Philippine Hostel

I left the very next morning after a fitful night. The room had basic things like a fan, towels, soap, and bedding, but it was incredibly tiny, noisy, and the AC didn’t work. I saw bugs in the room, black mold in the bathroom, and cigarette burns on the bedding. The hostel door used a keycard, but the room had a simple key lock that I think could be picked with almost anything. What made the stay terrible was feeling unsafe in the building. I want to warn solo female travellers against staying here. The receptionist was helpful, but I had to pay an extra 100HKD key deposit. She said our room was actually in a different hostel, though it was owned by the same people. I found that unacceptable because that wasn’t the hostel I booked. Getting there meant crossing the labyrinth of Chungking Mansions again. We arrived after midnight at Chungking Mansions. Groups of men were hanging around the mostly empty shops inside, shouting at us and refusing to leave us alone. There were puddles of mysterious liquid, food waste, and insects on the floor. After we found the right spot in the building, we had to climb stairs that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned since the building was constructed. I wouldn’t recommend this hostel except to someone with incredibly low standards. I don’t have high standards and knew not to expect anything luxurious for the price and listing photos, but I was shocked by how terrible it was. Don’t be fooled by the positive reviews. Research Chungking Mansions.

We knew this was budget accommodation and had an idea what to expect. When we arrived early, we only asked if we could leave our bags until check-in. Later, when we went to see the room, they told us to move to another hotel, an “extension” that hadn’t been mentioned. We followed the Indian guy who introduced himself as the owner to another block. He checked the room and noticed the shower head wasn’t fixed and the door knob wasn’t working properly. He came back a few minutes later with another Indian guy to fix them. We expected it to take around five minutes, but they spent more than 30 minutes on it. At least they let us use an adapter for free.

The four-person room was cramped, though decent enough because it’s near attractions, the MTR, and bus stops. Don’t expect too much. When we got to the room and wanted to rest, they had to fix a couple of bathroom and door issues while we were still there. Apart from that, it was all bearable.

After telling the staff in advance that we’d arrive late, we still found nobody available to check us in. We called the number on the door several times, as well as all three listed contact numbers. The Indian staff member told us to call back in five hours, which was no help at all after a long flight, especially so late at night. We were left outside for nearly four hours and finally let in at 5:30 AM. The poor communication and service left us feeling neglected and unwelcome. As a first-time traveller, we’d hoped for a pleasant, welcoming stay. I’m disappointed that the hotel fell so far short of what I expected. Customer satisfaction should be a priority, and I hope they take this seriously and make changes so other guests don’t go through the same thing.