Hotels in Central Hong Kong
Feb 11th, 2011, 07:48 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,276
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hotels in Central Hong Kong
After a three week trip in November to Vietnam, we are going to stop off in Hong Kong for 4 nights on the way back to Chicago. I have been looking at possible hotels and have come up with a few options that look good - just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on them. DH stayed at the YMCA many years ago (right across from the Peninsula) but it is totally booked as far as I can tell. We decided that staying in central Hong Kong probably made the most sense and are looking to keep the budget around $100 per night. The three that seem the most likely candidates are:
Island Pacific Hotel
Butterfly on Wellington Boutique Hotel
YWCA Garden Hotel
Has anyone stayed there? Do you have other thoughts that fit our criteria? I am leaning toward splurging a bit at the Island Pacific Hotel for a harborview room, but can be swayed.
Island Pacific Hotel
Butterfly on Wellington Boutique Hotel
YWCA Garden Hotel
Has anyone stayed there? Do you have other thoughts that fit our criteria? I am leaning toward splurging a bit at the Island Pacific Hotel for a harborview room, but can be swayed.
Feb 11th, 2011, 01:50 PM
#4
I loved staying at the YMCA. Steps to the Star Ferry so just minutes from anything on either side. If you do pick the Y be sure to book a harborside room on an upper floor. The views are amazing, and you can watch the light show right from your room. Well worth the extra money
Couldn't afford the Peninsula but did have tea there and enjoy the ambiance right next door
Couldn't afford the Peninsula but did have tea there and enjoy the ambiance right next door
Feb 11th, 2011, 03:04 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I agree with janisj. Too many people here spent too much time worrying about this side of the harbor vs the other side. It's about how convenient a place is, and the quality of the hotel. The YMCA Salisbury will beat all those three in my opinion.
Feb 11th, 2011, 03:54 PM
#6
I stayed at Bishop Lei on the other side - may be outside your price range, though. I found it very convenient, as I enjoyed riding the escalator back up. There weren't any views to see when I was there, so I was glad I wasn't paying extra for something I couldn't enjoy.
Feb 11th, 2011, 11:15 PM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Salisbury YMCA is very popular, and if your budget would get you a harbour view room, that this would be my first choice. If you can’t get a harbour view, IMO, staying on the Kowloon side is not worth it.
The location of the Butterfly on Wellington is really hard to beat: walkable to many sights and tons of good restaurants. You can go from the sophistication of SOHO to the old neighborhood areas of Sheung Wan pretty easily. It’s right next to the interesting Peel Street/Graham street market area as well. The rooms appear to be very small on the website, so do check this and make sure you are OK. 18 or 22 square meters really does not work for 2 people, IMO.
The Island Pacific is in a very, very interesting, traditional old Hong Kong neighborhood in Sheung Wan (despite attempts to call this “West Central”). It’s the Hong Kong that is hard to find elsewhere, and will disappear from that area shortly as an MTR station will be opening in Kennedy Town to the west in the next year or so. Lots of little neighborhood shops and markets. The hotel should have very nice water views; not the traditional post card view you may have seen (those are taken from the Kowloon side), but still quite pretty. If you face west, you should get some nice sunsets. It has good bus service and is a block from the tram line so transport is quite good; it is a walk to the subway, but that is not a detractor, in my view as there are not a whole lot of reasons to use the subway. I have not been inside the hotel, so don’t know what the rooms are like. The hotel fronts a fairly major elevated highway, so I would go for as high a floor as you can. It is mostly casual local restaurants in the neighborhood, but there are some good more upscale ones not too far, and as this neighborhood is transitioning, good restaurants are popping up more frequently.
The YWCA Garden hotel has an interesting location in a quiet neighborhood; it is quite walkable downhill to Central (the Peak tram passes close to the hotel and the bottom station is an easy downhill walk of about 10-15 minutes from the hotel). There is good bus service uphill back to the hotel. A taxi from Central would be HK$20 or a bit less, so again not bad. The hotel is very near the lovely Bowen Road walking path, and if you don’t mind uphill walks, it is a very pretty walk from the hotel up to the Peak. This is a very quiet, green (for Hong Kong) neighborhood; there are no restaurants really within walking distance if that makes a difference.
