Hong Kong

The flight with Cathay Pacific was good and we both slept well, albeit the flat bed did need a bit of adjustment to get it right. The other issue we both had was the tapering bed which restricted movement; not as good on this A330 as BA or Qantas.
On arrival we went through immigration and baggage collection smoothly. The airport was very reminiscent in its layout of Heathrow Terminal 5. Exiting customs while looking at the various options to get into the city we noted a desk referring to a number of hotels including ours. Mary asked them for the best way of getting to the hotel and was told they ran a shuttle which turned out to be half the price of other means and the best way other than a taxi but at a fraction of the cost. Only one other family took the same bus so almost our own service and very quick.
As expected on our arrival at the hotel (9.30am) our room was not available which was no problem as we had plans - breakfast. The receptionist said we could use the restaurant and charge to our room. After a very good and leisurely one we checked back with reception to be told our room had become available in the meantime. Off to the room and our bags arrived almost immediately so it was time to unpack and settle in. The view over Victoria Park and the harbour towards Kowloon from the eighteenth floor was impressive, beaten only by that from the rooftop swimming pool on the 32nd floor. Sadly the outdoor pool had a temperature of 16C so no swimming there yet. The air temperature was only 20C, with some cloud so quite a change from Perth and a good reason to try long trousers at last.
The receptionist had told us that the last day of the annual Hong Kong flower show was concluding today in the park practically opposite the hotel. For a entry fee of $HK7 (about 54pence) we were treated to amazing displays in a very busy event which also included regional entertainment. There was quite a mix of displays varying from set garden designs to beds of flowers to animals made from flowers and elaborate bouquets made by flower arranging clubs. The one thing that surprised us was only seeing two or three Europeans the whole time; every other SE Asian nationality though.
On our return to the hotel we rather crashed out for the rest of the afternoon/evening as despite sleeping on the plane we were both tired and looking forward to start exploring Hong Kong Island tomorrow. Room service was excellent, as was the wifi!