As our families would be separated from the beginning (though we meet up in 5 days to spend 3 nights in Butterfly on Pratt Hotel together), J. and I booked our hotels early on to try to get the best deals. From all the research I did online (obsessed, I tell you), I was able to gather that Agoda.com was one of the easiest, cheapest, and dependable ways to book a hotel. It's a London-based company, according to my credit card bill (hahah....ha). Seriously though, that website has got some SKILLS! Though later on I had some trouble rebooking one of the hotels (my friends decided to follow us to Hongkong so we had to change some dates), I would definitely use Agoda again and again and again... actually I used it again on our last 3 days there! More of that later if I still have the will to type that far about the trip.
For your info, I booked the following hotels using Agoda.com:
1. USA Hostel, Nathan Road, Hong Kong (Total of 4 nights)
2. Royal Hotel, Macau (2 nights)
3. Walden Hotel, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (2 nights)
Let us start with USA Hostel (Approximately P2,500/night, or US$50)
If you are a seasoned traveller that prefers clean, spacious accommodations, please do not choose USA Hostel. However, if you are totally Gung-Ho about travelling, and would rather spend your money on things and not your hotel because you'll barely be in it, then by all means, this is the place for you.
We got the Deluxe Room I believe, which had a queen-sized bed and a single bed. The bathrooms are part of the room, separated by a plastic divider (okay, it's not as bad as it sounds), with the toilet inside as well.
Towards the end of our trip, we stayed at Walden, where the rate was the same but the accommodation was by far more luxurious. However, USA Hostel has every right to charge what it does, regardless of the simple and tight accommodations, for the following reasons:
1. The building it's in, as soon as you go down, it's the MTR. Literally. Like, I can trip, and boom, there's the MTR. I can't tell you how great that is considering Hong Kong runs on it's MTR system. EITHER SIDE OF THE BUILDING has an MTR entrance. Insange.
2. It's a 10 minute walk to Harbour City, one of the best malls in Hong Kong, as well as the port for the cruises. I lived in Harbour City, it's really fantastic there.
3. It's a relatively safe place. When you first enter, you may be mortified to see that the 1st level is a like a Mall/Bazaar with money changers, and, pardon my frankness, Indians. Not the Native Indians, just people from India trying to sell cellphones and Ipads. But in all seriousness, it was really safe! In fact, so many people shop there. Nathan Road is one of the busiest shopping districts in Hong Kong.
If your husband is paranoid though, I suggest you find a more suitable hotel. My husband almost made a run for it, if I didn't ask him to give me a chance. When he figured out we'd be out most of the time, he decided to stay. Oh yeah, elevators are quite slow because it's shared by a whole building, so if your kids and husband aren't into that either, you know what to do. USA Hostel is only 2 floors of the building, I believe.
Be polite to the owners, who man the entrance. They speak enough English, but if you have any miscommunication problems they're not "malambing" so to speak. They were very kind to us but I've seen them having trouble with other Filipinos who don't speak English well. Should this happen, they have Filipina maids, and please talk to them so they can properly translate to the owners.
Would I stay here again? My husband said probably not, but there's really something special about that area of Hong Kong where Nathan Road is (Tsim Sha Tsui). It reminded me of New York.. almost all stores were open until 10 or 11, the Restaurants and lights open until 1AM. It's really a special area, worth the discomfort in staying in USA Hostel for a bit.
Oh yeah, if you have kids who aren't very patient with these kinds of things, book another hotel for sure. The TV only has 4 channels (yes, my kids were very much alarmed). Plus, none were in English! But it's alright, they had their PSPs so they didn't mind so much.
Free wifi BTW, and it worked perfectly while we were there!
Royal Hotel, Macau (P3,500/night, approximately P$75)
I had no idea Macau accommodations were so affordable, considering this was a 5-Star Hotel! And it was really really beautiful. The staff was so accommodating (mostly Filipino, I think). This was not the same side of the Island as the Venetian, but the area around the Hotel was simply wonderful. This was a great find in Agoda! See pictures below of the Hotel to see see why we were so pleased. McDonalds and bakeries are a ten minute walk, and the fabulous casinos were about a twenty-minute walk away. You could literally walk everything! more of Macau in a later post. Wifi is free, and there's Internet cable provided inside the bedroom table. Sweet.
Walden Hotel, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (P2,500 a night)
Chamba is the correct word for this hotel. I found this hotel on Agoda on my 3rd to the last night in Hong Kong because my family hadn't booked hotels for the last 2 nights. We were feeling adventurous and decided to move to the other island of Hong Kong, and I made the decision to stay in Wan Chai! For the rate, the rooms were clean, though the bathrooms were quite old (don't expect to be able to use the bathroom!) However, there was TV with cable, beds and rugs were clean, spacious room. It was pretty good, and the rate was excellent. However, it's between Causeway and Wan Chai exits, so it's a 15-minute walk to the nearest MTR station. Otherwise, it's a great deal! Wifi is free, but you have to bring/buy your own Internet Cable.
On a side note, we also stayed at the Butterfly on Pratt hotel, but since I did not book the rooms I can't really give a detailed account. The rate is about P8,000/night or US $200. The rooms are quite small, but luxurious. It's a Boutique Hotel (so expect it to be small) but the rooms and rugs are clean. If you are staying in the same room as people you can't be naked around, please request a room with bathroom doors that aren't clear, because their bathroom doors are clear. As clear as day! Outside the hotel, there are a lot of bars if you like those kinds of things, and small eateries. It's a 10-minute walk away from MTR. A block away is a cheap laundry place that can do your laundry if you're struggling with that on your vacation. Staff are EXTREMELY hospitable. There's free wifi but I heard some rooms don't have great working wifi, so you'll have to go to the lobby where there's free wifi and 2 computers for your use.
More pics to follow! But as you can see, Agoda really provided excellent choices for my booking, and even when I booked the night before, I had no problem! Hope this helps you out!
