Hong Kong Guesthouses are probably the best budget bet in the city, and if you’re watching your wallet, these are where the market bottoms out price wise. The problem is that hong kong guesthouses can mean anything from a 10x10 cell shared with a family of cockroaches to a decently furnished and spankingly clean double room.
For the most part, the term hostel and guesthouse can be used interchangeably in Hong Kong, aside from the dedicated IH hostels, which are slightly more traditional. Guesthouses are usually just hostels stripped of their frills, so you’re unlikely to find a kitchen, reception, or, if you’ve come straight from the party dens of Krakow and Prague, a bar. Some guesthouses do offer dorms, although not all. Guesthouses are generally just a place to sleep with extremely small and bare rooms. The major problem, as mentioned above, is the sheer range of quality on the guesthouse market, and you should do your homework before you go. The good news is that they’re increasingly moving upmarket, and although this means cleaning out the cockroaches rather than hanging curtains there are few of the truly dingy dives left.
Chungking Mansions and Mirador Mansions hold an almost endless supply of hostels, we’re talking more than fifty, and while they have a reputation for being home to the worst Hong Kong guesthouses; they also have some of the best.
Find out more in our Top Tips for Booking a Guesthouse article.
