Friday, May 27, 2016

Hotel Review: Golden Crown Guesthouse

My Mom, Aunties and I stayed at Golden Crown Guesthouse (http://www.goldencrownhk.com/reservations/en) for our Hongkong-Macau Trip last November 4-7, 2016. There are numerous hotels in Hongkong specifically in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) and I opted to stay in this area due to its proximity to other Hongkong attractions and public transportation e.g. buses and MRT as compared to staying in, say, Lantau Island. When I was looking for a cheap and nice hotel for our trip, my boyfriend suddenly mentioned Golden Crown Guesthouse as one of the hotels in TST with great online reviews and good feedback from our former officemate who stayed in the same hotel for their Hongkong trip a few years back. So why not give it a shot, right? I checked their website for the rates and since they fit in my hotel budget, I immediately booked our room!

I chose the Renovated - Couple (1 double bed) Room for HKD 420 / PhP 2,520 per night originally it was a "couple" trip for me and my Mom. But few months before our flight, my Aunties suddenly asked to join so I had to book a separate room for them (which is the 3 Persons Family Room for HKD 580 / PhP 3,480 per night). Due to the very good reviews in TripAdvisor, Golden Crown Guesthouse easily runs out of rooms specially on peak season! So book as early as 1 year ahead to secure a room. My Aunties were so lucky to get a family room two months before the trip but I think if they decided to join us a little bit later I would no longer be able to book them in the same hotel. By the way, to secure your booking, you have to pay 1 night of your stay either by deposit (bank account details will be provided to you upon completing the Online Reservation Form) or thru credit card while the remaining balance should be paid in cash on the day of your arrival. After 1 banking day, you can confirm your reservation by sending them an email or posting on their online guestbook. The owner, Elvis, was so nice and very prompt in answering my queries.

Golden Crown Guesthouse also offers discounted tickets to most of Hongkong's tourist attractions and ferry rides to Macau. Unlike the rooms, you can only reserve these tickets at least 1 month before your trip. No need for downpayment to reserve, just pay for all the tickets in cash when you check in to the hotel. It is important to note that they only accept cash payments, so make sure you have enough hongkong dollars with you before heading to the hotel.

How to Get There?
The hotel's website gave detailed instructions on how to commute either from the airport, from subway station or from Mainland China. In our case, my Mom and I headed straight to Golden Crown Guesthouse upon landing in Hongkong International Airport. We took the A21 Airport Bus to Tsim Sha Tsui and alighted the bus on the 13th stop (Cameron Road). From there we walked for about 1-2 minutes to Golden Crown Court where the hotel is located.

A21 Airport Bus




A peek inside the A21 Bus. You can put your luggage here so you can sit comfortably during the 45-60min trip!


 
The reception area is located at the 5th Floor of Golden Crown Court.


Room Tour:

Our double bed! The mattress and pillows are clean and comfy! A very nice place to rest after long hours of walking around the city.



The room comes with a clean bathroom and towels are being replaced everyday.


Water pressure is good and the shower has its own water heater. Hooray!


They also have body soap and shampoo dispensers inside the bathroom. But we also brought our own toiletries just to be sure. :)



There's a hair dryer...



Water thermos and cups (how I wish they also have spoon and fork/chopsticks for eating!)



And a television (but shows only the local channels)!


A21's 13th bus stop (Cameron Road) from the airport is just 1-2 minutes walk away from the hotel. Meanwhile, when going to the airport, the A21 bus stop is just across Nathan Road!
The entire room is only about 15 square meters including the bathroom and that's the typical size for a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. It may be too cramped yet surprisingly comfortable for two people. Due to its basic features, this hotel is very ideal for travelers who go out most of the day and just go back to the hotel for some sleep. Overall, we loved this hotel for its excellent service, value for money and location. It's very rare to find all of these at the same time in a hotel accommodation but Golden Crown Guesthouse made sure it will cater most, if not all, of the needs of its customers. Two thumbs up for this hotel and we will definitely go back!