Frommer's Hong Kong (Frommer's Complete) 8th Editon [Paperback]

Beth Reiber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2005

• A discriminating guide to a great time in Hong Kong
• Our guide offers the lowdown on the best hotels, restaurants, sights, nightlife, and shopping
• A giant foldout map, walking tours, and special tips for single business travelers as well as families make the guide even more valuable
• Travelers also get the scoop on nearby Macao as well as side trips to the New Territories and mainland China

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer. Frommer's. The best trips start here.

• The best places to eat dim sum, shop for antiques, and have your fortune told.
• Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.
• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.
• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

About the Author

Beth Reiber worked for several years in Germany as a freelance travel writer writing for major U.S. newspapers and in Tokyo as editor of the Far East Traveler. Now a freelance travel writer residing in Lawrence, Kansas, with her two sons, she’s the author of several Frommer’s guides, including Frommer’s Japan and Frommer’s Tokyo, and is a contributor to Frommer’s Europe from $85 a Day, Frommer’s USA, and Frommer’s China.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Frommer's; 8th edition (February 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764576690
• ISBN-13: 978-0764576690
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,106,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Travel > Asia > Macau

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Woefully Inadequate, December 4, 2003

By 

Delta Dave "blues_man" (Santa Clara, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's(r) Hong Kong, 7th Edition (Paperback)

If there is a hell for travel writers, I hope Beth Reiber will burn in it. The useful information in this book could be condensed into a postage stamp size guide: One good Dim Sum Restaurant, one good Macanese Restaurant and one walk in The Western District. I recently traveled with this book to Hong Kong. I had a Hong Kong resident as a companion and still got lost using this book. Ms. Reiber recommends a walking tour of Kowloon, but does not bother to place the last four destinations on the included map. Nor does she say that you will encounter two rivers of humanity flowing in both directions that will turn a fifteen minute walk into a half hour hike. It is easier for salmon to swim upstream to spawn than it is to find the Bird Market in Kowloon. She also recommends a Kowloon park that is not even on the visitor map! (Just hop on the bus, she says. It stops across from the park. Hah!) We took the bus to Stanley after seeing Victoria Peak. The bus ride is interesting but time consuming. First time travelers on a three day holiday will never be able to complete her suggested three day tour. Taxis speed things up at night, but get snarled in traffic during the day. I was there six days and saw most of the things on her list, including a side trip to Macao, but only by the grace of God did my Hong Kong friend and I find the ruins of Saint Paul's Cathedral, so inadequate were the included maps. As for the unnecessary words: Anyone can walk into a four star hotel and find a great restaurant. If you follow Ms. Reiber's restaurant suggestions you'll be eating either Very Expensive or Expensive (her categories) most of the time. If you like to shop, which I do not, I'm sure you'll find Ms. Reiber's book helpful; she drags you through every major complex of shops on her walking tours. Rick Steves she ain't. So if you are planning a trip to Hong Kong you can buy this book, but get some good maps as a supplement and draw out your routes in advance. A few things Ms. Reiber doesn't mention: The locals seem to think that tea is a disinfectant for chop sticks and soup spoons. Bring a pack of Kleenex with you to a neighborhood restaurant, because napkins are not provided. And forget about breathing clean air while you are in Hong Kong. However, the city is full of delights and I intend to return, now that I know my way around.

23 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is not updated. Many names dont exist any more., November 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's Hong Kong (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

What have the frommers done is Just duplicating the old edition with a new name. This so called 2001 edition " frommer's hong kong 6th eddition" has so many names I could not look up on the internet mainly because they were sold to another company with a different name. The air lines they suggested dont even fly to hong kong any more. Many restaurants were nonexistant. Things are changing rapidly in Hong Kong. Frommers has not kept up with those changes. Seems like a [price] rip off scam to me.

Good luck.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Handy and complete, June 12, 2006

By 

G. J. Quintero "GJQ" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Hong Kong (Frommer's Complete) 8th Editon (Paperback)

Just got back from a quick jump over to HK and Macau for business and I brought this book along. Contrary to some other readers reviews, I found the book absolutely invaluable! The walking tours were quite insightful and with good directions and time estimates -I never got lost. Some of my most memorable experiences were from the walking tours in HK. The information was accurate and concise. It provided everything I needed to know about getting to the outlying islands on my free day, getting to the airport and getting around town. Nightlife recommendations were great for the foreign visitor on business. I compared the recommendations to that in Lonely Planet and my own experience and I thought the Frommer's was a lot more true to the scene than Lonely Planet. I didn't run into any snags while using the Frommer's book. I also took a side trip to Macau with the book and had a great time. Info was accurate, although the maps a little inadequate, but nothing a quick stop into the tourist office couldn't solve. I'd highly recommend the book and I'd pass it along to any colleagues or friends who might be going to HK since it never failed me once.