Customised Private Tours & Experiences in Amazing Hong Kong

Pearl of the Orient

Private Tours Cultural Tours Walking Tours Sightseeing Tours City Tours Night Tours Transit Tours Shore Excursions

Carefully Crafted Personalised and Customised Itineraries by Jamie | Hong Kong’s Most Experienced Private Tour Guide For :

Solo Travellers Friends Families Seniors Couples Business People

J3 Group Hong Kong | J3 Consultants Hong Kong | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong

Creating Memories That Will Last A Lifetime

FAQ

You have 2 very similar websites, why?

 Good question!

I operate 2 websites J3 Private Tours Hong Kong and J3 Consultants Hong Kong

Both are valid sites and current

In essence my J3 Private Tours Website will not be updated as of 1.1.2025, it was my primary website from mid 2010 until February 2020 and then Covid 19 resulted in Hong Kong being closed off for 3 full years and it destroyed many businesses involved in Tourism, I consider it the end of era.

To support my family I operated J3 Consultants during the Pandemic and I have decided that this will be my primary website moving forward, I prefer the new site design but I did not want to lose my Google ranking | SEO built up by my J3 Private Tours Website from 2010 - 2020 so it remains, you will see that my contact details are the same as are prices and such and much of the text is exactly the same.

Making a booking for my Tours | Experiences

 I operate on a first come first served basis please bear this in mind, I can receive a booking out of nowhere at any moment, I frequently get bookings via my booking form with no prior contact with the guest.

Please note that if you do not want to fill in the booking form to book, no problem, simply send me an email or fill in my simple contact form on the contact page and let me have the relevant details. I know that forms can be a hassle to complete!

At a minimum I need the names of the people going on the tour, date of the tour, start time, number of hours, name of the hotel I will meet you (or other meeting point) + any other information you think is relevant.

Please note I will always confirm I have received a booking.

What happens when I have booked an Experience | Tour?

 On the day of the experience | tour I will pick you up at your hotel (or at a mutually agreed place) at the agreed time and then drop you off at the hotel (or at a mutually agreed place) at the conclusion of the experience | tour if you wish.

I am able to plan an experience | tour very quickly depending on what you want to see and in the time you have available. 

As far as the itinerary goes, my guests are usually more than happy to leave it to me, particularly first timers to this wonderful city, I normally work out the itinerary in my head once I have met you to give you a rather unique, highly personalised experience of Hong Kong with someone who has lived here for 53 years!

There is always an element of mystery and surprise to my experiences | tours by the way....

Finally, I invite you to go to my Flickr Image site (The J3 Images link on the navigation bar) to help see what Hong Kong is all about, many guests use my site to decide what they want to visit.

J3 Hong Kong Tours and Experiences - What is your most popular tour?

Believe it or not an 8 hour tour is my most popular tour accounting for 29% of my bookings followed by a 6 hour at 23% of my bookings, I do NOT have set or standard tours, all tours are custom designed and take into account anything you would like to do

J3 Hong Kong Tours and Experiences - Who will be the guide on my tour?

Me, Jamie and that is that, I do not employ other private guides, if for any reason I am unable to do a tour with you I am more than happy to recommend my great friends who also do tours, quite a few of them employ multiple great guides, we operate an informal group in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Private Guides Society, in operation for over a decade and I am a founder member, we are all about quality.

J3 Hong Kong Tours and Experiences - Do you offer Hotel, Airport and Cruise Terminal Pick Up?

Absolutely, I was the first to do this when I started offering private tours back in 2010

J3 Hong Kong Tours and Experiences - Prices

My prices are not negotiable, in fact I have not changed my prices for 8+ years now, I offer a premium experience | tour. I am the guy that introduced Premium Private Tours to Hong Kong in 2010, there is a lot more competition now but trust me, the phrase “you get what you pay for” is very true when booking an experience | tour in Hong Kong, enough said.

J3 Hong Kong Tours and Experiences - Payment

I do NOT require ANY deposit from you, payment in cash in either HK$ or US$ on the day is the deal, if you do not turn up or cancel at the last minute I do not get paid, please bear this in mind. Payment in currencies other than US$ or HK$ - please contact me for confirmation.

J3 Hong Kong Tours and Experiences - Charges that are NOT included in my Private Tour Fee

| IMPORTANT | NOT Included in my FEE - see below

• The cost of any transport such as Taxi's, Buses, Mini Buses, Ferries, Trams, The Peak Tram, The MTR (Subway), The Airport Express Train, NP 360 Lantau Cable Car etc. - in other words, transport costs are your responsibility. - sometimes in the interests of time I will suggest taking a Taxi rather than other means of transport, I will always give you the option as a Taxi will be more expensive.

