This is a post by Andrea from Sassy Hong Kong.

其中一種我喜愛的香港生活是我星期天可以到香港到不同的異國情調的地方,在我還未搬進之前我對香港的地方只充滿幻想和知道一點點. 以所有成本加起來,加上幾年後居住於亞洲地區,我想我應該偏離最傳統的旅遊計劃,通常包括住在華麗的酒店或獨立別墅,這些都五旦級地方把我弄得模糊不清. 加入Wimdu,一個全新的香港服務網站能提供東主租借一個或多間房間給客戶,令他們感受到為一個當地人.

One of my favorite perks of life in Hong Kong is ease with which I can jet off for a weekend to all sorts of exotic places that before moving here I couldn’t locate on a map, let alone dream of visiting. However, the costs of all that travel can add up, and to be honest, after a few years of living in Asia, I’ve found myself thinking it might be nice to deviate from the standard vacation plans, which usually involve international hotels or beach villas that (as fantastic as they are) all begin to blur together after awhile. Enter Wimdu, a new-to-Hong-Kong service that matches hosts with an extra room (or sometimes an entire extra flat/home) to rent with guests who want to experience the city “like a local”.

當我從未接觸香港Wimdu網站時,我只聽過類似的概念如couch surfing, 起初以為一個流浪客尋覓房屋租借,學生參加這個活動是因為資金不足和對一個家庭及工幹的人來說,他們不視為一個旅程. 但遊覽完Wimdu的網站後,我發現我的想法是十分錯的– 一間裝潢潮流的房間位於中環, 新界的豪華村屋及十分奢華的棄置船,現於香港. 一個酒店租借一晚都需費不少.

I have to admit that before meeting the girls behind Wimdu Hong Kong, I had heard a bit about a similar concept (“couch surfing”), but thought that it was something party-seeking backpackers and students on gap year did strictly because of lack of finances for a trip, and had not really considered it as a vacation option for families or working professionals. After browsing the Wimdu website, I quickly realized that I was very wrong – stylish flats in Central, rooms in luxurious country houses in the New Territories, and even entire luxury junk boats, are all available in Hong Kong, many at fraction of what a night in a hotel room would cost.

Wimdu 邀請了時髦的女子到了這些房間一趟. 這些房子被稱為”時尚家中度假”. 家中度假我們參觀了“Aux Delices”, 一間美麗的房子和包羅萬有的私人廚房位於元朗(位於西鐵線). Aux Delices 的東主當日也現場, 她介紹房間裡的一切,有甚麼方法更快到達元朗附近的地方,還精心炮製了一個美味的晚餐給我們品嚐. 不管當日的天氣有多壞都並沒有破壞我們的旅程. 逛完該村莊後,我們還是享受一眾人在閒談及擺放一杯酒於泳池邊細閱雜誌多於留在家裡享用住家飯. 雖然我們計劃細說當年情和修指甲於樓上的私人空間,該區分別由三間房間一齊共用,但因為睡意極濃加上軟綿綿的床舖正呼喚着我們,雖然入睡時間尚早,但我們要準備聽日早上在花園的早餐. 這裡的地方十分輕鬆和寧靜得很,因為被綠油油的山圍繞着…之後我們回復日常工作,僅僅是離開中環少於一個小時和煩囂的城市少於二十四小時已給我們一個振奮的感覺,就像離開了一段很長的時間.

Wimdu invited the Sassy girls to one of these properties for a little getaway from Central that we dubbed the “Sassy Staycation”. For our Staycation, we visited “Aux Delices”, a lovely house and gourmet private kitchen in Yuen Long (located along the West Rail line in the New Territories). The hostess of Aux Delices was present during our stay to chat, get us acquainted with the house, give us tips about getting around the area, and even prepared a delicious meal for our group. In spite of the rainy weather, we had a wonderful time on our little girls’ trip. After a little walk around the village, we enjoyed chatting and flipping through magazines poolside over a glass of wine before sitting down to a home cooked meal. Although we had planned for a bit more girl-talk and manicures in the private upstairs living space shared by our three rooms, with our bellies full and cushy beds awaiting, we all called it an early night and reconvened over breakfast in the garden the next morning. There is something so relaxing about being somewhere quiet, surrounded by lush green mountains…all of us returned to our “real lives” the following morning feeling refreshed as if we had been somewhere far away for several days (in reality, we were less than an hour from Central and gone for under 24 hours).

這是其中一部份的家中度假相片,當中有美味的食物,甜品和酒.

A part of the Staycation group after lots of yummy food, dessert and wine!

我們時髦的家中度假令我大開眼戒, 那裡有好多旅遊地方供我們選擇,全都是值得遊覽的. 除了可以好像我們一樣享受一個快及本地的旅程, Wimdu提供國際性的房屋(如亞洲,歐洲,美國),老實地說被住在酒店更能享受一個特別或真實的經驗. 有甚麼能比得上住在長灘島水上由竹製成的平房更有樂趣? 與日本當地人一起居住於東京市,如金錢不是問題,或可考慮居住於英國堡壘以公主式的招待.Hester 說Wimdu提供一個住宅式的房間給家庭一個很好的選擇,因為不再是預訂多間酒店而是一整間房子,加上能提供一個廚房給煮食. 住在酒店感到很多不便,很容易耍付上金錢. 如果有朋友從遠方來我會選擇付小小費用租借房屋給他們住得舒舒服服,好比讓他們住在自己家的沙發上.

Wimdu現在正找尋一些住戶開放自己的房屋給其他人居住,如你有興趣感受我們以上的經驗,快申請吧!

Our Sassy Staycation definitely has opened my eyes to the fact that there is a great big world of travel options out there beyond the standard, which is without a doubt worth exploring. Aside from a quick, local, getaway like we enjoyed, Wimdu’s international properties (across Asia, Europe, and the US) sound like a great way to get a more unique or authentic experience in a foreign country than would typically be offered by a hotel – how fun would it be to stay in an over-water bungalow built from bamboo in Boracay, hang out in a traditional Japanese house with locals in Tokyo, or, if money were no object, spend the night being treated like royalty in a real castle in the UK? Hester commented that Wimdu’s full-flat rental properties are a wonderful solution for families, as they alieviate the need to coordinate multiple hotel room bookings and provide access to a kitchen. Anyone who has ever racked up a giant hotel mini-bar tab while trying to re-shuffle things to make space for their own goodies – yes, I’m guilty of this– can appreciate what a money saver a fridge can be. And for those of us who have turned our spare bedroom into a walk in closet, wouldn’t it be great to be able to refer visitors to an apartment just down the street, rather than having them cooped up on your sofa during their trip to see you in Hong Kong? I love my friends and family, but there are times when I would gladly contribute to the nightly cost of a little apartment on Caine Road to have them jet lagged and making a 3 AM snack in their own space!

On the flip side of things, Wimdu is also always looking for people who want to open their homes to guests from around the world, and we’ve heard talk that a few Sassy members have already signed up to make rooms in their apartments available for visitors. If you are one of these girls, we’d love to hear how it worked out for you!

Andrea