My first solo trip to Hong Kong, and during the year-end holidays no less, brought a major challenge: choosing a hotel. Hong Kong is already expensive, and prices skyrocket at year-end, making it tough for a solo traveler to find affordable options.
I searched high and low for a place under 10,000 yen per night in a convenient location. However, all I could find were tiny rooms with just a bed and a shower crammed into a toilet space. Most of these were in the infamous Chungking Mansions or similar buildings.
Though I prefer staying in more comfortable hotels, I had no choice but to settle for one of these options.
One was located in Mirador Mansion, slightly north of Chungking Mansions. For New Year’s Eve, I stayed in a hotel within Chungking Mansions itself. While the setups were almost identical, my experience in the first hotel was so awful that the second felt much better in comparison. I’ll share my thoughts on both, including why the second one felt more manageable.
For the first two nights of my three-night Hong Kong stay, I stayed at an unnamed hotel in Mirador Mansion (I’ll leave the name out due to the negative review).
The Mirador Mansion is conveniently located just a short walk from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, making it an excellent spot in terms of accessibility. The entrance is on Nathan Road, and the elevator to the hotel I stayed at was immediately to the right after entering. Similar to Chungking Mansions, the building has two elevators—one serving odd-numbered floors and the other serving even-numbered floors. There is a caretaker stationed near the elevators, which adds a sense of security.
When I got off the elevator on the floor where my hotel was located, I looked for the hotel entrance, which was marked with a room number (similar to an apartment in the mansion). I rang the doorbell, and after hearing the sound of the lock being released, I entered. Inside, there was a reception desk where I checked in. I was given a key and then walked down the hallway to reach my room. Essentially, a portion of the floor was designated as the hotel, with multiple rooms available.
There are various hotels in the building, and in some cases, the reception and the guest rooms are located on different floors. However, having both in the same space was definitely more convenient.
1: The room was completely different from the photos shown at the time of booking.
When I entered the room, the first thing that surprised me was how completely different it was from what I had booked. For instance, the photos showed a window, but there wasn’t one. The listing also mentioned a security box, but it was nowhere to be found.
When I went to the bathroom, I noticed the door was damaged, and the toilet bowl had cracks in it. There was a small refrigerator, but it was tucked under the bed, making it extremely inconvenient to use.
2: I had no idea how to use the shower—it might have been broken.
The main issue was the shower. There were no instructions, and I couldn’t figure out how to use it. I pressed the switch near the entrance and waited, but no hot water came, even with the water running. After some time, hot water would come out for just a brief moment before turning cold again.
Looking back, I probably should have asked the front desk for instructions on how to use the shower. However, to be honest, I was so frustrated that I didn’t even feel like talking to them. In the end, I settled for a quick rinse, washing my hair and body with cold water.
3: There were times when the toilet wouldn’t flush.
At night, when I tried to flush the toilet, it wouldn’t work. Frustrated, I went to the front desk, only to be told that it was “under cleaning.” I was so fed up that I even considered switching to a different hotel for the second night. However, by morning, the toilet was functioning again. It’s possible that regular maintenance caused water outages at certain times.
As for the Wi-Fi, it worked without any issues.
There was a water dispenser and a microwave in the hallway between the front desk and the rooms, but I honestly didn’t feel like using them.
Overall, during the first two days, I avoided spending any time in the hotel aside from sleeping.
When returning at night, I could use the card attached to my key to unlock the door near the front desk and enter the building.
4: It was often difficult to get on the elevator, as it was frequently crowded or slow to arrive.
Another major issue with this type of accommodation was the elevator. The elevators are very small, with a maximum capacity of about six adults. If people have suitcases, the number of passengers that can fit decreases even further.
When going up from the first floor, you can eventually get your turn if you wait long enough. However, the real problem occurs when going down during busy times. Passengers boarding from higher floors often fill the elevator, leaving people on intermediate floors unable to get on.
For example, after I boarded, there were at least three floors where waiting passengers couldn’t get on because the elevator was already full. It’s especially frustrating if you’re in a hurry—it can feel like the worst possible situation.
5: There was no staff present at the front desk during checkout, causing unnecessary stress.
Another point to be mindful of is whether staff are always present at the front desk. I checked out around 7:30 a.m., but there was no one at the desk. There was a bell, so I rang it, but there was no response.
Since I had a train to catch to Shenzhen, I started to get anxious. After ringing the bell several times, a door in one of the nearby rooms opened. It seemed to be a room where the staff slept.
When I explained that I wanted to check out, they casually told me to just leave the key on the front desk. So, I placed the key on the desk and left the hotel.
In Shenzhen, I was able to stay at a much better hotel, so I managed to endure the experience. Still, after a busy day of traveling, coming back to a terrible room is honestly exhausting.
Even if it costs a bit more, I’ve realized it’s worth it to have a room with a proper shower and at least a desk for working on my laptop. I’m not asking for luxury, just the basics to feel comfortable.
The hotel I stayed at in Chungking Mansions on the final night of my trip was much better in comparison. I’ll share more about that experience in my next post.
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