world. If you want to experience all of the attractions in HK Disneyland, you must plan your visit well. Since Iñigo is only 95cm tall, we opted not to ride the Mine Cars and Space Mountain anymore, although I read these two were the best ones. We also avoided most of the characters as we saw them in the Flights of the Fantasy Parade anyway. Falling in line for the characters would easily take away a full hour to our visit. Park hours were very short from 1030am-8pm.

We visited Toy Story Land first. It was so hot.

Walking to Toy Story Land, you will easily spot familiar toys and characters from the movie. Since everything were so big, it looks as if the people are smaller than the actual toys.

Toys were brought to life at Toy Story Land. Some of them like the walkie-talkies even talked. It's among our top favorites in HK Disney.

After watching PhilHar Magic, waiting for his stroller.

Have you seen the stroller parking at HK Disneyland?

We passed by Winnie the Pooh ride to get a fastpass but were informed they have run out for the day. We toured their gift shop instead.

Since it was almost time for the Fantasy Parade, we walked around Main Street to have a snack and look for a nice spot to watch the parade.

We did not have waffles from this stall, we brought our own from the breakfast buffet. Harhar. We also had some egg tarts and Jell-o from Maxim's Bakeshop inside the park.

Before the crowd piled up at Main Street for the Flights of Fantasy Parade.

Here are more pictures from the parade:

Our view while waiting...Not a bad spot

Filipino musicians at Disneyland were aplenty

The first float...Dumbo!

Very festive atmosphere during the parade

Bouncing Tiggers

The Princesses

J-E-S-S-I-E

Woody went to us to give Iñigo a hug but I got too excited to capture the moment.

The space ranger on his float

I think this was when the parade hasn't started yet, hence Iñigo's bored face.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Amazing Iñigo

Dear Iñigo,

We celebrated your second birthday last Saturday, with our closest friends and families. They have tagged along their little ones so they may meet you and have fun with you on your birthday. Mommy and Daddy planned for your party to be held at home, but things got a little different so we decided to just have it at the fast-food restaurant which has a fun character that you love so dearly. Unlike the parties we've attended, Mommy and Daddy were the program hosts and you yourself sort of acted as the mascot in your Spiderman costume. You were so amazing that afternoon as you played around the room with all your cousins and friends. You did the activities that Mommy planned for all the kids at the party like getting a stick-on tatoo and coloring. I'm sorry that Mommy forgot to have you design your own cupcake, too like the rest of the kids but things got a little busy and we had to attend to other matters at the party.  When you were done eating, you went in front and got hold of the microphone. You were so comfortable saying the words you knew for everyone to hear like, "Spiderman", "Mommy", "Daddy", "Iñigo", "Buzz Lightyear", "Cake", "Balloons", etc. You and Daddy even had a question and answer portion which went something like, "How old are you Iñigo?" and your reply was, "Two" which you pronounced as "Choo". As I said, you were amazing, like your friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Everyone was in awe of you, especially us, your Mom & Dad.

They say that turning two is something that parents must look out for, because TWO is usually spelled as TERRIBLE. They may be right, because that night after your party, you had a huge bump on your forehead and cried so hard that Mommy and Daddy thought of bringing you to the hospital. Thankfully, the bump disappeared the following morning and we didn't have to bring you to the doctor anymore. But despite these little accidents that we know will still happen as you grow older, we trust that you will be terrific and we will always love you and we'll continue showing you how much love we have for you.

Do you know that Mommy and Daddy got the idea of throwing a Spiderman party from you? You had some other favorites like Mickey, Toy Story, Nemo, but as your birthday came nearer, your admiration for Spiderman became undeniable. You would climb up our windows and tell us that you're Spiderman. Do you know that Daddy also wore a superhero costume? Can you guess who?

Anyway, everything at your party went smoothly. We had fun games and the food was also great. There was a dessert table set-up which Mommy DIYed and it was quite a hit. You loved your cakes especially the one with Spiderman's face, which your Ninang Cathy ordered. Towards the end, you danced away with your friends to the tune of your favorite songs.

Mommy is now super excited to plan for your upcoming birthdays. We love you little man!