Budget hotel popular with young travelers
Located in
bustling Tsim Sha Tsui tourist hub
A two-minute walk
from Jordan MRT station
Rooms have
en-suite bathrooms and air-conditioning
Breakfast room
and bar open late
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Charge for
luggage storage
Above noisy
karaoke clubs
Toiletries cost extra
Hotel Pandora is a budget hotel occupying four floors of a sketchy-looking
building overlooking Kowloon's super-busy Nathan Road. Rooms have air-conditioning and a fresh feel overall, though they're no-frills and some lack
windows -- lower-level rooms are also seriously prone to karaoke noise from floors
below. The elevators can be frustratingly slow, but the reception area is pleasant and modern. While the Pandora is cheap, it's not necessarily the most affordable property in the
area -- that prize goes to Maple Leaf Guest House, which sometimes costs around half the
price.
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Scene
Guest house occupying four levels of a sketchy building, popular with backpackers
There certainly
nothing that looks inviting about the building occupied by Hotel Pandora -- a
grimy and unattractive modern facade fronted by pieces of scaffolding and aging
neon signs. The entrance is similarly unwelcoming and poorly maintained and the
general atmosphere is dingy and unappealing. The hotel
occupies the ninth through 12th floors of the building, above several floors of karaoke clubs, and it can get noisy. Slow, cramped
elevators transport visitors to the pleasant lobby, which has a fresh modern reception area finished in polished
chrome and stone. Overall, though, the look
is still more hostel than hotel, with a dated-looking cafe-bar and a general
budget feel throughout. It's especially popular with younger travelers on a tight budget whose expectations are properly
managed.
Location
Overlooking busy Nathan Road in the bustling tourist hub of Tsim Sha Tsui
The guesthouse is
located on Nathan Road -- the busiest stretch in the bustling tourist belt of Tsim
Sha Tsui near the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula. The hotel is
surrounded by steady streams of crowds attracted to the area's numerous restaurants, shops, and fast-food
outlets, while Temple Street with its hectic late-night flea market is just
around the corner. The Jordan MTR subway station also just a couple minutes'
walk away and connects to Hong Kong Island's Central District in around 10
minutes.
Rooms
No-frills rooms with simple, modern decor, though some are windowless and noisy
There are a
choice of room categories available, from Standard to Superior and Deluxe,
though all are simply decorated in modern style with basic furnishings. While
some rooms are bright and clean, others are small, windowless, and more worn. Amenities include flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi, and all rooms have air-conditioning units (though again, some work better than others). Bathrooms, too, vary in quality, with some more modern and others showing signs of neglect and mold. Toiletries also cost extra. Rooms located
on the lowest (ninth) floor suffer most from the karaoke noise beneath -- free earplugs are available from reception.
Features
Free Wi-Fi throughout, but fee for luggage storage
The hotel has a
small bar and cafe which serves both local and international dishes for
breakfast (not included in the rate) and snacks and drinks until midnight.
There's little else in the way of facilities except for free hotel-wide Wi-Fi. Luggage storage, disappointingly, costs extra.