So of the three you list, unless you can get a harbour view room at the Salisbury, I would probably go with the Butterfly, esp. if you are a first-time visitor. The Island Pacific appeals for the neighborhood, but it may be just a bit out of the way. As you will be here for 4 nights, that is better, as you have time to explore, so being a bit out of the main stream is not as much of an issue, as it would be on a short visit where you want to hit the highlights, and thus the Butterfly may be a better choice.
I would look at room size for the budget in all hotels, to make sure are making a fair comparison.
The location of the Butterfly on Wellington is really hard to beat: walkable to many sights and tons of good restaurants. You can go from the sophistication of SOHO to the old neighborhood areas of Sheung Wan pretty easily. It’s right next to the interesting Peel Street/Graham street market area as well. The rooms appear to be very small on the website, so do check this and make sure you are OK. 18 or 22 square meters really does not work for 2 people, IMO.
The Island Pacific is in a very, very interesting, traditional old Hong Kong neighborhood in Sheung Wan (despite attempts to call this “West Central”). It’s the Hong Kong that is hard to find elsewhere, and will disappear from that area shortly as an MTR station will be opening in Kennedy Town to the west in the next year or so. Lots of little neighborhood shops and markets. The hotel should have very nice water views; not the traditional post card view you may have seen (those are taken from the Kowloon side), but still quite pretty. If you face west, you should get some nice sunsets. It has good bus service and is a block from the tram line so transport is quite good; it is a walk to the subway, but that is not a detractor, in my view as there are not a whole lot of reasons to use the subway. I have not been inside the hotel, so don’t know what the rooms are like. The hotel fronts a fairly major elevated highway, so I would go for as high a floor as you can. It is mostly casual local restaurants in the neighborhood, but there are some good more upscale ones not too far, and as this neighborhood is transitioning, good restaurants are popping up more frequently.
The YWCA Garden hotel has an interesting location in a quiet neighborhood; it is quite walkable downhill to Central (the Peak tram passes close to the hotel and the bottom station is an easy downhill walk of about 10-15 minutes from the hotel). There is good bus service uphill back to the hotel. A taxi from Central would be HK$20 or a bit less, so again not bad. The hotel is very near the lovely Bowen Road walking path, and if you don’t mind uphill walks, it is a very pretty walk from the hotel up to the Peak. This is a very quiet, green (for Hong Kong) neighborhood; there are no restaurants really within walking distance if that makes a difference.
So of the three you list, unless you can get a harbour view room at the Salisbury, I would probably go with the Butterfly, esp. if you are a first-time visitor. The Island Pacific appeals for the neighborhood, but it may be just a bit out of the way. As you will be here for 4 nights, that is better, as you have time to explore, so being a bit out of the main stream is not as much of an issue, as it would be on a short visit where you want to hit the highlights, and thus the Butterfly may be a better choice.
I would look at room size for the budget in all hotels, to make sure are making a fair comparison.
Feb 13th, 2011, 06:01 AM
#10
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 317
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I stayed at the Butterfly on Wellington last month and couldn't have been happier. The hotel is new, clean and well-run. Staff are professional and very pleasant. I think the location is perfect (unless you have a problem walking up and down hills & stairs). You're right in the middle of one of the most interesting areas of the city to explore - great food, unusual shopping, local markets, fascinating to just wander around... and convenient to Central with transport links all over the Hong Kong area.
I would try to get a larger room if possible, unless room size isn't an issue for you.
I would try to get a larger room if possible, unless room size isn't an issue for you.
