A good friend and her husband are going to Hong Kong for a few days in November. They have never been before. I have only been to HK on a high end tour and stayed at the Intercontinental Kowloon in a bayview room. It was amazing, but she's not up to paying $350++ for a hotel of that status. What recommendations do seasoned Fodorites have? Which area of HK would be the best location for a short first time tourist visit? Any hotels in the $150 range worth considering or is HK just very high priced? Any booking agencies with special deals I might pass on to her?

Thanks all.

Do you have exact dates? Prices vary day to day there. Also, it's still a little early, as some hotels may not be releasing the cheaper rates yet.

For <$150, one easy recommendations however is the YMCA Salisbury.

the renaissance kowloon usually is much less--under $200

Oh...I hope they don't have to stay at a YMCA just to get a reasonable price. Will have a look at the Renn., but I believe it was pricey too.

Rennaissance is $368 -- and that's the cheapest room with the "Senior's Discount".

Anyone with other suggestions?

What's wrong with the YMCA?

The YMCA in HK is not at all like the YMCA here in Minneapolis. Check it out. It has great reviews on tripadvisor.

There are plenty of good hotels bookable right now for about HK$1,600 ($220) plus 10% service charge. Like the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel, Langham Place, etc for various dates in November.

That's more than $150, and there aren't many really good deals this early. Wait a couple of months and you'll get better prices from booking sites like asiahotels.com.

But they have to book NOW and have the dates, we can do research for you what's the best choice for the money.

Like others say, the YMCA is a real hotel. It's right next door to the Peninsula.

Dear TC,
Your friend and our family are in the same boat. We're also going to HK in November (2-5 to be exact) and are making our plans this early AND have the same budget! I've gone through a lot of sites looking for a good deal. I am considering the following hotels:
1. YMCA Salisbury - good location for viewing the Symphony of Lights. No price is available on their website yet, though.
2. Bishop Lei - near the midlevel escalators which I think the kids will enjoy just going up and down on. Like YMCA Salisbury, no price is available yet on their website. I checked Hostelworld.com though and they already had rates quoted. I'm just wondering how they can quote a rate for November 2007 (and it's cheap, too!) when the hotel website and most other sites still cannot quote a rate for that month.
3. Lee Garden - Located at Cameron Rd., Kowloon. I came across this one on a package tour offered by a credit card company. I figured if the credit card co. would offer it among their package options it must be a decent place. Checked online reviews and it looks ok. Plus, it's half the price of the other options, about HK$550 for a large room for three.
4. Booth Lodge - Located near Temple Street, Kowloon, this one offers free breakfast in its price. Two nights in a double room is about US$178 for 2 nights for our selected dates of Nov. 2-4.
I guess I'm overly excited about our trip. I've spent so many hours browsing the web looking and hoping the prices would just suddenly fit my budget. I guess rkkwan is right about waiting just a month or two longer before booking a hotel.
I'm sure you and your friend are also getting good advise from all over. I would appreciate it if you can tell me if you have your own selections so I can also look it up and consider it myself.

darna- thank you for posting this. It's very helpful! We will be in HK next March, so it's too early to book, but not to early to look!

Liz

And then there's Alisan Guesthouse along Cameron Rd. near World Trade Center at Causeway Bay. That one also got good reviews for both the accommodations and the staff. I found it very common for guesthouses to have tiny rooms and baths. Someone suggested booking a triple room as these have the best location on the building. You can just have the extra bed taken out to make more space for your lugguage.

I hope all this time spent browsing on the net will pay off when I bring my kids there.

Wow, we covered the whole spectrum of Hong Kong accomodations quickly. In just 11 posts, we went from the IC to a guesthouse.

Alisan is in the vicinity of Glouchester Road and Cannon Road at Causeway Bay and NOT Cameron Rd. as I had earlier mentioned. Hmmm, where did I get Cameron? Sorry about that.

Hi, rkkwan! I'm sure anyone would love to stay at the IC if they can afford it. I it's on the book which lists "Places one must see before one dies", particularly on account of the infinity pool at the hotel. If I ever get a chance when I'm in HK, I'd go there just for a look.

we are in Hong Kong in December and I have found good rates on the Langham Place Hotel (number 2 rated on Trip Advisor)web site for $194 per night including taxes for an executive room, and $162 for a deluxe room
click on the early bird 10% discount at the top of their page
please guys let me know if I am getting it wrong - haven't booked yet, still planning and also first time to HK

It appears that early November is a high demand time in HK. Prices really drop in late November and December. Langham Place, which looks great, is quite a bit more money the first part of November. My friend may need to juggle her dates to save money.

Thanks all.

TC, on the Renaissance, are you sure you are looking at the Renaissance Kowloon? There are TWO Renaissance hotels in Hong Kong, on both sides of the harbour. The more expensive one is on the Hong Kong side, it is called the Renaissance Harbour View. When I go on the Marriott website, I don’t see a US$368 rate for the Renaissance Kowloon for November, I see a rate of US$175 for their cheapest room, the standard room.

