When I decided to go to Hong Kong for my birthday trip, Cata asked me why I chose Hong Kong in the first place. The question was understandable as I couldn’t stop complaining about how boring and expensive everything was in Singapore when I was around. So according to Cata, “Why Hong Kong? It’s only like more Chinese Singapore!”
My main reason to choose Hong Kong is actually to visit Macao, and by the time I tried to find a cheap accommodation in the city, I had a hard time pretty much like I did in Singapore. The good thing is, there are so many options in terms of accommodation, from some cheap dodgy hotels to even child-friendly hotels in Hongkong… You could get them all!
To be fair, the night rate for a hotel in Hong Kong is pretty much better than in Singapore. With HKD 210 (equal to around SGD 38), I could get a single room in the location that is quite convenient. For the same reason, I decided to book a room at Days Hotel in Chung King Mansion.
How To Get to Days Hotel
I booked the hotel through booking.com as I prefer using cash for my accommodation. In total, as I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights, I spent HKD 635 including tax.
From Hong Kong Airport, I took the N21 CityBus for HKD 23 as it was the cheapest option I could get to the hotel. However, you could also take MTR from the airport to Tsim Sha Tsui station for around HKD 30++ I suppose. Either you take the bus or the MTR, the location of Chung King Mansion is only around 5 minutes walking distance.
Before I got there, I have already read some reviews on the internet about the hotel and the main problem about staying at Chung King Mansion is the fact that there are a lot of salespeople around the entrance trying to sell you something. So when there were some people trying to approach me, I was a bit well prepared for it.
However, to be fair it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be since when I got a bit confused where to go from the entrance, I asked the direction to one of the salespeople there and he actually helped me. So it was okay. 🙂
The Location
Chung King Mansion is an old shopping center at Tsim Sha Tsui, and Days Hotel is located in the same building. In fact, if you have the same budget as I do to stay in Hong Kong, you would also find some other accommodation with lower rate like Manila Hotel, Bohol Hotel etc. If so, please note that all the accommodation are located in the same location. I suppose they only have different names as they’re located on different floor. Hmmm.
Once you reached the elevator to go upstairs, please note that there are two elevators to get to the receptionist. Each elevator go to different levels, one is for the floor with odd numbers and the other is for the even numbers. Take the one that will get you to the floors with even number and choose 10th floor.
I’ve done a silly mistake that I took the elevator with odd number so I ended up reaching to 5th floor and I had to call the phone number pinned on the wall to get some help. This hotel would be a bit confusing for the first timers indeed.
You see, they have different hotels at the same location but they only have one receptionist. And the receptionist room is located on the 10th floor instead of the ground floor like other normal accommodation. -_-
What is even more ridiculous is the fact that I got to the 10th floor to check in, and I had to go down to the 5th floor as I got the room there. I spent like an hour only to figure out how to check in.
Upon check in, I also had to give HKD 100 deposit that would be returned once I checked out from the hotel.
The Review
Pros:
- This is one of the few accommodations in Hong Kong with the lowest rate.
- The location with easy access through public transportation. It is close to the bus stop and MTR station.
- Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and some other tourist attractions in the area can be reached by walking distance.
- A lot of restaurants available in the building. If you’re a Muslim who only eats halal food, there are more halal restaurants here than any other area in Hong Kong. A lot of Pakistani restaurant here, so if you love briyani then you come to the right place!
- TV and hairdryer available in each room.
Cons:
- Complicated way to check in.
- The room is freaking small. You barely have any space to do anything wild. It’s not recommended to bring a big luggage and stay at the single room.
- No amenities provided. They don’t even provide any towel or doormat around the bathroom.
- They also have mirror in the bathroom, however for some reason they put mirror so high to the point I couldn’t see the reflection of my face there. Only the forehead. I’m pretty sure I’m not that short.
- They use sliding door for the bathroom that cannot be closed completely, so sometimes the water came out. And with the small space there is, it is wet all over the place.
- The staff are not so friendly.
To be fair, I doubt that I will visit Hong Kong anytime soon. But if I have to, with shorter period I suppose I can really use another hotel with higher rate. Price-wise, this hotel is alright, but it is not that convenient. Especially if you’re a traveler like I am who will bring a bag and a trolley bag for your travel.
Also, as I booked through booking.com because I wanted to pay my accommodation in cash. However, the receptionist told me that my card got declined and I’m lucky that I’ve got a room because otherwise, sometimes the rooms are full and they won’t be able to accommodate if that’s the case. It’s a pretty risky suggestion, I figure.
My stay at Days Hotel wasn’t really disappointing to be honest, but then I guess I’d choose some other option if I got a chance to visit Hong Kong again.
Any favorite accommodation in Hong Kong? Share your comment below, and cheerio! 🙂
-Marya The BeauTraveler-
