Review: Eva Air Hello Kitty Flight – Business Class – Manila to Tokyo (Premium Laurel Class)

Note: I took this a flight a couple years ago, but wanted to share with you what a typical Hello Kitty flight looks like.

I arrived at Taipei Airport excited to finally fly my first Hello Kitty flight. First launched in 2012, the Hello Kitty flights have been a huge hit in Taiwan and around Asia and I was curious to see what the fuss was about.

The Hello Kitty experience starts at check in as Eva Air has a self-serve Hello Kitty check in area.

However, since I was flying in business class, I opted to check in at the manned business class counter instead.

Upon passing through security and immigration, I headed to the Infinity lounge to grab a quick snack before my flight.

Soon it was time to board, and I headed down to the gate, and onto the awaiting Hello Kitty A330 Hello Kitty Jet.

The A330 features an older generation business class product in a 2-2-2 configuration, which means if you want direct aisle access, I’d suggest selecting a seat in the middle section.

The angled flat Premium Laurel business class seat has plenty of legroom, especially for a relatively short flight.

At the front of the plane is a full sized Hello Kitty picture, which eerily stares at passengers seating in the middle of the first row.

Each seat is fitted with a full sized Hello Kitty pillow and the seat pocket is lined with a Hello Kitty safety card and magazines.

Once I finished settling in my seat, a flight attendant came by and offered me a glass of bubbly. 

After takeoff, the flight attendants put on their Hello Kitty aprons and took my breakfast order. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get a clear picture, but here’s what the uniform typically looks like.

On this flight, I was delighted to see a menu from Ding Tai Fung, famous for its Xiaolongbao, a type of steamed dumpling. I was first served a small shrimp appetizer and Chinese pork soup.

This was followed by the steamed dumplings, which retained much of its juicy soup flavor, not a small feet considering we were flying at 40,000 feet.

After breakfast, a flight attendant came around asking if we would like to purchase anything from the onboard store. There’s pamphlet listing various Hello Kitty souvenirs you can buy, ranging from the normal to the more unique, such as your very own Hello Kitty apron.

The bathroom had various hello kitty themed sanitizing products including Hello Kitty toilet paper.

I then watched a few TV episodes and the movie Wolf of Wall Street until we began our descent and landed in Tokyo.

Overall, I had an enjoyable my short flight to Tokyo. Besides the huge Hello Kitty picture in the front of the cabin, most of the branding was done in a subtle way, which I’m sure most of the business class passengers prefer.

Review: Hello Kitty Airport Lounge & Eva Air Business Class – Taipei to Manila

As I headed to the departure gate, I passed by different themed waiting lounges that lie atop each departure gate. The most notable was the Hello Kitty waiting lounge, located adjacent to my gate.

To say it’s a sensory overload would be an understatement. The entire waiting area is covered in pink and even the floor was retiled with white and pink squares.

The seating area has chairs with a big hello kitty face stamped on the back of each seat.

No Hello Kitty waiting area would be complete without a kids playground and of course a Hello Kitty store. 

There is even a Hello Kitty themed time zone map and below it Hello Kitty phone booths.

After getting my fill of the Hello Kitty experience, I headed next door to the Skyline waiting lounge, where boarding was about to begin.

Just like in Paris, the boarding process was quite orderly, with clearly marked lines for business class & elite passengers.

The jet bridge itself is divided into two sections, with a separate entrance for business class passengers. 

I was in for a treat as it turns out my plane flying me to Manila was another 777, with the same business class lie flat configuration as my previous flight from Paris.

One of the business class flight attendants greeted me, showed me to my seat, and later provided a hot towel. Since this was a short flight, she also took my lunch order In order to speed up preparing the food once we were in the air.

Upon takeoff, I was offered a glass of bubbly. However, feeling under weather, I decided to forego the alcohol and grab a glass of water. 

Later I found out the champagne being served in-flight was a 2002 Millesime Brut champagne, which is amazing champagne for such a short flight.

 Within ten minutes of taking off, my table was set and lunch was served. I ordered the wok fried shrimp and rice, which was delicious. 

There were only four other passengers in the entire forward section, so the service was quite quick and attentive.

Right after lunch, I set my seat to lie flat mode and instantly fell asleep. I was woken up an hour later as we were beginning our descent. 

We soon shortly arrived at Manila Ninoy Aquino airport. Once again, Eva Air had a separate jet bridge for business class passengers to disembark, which meant I was able to clear immigration in less than a minute! My bags shortly came after.

