Where to stay in Hong Kong

Yiu Fai Guest House

Hong Kong cradles many budget-friendly hostels and guest houses where you can stay during your vacation. But before choosing and booking on a certain hostel you have to consider the location, for Hong Kong is not just "Hong Kong" alone. A Special Administrative Region of People's Republic of China, Hong Kong consist of Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong Island, New Territories and many far-flung islands that are interconnected through their vast, impressive and well planned transportation system (MTR & Buses), it is important to understand their geography.

I first planned about our trip by which places to visit, where to shop and dine and lastly where to book a room to refresh and recharge our energies. I considered Yiu Fai Guest House as one of the most accessible hostels in Kowloon Hong Kong, very accessible to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station and Bus stop 13 (Cameron Road) from the airport and Bus stop 5 (Haiphong Road) going back to airport. I was happy to find out that the care taker of this guest house is a Filipina, Ate Mari. She was so nice, helpful and friendly and gave us some guidelines to enjoy our trip even better, told us places to visit and road directions. I'm not surprised that she's like that, Filipinos are known to be accommodating.

Yiu Fai Guesthouse is located in 5th flr Golden

Crown Court 66-70 Nathan Road. That door on the

side is the reception area which is open from 8AM

12MN.

This guest house has room choices that will fit your need. We booked for a Twin room ensuite for 3 nights. Clean bathroom, neat bed sheets, quiet ambiance, accessibility and a strong wifi connection are few of the important things that this guest house can offer. For more details on this guest house you may click on this link http://www.newyiufai.com/. By the way, I booked our room via hostels.com. You may also check their rate on hostelworld.com.

Twin room ensuite. Indeed, a good value for money.

Thumbs up for their small but clean bathroom.

How to get there:

From the airport, take the A21 bus and get off at the 13th stop in Cameron Road along Nathan Road and it's just a few meters away. Right in front of the 66-70 Nathan Road sign is the Golden Crown Court entrance, beside BONJOUR.

A21 bus in Hong Kong Int'l Airport.

In case you missed it, here is the Nathan Road 66-70 sign in

in front of Golden Crown Court entrance.

There you go, I hope this will somehow help your budget-friendly-hostel hunting in Hong Kong.


Related Post:

Things to do in Hong Kong

Things to do in HONG KONG

First thing that comes to mind when you hear "Hong Kong" is Disney Land, right?! There are so many places and things to do in Hong Kong aside from that, especially if you don't have any kids with you during your trip. Here are some suggestions that can help you decide where to go and what to do.

1. Lantau Island's Big Buddha

The Tian Tan Buddha more popularly known as Big Buddha is located in Ngong Ping Village, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. The construction of the Tian Tan Buddha started from year 1990 to December 1993. This statue was formed out of 202 separate pieces of bronze.

The rain was continuously pouring when we went to Ngong Ping Village, too bad we weren't able to see the Big Buddha upclose because it was too foggy at the time. 

Entrance of Tian Tan Buddha

Clockwise: Photo1: View of Tian Tan Buddha from

Ngong Ping Village. Photo2: Ngong Ping Village entrance.

Photo3: View of stairway going to the Big Buddha.

How to get there:

Take the MTR to Tung Chung station. Walk towards the post office building, from there you will see the Ngong Ping Cable Car terminal right above the taxi terminal.

Photo1: Ngong Ping Crystal Cabin label on my wrist.

Photo2: Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminal

You can chose between crystal cabin or regular cabin, which ever you prefer you will still enjoy the view going up Ngong Ping Village.

We opted to take the round trip Crystal Cabin which 

cost HKD235.

Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Station.

The rain didn't stop until the end of our trip so I went back to our hotel, all wet. Nobody knows me, anyway. :)

2.Mongkok Night Market

The night is still young and all you have in mind is SHOPPING. Where to?? Mongkok Night Market, where you can find anything and everything under the sun.... ooppps, I mean moon, actually! It's a huge outdoor shopping area in Hong Kong. The streets start to close by 4pm and stall owners begin to put up their shop and start selling until the break of dawn.

