Re: [Wikimania-l] Accomodation recommendation

http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Hong_Kong/Kowloon#Sleep Budget A large number of guesthouses are located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Jordan offering cheap, small but generally comfortable and safe accommodation licensed by the Hong Kong government. These are barebone places to stay so there will be no restaurants, souvenir shops or newspaper delivery. Most owners will only speak basic English. Chung King Mansions and Mirador Mansions, both on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, are famously home to a number of budget hotels and hostels. Having attracted western backpackers for decades, these guesthouses have become increasingly popular with budget travellers from mainland China. Staying at budget hotels is entirely at your own risk and you are advised to seek recommendations from other travellers. Please remember to post your own recommendations here. Expect budget hotel rooms to be undecorated and small with only a bed (or beds), night stand, telephone and television. Noise from fellow travellers may be a problem, so invest in good earplugs. Most will have "in-suite" bathrooms while others have communal bathrooms. Upon check-in, you should ask the owner how to turn on the water boiler unless you want to shower with cold water. Some guesthouses will include free wireless Internet. Virtually all rooms will come with air-conditioning. Bookings are not needed and some Wikivoyagers have reported that bookings have not always been honoured. The best way to secure a room is simply by arriving at around 1:00pm, when many of last night's guests have just checked out. Ask to see the room before paying, and you should pay for only one night. If you're happy with the first night, the owner will almost always happily extend your stay. You should also ask if there's 24 hour unassisted entrance (which is recommended) or if you have to ring a bell at night. Credit cards aren't accepted, it's cash only. Remember to ask for a receipt with check-in and check-out dates clearly printed. Prices generally range from $150-$250 per night for a single room with en-suite bathrooms. If you are comfortable with a community bathroom, expect to pay about $120. If you know how long you are staying, negotiate in advance to get a lower rate: they want your business over several days, so they will be willing to drop their prices to even $90 a night for a four or five night stay. However some less honest managers tend to increase their prices dramatically around public holidays, in which case it will take either a reservation or a very hard bargaining to get back to the prices mentioned above (or you can simply try and pick a good one, but it can take several hours). There are more accommodation options on the Chung King Mansion, including dormitory rooms. The building which was once an office building is over populated by the countless cheap hostels within it and is now home for lots of foreigners from poor countries all around the world. The massive amount of people creates a queue of up to 15 min to the elevators at rush hours. Among those that have a long history are the Travellers Hostel, Block A, 16 Fl in Chungking and the Garden Hostel, 2Fl, Mirador Mansions[1]. There are places in the Mansions however that travellers seeking fair lodging should definitely avoid. Among them are the Fortunate Guest House and Peninsula Guest House, both owned by the same shady individual who will not hesitate to put you in another, cheaper guesthouse while making you pay disproportionate fees and keeping the difference. The said individual has apparently earned himself quite a reputation among the Chinese guesthouse owners, and is usually seen on the ground floor trying to attract customers. * Cosmic Guest House, 12/F, Block A1, Mirador Mansion, ☎ (852) 2369 6669. A clean hostel with mostly friendly staff, you can get clean dorms here for $60, or bargain for a good deal on one of the tiny private rooms with air-conditioning and cable TV. * Dragon Hostel, 83 Argyle St, Mong Kok. Tiny but clean rooms with aircon and free Internet at reception. Located on the 7th floor and a short walking distance from Mong Kok MTR Station. (852) 2395 0577. * Hakkas Guest House, Flat l 3/f., new lucky house, 300 Nathan Road, ☎ (852) 2771 3656. This well-maintained guesthouse is home to 10 immaculate rooms and is one of the best budget deals at the Yau Ma Tei end of Nathan Rd. * Hop Inn (樸樸旅舍), 2A Hanyee Building, Hankow Road, Tsim Sha Tsui (located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui district on Hankow Road), ☎ (852) 2881 7331, e-mail: enquiry.hopinn(a)gmail.com. A clean & stylish hostel with friendly staff, one of the best in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. Each room was designed by a different local artist / illustrator (Very interesting). * Lee Garden Guest House, 36 Cameron Rd. Tiny but clean rooms, this hostel is in a great location, near the MTR station and just a few blocks from Nathan Road. * New International Guest House, 11th floor Chung King Mansion, 36-44 Nathan Rd, ☎ 2368 7693, e-mail: newintlgh(a)hotmail.com. Located on 11th floor of Chung King Mansion, this is one of the nicer guesthouses in the building. Rooms are small (like most in