• Meals / Drinks / Snacks / Souvenirs etc.

• Please note - I pay my own transport costs

I need you to be very clear about these additional costs so there are no surprises on the day, I have always been upfront about these Transport Costs and Miscellaneous Expenditures - Transport costs are on the whole very affordable when compared to most major world cities and that includes taxis.

Do you need HK$ Cash for your Hong Kong Tour | Experience?

The Hong Kong $ is pegged to the US$ at the rate of US$1 = HK$7.80 and has been since October 17th 1983

Hong Kong is not yet a cash free place (like Mainland China) even paying for a Taxi, most Taxi Drivers prefer HK$ cash for payment, at the moment probably only about 10% - 30% of taxis can accept payment by credit card or cash cards, although this figure is revised upwards monthly it will not be 100% until the end of 2026.

Many restaurants accept cash and credit cards, convenience stores accept cash and credit cards but market stalls generally do not and you can use the Octopus Card to purchase goods in many stores and restaurants.

Generally most Hong Konger’s use what we call the Octopus Card which started out as a Travel Card and now you can pretty much pay for anything using it. I have attached a link (see below) to a blog post I recently posted please have a read of it, as you are here for a few days it is an essential item to have for getting around - they are invaluable

In general it is hard to say how much in Hong Kong $ you will need, initially say HK$400 - HK$500 per adult daily for the duration of your stay, I guess everyone has their own idea on what they will need! I had one guest who bought a Rolex watch in Hong Kong and he paid HK$80,000 (over US$10,000) in cash!

There are a zillion bank ATM‛s everywhere so you should not have a problem withdrawing money from banks ( I guess you can check with your own bank as to what Hong Kong banks to use )

Hong Kong is a very safe place, muggings and | or street robberies are rare, if a foreign tourist is robbed funnily enough the perps tend to be non residents who come in from other Asian Countries and the odd case of it locally tends to be a Money Changer Employee who got careless, our Police are extremely professional and are everywhere, people even hand in lost wallets and purses, intact!

Hong Kong has CCTV cameras everywhere with thousands more being installed, the Police have an amazing record for catching criminals who commit crimes generally within 24 hours.

Hope this helps

Are your Tours and Experiences listed on Viator or Tripadvisor to book?

NO. I did list on Viator over a decade ago and never again, both companies charge a very, very hefty commission to list on their sites which is at a level where the phrase highway robbery comes into play, they take ages to pay you once the tour is complete and you have to conform to their strict policies. I also do not like one bit how you have to list your tours and experiences which simply means all tours from all tour companies look exactly the same, no creativity or customisation is allowed. There is no doubt that they send you lots of bookings but I simply want to retain 100% control over how I promote my tours and the booking and payment process.

I should also add that I am NOT listed on any booking platform and that includes Tours by Locals, Get Your Guide, City Unscripted, With Locals and such.

Sample Itineraries for my Tours | Experiences

Please note that I do not provide sample itineraries, my tours are private tours with NO set itineraries or themes and we sort out what we will be doing on the tour when we meet as quite often, you, the guest will have something on your wish list or a list of must see sites. I have completed well over 2,300 Private Tours and have lived in Hong Kong for 53 years, I know what I am doing.

Do you do car tours?

In a nutshell, NO.

This is a personal thing and after being in the game since 2010 my feelings have not changed about car tours (and for the record I have never owned a car or driven a car and yet I am a car fanatic!)

• hiring a car in Hong Kong for 3 - 8 hours can be very expensive and the more guests the bigger the car and the higher the price, companies who offer car tours in Hong Kong are generally limited to 5 or 6 passengers

• I have done 2 car tours since 2010 and never again, it is for me a very uncomfortable experience literally and figuratively speaking, in addition I am pretty straight forward and blunt when I talk about Hong Kong and I worry at how the driver might react, on one of my 2 car tours the driver kept interrupting me when he disagreed with what I said!

• There are roughly 750,000 cars in Hong Kong but also there are 120,000 trucks and vans 18,000 + taxis and over 20,000 buses and traffic congestion is a real issue on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon, in my humble opinion Hong Kong has the best public transport in the world and I know how to use it, it is also a great cultural experience

I understand that wheelchair users and guests with mobility issues may well prefer to do a car tour, don’t worry all my great friends in the business offer car tours and I am more than happy to refer you to them.

There seems to be a bit of walking involved?