Just walk around the area and you will find what you're NOT looking for and end up buying it. Haha! Bring along a lot of energy and bargaining skills because you will definitely have to use it here. Once you make "tawad" you have to purchase the item by hook or by crook, or else the seller/shop owner will yell at you or worse, they will push you away (they are kinda rude). Tip: if the item price is HKD100 you can haggle up to 40%-50% of the price, HKD50-HKD60.

What I bought? A Doraemon LED lamp, Doraemon 16gb USB flash drive, wallets, magnets, shirts (for pasalubong), bags and all sort of things I don't really need. Haha!

How to get there:

From TST (Tsim Sha Tsui) station take the Tsuen Wan line and get off at Mongkok station (two stations away from TST). Exit D3 to Ladies' Market (Tung Choi St.) and Exit E to Sneaker Street (Fa Yuen St.)

High Five Davao 2013

Hearing much about Davao makes me want to visit the province long time ago and finally my feet touched their ground. Yeeehhaaa! I learned that the peace and order is the number one priority of their LGU (local government unit) and I want to give a high five to their mayor (Mayor Rodrigo Duterte). The city is so clean, feels like your in Singapore or much better than that. Not a single trash can be seen in their side walks or elsewhere which just goes to show that local residents are well disciplined.

Arrived at Davao International Airport Thursday night and was welcomed by our hotel shuttle. Thank you Jade Dragon Suites for a warm welcome. If you plan to visit Davao and your budget is tight, try to stay in Jade Dragon Suites, their rooms are clean and affordable (http://jadedragonsuites.com/). We stayed there for just one night. Next day we all woke up early and had our breakfast at Jade Dragon's resto located at the ground floor. After breakfast we went straight to Waterfront Insular Hotel Pirata Bar Area where our boat ride to Chema's by the sea is already waiting. This is it! Beach finally..... Yehey!!! :)

Clockwise: Photo1: Welcome name from our first night's hotel. Photo2&3: 

Davao International Airport with Elaine and Mom.

Clockwise: Photo1: Waiting for our breakfast at Jade Dragon's Suite's

Resto. Photo2&3: Friends and Mom at Jade Dragon Suite's lobby. 

After our very relaxing stay at the beach we headed back to the city and explored its beauty. First stop was Eden Nature Park but unfortunately there were two events being held at the time so we didn't get to enjoy all their amenities. We decided to just have a light snack and go on with the tour. On our way to our next destination we stopped at the nearest fruit stand which sells only Durian, Marang, Mangosteen and the hanging ornaments that I forgot to ask how it's called.. :)

From left clockwise: My closest friends munching on a very

delish Marang (another local fruit from Davao, aside from durian).

Closer photo of Marang. The ones hanging from the store's ceiling

is said to be a local ornament (according to our tour guide).

My friend Tiny having a great time with the smell of Durian. :)

Next stop is the Japanese Tunnel where one of my friends felt the creepiness of the place. It was said to be discovered by an engineer who spearheaded the construction of the diversion road while digging on the site few years ago. The entrance fee is Php50/pax which includes the tunnel tour guide. If you plan to visit this site make sure you are not claustrophobic or you don't have any heart problem because the ventilation inside is less.

Top left clockwise; Photo1: Me behind bars. It was said to be the prison 

inside the tunnel, at least 6-10 people were imprisoned there at the same 

time. Imagine that. Photo2: Me and my friends trying to feel how it was to be 

squeezed inside a small cage-like prison. Photo3: Japanese tunnel. Photo4: Spot 

the table. Tour guide told us that it's still authentic but with some improvements. 

It's where the Japanese held there meetings.

We had our dinner at Bon Appetit La Boutique (http://www.resto-bonappetit.com/), a French restaurant owned by a very accommodating guy named Yves who's already based in Davao City and finds our country beautiful. They have regular menu and they also serve different sets of menu every week which makes his restaurant stand out from the rest.

With the owner of Bon Appetit La Boutique, Mr. Yves.
He's such an accommodating guy, he even gave us a
free dessert (choco pot cream).

