Oriental Pearl Kowloon Budget Hostel

Honestly, it was the worst experience of my life.

The only good thing was the location, close to the centre and the waterfront. What we expected and what we found were completely different. Our prepaid room was cancelled on check-in day, and with almost no hotels available during the holidays, we had to find something quickly. This was what we found. At first they put us in a tiny room in Block A, on the 3rd floor. The room was about 3 square metres, with lots of mirrors instead of windows, L-shaped beds, and a bathroom with a toilet that felt like an art form of its own. Getting to the right floor meant waiting 15-20 minutes in line for the elevator. The fussy owner demanded a 1,000 yuan deposit. When we said we didn’t have cash, he kept our passports, apparently as security so we wouldn’t take anything. He only provides towels and toilet paper on request. We managed to borrow a hairdryer once, after arranging it in the evening. On the second day he moved us to Block D on the 7th floor, saying the new room was large and spacious. He didn’t mention the cockroaches we’d encountered that morning. The elevator queues were still there, and the room might have been 5 metres instead of 3. It had the same sort of bathroom, plus stinking garbage, cigarette smoke and dampness. At least we only stayed a couple of days, not a week. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.

The listing on Booking.com was all false, including the services they claimed to offer, and the photos showed another place. After booking, they wouldn’t let me cancel, and when I arrived I realized it was all a lie. I left because of the condition of the place, but they still didn’t refund my money. I don’t recommend it to anyone.