Tips on Hong Kong Budget Accommodation

Finding budget accommodation in Hong Kong has always been the biggest challenge for independent travelers or families traveling with kids. Accommodation of all kinds is indeed expensive for travelers or even residents who want to stay near the city center of Hong Kong. But affordable and safe guest houses, suites or vacation homes are not unreachable stars in the sky.

Searching for Smaller Hotels and Guesthouses on the Hong Kong Government Website

All hotels and guest houses in Hong Kong must obtain and renew proper licenses from the Office of the Licensing Authority in order to operate. The office provides an on-line search for people to look up licensed operators by districts. The numbers on the map match with the names of the districts in the pull-down menu. “Islands District” thus refers to outlying islands like Lantau or Cheung Chau Island. “Yau Tsim Mong District” covers the three districts of Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok.

A list of smaller hotels and guest houses in the selected district is displayed when no name is provided for the search. Those with fewer than 15 rooms are truly guest houses or small inns. It is best to start checking the smaller hotels first. Many more small hotels are located in Yau Ma Tei, Mongkok, Wanchai, Sheung Wan and Western District.

If the room rates are still above the expected budget, look up the guest houses with their own websites. Many of these guest houses disclose their websites in their e-mail addresses already. For those without e-mails, like the Chung Kiu Inn in Wanchai, a Google search can easily solve the problem.

For areas like Mongkok and Yau Ma Tei, it is better to stay in smaller hotels with proper reception areas. Private guest houses or suites located on Portland Street, Shanghai Street, Reclamation Street, Shantung Street and Soy Street are usually within old buildings.

Checking Accommodation on University Websites and Craigslist

Another good place to check cheaper accommodation is the web pages of the Student Affairs Offices of some Hong Kong universities. They suggest off-campus accommodation to foreign students coming to study in Hong Kong. Located in Kowloon, the City University and the Polytechnic University provide accommodation information near their campuses in Kowloon Tong and Hunghom respectively. The Hong Kong University gives housing options near Central, Sheung Wan and the Western District.

The Hong Kong Craigslist shows vacation homes or studio flats for short-term rental. The home owners usually prefer a longer stay of at least one week or even one month. But an e-mail inquiry never hurts even if the stay is only for a day or two.

With a little effort, the accommodation expenses for a holiday in Hong Kong can be lower than expected.