I don’t think the Bishop Lei will vary too much in price by November, so you can get an idea by looking at their website; or you can see the range of prices. I like the hotel a lot a recommend it often on this site, my one caveat is that rooms can be very very small, so try to get the biggest room you can afford. With 2 adults and luggage for more than one night, you want at least 28 square meters, IMO, 30 is better. (300 square feet at a minimum). A lot of rooms you will see in Hong Kong in the cheaper hotels are 20 to 22 square meters, that is really small. Some are even 18 square meters, that is TINY.

The YMCA Salisbury Road is indeed a very good hotel, if they can get in there for $150 that would be good. Again, room size can be small, so they should make sure they are comparing apples to apples here for the $150; as they may be able to get a larger room in a slightly less central location for the same price. The YMCA Salisbury is great if you have a harbour view, IMO, but for $150 they won’t get a harbour view. After that point, you may as well pay the $150 for a larger room if you can get it.

A hotel which I don’t know inside but which I pass virtually every day and I think has an excellent location in Wan Chai is The Welsey. (It’s run by the Methodist church, like the Bishop Lei is run by the Catholic Church.) the moderate room at 280 square feet appears to be in the price range. This hotel is about 300 yards from the Pacific Place complex of the JW Marriott/Conrad and Shangri-La which of course charge hundreds more for their rooms. This is in a great neighborhood of excellent restaurants, both cheap and dear, and near some of my favorite (and fast disappearing) market areas for strolling and people-watching. The Admiralty metro would be very close, and the hotel fronts the tram line and several major bus lines. Take a look at http://www.hanglung.com/contents.asp?articleid=853

Another thought are the serviced apartments at Two MacDonnell Road in mid-levels. These are available for short-term rentals of one night, and the smallest units are in the US$170 range. All units have small kitchens, which is a nice feature for breakfast (there is a grocery store across the street). I like the location on MacDonnell Road, as it is close to the great walking path on Bowen Road , you can walk down to the Peak Tram station or Hong Kong Park in about 5 minutes or to Central in a bit more. It’s across (a very busy) street from the small zoo and park by the old Governor’s mansion. This is a quiet residential neighborhood,. The hotel has a free shuttle bus to Central as well, and a small gym a restaurant. ok at http://www.twomr.com.hk.

The Ramada on Des Voeux Road in Shueng Wang/Western on Hong Kong Island, which I have not been inside, would be in the US$110-150 for their larger rooms (again get the largest room and on a high floor for a good view). Some people don’t like the location, but I think it is one of the most interesting neighborhoods around, and certainly the most traditional, non-touristy neighborhood you can stay in. (No one trying to sell you a copy watch or make you a suit which will be the constant barrage on the Kowloon side on Nathan Road hotels...). Lots of little interesting market stalls, and Central and Soho are a short cab ride or bus ride away. There will also be a brand-new Courtyard by Marriott hotel opening in this area in late September, they should be able to get good rates there if they can wait to book until later. It will have the advantage of being new, so new furniture, etc; making it nicer than the other older budget hotels they may encounter in that price range.

Other hotels which get good reviews on this site and would be have some rooms in the US$150-200 range are Rosedale on the park (/www.rosedale.com.hk), Central Hotel (www.centralparkhotel.com.hk), the Metropark (http://www.metroparkhotel.com/). Again, try to get the largest room you can afford, as rooms at all of these are going to be small.

There are sometimes conventions and a jewelry show in November in Hong Kong, which may bring prices up a bit. That is one reason to try to look in early if you can.

Why not try the BPInternational Hotel? It is in a good location ..walk to shops,subway etc. It is a 3 star hotel-rooms OK. I have just looked at prices for November..US $168

Cicerone.....<b>Wow, wow, wow!</b> A million thanks for this amazing reply. I have passed it all on to my friend and told her to continue monitoring this thread for your highly prized tips. With a friend like you on sight, how can she go wrong?

Now...about my trip to Bangkok?????

I know the YMCA has been mentioned, but it is on some of the best property in town (right next to the Peninsula in Kowloon) and if you can get a harborview, it is definitely the best value. Definitely not what you think of as a YMCA.

I always try to stay at the Conrad when I go to HK, but prices vary around the $300 mark.

I don’t really know budget hotels in Bangkok, but the Marriott Riverside is a huge favorite on this board (and of mine), and I am fairly sure that deals in the US$150 range can be found there, either through price line or directly through the hotel. Others on this site may have tips on booking via priceline to get a good price there. The hotel is just wonderful, on the river, huge pool, great staff, great spa, shuttle boat up the river. That would be the first place I would look. The Old Bangkok Inn is very popular on this site and would be in that range, see http://www.oldbangkokinn.com/index.php.

They may also want to look at the Chakrabongse Villas, which is a newish boutique hotel. I have not stayed, but have seen it, and thought it was very charming, on the river in a good location across from Wat Arun. Take a look at http://www.thaivillas.com/indexflash.html. They have a pool, which is sometimes unusual in a “boutique” hotel in a city. The Garden Room is in the US$190 range.