One of the good things about traveling to Hong Kong is the availability of budget accommodations especially for families and group of friends. Ah Shan Hostel is one of those.
The hostel was our home in Hong Kong for 5 days with my family. It was the perfect accommodation for us. Let me tell you why.
Our trip to Hong Kong had several constraints and conditions. We were a large group with toddlers and some of our companions wanted to have a look around Hong Kong’s shopping scene.
Hong Kong has several shopping areas that people who love to shop will find very interesting. And Mongkok has several great places to shop, or maybe window shop.
The area has some popular shopping centers especially for the on a budget. The night markets here are very popular as it is the home to the ‘Ladies Market’, the ‘Fa Yuen Street Market’ and the ‘Richmond Shopping Arcade’. This made the area very ideal for our group
We stayed in this area before with friends who wanted to visit Hong Kong on a budget. So I was looking for places to stay in the same area.
Fortunately, this was the same building where we stayed before so I was already familiar with the place.
Table of Contents
Booking a Room
I booked a room through one of my trusted sites where I was able to get a good deal. For a family room, it was pretty cheap.
You can also check out the Ah Shan Hostel’s website to book your room.
How to Get Here
What I love most about the hostel is the location. It is near key establishments and transportation areas too.
Ah Shan Hostel is just a stone-throw away from the Mongkok MRT station, bus stops and food stalls. There are great and affordable street foods here too if you want cheap food.
If you are coming in from the Hong Kong International Airport, you can either take the bus or the Airport Express train.
The bus is the cheaper option and gives you amazing welcome views of Hong Kong. The fare was around 33 HKD when we went and we used our Octopus Card to pay for it.
We bought the card at the MRT Train Ticketing Station at the Arrival Hall. The regular price of the card was at 100 HKD, where the 50 HKD is the price of the card and 50 HKD can be used to pay public transport.
At the airport, you need to go to the bus terminal and look for the bus stop of the A21 Bus. Once onboard, remember to alight at the eighth stop or the Argyle Street Station. Travel time from the airport is approximately 40 minutes.
At the Argyle Street Station, walk around 5 minutes to reach the Sincere House. It’s just around a block away from the Bus Station.
Another option is taking the Airport Express from the airport. You will need to buy your tickets from the MRT Train Ticketing Station (same area where you can purchase the Octopus Card).
The Ah Shan Hostel is on the 14th floor so you will need to ride the elevator to get there.
I’ve had some bad experience with the building’s elevator on our previous trip. We got stuck inside and I was a bit traumatized as I was pregnant at that time.
Thankfully, on this trip, we hadn’t had any problem with the elevator.
Checking-In
Our plane from Cebu landed in Hong Kong at 9 AM, so we were already at the hostel at around 10 AM.
Regular check-in time was 1 PM so we were early. After showing her my passport, she checked their system then informed me that they couldn’t let us check-in early.
Despite being tired, we decided to go and grab some lunch first in the nearby fast-food chain. The Receptionist allowed us to leave most of our stuff at their receiving area. And though it was a bit cramped, we managed to secure our stuff and leave the hostel.
After eating food, we went back to the Ah Shan Hostel and then finally we were allowed to go see our room.
Room, Rates, and Amenities
Like most hostels in Hong Kong, the rooms are spread out in the building. The receiving area was on the 14th floor and our room was on the 13th floor.
Because we were a large group, we booked two quad rooms. I requested that there was a large bed in each room since we had toddlers with us. And thankfully, the request was granted.
The rooms were quite near each other too that we didn’t have any problem going from one room to another.
Our Room and Rates
If it’s your first time to book a hostel in Hong Kong, you might be surprised by how small the room. And yes, they are still small even if you book a Quad Room.
It’s just enough for you to move around a bit and store your things. Especially the bathroom. It’s tiny and will just give you enough space to do your thing and then leave. LOL.
The room at the Ah Shan Hostel had a bunk bed that can occupy three persons and a single bed. Thankfully, our room was facing the street, so we had a window and it kind of made the room more comfortable less cramped.
We paid 5,311 Php for the room, so between the group, it was 1,328 Php per head per night. Not bad, considering that the location was amazing!
Inclusions and Other Amenities
The price of the room did not include breakfast. We had the regular stuff, including bath gel, shampoo, beddings, and slippers.
There was no towel, however, and we had to pay around 10 HKD to rent one from the reception. This was already for the entire duration of our stay.
There was free hot and cold water available too for guests. It is just along the corridor so you can easily refill your water bottle. This was particularly good for us as we needed to sterilize some of our daughter’s milk bottle.
Check-Out
Our flight back home was at 10 AM and we had to go be at the airport early just in case we missed something.
One of the good things that I appreciated with the hostel was that you didn’t have to wait for someone to be available to assist you with the check-out.
You can either leave your room’s key at a box on the door of the receiving room or simply lock your room and leave the key inside.
The receptionist told me to leave the key to the door, but the housekeeper advised us to leave them inside instead. She would be cleaning the room later in the day so it made sense for me to heed her request.
Besides, it would free me from going up the stairs to leave the keys at the door.
Over-all Verdict
I would love to stay at the Ah Shan Hostel again especially if we are to go back to Hong Kong with a group.
The rooms were affordable and there are convenience stores, shopping centers, and food shops nearby. We can bring food inside the room, giving us plenty of options to buy cheap foods from outside.
Have you stayed at this hostel too? Do share your experience with us on the comment below!
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