Hong Kong Awaits: A Davaoeño’s First Direct Flight Adventure with Cebu Pacific

This Hong Kong trip with my blogger friends was not on my bingo card for 2024 but as they say, great things happen when you least expect it.

Since Davao airport is a bit small, I don’t have to be super early when catching direct flights, my friends and I were about 3 hours early for our flight since I believe better early than late when it comes to the airport because you never know the different kinds of inconveniences you may encounter along the way.

Whenever booking an international flight, it’s better to pay the travel tax in advance to save time and since it was my first direct flight, I didn’t know that I had to pay 784 pesos for the terminal fee in cash. Another travel tip is to always bring extra cash in case of emergency.

This experience was also memorable because aside from traveling “alone” abroad for the first time, it was also my first trip abroad with my friends so I was a bit nervous as to what kind of questions the immigration officer would ask me.

Hong Kong Museum of Art at Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

The IO asked me basic questions like who am I with in Hong Kong, what’s my job and when will I go back to Davao which all I answered. I didn’t overshare and kept my answers short and simple.

Since I woke up early,I kind of slept most of the journey and when I woke up,I was already in Hong Kong.

Our flight was around 8:20 am and arrived in Hong Kong 11:50 am. We didn’t spend too much time around the airport as much as we wanted to because we wanted to try Hong Kong’s Wine and Dine Festival and the day we arrived was the last day.

Roasted Pork Belly and Crab Roe Xiao Long Bao

Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival was a 5-day event with over 300 wine and cuisine booths with innovative features to revitalize and excite festival goers which was held at Central Harbour Event Space from October 23-27,2024.

Abalone and Crab Roe Xiao Long Bao at Wine and Dine Festival

Since the event was a huge success, the Hong Kong Tourism Board decided to extend it until the end of November.

Since I booked our hotel at Tsim Sha Tsui the nearest mode of transportation for us was the ferry which is a challenge for me since I think I have mild Thalassophobia, good thing the ride was short.

It was my first Wine and Dine Festival and I wish I had more time to try more items. The only items I tried were the Roasted Pork Belly, Crab Roe Xiao Long Bao, and Abalone. For the drinks, since I was not in the mood for wine, good thing there was an Oolong Tea with milk that’s near the food area so I tried that one.

Roasted Goose Meal Set

After exploring the area a bit, we decided to eat a proper dinner at Gwing Kee Roasted.

I ordered the basic BBQ Pork while some of my friends decided to be adventurous and try their Roasted Goose set meal.

The next day, my day started a bit early since I wanted to go to Citygate Outlet which is approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour away from TST to look for a birthday gift for my dad.

Citygate Outlets

Sourdough Egg Tart

Based on their website, the stores open around 10am and I was there around 10:10 am but the stores open at 11am. Thankfully I saw a grocery store in their basement and decided to look around for pasalubong that I’d buy there before going back to TST. Since there was no baggage counter, it would be my last stop before going home. I stumbled upon Bakehouse, Bakehouse is founded on their love of workmanship and a sense of community, drawing inspiration from European artisanal neighborhood stores.

They are here to make your day better by providing delicious pastries, fresh sourdough, and warm smiles.

I ate around 5 mini croissants and tried a popular coffee shop named Cupping Room. I ordered an Iced Latte before going home.

Iced Latte at Cupping Room

Cupping Room is a Hong Kong-based small-batch specialty coffee roastery that has won awards since its founding in 2011. Cupping Room, a trailblazer in the local specialty coffee market, finds the world's best green beans, roasts them to perfection, and brews with passion. Cupping Room, which has eleven locations in Singapore and Hong Kong, is well-known for its broad food menu, excellent coffee, and welcoming ambiance. As a one-stop shop for coffee lovers, Cupping Room has also introduced its range of coffee products, which includes drip bags, coffee beans, and capsules. These products are sold at Hong Kong's main supermarkets and on its website. Premium coffee, energizing teas, and all the home coffee-making supplies are available to customers.

At night, I met up with my friends and tried Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan Fried Buns, which won Michelin Star. They serve 100% handmade wrapped and fried on-site buns. It was a challenge for me to eat it because it was served hot and I don't do well in eating hot food because I have a cat's tongue. I paid 43 HKD for 4 buns ( 2 Signature Buns + 2 Spicy and Numbing Buns). It was really filling and I totally love the wrapper since it was crispy.

Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan Fried Buns

I also tried the popular Mister Softee which serves Vanilla Ice Cream on a cone which they said is a must-try when visiting Hong Kong. One serving costs 13 HKD.

Mister Softee Vanilla Soft Ice Cream

On our third day, we went to Disneyland! We were so eager to try all the rides in the World of Frozen, and even though they were too adventurous for someone like me, I was glad I tried them and thanked God the rides were short.

Castle of Magical Dreams

Premium Mixed Grill Combo 200HKD

To save money, we booked a meal voucher via Klook and bought the lunch/dinner meal voucher with snacks for less than P1,400. But the specific meal voucher only covers up to 160HKD and since the meal we wanted costs 200HKD, we added 40HKD per person. The Premium Mixed Grill Combo comes with one pork sausage, one chicken fillet, 2 beef steaks and a side of baby tomatoes,string beans and fries. I swear if it was not expensive,I would have not finished it. Personally,the serving size is good for sharing or you can add 1 cup of rice for 18HKD so that it's good for 2 people and it will be filling. The meal voucher comes with a 16oz drink.

I rode most of the rides I wanted to try but missed two shows: Mickey’s PhilharMagic and the parade. I loved the show and the parade five years ago and think I would have still enjoyed them if I had watched them again. I was also sad that they didn’t sell popcorn buckets anymore. It would have been cute memorabilia if I had bought my third popcorn bucket; I just bought a small candy container of Stella Lou instead.

Since our flight was around 12 noon, as early as 8am we decided to go to the airport already so we wouldn't be late. Since we checked in a bit early, we had time to drop by Popmart. I had plans of buying 3 figures but 2 of the figures were sold out, Space Molly V3 and Molly Carb Lover Series. Instead, I purchased 1 Hirono figure for a friend, 2 Baby Molly, and 1 Molly Long Time No Ding Card Holder Blindbox which I didn't know was Hong Kong exclusive merch which I should have bought a lot.