At the very mention of Hong Kong, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the high cost of living which in turn affect the tourists in terms of accommodation and food expenses.
When I told my friends and colleagues that I was going to Hong Kong for a short getaway last year, I received responses such as, "But Hong Kong is so expensive, why would you want to go there?"
Well, Hong Kong is not that expensive actually if you do your homework and know where to stay and where to eat.
Join me as I unravel affordable accommodation and cheap eats in Hong Kong!
Where to stay in Hong Kong
Knowing where to stay is very important. Trust me, you wouldn't want to end up staying at an area where the shops close early.
Ideally, it should also be near the MTR so it saves you time and bring you convenience.
If one were to head to Taipei, I would recommend staying at Ximending. Likwise, for Korea - it would be Myeongdong. The best place to stay in Hong Kong is Tsim Sha Tsui as there are tourist attractions (Avenue of Stars, Clock Tower etc), shopping streets, shopping centres and even street food stores that open till wee hours of the night.
After searching for accomodation around Tsim Sha Tsui online, we shortlisted Cosmic Guest House, Lily/KC Garden Guesthouse and USA Hostel which are located within Mirador Mansion, beside Tsim Sha Tsui station. How convenient, no?
Cosmic Guest House
(4 nights accommodation) 1400 HKD Deluxe Twin En suite with Windows (2 Single Beds)
Lily/KC Garden Guesthouse
(4 nights accommodation) 1852 HKD Twin room, 2 single bed
USA Hostel (4 nights accommodation) 1456.51 HKD Deluxe double
We decided on Cosmic Guesthouse not only because it was the most economical among the 3 but also because it had the most reviews and photos taken by guests online.
Despite reading a number of negative reviews of the rooms not being small and crampy, not cleaned daily, and that some guest were even bitten by bed bugs, we went ahead to make our reservations with Cosmic Guest House still as we didn't have much time left. It was an impromptu trip, we only booked our air tickets 3 weeks before our departure date and our accommodation 10 days before our departure date.
Online Booking for Cosmic Guest House
The online booking process for Cosmic Guest House is rather fuss-free. You just have to fill up your check-in and check-out dates, choose the room type and fill in some personal information and you will be redirected to PayPal website to pay your deposit. You don't need to have a PayPal account to pay via PayPal, you can sign in as a PayPal guest and pay with your credit card.
After your booking and payment is processed, you will receive a booking confirmation email from Cosmic Guest House and a payment receipt from PayPal.
Cosmic Guest House Booking Confirmation
Cosmic Guest House deposit paypal payment receipt
How to get to Tsim Sha Tsui from Hong Kong International Airport (by bus)
From Hong Kong International Airport, we took CityBus A21 Route(HKD33, approx SGD5.40) and alighted at the 13th stop, 82-84 Nathan Road near Tsim Sha Tsui Station (Exit B1).
This is the stop that you should be alighting at.
13th stop 92-84 Nathan Road near Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Exit B1
How to get to Mirador Mansion from 92-84 Nathan Road
1) Walk straight and cross the road.
2) Continue walking straight and cross the road again.
3) Continue to walk straight until you spot the sign that says 72-66 Nathan Road 64B-54 before crossing the road again and you will see Mirador Mansion at 62 Nathan Road. Another landmark to look out for is Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit D2.
Yes, Mirador Mansion is just located next to Tsim Sha Tsui Station. How awesome and strategic the location is, no?
Once you enter Mirador Mansion, there will be a currency exchange shop on your left. Walk straight and you will see a lift on your left. There are 3 lift lobbies in the building with 4 lifts each (2 for odd floors and 2 for even floors). There's a security guard stationed at each lift lobby, even till late at night after we come back from supper and shopping so we felt quite safe.
We took the lift to the 12th floor where Cosmic Guest House reception was located. After coming out of the lift, you will see directional signages that points you to Cosmic Guest House reception.
Cosmic Guest House Reception
Cosmic Guest House reception
We reached Cosmic Guest House about 1pm in the afternoon. After paying the balance of HKD$940 and HKD$500 deposit for the keys upon checking in at Cosmic Guest House reception, we were brought to our room on the 14th floor by a Chinese lady whom does housekeeping to put down our luggage before we head out as the check-in time is 2pm and our room wasn't cleaned yet. We managed to convince the Chinese lady to clean our room later so that we could wash up and put on some makeup before heading out. Girls being girls, yes we are vain like that!
The lady at the reception from Hong Kong is very nice and she spoke good English. She was like, "Oh, you're from Singapore!" Its quite heartwarming to hear that whenever I travel. There was a Caucasian guy in front of us whom walk in to enquire about the room rates so I am guessing that same day booking is possible if there are rooms available.
Note how it says its the 13th floor in Chinese and 12th floor in English numerals below.
Cosmic Guest House Digital Access Key Tag
The digital access key tag is used to access Cosmic Guest House and our room. You also have to slot it in next to the switches in the room for electricity, similar to that of hotels.
Cosmic Guest House
Entrance of Cosmic Guest House
inside Cosmic Guest House
Our room is located on the right after the end of the walkway.