An eerily quiet Terminal 1 at Ninoy Aquino Airport

Overall, for such a short flight the soft and hard product was amazing. The champagne on offer is as good as you’ll get for short haul business, and getting to sleep on a lie flat on a short flight is always a treat! 

Up Next: Review of my flight on the Eva Air Hello Kitty Jet from Taipei to Tokyo

Previous Post: Eva Air Infinity Business Class Lounge 

Review: Eva Air Business Class Lounge – The Infinity & The Star

As I was among the first off the aircraft, I quickly cleared transit security and made my way to the Eva Air business class lounge located on the second level of the Taipei airport.

The lounge is divided into two separate areas, The Star and The Infinity. Business class passengers have access to both areas, but if you’re a Star Alliance Gold member and flying in coach, you’ll only have access to the The Star. 

Eva Air Infinity Lounge

Of all the lounges I’ve been to, perhaps there is no lounge that is quite uniquely designed like the Eva Air Infinity Lounge.

Lining the ceiling are twinkling lights designed to look like stars and the centerpiece is a tree shape like pillar with continuously changing neon nights.

The entire lounge makes you feel like you’re in a futuristic spaceship set in the year 2050, with lots of florescent lighting and lines that run across the wall to complete the decor.

The food selection was quite vast, with plenty of hot & cold food items to choose from.

 I ended up grabbing a few local Taiwanese snacks, all of which were delicious.

The lounge also has a Movenpick freezer filled with tubs of ice cream and a healthy selection of various wine and liquor.

After grabbing some snacks, I decided to take a quick shower. The lounge has an electronic key card system, so you’ll need to first go to the main counter.

The shower room was spotless and interestingly enough had three different types of shower nozzles to choose from, including a three pronged nozzle that is designed to massage your back while showering!

There were also quite a few amenities available for use, and you’re even provided a pair of extra slippers. 

Overall for a business class lounge I found the shower service provided to be fantastic, although during the busy morning hours usually there is a long wait time, so I’d advise you to ask for a shower room immediately upon entering the lounge.

After my shower, I headed to The Star lounge to take a quick peek. 

Compared to the Infinity the décor is much more traditional, with muted colors and blue & beige leather sofa chairs placed throughout the lounge. 

The food options are pretty much identical to the ones at the Infinity Lounge. I was also told there are also showers available.

If you’re a Star Alliance Gold member, you’re not losing much, and business travelers may actually prefer the more traditional looking Star Lounge.

Up Next: Hello Kitty Lounge & Eva Air Business Class to Manila

Previous Post: Eva Air Business Class from Paris to Taipei

Review: Eva Air Business Class (Royal Laurel) – Paris to Taipei

Eva Air has always been received high marks within industry, with its Royal Laurel business class among the best in the industry. Coupled with the fact my parents are both Taiwanese, I was excited to try world’s newest five star airline and see whether Eva Air could live up to its newly minted rating. 

I ended up redeeming 93,000 ANA miles and $270, which allowed me to book a round trip ticket in business class on Eva Air from Paris to Manila, with a stopover in Taipei on the return flight next year.

I transferred 93,000 American Express points to ANA, which was earned with a single credit card sign up offer.

The ticket normally would have cost around $3500. 

After an amazing ten day cruise around the Mediterranean with my family, it was time for me to head back to Asia. I arrived at Paris Airport around 90 minutes before departure and quickly breezed through the empty lines and checked in.

I quickly stopped by the recently opened Star Alliance lounge, which featured a large dining area and a separate quiet work area.

The lounge was packed as quite a few morning flights were leaving and had your typical cold spread of cereal and breads, with a few hot items. I decided to grab some French toast, which was delicious.

After a quick breakfast, I headed off to the boarding area. The flight was already boarding and I could see huge line forming outside the main gate. Fortunately, Eva Air has a completely separate gate for business class passengers and elite members.

I strolled through the empty gate and was welcomed by the flight attendant and shown to my window seat. 

Eva Air is quite famous for its Hello Kitty Jets which features Hello Kitty themed livery, toiletries, slippers, and even meals.

Sadly, I was scheduled to fly on a regular Eva Air plane, but if you’re curious to get a glimpse of what the cabin typically looks like, here’s a full trip report of a short haul Hello Kitty flight in business class I took a couple years ago.

Unlike most airlines, all business class seats on the Eva Air 777 have direct aisle access with seats placed at an angle to maximize space. 