As there is a bit of walking involved (even when using public transport) you will need to let me know in advance if you have any mobility issues

3 hours, 4 hours or 8 hours - whatever the experience | tour length I structure the pace accordingly and to your needs.

I am not a big fan of steps but please note there are times when they just cannot be avoided - if you have issues, then please let me know.

The usual rules of walking apply, be prepared and make sure you wear appropriate clothing and shoes, water and soft drinks can be purchased at the thousands of convenience stores found on the streets in Hong Kong. 

Finally and to emphasize - all experiences | tours are done at a reasonably leisurely pace, do not worry about this too much, the experience is part walking | part hopping around on public transport with plenty of rest periods, remember I want people to enjoy themselves! 

My experiences | tours are a combination of walking | using public transport with emphasis on using the MTR (Subway System) which is NOT subject to road traffic conditions - this is by far the best way to see Hong Kong and the most optimal use of your time. I am very sensitive to peoples physical condition (and my own!) and I adapt accordingly no matter what the season and from my perspective, using public transport gives you a real understanding of Hong Kong Culture, something you will miss out in sat in the back of a car.

When is the best time to visit Hong Kong and Weather Issues and yes, it rains in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has 4 distinct season’s and temperature wise the best months to visit are October to May when the temperature and humidity fall to comfortable levels, December, January and February can be cool and sometimes downright cold but perfect weather to be out and about, in our winter and spring it does not rain much at all, sunny (but hazy) days are common.

Generally my experiences | tours will go ahead unless we have some serious issues such as very heavy rain that is forecast to persist all day or we are caught up in a typhoon, in other words I will normally follow guidelines issued by the Observatory in Hong Kong, in a nutshell experiences will be cancelled at the start of the tour, if:

• it is raining very hard and it is likely to carry on for more than 2 -3 hours

• there is a typhoon near to Hong Kong and the weather is forecast to get much worse during the day

• For up to date weather, it's always best to refer to the Hong Kong Observatory

Common sense will prevail and if the experience is cancelled you do not need to pay me

As mentioned The Hong Kong Observatory issues guidelines for very heavy rain and typhoons (quite rare I might add) in which everyone is sent home and then all public transport grinds to a complete halt but like I said that is quite rare, I prefer my common sense approach, persistent heavy rain for 2 or 3 hours just makes being outside a thoroughly miserable experience and once or twice I called of the experience half way through.

I always give my guests the option to cancel | reschedule the experience | tour if we have persistent heavy rain

Trust me, exploring in this sort of rain can be just plain miserable but then again I have been out many times in Hong Kong’s tropical rain and it can be fun as long as it only lasts for 10 minutes!

Please also take into account that from June to September it is always very hot and humid (with or without the rain) in Hong Kong, we are talking 30 - 33oC or 86 - 91oF and 65% - 90% humidity during the day and the temperature does drop some in the evening. It is not anywhere near as bad as you think.

What about Foodie Experiences | Tours?

I love food, and I estimate I have eaten in well over 1,250 + local restaurants in 53 years here but that does not make me an expert foodie! food is such a subjective matter, what I like you may well hate!

I will categorically state now, that I do not do foodie experiences and tours, but I am perfectly happy to stop and eat at restaurants (or sample egg tarts!!) and I know some great places to fit any budget. You may wish (in advance of coming to Hong Kong) to check out the Michelin Food Guide which offers up details of over 200 Hong Kong restaurants covering all budgets, a lot of Food Tour companies here specialise in the Bib Gourmand restaurants which is over 50 Hong Kong eateries offering up amazing food at very reasonable prices!

I am not the person who will regale the history and origins of the dishes eaten, or take you to wet markets to discuss food ingredients or sample food in 6 different restaurants!! and I will certainly not deconstruct the experience of eating a bowl of wonton noodles!

If you want a specific foodie experience then there are other dedicated food tour companies who have excellent reputations, these would be a much better bet for you and I am happy to refer quality companies, we are all great friends!

How about visiting Disneyland or Ocean Park?

Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park are great for adults and kids alike. If you wish to visit such attractions as Disneyland or Ocean Park then you need to allow 6 - 8 hours as an absolute minimum. They are very easy to get to but in order to get the best out of the visit, you need to allocate time as many of the popular attractions have big queues. Visiting any outlying Islands will also require a good part of the day.

I would also point out that hiring me to take you to Disneyland or Ocean Park is just not necessary, you can easily do these on your own, they are both pretty easy to get to.  

Do you offer other Offbeat Experiences or Tours?

Please note that my experiences are Private I do NOT do PUBLIC GROUP TOURS or FREE TOURS In other words just you and me, it is NOT possible for other people to join our experience unless you invite them!

