The Mahjong Boutique Hostel

For the price, it’s a great hostel choice in Hong Kong 🇭🇰. The rooms, bathrooms, and showers were clean, and the welcoming staff were friendly. It’s about a 10-minute walk to the metro. Finding the entrance can take a while, especially at night, because there’s no sign on the building. There’s also no elevator, so getting heavy bags upstairs is a challenge. The dorm curtains didn’t give much privacy, since you could see inside when the lights were on. Regular curtains would work better.

I felt safe walking around this quiet, mostly residential neighborhood, even at night as a solo female traveler. There are lots of schools nearby, so you’ll often see children heading to and from school. The hostel feels a bit like Hong Kong itself: crowded and compact, and in need of some upkeep. It was easy to meet people because the small place has one shared hangout area by the front desk and kitchenette. Guests can use a mini fridge, microwave, hair dryers, and free water refill. There’s also a small safe at each bed that works with your key card. The couches could use a deep clean, though. They offer printing for a small fee, which was convenient, and laundry was quick. They said it would take a day, but I got my clothes back in under 24 hours. UPDATE: After years of owning my bras, two worth $60 USD each came apart after being washed here, with the sides coming unglued. Don’t have them wash your underwear. My room had a private shower shared by eight girls, which was a nice arrangement. But one of the two bathroom sinks leaked constantly, and it was rusty, so this seems to have been going on for a while. The main women’s showers were small, with nowhere to change or hang clothes without getting them wet. The shower I used was right by a window and rusty railing, and didn’t feel very clean. The beds weren’t comfortable. The bunk curtains were thin and see-through, so there was barely any privacy, and I could feel every spring in my mattress. I noticed other beds had toppers and asked for one, but staff didn’t believe mine was missing until they checked. They had no extras, so gave me a thin blanket and even a SCARF instead. It’s concerning that they didn’t have spare comforters or toppers. There was also nowhere to hang wet towels, so people draped them around the room and it smelled bad. Towel hooks or racks in the bathrooms or by the luggage shelves would help. It’s okay for a short visit if tight quarters don’t bother you. The local-feeling area is safe and it’s easy to meet people, but the hostel needs maintenance and small improvements to be more comfortable.

I found the place easy to locate as a first-time visitor to Hong Kong, and it’s near To Kwa Wan station. Even though it’s next to a major road, it didn’t seem noisy. It felt like one of the safest hostels I’ve stayed in, and I didn’t even bother locking up my things. The staff were helpful, friendly, and accommodating with my hectic schedule. They also had a list of recommended places to eat nearby, plus there’s a 24-hour McDonald’s within a five-minute walk for late-night snacks. The hostel was really clean, especially the common areas, with plenty of room to sit. The couch was so comfortable I fell asleep on it a few times, and the bathrooms were squeaky clean too.

Hong Kong is expensive, so this hostel’s reasonable price and decent amenities worked well for me. The location was good, in my opinion, since the area isn’t overly touristy or overpriced. The A22 goes straight here, which made getting there easy. The staff and volunteers were nice and knew their stuff. The place was clean, and the room had AC and curtains. The female dorm was good too.