The seats looked quite sleek and looked a bit like Cathay Pacific’s first class seat, but more compact. 

Underneath there was a small amount of storage space available with plenty of legroom to stretch your legs.

On my seat was a set of pajamas and slippers. There also was a hard shelled Rimowa amenity kit, a first among airlines for business class passengers.

After a 45 minute delay, we took off and our patience was rewarded with a beautiful view of the French countryside. 

As it was my first time flying long haul with Eva Air, I was quite curious to see what kind of champagne would be served. I was shocked the flight attendant came with a bottle of Krug, which is normally served for first class passengers on airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. The retail price for a bottle is usually around $250.

 I cracked a huge smile and knew that this was going to be a good flight! While sipping on the honey nectar of the gods and eating my shrimp and salmon tartare canape, the flight attendant came back and took my lunch order. 

The menus are printed in faux-gold and silver with the country of Taiwan in the middle surrounded by various native species. Its covers were beautifully designed by Grammy award nominated cover designer Xiao Qing-Yang.  

Soon my food was ready and my table was made, with a similarly beautifully designed table cloth. First came the pan fried shrimp with fennel salad. The shrimp was a little dry, but still the dish was well presented and delicious.

I was then served parsnip soup with a few pieces of bacon along with a mixed salad with a yogurt dressing.  

For my main course I had a few choices, but ended up trying the roasted guinea fowl with condiments. 

Having never had the pleasure of trying this French delicacy, the fowl tasted pretty similar to a lean piece of chicken.  The cherry tomatoes were perfectly cooked and I loved how the warm tomatoes burst into my mouth.

For desert I was served various pieces of fruit and a pair of Laduree macaroons.

Overall, the meal was fantastic and definitely a step above what is typically offered in business class. The meal service was efficient and the meals served with a smile. Throughout my meal, flight attendants rolled down the aisle with drinking carts, refilling up my now constantly empty glass with more Krug.

The sun was beginning to set and the cabin lights were dimmed as most passengers, including myself, began to fall into a food coma.

I decided to change into my pajamas and get a few hours of sleep. There are three bathrooms onboard for business class passengers and were quite spacious compared to the cramped bathrooms found in the back of the plane. Interestingly enough, the entire bathroom was covered in mirrors.

Mirrorception

They were all well stocked and cleaned through the flight, with actual small towels to dry your hand and various products from HARNN. 

After changing into my comfy pajamas, a flight attendant came by and offered to hang my clothes for the remaining duration of the flight, which was an unexpected nice touch.

 All business class seats on this flight are convertible to lay flat seat beds with a quick touch of the button. The seats are well designed with a cocoon like shell surrounding the seat to maximize privacy. 

One minor flaw I found was the seat to be a bit uncomfortable on the back due to small gap in the middle of the seat. Eva Air does somewhat advertise a turn down service in which small mattress padding is provided, but it wasn’t provided on this flight. They did provide with a heavy blanket and a pillow to rest on. Nevertheless, I quickly fell asleep and woke up refreshed after 5 hours.

We were now in the middle of Asia and the sky was pitch black. The ceiling was lit up with a hundred stars and flight attendants were taking orders for a mid-flight meal snack. 

I decided to order the sautéed beef noodles, which were on par to what you’d find at a local Taiwanese restaurant. 

I also embraced my Asian side and also tried the onboard ramen, which were topped off with some green pak choy. 

Ramen and Krug, not your typical food and drink combination

Afterwards, I watched a few movies and TV shows on the seat’s 15 inch retractable LCD TV. The provided noise cancellation headphones were more than enough to drown out any engine noise.

On the left side of the seat, the seat has a sleekly designed LED reading light, along with the standard power plug and remote control. Interestingly enough, there is also an USB and video input port.

Time flew by and soon the sun was rising up from the skyline and breakfast was served. 

I chose a traditional Taiwanese breakfast meal, which was delicious and was quite similar to the ones that my mom cooked for me while growing up.

This was followed by another plate of fruit.

Soon after, we began our descent to Taipei as the sun shined through the clouds. 

It was a rainy day in Taiwan but in the distance I saw a fabled Hello Kitty jet at the adjacent gate. Perhaps next time I’ll be lucky enough to experience it firsthand! 

Overall my first flight on Eva’s Air Royal Laurel was absolutely fantastic. The soft product is amazing and the crew really went above and beyond to make me feel at home; not to mention the free flowing Krug, which is unheard of for business class. The semi enclosed lie flat seat was well designed and the direct aisle access makes it much more convenient to get up and walk around. This was a true five star experience.

