hotels and hostels in Hong Kong?

[Qiuyue]

WOW, it seems pricey over there. I am planning a trip. But where to stay for a few days without spending all of my spared money on a tacky hotel?

[Jonny Wang]

2 words for you: Chunking Mansions

[Qiuyue]

As far as I´ve heard, that is a really miserable place. Is that what u mean?

and by the way, it should be chunGking

[studentyoung]

I am planning a trip. But where to stay for a few days without spending all of my spared money on a tacky hotel?

How about a Youth Hotel? http://www.yha.org.hk/index.htm I really hope a youth hotel can help you!

Thanks!

[Jonny Wang]

Oops. I meant Chungking Mansions. Yes, I've heard it's pretty bad, too, but it is cheap, I believe.

[roddy]

The better guesthouses in Chungking and Mirador are fine and while the buildings themselves can be pretty bewildering at first you get used to it soon enough. But if you haven't done cheap accommodation in HK before, then you need to be prepared for small. I stayed here last trip, main attraction was the free wi-fi as I needed to keep working during my trip, but the place was ok, friendly and not too shabby (that's not to say not shabby. Just not too shabby).

I've also stayed here - in a much smaller building, nicer rooms, but a bit pricier. Also worth seeing what 'proper' hotel deals you can get - I've heard of some great bargains off-peak.

[HashiriKata]

I found a cheap hotel in HK this summer but on arrival, it was so horrible-looking in real life that I ended up at this hotel. It's expensive (I didn't have a choice then) but comfortable, in a convenient location and you'll also get a personalized welcome screen (as in the photo) thrown in for free . If you need further info for it, just type "Regal Hongkong Hotel" in Google.

[flameproof]

There are about a trillion cheap hotels in Jordan/Yaumatei area. I have 2 on file:

Hakkas Guest House (about HK$250-300 per night in a single)

Flat L, 3/F, 300 Nathan Rd. (that bldg. has 20+ guest houses)

2771-3656

Comfort Hotel (about HK$250-300 per night in a single, double is 350)

Flat 4A

322-326A Nathan Rd.

2388-9329

There is a chance that neither speaks English, test your Mandarin!

The later one is in a cleaner building.

[mpallard]

If you're a single guy staying in Mirador Mansions is prefectly acceptable. They have a wide range of accomodation from really cheap and scary, to slightly more expensive and comfortable.

If I was a single female I would feel slightly uneasy about staying here but I've stayed there many times and never had a problem.

You don't even need to book in advance, just show up and look around. The only time I have ever had difficulty finding a room was during the Rugby Sevens but that's not 'till May I think. Even then I still ended up finding a room.

[Ian_Lee]

It all depends on what month you travel to HK.

Hotel room rates can be triple in the months of October~November and March~April. But if you travel there during December~January and the long summer (May [after Labor Day week]~September), there are many bargains.

And the thumb of the rule is that you'd better find someone to travel together since there are hardly any single rooms in any hotels in HK. And my family of 4 always squeezes in a twin-bedroom in any HK hotel. No questions ever asked by the hotel management.

If you go during off-peak seasons, you can find a lot of 3~4 star hotels that ask for HK$500-600/night. If you stay longer. i.e., 7 consecutive nights, then there are many package offers that include the 13% hotel tax.

If you get a partner and share the bill, that is just equal to HK$300/person per night. Then why stay in those dilipidated guest houses like Chungking Mansion which ask for almost the same price?

[Ian_Lee]

Hashikirata:

Regal is known for its small size rooms. And HK Regal at Causeway Bay asks for HK1,100~1,200 per nite w/o swimming pool. The only good point about it is that the shuttle bus for airport express train stops at the hotel to pick up passengers.

If you stay on the other side of Victoria park, which is merely one subway station apart or 20 minutes walk, those hotels merely ask for $700~800 with amenities like swimming pool, internet access and discount for dining in the hotel restaurant. Moreover, the air is relatively cleaner on the other side.

[roddy]

If you get a partner and share the bill, that is just equal to HK$300/person per night. Then why stay in those dilipidated guest houses like Chungking Mansion which ask for almost the same price?

Plenty of them aren't dilapidated, but if you can get a decent hotel at that price then it's clearly a better option. My only query would be how easy is it to get those prices in an equally central location?

[Ian_Lee]

Many guest houses in Chungking Mansion are not dilipidated. But the building itself is very dilipidated. In fact, the building itself was not designed for lodging. Somehow under the lax fire safety regulation, many units in the Chungking Mansion, like many other flats in the old buildings in Tsimshatsui and Mongkok, have been turned into cheap lodging for budget travelers.

But if fire ever breaks out in these old buildings, I think it is very hard to flee. And I don't think any guest houses have any insurance coverage for their guests. In fact, I recalled that in the '90s, a fire broke out in Chungking Mansion and one foreign tourist perished.

Before the recent refurbishment of lower floors into a shopping mall, hardly any locals frequent that building. And that is why Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express" used the mansion as a selling point to attract local audience.

However, Chungking Mansion has its appeal. It is just like a mini-UN with a variety of people from five continents staying there. And even by 3 a.m. the neon light is still lit there.

In term of location, most hotels in HK are accessible by subway which means that their difference is just 10-40 min in term of commute.

[flameproof]

Chungking Mansion has its appeal. It is just like a mini-UN with a variety of people from five continents staying there.

And if there are beings from outer space you will find them there too.

On top of that, it's an excellent place for Indian food!

[roddy]

why stay in those dilipidated guest houses like Chungking Mansion which ask for almost the same price?

Many guest houses in Chungking Mansion are not dilipidated.

Sometimes, Ian, I get this sneaking feeling that maybe you're just making it all up as you go along . . .

[Lu]

Roddy, you forgot half of that quote.

Many guest houses in Chungking Mansion are not dilipidated. But the building itself is very dilipidated.

Ok, it's still not completely consistent, but it does make sense: if the building is dilipidated, then the guest houses can't be that great either.

[Ian_Lee]

Roddy:

I am one of the few locals that have really ventured into Chungking Mansion. (Try ask Skylee to see if she ever ventures into Chungking -- other than the shopping arcade.)

Way back in the '70s, I already frequented those Indian and Pakistani restaurants inside the buillding. Usually those restaurants had their names like "xxxx Club" (to evade the government's sanitary regulation for restaurants), served water in used San Miguel or Tsingtao beer bottles and some with no silverware provided (they expected the customers to use their RIGHT hands to eat).