Finally, it's time for us to depart for Xian but the flight was so early at 6.45 am, need to be at airport 2 hours ahead, so sleepy.
We checked in our luggages all the way to Xian, transit in HongKong but we dont have to collect our luggages in Hongkong, as we booked our ticket all the way from Singapore to Xian in one booking.
48 hours before departing, we need to check in online so as to be able to select our seats on both Cathay Pacific and Dragonair Airlines. Our returning booking, we cannot select seats first cause can only do that 48 hours before departing, so plan to do it in China.
Please note that in China, we cannot access Google, Yahoo, Facebook, You Tube cause they were banned by China. Luckily, wats apps was not banned. If you need any information on the trip, best do before departing unless you know how to use the chinese search engine. "Baidu" (China's equivalent of Google).So I got my son in Singapore to do the online check in and select seats two days before our end of trip, just incase I cant do it in China.
On checking in at the counter at Changi Airport, best double check they tagged your luggage to Xian and not Hong Kong. Need collect two boarding passes, one for Singapore to Hong kong and the other is Hong Kong to Xian. The boarding pass for Hong Kong to Xian sector does not have the Gate No yet. So on arrival at Hong Kong Airport, staff will be stationed just outside the plane with a board to indicate which Gate to go. So remember to check the board or ask the staff.
Was really a smooth plane ride and time passes fast when all I had to do was watch movie and eat in the plane lol.
I had Chicken Cognee but no ice cream but yoghurt.
Hubby had some bacon with eggs and potato.
We had more than one and half hour to do the transfer in Hongkong, is more than enough unless there's delay.
After exiting the plane, and getting our Gate Number from the staff outside the plane's exit, we proceed to transfer gate. Just look for the direction sign "TRANSFER. Our Gate is E16. If unsure where the TRANSFER gate is, ask airport staff or airport sales staff. Enter the TRANSFER gate and get your handcarry bags to be scanned and security check. After clearing security check, take the lift to Level 6 for the boarding gates.
There's water station at the departing hall, so no worry.
Everything goes smoothly, we have plenty of time before boarding Dragonair at Gate E16.
Dragonair also have individual monitor to watch movie.
They too served lunch, Chicken and rice and Haagen Dazs Ice Cream.
Baked fish and ice cream
Surprised the airline food was tasty, first time I finished all my airline meal hahaha.
The ride was smooth, the whole journey from Hong Kong to Xian was 2 hours and 20 mins.
Our hotel, Citadines Central Xi'an is located at 36 Zhubashi, 碑林区 Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, 710002.
After clearing custom and collecting our luggages, we exit and turn to the right and proceed to EXIT 314. We intended to take the airport bus to the city. See more about the airport buses in the official website of Xian Xianyang Internatonal Airport. We should take Line 2 Xian Railway Station, the airport bus will terminated next to Longhai Hotel.
After exiting from EXIT 314, we crossed over to the next building where the airport buses were located.
There's a counter where they sell the tickets for the airport buses. On query, they asked us to take Line 1 to our hotel, the bus will stop at Xi Xiao Men Gate for CNY25 and from there take a cab to our hotel about CNY20. (So total is 2 of us CNY25x2=CNY50 + CNY20 =CNY70). Originally I planned to take Line 2 where the airport bus stop next to Longhai Hotel and from there I could take the Metro at Wulukou Station and change at Beidajie Station and finally to Zhonglou Station for CNY2 and from Zhonglou we need to EXIT C and walked about 10 mins to our hotel. As we had a long flight, taking Line 2 was too tiring for us.
At this time, the counter staff recommended us to take their airport car at CNY200(I guess it will costs more if is midnight) and we can share with another 2 passengers (total 4 in one car). Luckily there's two passengers staying near our hotel , so we split the CNY200 to 2 family, so each family paid only CNY100, the car fetch us direct to our hotel. Best option and not too tiring for us.
The staff will fetch us to the waiting area for the car after we made payment.
These are the name cards of the airport car company. They also recommended their car rental at CNY350(for 4 in one car) for about 8 hours use with driver and can bring us where we wanted to go. This rate is rather reasonable. The rates I saw at our hotel is so much more expensive. So if you have a family of four can make use of this car rental. If there's more than four, they have bigger cars and of course the rate is more.
The rates of car rental with driver offered by the tour desk in our hotel, way too expensive.
