FORTUNE HOTEL

The sign at the entrance says "torture hotel," and after two nights here, I can see why. This place is hecking nasty. Trust me, pay even triple for somewhere better.

Getting to the hotel after landing past midnight was harder than Google Maps suggested. The map put me across the road when I was already at Wing Wah Building, and it took me over 20 minutes to find the place instead of the one minute shown. Look for Wing Wah Building, not Fortune hotel. The hotel is on the fifth floor, to the right when you leave the service lift. There are other hotels and local residents in this 10 storey building, and shared service lifts. Avoid the stairs, since there was rubbish dumped on every level. Once outside your room, stick to the area between it and the service lift. I came in on the N21 from T1/T2. It cost HK$23 per person, a fixed fare, and took 27 stops to Bank Center. Google Maps helped with the directions. The bus showed live information, including stop numbers, in Chinese and English, with announcements in both languages. There was plenty of luggage space. The other airport option was a premium bus or the cheap fare buses, including N21 or N23. This is really a guest house, not a hotel in the three or five star sense. The room was clean, but small, with a super single bed meant for two that wasn't comfortable for a pair. The toilet was squeezed into the room, leaving little room to walk or put bags. Noise came through from outside and the next room. The air conditioner and water heater looked old but worked, while the ceiling exhaust fan was noisy. The building is big, and the service lifts are shared with residents. The three good things were the friendly staff, despite not speaking any English, the location in the middle of the popular "Ladies market," and being less than a five minute walk from Mongkok MTR. For a cheap place like Fortune, I'd choose a twin bed room for more comfort. It's a small room, so don't expect anything like a three or five star hotel.

Finding it takes a little care: look for the Wing Wah building, since Fortune Hotel is inside it. From there, MongKok MTR Exit D or E is about a three minute walk, and Ladies Market and Sneakers Street are also easy to reach on foot. The room was clean and its size was fine for me as a solo traveler, though rooms in HK are small. Sound carries, so in the evening it can get noisy when cleaners talk while working.

The staff were friendly, though they didn't speak English. They called someone to translate, and I also used a translation app to communicate. My room's doorknob was half falling off, which had me coming back each day expecting to find the place looted after it broke. I had a valuable camera there, but nothing happened. The place was also a little hard to find.