Where to Stay in Hong Kong: Best Neighborhoods & Hotels

Hotel Prices in Hong Kong

First, some bad news: Hong Kong is expensive. Really expensive. Real estate prices here are among the highest in the world.

Locals pay 3,000 euros or more per month for a small apartment of about 50 square meters. That naturally drives up hotel prices too.

Here’s a rough guide to what you can expect to pay for hotel rooms in Hong Kong:

• Bed in a dormitory – 30 to 40 euros
• Very basic, small room – 50 to 100 euros
• Solid mid-range hotel – 100 to 170 euros
• Upscale hotel – 170 to 250 euros
• Luxury hotel – 250 to 800 euros

Of course, prices vary by season and can spike significantly around certain dates.

The average room size is also noticeably smaller than what you might be used to back home. Especially in the most basic hotels, you’re looking at a bed about 4.5 feet wide with just enough room to squeeze around it, and a roughly 10-square-foot bathroom where you can essentially sit on the toilet and shower at the same time.

That said, even the tiniest rooms almost always include air conditioning and a flat-screen TV as standard.

Once you spend a little more, the options improve considerably. Rooms get larger and more comfortable, and breakfast might even be included.

The Best Neighborhoods to Stay in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is huge, and you’ll find a wide range of hotels in every neighborhood. The public transportation system is excellent, so getting from A to B is quick and easy at any time of day.

As a tourist, you’ll most likely spend the majority of your visit in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. It makes sense, then, to base yourself in one of these two areas.

Both Kowloon and Hong Kong Island are very large, which is why we recommend specific neighborhoods within each for your accommodation.

These are our top picks for where to stay in Hong Kong:

1. Central (Hong Kong Island)
2. Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon)
3. Hung Hom (Kowloon)
4. Lantau Island

We’ll break down which of these four neighborhoods is the best fit for your trip below.

The Districts on a Map at a Glance

To help you get your bearings, we’ve marked our recommended neighborhoods for staying in Hong Kong on this map.

Staying on Hong Kong Island: Central

Central is in the northern part of Hong Kong Island. It’s home to many of the city’s top attractions, plus the hip Soho district with its bars, restaurants, and independent shops.

On the map you can see Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. On Hong Kong Island, we recommend the Central neighborhood, highlighted in light blue. We’ve also marked a few key attractions to help you get your bearings.

Central was our favorite neighborhood in all of Hong Kong — and honestly, it’s a fantastic base for exploring the city.

Advantages of a hotel in Central:

• Many attractions are within walking distance.
• Central has a huge number of bars and restaurants.
• The hip Soho neighborhood is right on your doorstep.

Disadvantages of a hotel in Central:

• Central feels less authentic than other parts of Hong Kong.
• Hotels here are slightly more expensive than elsewhere in the city.
• The overall selection of hotels is relatively limited.

Our Hotel Recommendations in Central

Staying in Kowloon: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui is in the southern part of Kowloon. It’s packed with hotels, malls, markets, and a solid lineup of attractions. MTR connections are excellent, making it super easy to reach any other part of the city.

Nathan Road buzzes with people moving from one gleaming shopping mall to the next. Duck into the side streets and you’ll keep discovering interesting markets and local restaurants. The neighborhood is a great mix of old and new Hong Kong.

On the map you can see Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. In Kowloon, we recommend two neighborhoods for your stay: Tsim Sha Tsui (shown in yellow) and Hung Hom (shown in red).

We’ve marked a few key attractions on the map to help you get oriented.

Advantages of a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui:

• All of Kowloon’s markets are close by.
• Tsim Sha Tsui is the perfect mix of traditional and modern Hong Kong.
• Public transportation connections are excellent.
• Many of the city’s top attractions are nearby.
• The largest selection of good hotels in Hong Kong.

Disadvantages of a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui:

• The area is particularly loud and hectic.
• The restaurant and bar scene isn’t as strong as in Central.

Our Hotel Recommendations in Tsim Sha Tsui

Our Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui: Holiday Inn Golden Mile

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile for three nights and felt really comfortable there. The location is perfect — the hotel sits right on Nathan Road.

Airport buses stop almost directly in front of the hotel, and the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station is just steps away.

Rooms are relatively spacious and furnished to the standard you’d expect from the Holiday Inn brand.

We skipped the hotel breakfast since there are better options nearby for around 30 euros per person.

Verdict: A solid, reliable hotel with exactly the standard you’d expect from the chain.

Check out the Holiday Inn Golden Mile

Staying in Kowloon: Hung Hom

Hung Hom is also in Kowloon, just to the east of Tsim Sha Tsui. The area is far less touristy than other parts of Hong Kong — and that’s precisely what makes it so appealing.

There’s still a wide variety of restaurants, and MTR connections are excellent. We especially loved the Hung Hom Promenade, where you can take a leisurely walk along the waterfront and soak up a seriously stunning view of the Hong Kong Island skyline.

There aren’t many hotels in Hung Hom, but we included it in this guide anyway — because our absolute favorite place to stay in Hong Kong is here, and we couldn’t leave it out.

Advantages of a hotel in Hung Hom:

• Far less touristy than the other neighborhoods.
• You get more space and a higher standard for your money.
• The promenade is a wonderful spot for a waterfront walk.

Disadvantages of a hotel in Hung Hom:

• Bars and restaurants are less geared toward Western tastes.
• There are hardly any major attractions in the immediate vicinity.

Our Hotel in Hung Hom: Kerry Hotel

We stayed at the Kerry Hotel in Hung Hom. Our verdict: Wow.

No exaggeration — the Kerry Hotel was one of the best hotels we’ve ever stayed in. The rooms are very spacious by Hong Kong standards, and since the hotel only opened in mid-2017, everything is brand new and beautifully modern.

Breakfast is exceptionally good, and about two-thirds of the rooms have a direct view of Hong Kong Bay.

It isn’t cheap, but it’s absolutely worth every penny. There are also some genuinely good deals available around certain dates.

Verdict: An outstanding hotel with one of the best views in the city.

Check out the Kerry Hotel

Staying on Lantau Island

Lantau Island is in the southwest of Hong Kong and is the best choice if you want a hotel close to the airport or near Disneyland.

The fishing village of Tai O is also on Lantau Island, where you can stay in traditional accommodations far from the city’s hustle and bustle.

For a longer stay in Hong Kong, though, we’d recommend one of the other neighborhoods — getting to most highlights on Hong Kong Island or in Kowloon from Lantau takes between 30 and 45 minutes.

Advantages of a hotel on Lantau Island:

• Right next to the airport.
• Very close to Disneyland.

Disadvantages of a hotel on Lantau Island:

• Most of Hong Kong’s attractions are a significant journey away.
• The restaurant and bar scene is relatively limited.

Our Hotel Recommendations on Lantau Island

Bonus Tip: Staying in North Point on Hong Kong Island

One last bonus tip: the North Point neighborhood. It’s not one of our top picks for where to stay on Hong Kong Island, but it’s home to two hotels that are incredibly popular with our readers: The Stellar and Harbour Grand Hong Kong.

North Point isn’t particularly touristy — it’s more of a local residential and commercial district. That means hotel prices here offer significantly better value for money.

North Point sits in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay. It’s very well connected — you can reach Central by public transit in about 15 to 20 minutes.

Our Hotel Recommendations in North Point

Many thanks to the Kerry Hotel for the invitation and to the Holiday Inn for a discounted press rate.