Clockwise; Photo1: Ordered Filet de Saumon Grillé Sauce 

Gingembre (Grilled Salmon Filet with Ginger Sauce) and I 

tell you guys 'twas one of the best grilled salmon I've tried

and the mashed potato tastes so much different. Photo2:

Menu for the week. Photo3: Facade of Bon Appetit

La Boutique.

The night is still young, let's have a shot....of coffee. Those that we don't have in Manila. We went to Blugre Coffee and tried their Durian Coffeeccino and the Durian Artic Blast. The prices of their drinks are quite reasonable compared to the ones that we have here in Manila.

Clockwise; Photo1: Durian Artic Blast. Photo2: Strawberries 

and Cream. Photo3: Me and Mom in front of Blugre Coffee.

Chema's by the sea!

Friday, our second day in Davao and the official start of this vacation since we arrived there late Thursday night. Our itinerary for this day is mainly for enjoying and exploring Samal Island but unfortunately upon waking up 'twas already raining cats & dogs *wink*. We went on with our "beach day" in Chema's by the sea. On our way to Waterfront Insular Hotel Pirata Bar Area where we will be picked up by the resort's ferryboat, it was still raining but nobody can stop us even the gloomy weather. It took us about 5-10 minutes to get to the resort, 'twas actually a short distance from the city. Surprisingly, when we arrived in the resort the rain already disappeared but the sky is still gloomy, but thank God for stopping the rain. We were all surprised seeing the entrance of the resort, it was simple but classy. The staff were already there to assist us with our luggage and to direct us to our cabanas and cottages. Upon walking the pathway which I consider as the center stage of the resort, I already noticed how clean and peaceful this resort is. The shoreline was quite small but definitely nice.

Clockwise; Photo1: Entrance and pathway of Chema's by the sea. Photo2: Full view of the resort's path way from the entry point. Photo3: View of the beach front from the pathway.

This is it! We entered the resort; it was enchanting, lovely, clean, peaceful, the music was relaxing, the staff were accommodating and they lead us to our cabana number 3. I, my Mom and two of my college friends were room mates while on the cabana 3 and cottage 1 were my elementary friends. I was particularly excited to see our room because the photos in their website were not that good, but hey photos can actually deceive. Our room was lovely, spacious and clean, we took off our slippers right away so as to maintain the cleanliness of the veranda and the room.

Counterclockwise; Photo1: Roommates at Cabana 3. Photo2: Facade of our Cabana 3, well manicured vines that serves as the shade of the veranda. Photo3: A sofa set which served as an accent and a space to rest in the veranda.

Cabana 3 has two queen-sized bed, A/C, wall-mounted LED TV, mini ref, hot & cold shower and can accommodate maximum of 4 guests. Basically their four cabanas have the same lay out and capacity. The cottages located in the beach front are very spacious with one king-sized bed and can accommodate only two guests. (I guess it's designed for couples *wink)

After a few hours of settling down and fixing our things we wore our beach attires and put on our sun block then went to the shore right away. At around 10AM we ordered our morning snack, kamote fritters and kalamansi shake. What I like about this place is that your group gets to have a staff to assist you from the moment you step in the resort until you bid goodbye and for us we were lucky to have Ate Marisa who attended to all our needs at all times. After giving us our morning merienda she already asked us about our orders for lunch and what time do we want them to served it and which place do we prefer to have it served, although the main dishes are only served in the pavilion (restaurant) and on the cottage or cabana's veranda while the snacks are allowed in the huts along the shore. By the way, the resort don't allow guests to bring their own food so you really have to order in the restaurant.

Top to bottom; Photo1: View of Chema's by the sea from the shoreline. Photo2: Poolside veranda of Chema's by the sea. Photo3: Chema's by the sea shore line, view from the poolside.

The Pavilion has a nice ambiance and relaxing music as well. Mr. Gueco, the resort's owner hired a great artist to design its wall so please spare me if I photo-bombed their wall.

The pavilion at night. Cozy and relaxing.