I specialise in Hong Kong Experiences and Tours only - by Hong Kong Experiences I mean Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories including Lantau Island., I do NOT ever go to Macau or into Mainland China but I can recommend quality companies that do

Please do note that I cannot do HIKING Experiences or similar in remote locations, Hong Kong is huge roughly 430 sq miles (1,113+ sq km) and doing experiences | tours in the remote regions of the New Territories is not possible. There are a number of companies that specialise in Hiking Tours and such and I am happy to refer them.

Please note that my Experiences and Tours are part walking and part using Public Transport, this is the best way to see Hong Kong. It is not all walking, there are rest breaks and as a reminder - I am very sensitive to peoples physical condition (and my own!)

What happens if you are already booked?

I may still be available even on days where I have an existing experience | tour depending on your timing and the number of hours for the experience, if needs be please contact me for confirmation.

I am always happy to work on Sunday's and public holiday's including Christmas Day and New Year's day.... I would say that Sunday is absolutely the most popular day to do an experience in Hong Kong, so much to see and do!

Yes, I am a very busy chap so prompt booking is always advisable as I work on a first come, first served basis and I work 7 days a week!  I do love a good night experience as well... however there are times when I simply will not be able to fit you in, sorry!

I have no issues at all about giving you a recommendation for other excellent private guides in Hong Kong, we are all great friends.

Is it true you did a tour of Hong Kong with a famous Princess?

Yes it is! and if you click on the button above you can read all about it…. it was certainly a memorable day and yes, it is also true that we travelled quite some distance on a public bus!

Do you cater for older people and Seniors?

Absolutely, over 60% of the experiences I have done have been with guests over 50 years old! - oh and I am not suggesting 50 year old’s are seniors! what I am saying is that most of my tours are with older people.

Do you cater for kids and are your experiences kid friendly?

Kids 16 and under at the time of booking are FREE OF CHARGE and are always more than welcome

Absolutely! I specialise in family experiences, I am a family man with 3 kids of my own (and I used to regularly supervise school trips) so again children are welcome (of any age).

We have raised 3 boys who are now 25, 32 and 41! you never stop thinking of them as kids though and I get great joy in explaining Hong Kong to young folk!

........but be mindful that keeping small kids under 4 interested for 3 - 8 hours can be a problem depending on what type of experience you schedule, however I take it all in my stride I have been told that I can even keep moody teenagers amused, my badge of honour so to speak… I am very tolerant!

Any awards and Tripadvisor Reviews?

Absolutely

Why have you not had any Tripadvisor Reviews since 2020?

A valid question

In a nutshell Covid 19

The Hong Kong Government banned tourists from Hong Kong for 3 years, February 2020 - March 31st 2023 and any tours I had in hand were all cancelled and I received NO bookings during that period, so I reverted to doing Consultancy work to pay the bills and it is only recently that I finished the last of those projects and such so it is time I got back in the game as they say.

What sort of people book your Experiences and Tours?

Can I phone you?

In a nutshell, when I am busy I simply DO NOT answer my telephone and I extend this courtesy to all guests. my phone number is also my WhatsApp number if you want to send me a message

Can I email you?

Yes I have 2 email addresses

• jamie@j3consultantshongkong.com

• jamie@j3tourshongkong.com

I try and reply promptly but please factor in time zones and that during the day I am out and about, certainly you will receive a reply within 24 hours

If email is not your thing, I have contact forms you can fill in and send to me.

What languages do you speak?

You will not be surprised to learn that I am utterly useless at languages, I speak English only and very well I might add, sorry! I actually know lots of words and phrases in Cantonese but I cannot get the tones right!! My wife much to her frustration has been trying to teach me Cantonese for 40 years!

Cantonese is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn ...and no, it is not some colonial mentality I have, I am just plain dumb! Cantonese is not a problem, my wife and other Chinese family members are a phone call away should there be a problem, and frankly, English is widely spoken in Hong Kong as it is after all, one of our official languages.

… and an apology to all French, Spanish and other European Language speakers, I speak English only.

Photographs and Photography?

Unless otherwise stated, all images on this site have been taken by me Jamie.

Photographs | Images appearing on this website and on my Flickr Site should be used solely as an indication of attractions. Actual attractions may vary according to the itinerary as well as the experience we do.

I reserve the right to photograph any event and participants, as well as use any images taken for promotion and / or commercial purposes without further recourse or compensation.

I do like to take photographs and will keep this to a minimum and I am always happy to take quality images of you and send them to you, I have a very nice (and expensive ) camera! - no poor quality smart phone images to be had from me!

