Hong Kong Accomodation Advice, Please!

DON'T STAY IN CHINGKUNG MANSIONS (or whatever they're called).

My mate stayed there, and I promise you you cannot make this crap up.

Basically his entire family stayed in a room/suite/whatever there, and in the morning they were awoken by a policeman asking if they'd 'heard anything'. Stepping into the hallway, the walls are covered in blood, the carpet is soaked with it and there's a chalk outline etched onto the floor.

The funny thing is that they didn't actually hear anything, but anyway.

Moving onto China, my friend ran into another backpacker and told him the story, and as soon as he mentioned the guy went 'Ah. Chingkung mansions, right?' which alone makes me think you should stay away. I'm sure many people have had trouble-free experiences there, but it's got a bit of a violent rep...

Check out the Youth Hostels Association to see for some good safe places to stay. Unfortunately HK isn't as cheap as mainland but it shouldn't cost you more than $40AUD/night (and that would be at a niceish place) to find a bed, you just have to shop around.

Maybe look for bloggers who've been to HK and message them asking for places to stay? Or you can try couch surfing.

Reply to this

Great, I just booked 3 nights at Chung King. I'm guessing I should change the reservations? Reply to this

Hooray for crazy moms Fawkes. My friend went over to the UK with her friend and the friend's mum over Christmas. Apparently she was on the phone chatting to her mum and ran out of credit, so the line died.

Rather than going 'Ah well, must've run out of money!' her mum freaked out and started ringing their hotel in Dubai (where they weren't due for a week!), the tour company, the london hotel and everywhere else she could think of trying to find them. Hope this doesn't sound familiar to you!

Yeah, Herecomes, I'd probably change the reservation. Haven't heard a single good thing out of there.

I think you can probably meet travellers in the expat bars and the like even if you do stay in a single room, but this website
http://www.passplanet.com/hk/index.htm
has different hostels with information one the 'place' pages (like HK Island, Kowloon, Outlying Islands). The page on kowloon has some good information on Dormitories and negotiating rates, so maybe that's a good place to start?

Judging from this and providing you don't have much baggage, I'd say make a short list, mark them on your map and then go around to all of the ones you're interested in, negotiate a rate and book in on the day. That way you're a) likely to get a better rate and b) won't turn up somewhere gross expecting to relax and settle down for the night. (Worked in Taiwan, but the people are politer there lol)

Looking at all of this makes me want to go to Hong kong now! Reply to this

I stayed at mirador mansions - and i really wouldn't advise chung king or mirador - there not unsafe (in my experience) just unpleasant.
(well the people i met there were perfectly pleasant, but it had an odd vibe, and the hawkers on the ground floor which you have to battle past every night and morning to get into the street, were really unpleasant esp. for a woman alone. And they are also located on the nathan road which isn't a fun place to live - more of a one time only kind of place).

My advice is stay at a dorm room in causeway bay (hong kong mansions) there are a whole bunch just walk in and ask around (people there are much nicer than in kowloon)- wang fat hostel is the one i stayed at ($150/night) and then travel back and forth to kowloon - (it takes 20 minutes by bus and boat) if you want to visit the cultural places there.

Hopw this helps. Reply to this