Where to stay in Hong Kong

Most visitors to Hong Kong end up in Tsim Sha Tsui, and for a first trip that is a sound choice: it holds 264 of the city’s ranked hotels and sits right on the harbour. The catch is quality. Tsim Sha Tsui averages 7.5, while the smaller hotel clusters across the water in Wan Chai and Central both reach 8.5. We rank 609 hotels in Hong Kong with an overall average of 7.7, and every score in this guide is an average of guest reviews for the hotels we track.

The basic decision is which side of Victoria Harbour you want to wake up on. Kowloon, on the mainland side, is denser, cheaper and busier at street level. Hong Kong Island is where the banks, the Peak and the older trams are. The MTR and the Star Ferry make crossing easy either way, so think of it as choosing a mood rather than a fixed distance. Distances below are measured from a central reference point in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Tsim Sha Tsui

The southern tip of Kowloon packs Nathan Road’s shops and neon, the harbourfront promenade with its view of the Island skyline, the museums along the waterfront and a long chain of shopping centres. It works for almost every kind of traveller who wants to be in the thick of things, with MTR stations, the Star Ferry pier and plenty of late-night food all within walking distance.

Tsim Sha Tsui has 264 ranked hotels, more than the other four areas in this guide combined. The average of 7.5 is the lowest of the five, and only 7% of hotels score 9 or above, a sign of how many small budget guesthouses share its towers with the big names. There are 14 five-star hotels, 26 four-star and 37 at three stars or below. The median hotel is just 173 metres from our reference point, and the location score is 9.8. Choose carefully and the results are excellent: Stage Well Hotel scores 9.6 from 335 reviews, and The Peninsula Hong Kong, the grand dame of the waterfront, 9.4 from 1,663.

Mong Kok

A few MTR stops north, Mong Kok is Kowloon at full volume: street markets such as the Ladies’ Market, sneaker shops, food stalls and some of the most crowded pavements in the city. It suits travellers who care more about street life and value than about polish, and it has good MTR links in several directions.

Mong Kok has 87 ranked hotels averaging 7.6, with 10% at 9 or above. The mix leans mid-range: 2 five-star, 13 four-star and 21 at three stars or below. The median hotel is 2.4 km from the reference point, with a location score of 8.6. The BEACON scores 9.1 from 2,644 reviews, and Royal Plaza Hotel holds 8.8 from an exceptional 54,329 reviews.

Causeway Bay

On the Island side, Causeway Bay is Hong Kong’s big shopping district, with department stores, Times Square and Victoria Park at its edge. It is busy rather than gritty, and the trams make it easy to drift west towards Wan Chai and Central.

Causeway Bay has 31 ranked hotels averaging 7.8, with 10% at 9 or above. There are 5 five-star hotels, 6 four-star and 8 at three stars or below. The median distance is 2.4 km and the location score 8.5. Lanson Place Causeway Bay, Hong Kong scores 9.4 from 347 reviews, while Hi Backpackers (Hong Kong Hostel Group) shows what a hostel can achieve here, at 9.2 from 1,031.

Wan Chai

Wan Chai mixes the Convention and Exhibition Centre and office towers along the waterfront with older streets of markets, bars and small restaurants further inland. Business travellers like it for the convention centre; leisure travellers get a well-placed Island base with a more local feel than Central.

Wan Chai has 29 ranked hotels and an average of 8.5, with 17% at 9 or above. It is firmly upmarket: 8 five-star and 15 four-star hotels, and only 1 at three stars or below. The median hotel is 2.2 km away, with a location score of 8.7. Hopewell Hotel scores 9.4 from 4,556 reviews, and The St. Regis Hong Kong 9.3 from 398.

Central

Central is the financial heart of the city: glass towers, luxury malls, the Peak Tram terminus and the Mid-Levels escalator climbing towards the bars of Soho and Lan Kwai Fong. It is the place for a short, expensive, well-located stay, and for anyone who wants the Peak and the ferries to the outlying islands close at hand.

Central has only 21 ranked hotels, but it posts the highest average of the five, 8.5, just ahead of Wan Chai, and the highest share at 9 or above, 29%. Seven are five-star, 8 four-star and just 2 at three stars or below. The median distance is 2.5 km and the location score 8.8. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong and Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong both score 9.4, from 923 and 372 reviews respectively.

Which area for which traveller

• First visit: Tsim Sha Tsui, for the harbour views, the Star Ferry and sheer choice, but filter for hotels well above its 7.5 average.
• Luxury: Central or Wan Chai, where most hotels are four- or five-star. Our luxury hotels in Hong Kong list covers 62 hotels.
• Tight budget: Mong Kok and the back streets of Tsim Sha Tsui have the most simple hotels. Our budget list has 28 options.
• Shopping: Causeway Bay on the Island, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon.
• Business trips: Wan Chai for the convention centre, Central for the financial district.
• A pool after a hot day: 91 ranked hotels have one; see our hotels with a pool in Hong Kong.

Arriving in Hong Kong

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is on reclaimed land off Lantau Island, 26.5 km from the centre, with 10 ranked hotels within 8 km. Those suit a late arrival or an early departure; for anything longer, stay in town. The Airport Express train runs to Kowloon and Hong Kong stations, and both have onward connections into the MTR network.

The bottom line

Central and Wan Chai have the strongest guest scores and the most five-star hotels for their size. Tsim Sha Tsui has the most rooms and the best position, but its average is pulled down by many weaker properties, so check individual ratings. Mong Kok is the street-level, value choice.