 I’d honestly fly Eva Air business class over some international first class products, such as United. If every business class product was like Eva’s, it’s hard to justify spending a significant amount of money or miles to fly first class. 

Up Next: Eva Air’s Futuristic Space Like Infinity Lounge

Review: Grand Club Lounge (Renovated) at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Previous Article: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong – Grand Suite

One of the main highlights of the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is the Hyatt Grand Club lounge, which can be exclusively accessed by Hyatt diamond members and club room guests. The recently renovated lounge features a sky high ceiling and is furnished with plenty of seating options ranging from tables to sofas.

On the left side, you’re treated to an exquisite view of the Hong Kong skyline. I highly recommend arriving a bit early during the club’s cocktail hours to secure a table by the window. 

What I liked most about the design of the lounge was the muted lighting, colors, and general sense of warmth. Instead of feeling like you’re in another hotel lounge, the grand club lounge feels like an extension of your living room, except much bigger and with a million dollar view of the Hong Kong skyline.

 I met a friend to grab drinks during the grand club’s evening cocktails, where complimentary alcohol & food are served from 5:30-7:30 PM. 

The food selection is quite vast and is spread over two tables. On one table lies a typical cold spread along with a mix of amuse-bouches. I found the amuse-bouches to be excellent.

On another table was the hot entrée selection, which was a bit disappointing for a five star hotel, consisting of your typical fried food including dumplings and spring rolls. 

Since I was only staying for one night, this was more than enough to fill me up for dinner, but if you’re staying for a couple of days I’d highly advise you save your appetite and explore Hong Kong’s amazing food culture.

The alcohol selection was vast and featured free flowing Ruinart champagne, which was a nice touch as most hotels usually serve only sparkling wine.

Breakfast at the lounge consisted of pastries, fruits, and various hot entrees including shao mai.  

It wasn’t a spectacular selection, but for a lounge breakfast it was more than enough.

The lounge staff was all impeccably trained and they really go out of the way to talk to each guest. 

Overall, the Grand Club Lounge at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is one of my favorites in all of Asia, with a great staff and impressive views of the Victoria Harbor, especially at night.

Review: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong – Grand Suite

Among many frequent travelers and well to do locals, the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is known as one of the top luxury hotels in Hong Kong. The rates at the Grand Hyatt typically start at $500+ a night, which was way out of my budget. 

Fortunately, there was Hyatt Points + Cash availability, which allowed me to book a room for 12,500 Hyatt Points and a much more reasonable $151. 

I then proceeded to upgrade my room to the Grand Hyatt Suite, which typically retails at $1000+ a night, using a Hyatt Diamond Suite Upgrade, making my use of points an incredible value!

I took a taxi from the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui to the Grand Hyatt on Hong Kong island. Upon arrival, I was greeted by the doorman and I walked into the grand marble lobby.

On my way up to the Hyatt Grand Club lounge to check in, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful elevator waiting area that looked like it belongs to a scene in The Great Gatsby.  

I arrived at the 30th floor and walked into the Grand Club lounge. While most lounges typically have a check in area, the Grand lounge in Hong Kong actually had a separate welcome foyer, with stairs leading up to the actual lounge. 

The welcome foyer consisted of a few chairs with a view of the harbor and a small dining area.

The lounge agent checked me in, confirmed my reservation, and took my luggage to my suite, which was located on the 25th floor.

My first impression of the room was WOW. The suite was substantially larger than expected and featured a living & dining area that had a picture perfect view of Victoria Harbor.

As a Hyatt diamond member, I was welcomed with a bottle of red wine, a bowl of fruit, and a few sweets.

The bedroom, which had a similar view, showcased various photo prints of local life in Hong Kong.

Unlike most hotel bathrooms, there were three separate areas: the toilet, a walk-in shower equipped with a rain shower head, and a bathtub with a stunning view of Victoria Harbor. 

Overall, I was really impressed with the Grand Suite. It was much bigger than expected and I especially liked the various pieces of artwork displayed. At night, the room featured one of the most remarkable views of the Hong Kong skyline. 

I decided to explore a bit of the hotel before meeting my friend for drinks at the club lounge. 

The hotel had a big outdoor veranda covered with trees, which led to the swimming pool. 

The pool itself is surrounded by the Grand Hyatt, and it is only when you are outside can you appreciate just how big the hotel is.

