Go To Central and the ferry to Mui Wo leaves about twice an hour. There are fast ferries taking 30 min and slow ferries taking an hour and costing less.Then take bus 1 to Tai O, another half hour maybe.

Take Bus 21 from stop at big Buddha to Tai O. HKD33 per person; no change returned.

There is a bus from the Big Buddha to Tai O village about each 45min. On the way back from Tai O I would recommend taking the bus directly to Tung Chung, and from there back to Hong Kong. Therefore you will need to buy only 1 way ticket for the cable car: HK--(bus)-->TungChung--(cablecar)-->BigBuddha--(bus)-->TaiO--(bus)-->TungChung--(bus)-->HK

Hi yes, the shops are open daily.

Normally, it will take 1.5 hr at least to visit the place from city, including taking MTR and bus. I believe if you arrive as early as 10am, you should be able to see most shops open. Apart from the shops, the other interesting spots are always open, like the cultural water village setting, the canals, the natural scenaries, etc. Therefore, if you really arrive early you can visit the cultural attractions first, then natural scenaries along the water front, then shops, then drinks or meals, in that order.

2.5 hr certainly will not be enough to have lunch, walk around and boat trip altogether. I would suggest to reserve a good 4 hrs at least. Firstly, the attractions are quite scattered, secondly, attractions may take time for photo shooting, and thirdly, boat trips can be arranged only when the boat is filled with passengers, they may wait and wait and wait, and you need to be patient on the boat. The paths are strollers friendly except with some bumpy wooden bridges across canals within the water village. Just a friendly reminder, typically there is a long queue for bus starting 4pm, queuing time is hard to estimate. If you find a taxi, it can be quite costly back to the city, around HK$200.

Yes. Festive seasons always full. Not a good idea during Chinese New Year.

Feb is still relatively dry, therefore, it is OK to walk around. Even though when it's rainy, the paths are not so muddy as they are cemented paths. The area is famous not only for scenaries, but also the cultural aspects.

Via a bus from big Buddha.

There are a few seafood restaurants in Tai O but the price is not as cheap as I have expected, though they are still cheaper on Hong Kong island. There are many shops selling quick snacks in Tai O village. My family lunch at family run shop selling Wanton noodle, claypot rice and local dishes. It is situated on a side lane and I think most tourist will miss this shop. They can't speak English so speaking Cantonese or Mandarin is needed. Price is reasonable and the portion is rather generous. I can't remember the shop name but the shop is painted blue colour.