Is it ok to tip me at the conclusion of the experience | tour?

Tipping is always optional and boy, what an awkward subject to broach! if you have had a great time and want to thank me in this manner, then gratuities are very much appreciated!

...however, let me be clear,  I will never ask, I will never be offended if you do not offer a tip and I am not going to claim that 50% of the tip will go to charity! (and for the record I have been giving to charities all my adult life in Hong Kong!)

J3 Hong Kong Tours and Experiences - Why is wearing a mask still a thing in Hong Kong

Drives me nuts actually, I estimate that since the mask mandate was dropped on March 31st 2023 at least 30% of the local population still wear a mask, perhaps the main reason (which goes back to the Sars outbreak in 2003) is that people are still very wary post Covid about catching a cold or spreading a virus, basically from my perspective it has become a habit and people have all sorts of “justifications” for wearing them, it drives me bonkers because I like to see a persons face when I am talking to them! but that is just me and it does not help that the Medical Community in Hong Kong still advises that you wear a mask particularly during flu season which these days seems to last all year!

Lastly

Hong Kong is a major international city with an excellent reputation and is very tourist friendly. It is a very safe place so carrying expensive camera equipment and wearing a Rolex watch will not increase your chances of getting robbed.

However you need to look after your wallet and mobile phones on the MTR (subway system) and in crowded markets like you would in any bustling metropolis.

I am a keen amateur photographer and I will sometimes take pictures, I keep this to a minimum. I am also more than happy to take pictures of you!

Hong Kong is fast paced and a bit in your face, but it is also very civilised; remember we can get (pre - covid) between 55 - 65 million visitors a year (but only 3.5 million in 2020) so we know how to look after our guests. Take it from me, you will absolutely enjoy your time in Hong Kong!

Me and my personality.... 

I arrived in Hong Kong as a child and have been here ever since and I love it here, I am married with 3 boys who where all born and raised in Hong Kong.... my wife is a local, born and bred in Hong Kong! and Cantonese is her first language.

I have a somewhat evolved (and understated) dry English sense of humour! and you should take this into account when I regale stories about living here.

I am full of completely useless facts about Hong Kong...(and I know plenty of historical facts as well!)

I tend to say it as it is, Hong Kong is NOT perfect by any means and naturally I will answer any question you throw at me, I DO NOT offer up sanitized answers or opinions, I do not sugar coat things and can be quite blunt on certain issues so please take this into account

OK not quite the last bit!

You agree to notify me by email in advance of any pre existing health / medical condition including food allergies and such which may well be an issue with regards to you participating in one of my private experiences.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition then Personal Accident Insurance is strongly advised.

Please bear in mind that my private experiences are walking experiences incorporating public transport as needed. although not particularly strenuous, you should bear in mind that some parts of Hong Kong are hilly and the weather can be very hot and humid particularly the Summer. In this regard, you should consider your ability to engage in medium aerobic urban style walking. If you are unsure about this, please consult your Doctor

All experiences are undertaken at the participants own risk. J3 Consultants / Jamie Lloyd accept no liability or obligation in the event of illness, injury, death or loss or damage to personal property.

It is recommended that you arrange your own Travel Insurance that covers - inter alia, accidents, personal injury, property loss and emergency medical services.

Hong Kong follows the British style traffic flow and crossing rules. To avoid accidents, please be vigilant and remember to follow all road crossing signals and traffic warnings, our Police Officers and Traffic Wardens take great delight in giving a jaywalking ticket to foreigners

Finally - J3 Consultants / Jamie Lloyd reserves the right to take photographs and film footage of clients on tours and / or any activities and to use the material in any way we deems appropriate including but not limited to featuring it on our company website and on promotional materials. 

Disclaimer

All information provided on the J3 Consultants website is correct to the best of my knowledge, errors, omissions and exceptions not withstanding.

J3 Consultants / Jamie Lloyd do not assume responsibility or any liability for any tour participant’s own misunderstanding or misinterpretation of any information provided on this site. 

Parents accept full responsibility for the behaviour / actions of their children whilst on an experience.

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I will use your information solely to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted me. I will not share your information with any third party, other than as necessary to fulfill your requests, for example to refer you to another recommended tour guide colleague.

Unless you ask me not to, I may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.

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J3 Consultants Hong Kong, J3 Private Experiences Hong Kong, Private Experiences Hong Kong, Private Tours Hong Kong, Walking Tours Hong, Hong Kong Tours, Tours in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Pearl of the Orient