I'm going to be visiting Hong Kong after all this summer, Cathay Pacific finally opened up their first class reward seats so I'll be spending 4 days in Hong Kong. Have been reading up as much as I can on where to stay and I am torn. My budget is decently generous all the way up to the Mandarin but not rich enough for a Four Seasons or Peninsula stay.

I have narrowed it down to four areas: Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Central and Wanchai.

Central would be the most convenient as far as I can tell as I plan to squeeze in a Macau trip in there. But it also seems to be the place with least action. Wanchai appears to be "the place" on the island but I am unsure as to it's prices since Central appears to be similarly priced in hotels. TST and MK are great value (half price) compared to Central and I would be able to stay at 5 stars hotels for the entire trip without worries. There also seems to be quite a bit of action based on the map and total amount of listings, almost 4 times as much versus HK Island. My worries with being on the other side is the availability of sight seeing and travel.

So this goes out to the locals and those who have visited HK quite a bit. If you wanted a nice balance between being a tourist and a punter, what area would you stay in?

Balance between tourist and punter = HK.

I'd suggest the Sheraton (right next to the Peninsula) - close enough to most of the punting places, the MTR, the ferry (over to HK side) etc.

I vote for Langham in Mong Kok.

Land of WG, nice & not too expensive hotel, close to TST, close to tourism.

The W hotel in TST is one of my fav hotels in the world.  i dont like the Sheraton- the rooms are too small, although it's location with the subway right outside cant be beat.  The only drawback to the W is for punting- if you want the girls to come to you.  They need a key to use the elevator so what ends up happening is that you have to go down to get her.   This is not a problem unless they bait and switch you- cause you wouldnt want to make a scene there.

Would choose Langham too, it's nice and affordable, in a great location for playing tourist and punting.
Especially if you come in summer, I like the swimming pool on the top floor, always nice.

HK is fairly small, do not worry too much about distances...

Thanks for the advice so far.

I have read many great reviews about Langham Place in Mong Kok, it is ranked very highly on tripadvisor.I am indeed coming in the summer and yes I am fairly worry about the getting around aspect. My area has almost no formal public transit beside buses which are a pain to use and would not enable you to get anywhere on time.

I've read many great advice threads about using the MTR and getting the Octopus card, but I am still weary of the prospect.

Could someone explain to me what kind of area Mong Kok is compared to say Central or Wanchai? And any issues traveling to say Wanchai and picking something up and bringing it back to Mong Kok? Or would I have to rent a place in Wanchai for a walk up?

I'm going to be staying in the Hotel Intercon Grand Stanford @ TST. I presume it's friendly.

If you're new to Hong Kong and don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese, my advice would be to stick to Hong Kong Island; Wan Chai or Central doesn't matter (it's a 20 minute walk, tops, from the middle of Wan Chai to Central or a 5 min cab ride). Going between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island isn't onerous but it's not exactly easy, either.

Plenty do to on Hong Kong Islands, appear to be enough girls (although I am new to this) and there's more English. Furthermore, if you plan on doing other things during your trip, Hong Kong Island offers more.

As for getting around, the MTR is easy to master and you can grab an Octopus card at the airport. However, cabs are ubiquitous and not expensive; although gets more so if you cross the harbor tunnel (go between Kowloon and Hong Kong).

Difficult to recommend a hotel without knowing your price range but Tripadvisor should work well.

if staying in Kowloon side,  
No Budget:
• W
• Sheraton
Budget:
• langham
• Metropark - mongkok
• holiday inn-green mile.

If on HK island side -
No Budget
• Grand Hyatt - nice and 5 min walk to Wan Chai bars
Budget:
• MetroPark - Wanchai
• Wharney GuangDong hotel (DEAD CENTER OF ACTION)  (many SW & HG using this hotel

Looking forward to your reports after your trip.

i like the standford hillview hotel in TST.
includes free internet and price was < 900 HK including taxes.
also close to alot of the TST HG and champaign court.

i would back "timewaster" up and recommend Hillview Hotel, lovely scenery at night time and alot of places to go, also not as expesnsive and some other places around the area

The Kimberly Hotel in TST is usually a good bargain with decent rooms.

No view unless you bring it.

Che'lu

Try Butterfly on Prat, a boutique style hotel with reasonable rates.