This is how our room - Cosmic Guest House Room 1803, Deluxe Twin Ensuite with Windows (2 Single Beds) looks like!
Our single beds
There is a phone in the room that can be used for local calls. You may notice that there is a toilet roll placed on the bedside table. We did that so as not to prevent the toilet roll from getting damp from the shower.
TV
There's only 1 English channel on the TV in our room which shows documentaries mostly. We tried switching to other channels but apparently, it didn't seem like there's any or perhaps we didn't know how to. Prior to the trip, we had the idea of having cup noodles while watching TVB, inspired by Hong Kong dramas. We didn't ask for help either because we spend very little time in the guest house as we were out shopping or sightseeing most of the time. Plus, there's free in-room wifi and that already kept us busy (think Instagram, Facebook etc).
The en-suite shower and toilet is located on the left side of the room right after you enter the room. The shower and the toilet is separated by a sliding glass door.
Shower
Toilet
The shower is quite small so I won't advise you to bring your clothes in as there is a high tendency of it getting wet. I usually leave the door in between the shower and toilet open so that my elbows won't knock onto the door repeatedly while showering.Outside the toilet, there are clothes hangers available for you to hang your towels and clothes. There is also a wall-mounted double side mirror which we crowd around to do our makeup every morning.
Other facilities that Cosmic Guest House provide include hot water and hair dryer which can be found in the common area located just outside our room.
Here are the facilities that Cosmic Guest House provide in a nutshell.
Cosmic Guest House Facilities
En-suite toilet and shower (with hot water)
TV
Free wifi (in-room and common area)
Air-conditioning
Telephone
Toiletries (Soap, Shampoo, Toilet Paper)
Location
The main reason why we chose to stay at Cosmic Guest House was that it is very accessible, just next to Tsim Sha Tsui station which is very convenient. It is near shopping malls like iSQUARE, The One, K11, Harbour City, 1881 Heritage etc and there are a lot of good Hong Kong cafes (Cha Chaan Teng) around the area.
Rating: 5/5
Sleep Quality
On our first night, we were disturbed by people talking loudly at about 2am+. The noise didn't come from the rooms beside us but downstairs. You see, Mirador Mansion consists of not just guest houses but warehouse, tailor shops etc. We weren't affected by it for long because we were so worn out that we ended up falling asleep anyway.
Rating: 3/5
Service
Prior to making an online booking for my stay at Cosmic Guest House, I emailed them regarding an enquiry and I got a same-day reply.
Cosmic Guest House reception staff is very friendly, nice and helpful. Checking-in was a breeze and although our rooms were not ready (wasn't cleaned yet), we were able to freshen up before we head out.
We woke up late on the day we planned to head to Disneyland. It was about 10am when we headed to Cosmic Guest House reception wanting to get Disneyland tickets and this Uncle from Hong Kong whom is a staff of Cosmic Guest House was telling us in Cantonese that we should give Disneyland a miss that day and wake up earlier another day so that we can fully enjoy Disneyland. Boy, he was right. Even though we left earlier the next day for Disneyland, we didn't get to go on every ride.
Cosmic Guest House also sell Disneyland tickets at a cheaper price, HKD420 instead of U.P. HKD450. They also have discounted Ocean Park tickets if you are interested.
Rating: 5/5
Value
HKD SGD
Per Night 350 57.46
Per 4 Nights 1400 236.42
Rating: 5/5
Cleanliness
Our room was cleaned daily and we always return to a neatly packed room. Blankets folded, pillow placed neatly and rubbish cleared. There was one day when we returned at mid-day to put down our shopping loots and we saw the housekeeping lady mopping the floor.
Generally, our room is quite clean except for the toilet as certain parts are a bit old. The sink do choke occasionally when the water flow continuously but it goes away if you leave it for 20 minutes or so. I suspect that the drainage system is not that good.
Rating: 4/5
Overall
For people whom have never been to Hong Kong before, the size of the rooms in Cosmic Guest House might be shockingly small to you but for people whom have been to Hong Kong, it is quite the average size of the hotels in Hong Kong. If I were to compare the size of my room in Kimberly Hotel to that of Cosmic Guest House's, at the very most, Kimberly Hotel's is slightly wider than Cosmic Guest House's.
I would definitely recommend Cosmic Guest House to people whom are looking for a cheap place to stay in Hong Kong, especially if you are going as a group of friends as well as young couples traveling to Hong Kong. But not so for families even though I did spot a Caucasian family during our stay in Cosmic Guest House. Usually, when I travel with my family, we go for hotels instead so that it will be more comfortable for the elderly.
Will I choose to stay at Cosmic Guest House again the next time I travel to Hong Kong? You can be sure that my answer is YES if I'm traveling with friends.
Rating: 4.4/5
Cosmic Guest House
12/F, BLOCK F1 (Reception)
Mirador Mansion,
54-64 Nathan Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Hong Kong
(852) 2369-6669
www.cosmicguesthouse.com
Check-in time: 2pm to 11pm
Check-out by 11am
Luggage storage free till 5pm on day of check-out
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