Chung King Mansion), but clean and cheerful. A double room with A/C, TV and in-room wireless internet access should cost around $250 per night, perhaps less during low quieter times or for those willing to bargain hard. * New Peking Guest House, Block A Flat A1 12/F, Chung King Mansion, 40 Nathan Rd, ☎ +852-94643684. Rooms are small but very clean, and staff is very friendly and helpful. $200. * USA Hostel Hong Kong, Flat F1, 13th Floor, Mirador Mansions Bldg, 58 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, ☎ (852) 2311 2523. Located in an old building that is also home to stores and other commercial enterprises, expect a budget hotel which (usually) is clean. Ask to see the room first, or you'll get a really small one. Generally, the next day they will move you out of the good room into one of the smaller ones. Also don't be surprised to see the television and shower not function properly. It is right beside Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. $290. * Welcome Guest House, 7th floor Chung King Mansions, 36-44 Nathan Rd, ☎ 2721 7793, e-mail: guesthousehk(a)gmail.com. Check-out: 12:00. Good guest house in Chung King Mansions. Doubles go for $180, are fairly roomy and are equipped with AC, fridge, TV, telephone and bathrooms with hot shower and toilet. Singles are $130, are positively tiny and don't have a fridge. Most rooms, apart from those farthest from the reception have free WiFi. Rooms are clean but are of a rather mediocre standard (leaky sinks, some cracked tiles, nothing too serious); sheets are changed and rooms cleaned daily. The biggest problem with this guest house is that some of the air-con units are rather noisy (even when turned off), so if you have trouble sleeping it's worth bringing your own earplugs. The staff are very friendly and trustworthy. Some travellers report of leaving their luggage, including (rather expensive) laptops and kindles in plain sight (in their rooms) unattended for several days, and nothing having been taken or tampered with. * Canadian Hostel, 7th floor Chung King Mansions, Block E, Flat E6, 36-44 Nathan Rd, ☎ +852-27233681, e-mail: info(a)canadianhostelhk.com. Check-out: noon. Clean guesthouse with tv, fast Wi-Fi, 24 hours cold and hot water. All the rooms are air conditioned and have en suite bathrooms. The rooms are modern. The owner is friendly. The rooms are cleaned and made every day. * Tokyo/Australian guesthouse, 16th floor Chung King Mansions, 36-44 Nathan Rd. Check-out: 12:00. A clean guesthouse with TV, good WiFi, fridge, hot water, air con and ensuite bathroom. The rooms seem to be quite modern and updated although fairly tiny, but that's typical for the Chung King Mansions. Owner is a pretty nice and helpful guy. Room was cleaned and made up every day. Hot water is pretty strong and good! The beds in the twin rooms (sleeps 2) go for about $250. * Wonderful Inn, 5/F, Golden Crown Court, 66-70 Nathan Rd, ☎ (852) 2302-4812. Clean rooms, fast service & helpful staff. $400 and up. Mid-range * Citadines Ashley Hong Kong (香港馨乐庭亚士厘服务公寓), 18 Ashley Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, ☎ +852 2262-3062, fax: +852 2262-3000, e-mail: enquiry.hongkong(a)the-ascott.com. Studio apartments with a modern living space that doubles as a home office, complete with high speed broadband internet access. Daily rates start from ¥1350. * Eaton Hotel Hong Kong, Jordan. A four-star hotel overlooking Nathan Rd and a short stop from the MTR station. * Evergreen Hotel Hong Kong, 48 Woo Sung St, Jordan. A reasonable hotel with clean rooms, friendly staff and good location near Jordan MTR station, Temple St night market and Nathan Rd. Special internet rates available. * Harbour Plaza Hong Kong, Hung Hom, ☎ (852) 2621 3188. Rooms overlooking the harbour. Large outdoor swimming pool. Free shuttle bus to Tsim Sha Tsui. * Hotel Benito Hong Kong, 7-7B Cameron Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, ☎ (852) 3653 0388. A new hotel (opened late 2007) with rates around $800+. It has a very good location in Tsim Sha Tsui and is 2 minutes from the MTR station. * The Salisbury YMCA, 41 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, ☎ 852-2268-7000. Hong Kong's main YMCA and a well regarded hotel. All rooms have private bathrooms and some have good views of the harbour. The location, next to the Peninsula hotel and near the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, can't be beaten. Rooms start around $900 per night, making this a very popular choice with budget minded families. If you have a dependable schedule, reservations well in-advance are highly recommended. Other Y services (swimming pool, gym, restaurants, etc.) are available to hotel guests either free or at reasonable rates.   ___________________ Regards, benny ________________________________ From: Matej Grochal <ggrosi48(a)gmail.com> To: "wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org" <wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> Sent: Friday, August 9, 2013 9:20 PM Subject: [Wikimania-l] Accomodation recommendation Dear Wikimaniacs, Would anyone have a recommendation for a hostel/hotel of comparable quality (and price) to the HKBU dorms? Thank you muchly and enjoy the rest of the wonderful conference, Matej Grochal _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l