Feb 13th, 2011, 07:20 AM
#11
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
jen---we stayed at the Y and it was perfect... it is like a holiday inn in usa.... great location... we much prefer to be on that side of the harbor...
gpanda recently stayed in the marriott courtyard on the other side and liked it very much... its new also...
we also stayed one time in the kowloon hotel... same location as the Y... tiny rooms but you are never in your room...
imo, i would not pay extra for a harbor view room unless i was right on the harbor which the Y is not....
gpanda recently stayed in the marriott courtyard on the other side and liked it very much... its new also...
we also stayed one time in the kowloon hotel... same location as the Y... tiny rooms but you are never in your room...
imo, i would not pay extra for a harbor view room unless i was right on the harbor which the Y is not....
Feb 13th, 2011, 10:50 AM
#12
"<i>mo, i would not pay extra for a harbor view room unless i was right on the harbor which the Y is not....</i>"
But it is right across the street (well, the street and the Cultural Center). If you are above the curved roof of the Cultural centre -- the views are absolutely magnificent. I don't think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much w/o that million (trillion??) dollar view. You see all of HK plus all the water traffic.
But it is right across the street (well, the street and the Cultural Center). If you are above the curved roof of the Cultural centre -- the views are absolutely magnificent. I don't think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much w/o that million (trillion??) dollar view. You see all of HK plus all the water traffic.
Feb 14th, 2011, 09:47 AM
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,276
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We do love having a good view as long as it is not too exhorbitant. But if the difference is too much we usually figure that we won't spend that much time in the room anyway so then it's not worth the price. We'll have to see what the overall trip cost begins to run. Since many of the hotels in Vietnam are very inexpensive we might decide to splurge on our last few days in Hong Kong and get a room with a view.
Feb 14th, 2011, 11:11 AM
#17
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,396
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The view of the HK Island from the Kowloon side is very possibly the greatest cityscape on this planet. For many people (including this typist), a room with that view is something to be remembered long after the rest of the trip is forgotten. If you want to splurge for a night or two, a good harborview room is a good choice.
The best view is from the Intercontinental. The view in unrestricted, and is of the full Hong Kong Island skyline. The Peninsula view from upper-story rooms is almost as good. Both hotels offer exemplary service, and both are expensive.
Next best IMO is the Shangri-La, about a 3-minute walk from the Intercontinental. The view is unrestricted (that is, no intervening buildings), but the view includes only about 2/3 of the HK Island skyline. The Sheraton Towers is next best, but only on the top 2 floors of the hotel (16 & 17).
The best view is from the Intercontinental. The view in unrestricted, and is of the full Hong Kong Island skyline. The Peninsula view from upper-story rooms is almost as good. Both hotels offer exemplary service, and both are expensive.
Next best IMO is the Shangri-La, about a 3-minute walk from the Intercontinental. The view is unrestricted (that is, no intervening buildings), but the view includes only about 2/3 of the HK Island skyline. The Sheraton Towers is next best, but only on the top 2 floors of the hotel (16 & 17).
Feb 15th, 2011, 04:07 AM
#18
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry, Rizzuto, the BEST view is from the Ritz-Carlton Kowloon. The hotel starts on the 100th floor, and there are no obstructions at all as the next tallest building between it and the harbour is about 50 stories tall....It's opening end of next month.
For the price, and if you can get it, the Salisbury YMCA has excellent views from harbour view rooms. The problem with that is that they are almost always fully booked.
For the price, and if you can get it, the Salisbury YMCA has excellent views from harbour view rooms. The problem with that is that they are almost always fully booked.
Feb 15th, 2011, 09:18 AM
#20
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,396
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good point, Cicerone.
The Ritz lists 3 view types: <u>Skyline</u> (which I fear is the Tsing Yi skyline, but I'll wait to be corrected), <u>West Kowloon</u>, and <u>Victoria Harbour</u>. If you want the Victoria Harbour view, and that's the one I'd want, the lowest priced room costs HK$5300/night (unless you've got a corp rate or other discount).
The Ritz lists 3 view types: <u>Skyline</u> (which I fear is the Tsing Yi skyline, but I'll wait to be corrected), <u>West Kowloon</u>, and <u>Victoria Harbour</u>. If you want the Victoria Harbour view, and that's the one I'd want, the lowest priced room costs HK$5300/night (unless you've got a corp rate or other discount).