Next to the pool was the hotel gym, which had a surprisingly good selection of free weights and equipment.  

It was such a nice gym that I asked if there was a membership plan you can buy to use the gym. Turns out there was… for the grand total of 65,000 HKD (around $8000+) per year!

After my quick tour, I met my friend and we headed to the lounge for evening cocktails.

Review: Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Tsim Sha Tsui

Hotel accommodations in Hong Kong can be notoriously expensive during the Rugby Sevens, with basic three star hotels going above $150. Since I was planning on completing the Hyatt’s newest stay promotion where you can earn up to 75,000 bonus miles, I decided to spend four nights at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui, a shopping district located in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong.

Since I am a Citi Prestige card holder, I got the fourth night for free, bringing my hotel rate down to around $190 a night. It’s not exactly cheap, but for a four star accommodation during Hong Kong’s biggest event of the year, I found it to be reasonably priced.

After arriving on a relatively uneventful Air Asia flight, I took the airport train to Kowloon, where I got on a free bus shuttle to the Hyatt Regency. 

The Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui occupies the lower 24 floors of The Masterpiece, a large skyscraper in Kowloon, with the upper part of the building home to luxury condominiums.

Upon check in, I was pleased to hear that as a Hyatt diamond member, I’d been upgraded to a harbor view room on the 24th floor. 

While heading to my room, I noticed a very musky old carpet like smell in the hallway that persisted throughout my stay. Apparently this has been a matter of concern for quite some time, but I think they could easily mask the smell with a bit of scent. 

As the name suggests, my upgraded harbor view room had a spectacular view of Victoria Harbor and downtown Hong Kong. 

At around 8 PM each day, a laser light show called A Symphony of Light, is shown over the harbor which you can view directly from your room.

Compared to most Hong Kong hotels, the room itself is quite spacious. However for those who are used to western-sized rooms, the bedroom may feel cramped as there is not much space between the king bed and the work desk. 

The bathroom consists of a separate bathtub and shower. 

One nice feature is the sliding mirror above the sink that you can open to reveal a lookout window that lets you see the stunning Victoria harbor skyline while you are in the bathroom.

Hyatt Diamond members are entitled to the best available non-suite room, so I highly recommend you e-mail the hotel ahead of time and request a room on the 20th floor or higher in order to get a room with a good view. Otherwise, your view may be obstructed by the surrounding buildings.

If you don’t get a high level floor, you can instead head to the Hyatt Regency Club on the 23rd floor for a gorgeous 180 degree view of the Hong Kong skyline.

 Access to the club is exclusive to Hyatt Diamond members and club room guests.

The club has a complimentary cocktail hour from 5:30-7:30 pm, where you have various cold dishes and a few hot canapés to choose from. The hot food selection varies from day to day, ranging from the standard fried food to specials like gourmet lamb meatballs. The club also has a decent selection of alcohol, including Absolut and Havana Club. 

In the morning, the lounge features a breakfast buffet where you can choose from a few hot items and your typical continental selection of pastries and fruit. 

They do have an a la carte menu where you can order eggs cooked in whatever style you like. The staff were all amazing and delivered top quality service.

I was really impressed with the food and alcohol selection and the friendly service. But what makes the lounge at Hyatt Regency Hong Kong truly remarkable is the amazing view of the skyline. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my stay and for the price I paid, I wouldn’t hesitate to book a room at the Hyatt Regency again.

Next Post: My stay at the $1000+ a night Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Harbor Suite

Trip Report: Hong Kong Sevens

Good afternoon everyone! I am finally back from a long trip abroad and have some exciting content to share with you guys. In early April I had the chance to visit the Hong Kong Sevens, a mixture of part sporting event and part carnival, with plenty of spectators dressed from the wacky to the downright bizarre.

Click here to read about my experience at the Hong Kong Sevens.

I had a great time in Hong Kong and had the chance to review two amazing hotels. Stay tuned for my full review.

To make our site more accessible for everyone, I will be revamping the guides section. If you have any suggestions feel free to shoot me an email at webmaster@topmiles.com .

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens – The South Stand

Perhaps nothing catches the spirit of the Rugby Sevens as much as the South Stand at Hong Kong stadium. The South Stand is the only place where the general public can drink alcohol in their seats and is open to only those 18 and over. No surprise then that it was totally rowdy and filled with a wide variety of characters.  

A famous tradition of the Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong involves fans donning costumes like it’s Halloween. 