I really like the Sheraton, but then I tend to choose Starwood hotels because I'm an SPG member.  The Sheraton has a great location with a five to ten minute walk to all nearby food and Tsim Sha Tsui MTR.  The rooftop pool is amazing (but gets crowded in the afternoon until late at night) and the service from the staff is five star.  The (expensive) dinner buffet is delicious.  And everyone speaks fluent English!  The hotel is also girl friendly.

I consider the rooms to be large, and I'm from North America where our hotel rooms are pretty large compared to most other countries.  If I must say something negative it's that the only free internet is the wifi in the lobby.  If you want ethernet internet in your room it's ~$30 USD per day.

Like Our Man In Manchester, RICO, I'm a Hilton Diamond, and have tons of points to burn. How well located is the Conrad for the nefarious activities thst we promote here?

I'm not planning on bringing anyone back to the Conrad, just want some opinions on location.

Also, on a HK trip, would obviously have to spend 2-3 nights in Macau. I see Hard Rock pricing out at $100-$120/night. How is room quality overall, and compared to other hotels there?

Thanks in advance.

IF you're planning to do the wanchai bar scene and choose a WG for an overnight, most convenient would be a hotel there.  

In Wanchai, MetroPark hotel has a good reputation and great value.  Others to check out and get quotes on include Novotel or Wharney or Empire - all mid-range prices but within walking distance of any pickup.  
Nicer Wanchai hotels include Renaissance Harbourview and Hyatt, next to the Exhibition Centre.  And if you're going upmarket check out the Marriott and Conrad in Admiralty - both very close to Wanchai, you could walk (around 15 minutes) but might prefer a 3 minute taxi ride.  

If you're staying in Mong Kok (yes, Langham is a great hotel, well run and excellent value) or in TST you should expect a HK$70-$80 taxi ride to bring a date home from WanChai (that MTR ride would rather kill the mood).


OTHERWISE, if you're not doing takeout, where you stay is entirely up to you, since you can go anywhere on the MTR quickly easily and cheaply right up to about 1am.  

If you're not taking her home, any girl you pick up in Wanchai will know several hotels a short walk from the bar, and will pick up the tab for the room.  

Staying in TST is closest to the biggest number of HGs and walkups.  But (again) you don't have to actually have to be staying there yourself ... travel is easy and fast.

Conrad is better placed than most of the luxury hotels (particularly those in HK Island) but not as convenient for the TST action as the TST hotels (Peninsula, Hilton, Sheraton, Regal, etc).  If you can stay there on points, do it, you won't regret the experience   

Situated close to the Admiralty MTR it's actually 1 MTR stop away from any action, but you can choose to go to TST or to Wanchai and Wanchai is a short walk downhill if you don't mind crossing main roads.  Actually you might just as well do the walk straight to WanChai, by the time you've gone down all the escalators, got on the train, and made your way up to the surface you're probably taken about the same time ... or take a taxi for the basic HK$18 charge.

Conrad is fantastic for sight seeing/shopping, and alright. It's bang in the middle of Admiralty, above Pacific Place (right above the MTR) - it's fair (but you wouldn't really want to walk) distance from Wan Chai/CWB. TST is just a station away.

If you're VERY serious about mongering though, I'd stay in TST or Mong Kok as opposed to Admiralty/Central.

I want to thank everyone for the advice, this thread has been enlightening. I was torn between Langham Place, The Wharney and Butterfly on Pratt. But than I got a smoking deal at the JW so that's where I will be staying.

Seeing as how the JW is in the same block as the Conrad, would all previous comments apply here?

Any tips for punting trips? Should I focus on Central and Wanchai or would going across to TST be a better bet? Any special places near the hotel I should visit?

Yep - JW is right next to Conrad.

There's not much in the way of punting in Central - most of the places listed on 141 are massage parlours for Central. There are a few girls out in Sheung Wan though - they're all within a couple of blocks of each other. There aren't very many though.

I'd go for Wan Chai and TST, still. Although it's across the harbour, Admiralty is just a station away from TST - and you're right above the MTR. Again, Wan Chai is also just a station away - and from Wan Chai there's also the option of exploring Causeway Bay.

There are also lots of hotel girls in the Wan Chai, Causeway Bay (Tin Hau/Fortress Hill) and TST areas so check those out too.

[ Last edited by  fjackass at 28-3-2011 18:46 ]