Hong Kong & Macau - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 143

Hello HK A-7, 6th floor, Mirador Mansions, 54-56 Nathan
Rd T 3995 4171, W helloinn.blogbus.com; M Tsim Sha
Tsui; map p.138. Run by the ever-smiling Ivan, this is a
contender for best Hong Kong hostel - though with only
six rooms, you must book ahead. Rooms are clean, bright
and have bathrooms (with shower cubicles) and LCD TVs,
though only two have windows. DVD players are available
on req uest and there's a Chinese visa outlet next door.
Double HK$540
Homy Inn Union Mansion, 33-35 Chatham Rd T 8100
0189, W homyinn.com.hk; M Tsim Sha Tsui; map p.138.
In spite of the misspelled name, this place is, in fact, very
homey and the staff get top marks for going out of their
way to ensure your Hong Kong stay is a good one. There are
clean, functional singles, dou bles and family rooms, all
with crisp white linens. Double HK$540
★

vista as the venerable Peninsula Hotel next door for a
fraction of the price. Other perks include a tour de sk,
helpful staff and self-service laundry. Double HK$1100
Urban Pack Unit 1410, Hai Phong Mansion, 99-101
Nathan Rd T 2732 2271, W urban-pack.com; M Tsim Sha
Tsui; map p.138. Funky “designer hostel” decorated in
bright colours, where the staff make you feel like family.
The dorms might be a little cramped, but the place is
super-clean and you may find yourself extendin g your stay
because of the welcoming vibe. Dorm HK$180

CHUNGKING MANSIONS
Chungking Mansions is an apartment block at 36-44
Nathan Rd with the highest concentration of budget
guesthouses in Kowloon. It's an ethnic enclave of
immigrants from India and Africa and has an unforgettable
atmosphere: on the ground floor alone, you can visit an
internet café, eat a great curry, get a haircut, buy a mobile
phone, change money and buy new clothes. Above the
second floor, the building is divided into five blocks,
lettered A to E, each served by two lifts, and usually
attended by long queues. The building may feel a bit like a
firetrap, but fire safety is at acceptable levels these days,
and there's CCTV. Guesthouses vary widely - from dingy
flophouses to spotless little places - and there are usually
young men loitering at the entrance, dishing out business
cards and trying to entice you to stay at their particular
guesthouse. Below are several recommended places; if
you arrive without a reservation, never agree to stay
without inspecting the rooms first, and even if you do have
a reservation, the less scrupulous touts may try to tell you
that your guesthouse is dirty/has closed down, so take it
with a pinch of salt.
Apple Hostel B-3, 10th floor, Block B T 2369 9802,
W applehostel.hostel.com; M Tsim Sha Tsui; map p.138.
Friendly place with tiny singles and doubles and minuscule
bathrooms where you can shower while sitting on the loo.
That said, everything is spotless, towels are changed daily
and every room com es with a phone and kettle. Wi-fi is
semi-reliable. Double HK$400
Dragon Inn B-2, Flat B, 3rd floor, Block B T 2368 2007,
W dragoninn.info; M Tsim Sha Tsui; map p.138. Well-
organized, friendly and secure hostel-cum-travel agent
with singles, doubles and triples. The newer rooms verge
on the luxurious and there's even a “honeymoon room”,
though you have to wonder who 'd spend their honeymoon
at Chungking Mansions. Double HK$360
Guangdong Guest House B-2, 5th floor, Block B,
W guangdonghostel.com; M Tsim Sha Tsui; map p.138.
Friendly, helpful Simon oversees various configurations of
compact rooms: singles, doubles, triples and quads. All are
clean and come with a/c and phones, but as elsewhere in
Chungking Mansions, t he room s tend t o be curry -scented
during the day. Double HK$600 , quad HK$1100

3

Hop Inn 9th floor, James S. Lee Mansion, 33-35
Carnarvon Rd T 6753 5757, W hopinn.hk; M Tsim Sha Tsui;
map p.138. Colourful little en-suite rooms, each one
individually decorated by a local artist, clear glass bath-
rooms and extra-helpful staff. No co mmon r oom but a
friendly, sociable vibe prevails. Double HK$380
InnSight 9 Lock Rd T 2369 1151, W innsight.hk; M Ts i m
Sha Tsui; map p.138. Just four individually decorated
en-suite rooms with a/c and TVs - two doubles, a twin and
a single - in a gr eat location and with very helpful owners.
Double HK$580
Lee Garden Guest House Block A, 8th floor, Fook Kiu
Mansion, 36 Cameron Rd T 2367 2284, W starguesthouse
.com.hk; M Tsim Sha Tsui; map p.138. Friendly owner
Charlie Chan and his son Raymond offer a comfortable
range of clean, small singles, doubles and triples (all with
windows), that feel more like a hotel than a guesthouse.
Cheaper rooms share facilities. The Chans also own the
similar Star Guest House (6th floor, 21 C ameron Rd; T 2723
8951). Lee Gar den double HK$450 , Star Guest House
double HK$450
Motel Double Yield A-9, 8th floor, Mirador Mansions,
54-56 Nathan Rd T 6144 7072; M Tsim Sha Tsui; map
p.138. Pristine, newly renovated, modern guesthouse,
consisting of just five rooms. Rooms come with kettles
and small TVs. Double HK$600
Rent-a-Room Flat A, 2nd floor, Knight Garden, 7-8 Tak
Hing St T 2366 3011, W rentaroomhk.com; M Jordan;
map p.138. This clean hotel offers two floors of decent-
sized rooms - singles, doubles, triples and quads - as well
as a whole range of facilities including money-changing
and laundry. Rooms are a bit featureless but come with
phones, a/c, fridges and kitchenettes. Discounts available
for longer stays and security is top-notch. Double HK$700
The Salisbury 41 Salisbury Rd T 2268 7888, W ymcahk
.org.hk; M Tsim Sha Tsui; map p.138. The Salisbury is all
about location. Yes, the lodgings are a bit basic, if newly
renovated, but the harbour-view rooms offer the same