Marrigold Hostel

This was the worst place I’ve encountered on my travels, and it doesn’t deserve even one star. The owners were rude and intimidating, the place was dirty, and the photos online are false. There are much better options in chungking. Even at a low price, I wouldn’t stay here.

The only real plus was the location, close to the tsim sha tsui station and a bus stop. The building itself looked like a wet market. Inside, the photos had set expectations way too high: cockroaches were everywhere, the supposedly fresh towel smelled, and the air conditioner dripped into the room. We were mostly out and only used the room to sleep, thankfully. I wouldn’t recommend it for a woman traveling alone. The door doesn’t have a second lock, and anyone with a keycard can get into the room.

For a budget hostel, the room is an ideal size for the price, even if it is on the small side. It was very clean and got cleaned every day. The staff were accommodating, helped with booking taxis, and offered tips on where to find different foods. Free wifi and drinking water are a nice bonus, especially with water prices in HK. Definitely good value.

We couldn’t sleep on our arrival night because we were worried about security, so we found another hotel the next morning. The room we were moved to was in another building and shared with other guests. It had no lock and no elevator access, the shower was clogged and wouldn’t even shut off, and there was rubbish beside the beds. We were given a bunk bed, but there wasn’t enough room to sit on the top bunk. The booking site photos were misleading, even though we expected a small room. They also charged us 150 HKD for checking out earlier than our booked date. I strongly recommend spending more on a hotel in HK where you can actually use the amenities.