Seeing how I love aviation, I had a costume made in Manila inspired by the film Catch Me If You Can. Apparently the costume was so convincing that many people actually thought I was a real pilot! 

The South Stand is where you’ll find the more interesting and colorful costumes, ranging from superheroes to more unique and provocative ones. Here are some of the highlights.

I still can’t pronounce soyizwap

Trump costumes seemed to be a popular choice. Surprisingly, there were quite a few American fans in the stands.

U-S-A

To see more people in costumes, click here for the full gallery.

Which day should you visit the Rugby Sevens?

Three-day tickets usually cost over $400 on 3rd party websites, so if you’re on a budget, it may be wise to just buy a one-day ticket.

Friday is by far the tamest of the three days of Rugby Sevens. You won’t see a lot of fans dressed up, since many residents have school or work during the daytime. However, tickets are substantially cheaper and the fans relatively well behaved. So if you want a glimpse of the Sevens experience without being soaked in beer, this would be the best time to visit.  

There also is an opening ceremony, which includes a dragon dance and a parade of each country’s teams around the stadium, like in the Olympics.

Saturdays are notorious for being a drunken gathering of mammoth proportions as fans fill the South Stand as early as 8 in the morning and proceed to keep drinking throughout the day. This usually results in quite a few fans being belligerent by the time afternoon rolls around.

Cups filled with beer are randomly thrown into the air and the floor area is lined with a mixture of beer, water, and trash.

I personally found Saturday a bit too crowded as the stands are jam packed, with the revelers stumbling drunk in the afternoon, resulting in some interesting antics.

 There is a possibility of having beer spilled all over you, so better make sure to wear something that you don’t mind being ruined.

Sunday morning is a bit calmer as the crowd is a mix of those who are on their last leg of drinking and locals who just want to soak in the atmosphere.

However, by mid-afternoon the crowd starts to come out of its hung over state and the party atmosphere once again livens up.

At this point, the rugby gets more exciting as the tournament goes into the elimination rounds, with the fans paying attention to the games. If I had to pick one day to go to the Sevens, I’d pick Sunday.

Whether you should buy a 3-day pass depends on what your personal preference is. If a non-stop party is what you’re after, spending three days at the Sevens should definitely be on your bucket list. If not, then I would probably recommend that you purchase a one day ticket.

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens: Introduction + How to Buy Tickets

The stench was strong as I stepped over another cup of spilled beer, while a bunch of rowdy Americans dressed as Donald Trump were entertaining the crowd with their best Trump impersonations.  Nearby a man dressed in Lederhosen was busy guzzling a beer while the crowd cheers him on. Welcome to the Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong, one of the biggest parties in of all of Asia.

I first heard about the Rugby Sevens through a friend last year. She missed her flight connection and was trying to get to Hong Kong for the Sevens to be with her now husband. 

After seeing her pictures, I knew I had to go to Hong Kong to experience the Sevens myself.

There are four ways to get a ticket to the Rugby Sevens. If you know someone who lives in Hong Kong, there is a lottery that you can ask your friend to join. Limited tickets are given to locals that are chosen randomly, so the chances of actually landing a ticket are very slim. The public ballot lottery for 2018 Hong Kong Rugby Seven Tickets is now open until February 8!

The second option is to buy a ticket through Viagogo, the official platform for ticket resellers of the Hong Kong Sevens. However, the three-day tickets being sold on the site cost around $400, which is two to three times the official price for a ticket, making it prohibitively expensive.

It turns out that many locals who are able to obtain tickets immediately resell them to tourists on Viagogo, making a huge amount of profit for around 30 minutes of work. 

The third option is to purchase a flight package that includes a three-day ticket to the Rugby Sevens via Cathay Pacific. The packages are reasonably priced, with Cathay merely adding the original cost of the rugby ticket to the price of a regular ticket. However, flights on Cathay Pacific are generally more expensive than those on low cost carriers in Asia. Packages from Manila were going for around $600, which is still a bit steep.

The last option is if you know somebody who works at one of the corporate sponsors of the Sevens, you might be able to get your ticket from them. If you’re unable to get a ticket, I’d recommend heading to Lan Kwai Fong, where a huge after party happens each night after the matches.

I was really excited about going to the Sevens, but I wasn’t exactly willing to shell out that much money for tickets. I decided to contact the Hong Kong Rugby Union, who graciously provided me with a media pass to the event. 

One month later, I was flying to Hong Kong to experience the Rugby Sevens.

Next Post: Exploring the South Stand at the Hong Kong Sevens