Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [167]
The two high seasons of Hong Kong’s hotels have traditionally been from March to April and October to November, though things can be tight around Chinese New Year (late January or February) as well. When big trade fairs come to town in January, April and October, accommodation in Wan Chai (and areas with easy access to Wan Chai, such as Tsim Sha Tsui) is very tight and prices rocket. Outside these periods, rates can drop – sometimes substantially.
Almost all midrange to top-end hotels, and most guesthouses, offer broadband and/or wi-fi access (often free at guesthouses and usually starting at $40 per hour in the hotels), as well as computers for guests’ use. The only places reviewed in this chapter that have no internet access whatsoever are Causeway Bay Guest House Click here, Man Lai Wah Hotel Click here and Mui Wo Inn Click here. Due to the economic downturn, the majority of the hotels reviewed offer long-stay discounts and/or packages, some available only with advanced booking, so remember to inquire when you reserve a room.
The accommodation options in this guide are listed by price and by area.
ACCOMMODATION STYLES
Hotels
Hong Kong’s luxury hotels are locked in an arms race for the dollars of affluent travellers. Their weapons are superstar restaurants, a choice of airport transit by Rolls Royce Phantom or helicopter, lavish spa complexes and infinity pools. Then, of course, there’s the silky-smooth service and attention to your most footling whims.
It doesn’t come cheaply though. Prices for top-of-the-range hotels start from about $2600 per room. A few such hotels – the Four Seasons, Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental, for example – offer comfort, amenities and service that compete with or surpass that of the world’s finest five-star hotels.
Top-end hotels, starting at a minimum of $1600, are in spiffy locations; they also have smart, comfortable rooms with a good variety of room-service options. Amenities include business facilities, bars and restaurants, and fluent English-speaking staff.
While midrange hotels used to be generic business and/or leisure establishments with little to distinguish one from another, many new places have sprung up that are uniquely cool to look at and easy on the pocket, with room rates hovering in the high hundreds and dipping to budget range in the low season. Rooms at these places tend to be small and come with limited cable TV, wireless broadband connection and room service.
The majority of Hong Kong’s budget hotels are in Kowloon, with many on or near Nathan Rd. Though most budget hotel rooms are very small, the places listed here are clean and cheerily shabby or neat and austere, rather than grim and grimy. All have air-con and most have TVs, phones and private bathrooms. Anything under $600 should be considered budget.
Hotels in Hong Kong add 10% service and 3% government tax to your bill, something guesthouses and hostels usually do not do. The rates quoted in this book do not include these charges.
Guesthouses
Dominating the lower end of the accommodation market are guesthouses, usually a block of tiny rooms squeezed into a converted apartment or two. Often several guesthouses operate out of the same building. Your options are greater if there are two of you; find a double room in a clean guesthouse for $200 to $250 and your accommodation costs will fall sharply. Some offer dormitory accommodation for those on very tight budgets.
Depending on the season and location, try to negotiate a better deal, as a lot of places will be eager to fill empty rooms. Most guesthouses offer some sort of internet access, from a single PC at reception to free wi-fi in your room.
Hostels & Camp Sites
The Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association (HKYHA; Map; 2788 1638; www.yha.org.hk; Shop 118, 1st fl, Fu Cheong Shopping Centre, Shum Mong Rd, Sham Shui Po; MTR Nam Cheong, exit A) maintains seven hostels affiliated with Hostelling International