May 2008 Archives

Unlike Singapore, where the lodging market is bracketed by decent hostels and hotels whose rates seem to go ever higher into the stratosphere, Hong Kong has hotels that go even higher along with a veritable crap-shoot of choices for cheap lodging, many of them not being flashpacker quality. I've written about some of these places before (mostly in Chungking and Mirador Mansions) as well as some of the decent guesthouses in Causeway Bay (Noble Hostel and Wang Fat), that, although they were a good value, they were lacking in perks and style.

I recently found a small local HK chain of hotels called Mingle. They have two locations, one near Knutsford Terrace in TST and the other in Sheung Wan on HK side near the Macau Ferry Terminal.

Small bed for a very small (narrow) room! Very firm though...

The cheapest room is this one; very narrow and long. You get your bed at one end, a full and very clean bathroom on the other and a workspace, closet, hot water and a place to plug in your iPod. No window though. That comes with the bigger rooms, but since you're in HKG, how much time will you spend here?? Oh yeah, did I mention the tech focus of this hotel?

There's a flat screen TV where you can control the cooling and lights in the room. Also music and vids on demand!

Each room has a Linksys iPhone where you can log in directly to Skype. There's also a FREE wireless access point in each room because the router that runs the iPhones also is an access point. And unlike my recent experience with internet at HKIA, the net here is fast and wide.

Even the cheapest room here gets your own private bathroom. With ensuite shower!

The showers are powerful and the water was very hot. Perfect!

Styish sink

Not bad for under US$100/night. This is the kind of mid-level lodging that I've been looking for for a LONG time! Now if only Singapore could have something like this too...

Mingle on the Wing
125 Wing Lok Street
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
http://www.mingleplace.com/

One of the many questions I field from frens and acquaintances is "how can you afford to travel so much?". I respond that it's necessary to spend for your plane ticket but where you sleep is another matter.

Please keep in mind that most of these frens usually travel "5-star" and that's a foreign concept to a flashpacker. Generally.

So I will begin to write about some of the places that I regularly stay at when I travel. Sometimes I will write about places that I don't usually stay at. For example, I don't usually stay at chain hotels when I travel overseas. Costs waaay too much usually.

That doesn't mean that I'm above treating myself, if the deal is a good one. Here's a recent example. During my last visit to KL where I flew out of the LCCT, I spent three days at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton.

Here's the view from the 24th floor, where my room was

The word "Hilton" here in the states usually means at best, boring and corporate. At worst it means "uneven" and "second choice" for many of my friends who seem to prefer Starwood or smaller boutique chains. The KL Hilton, however, simply means "swish".

This is the hallway to the room! My room has a hallway!!

Nice TV, small desk!

Bed and window and couch. By the window.

Tub in front, shower to the right and all open to the room via sliding doors!

This and the Le Meridian are in separate towers that are part of KL Sentral. The KLIA Ekspres terminates at KL Sentral as well as the LRT and the Monorail (sort of). Besides having a VERY transit friendly location, the bus that takes you to the LCCT boards downstairs on the other side of the building. No muss, no fuss. I've read on the net that the Hilton is nicer than the Meridian, both in service and in facilities. And I could always use the Hilton points! Not bad for US$135/night!

Compare that to when I stayed in Singapore overnight a few months back. I paid US$120. For a room. At a Hotel 81!!! KL has better deals!

Just a quick note: Am still alive!

Did a bunch of quick turns this trip. SFO-NRT-SIN. One night in SIN. Then off to HKG. One day/night in HKG. Then a four day weekend in TPE.

My floating head...at a birthday party in TPE

Another day back in HKG. Then 3 days in Kuala Lumpur. Then back to SIN on Saturday.
I think I'm getting used to the weather here, kinda. Instead of nonstop whining, I only whine half the time about the humidity.

So far it's been the usual blur of food, booze and flying. More of that upcoming...

I flew AirAsia from KUL-SIN last weekend.

AirAsia A320 really close to the doors!

This is a big deal because this is the first carrier that has been able to break the price barrier between the two cities. For over 30 years, Singapore Air and Malaysia Air have operated an oligopoly, keeping prices very high between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. And despite MAS' loud objections, AirAsia and JetStar have been allowed into the market, albeit with only two flights per day in each direction.

It's still cheaper though. I was able to purchase a 3 week advance one-way flight from KUL-SIN for just under US$60. Beats the SQ price of US$300!!

One thing to keep in mind that AirAsia IS a low cost carrier and flies from KLIA' Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) which is located in the boondocks of KLIA, near the Malaysia Pos building and the kargo warehouses. It's almost as they're ashamed of LCC flyers and somehow it will ruin their "Best airport in Asia" ranking that they got two years in a row..

Anyway, as soon as you get off the bas and enter the warehouse LCCT, it's like entering a very clean Chinese train station (and keep in mind how oxymoronic THAT statement sounds).

Clean, yes?

To its credit, the LCCT recognizes that people here need to eat and that's not a privilege granted to passengers who fly out of the real KLIA. There's a Coffee Bean, a McD's, a Secret Recipe and the usual Duty Free shop. If you're hungry, best eat first before clearing immigration because there's only a coffee shop and another Duty Free on the secure side of the terminal.

When you check in, you get your bags scanned but once you've checked in, you can step out back into the main hallway. Passport control is facing the check in area from the opposite side of the building.

Looks like a train station in China. Except it's more clean than a Chinese Train Station will EVER be

Once you're there, it looks like a train station. It reminded me of the Shanghai South railway station (except it was a whole lot cleaner and better ventilated). There's no skybridges here; this IS a LCCT and these passengers don't deserve shelter from the heat and/or rain!!

The doors to the plane...

You WALK onto the tarmac, partially protected by an awning. Once that awning ends after about 20 meters, there's a lot of umbrellas that are handed to you to make the final dash to your flight where you surrender the umbrellas back. No free souvenirs here!

Now about the AirAsia experience. They have a STRICT 15KG checked baggage limit. Any more and its something like 25 ringgit/kg over. Hella expensive. If you're flashpacking here, use a backpack or get one of those fancy new unbreakable light polycarbonate plastic suitcases. My Kirkland 26" roller weighs close to 8 KG by itself so even with only three day's worth of clothes and stuff, I still went over by 2 KG. Also, splurge on the Priority boarding. It's truly worth it because it's practically a scrum boarding the plane and it's all open seating. Note: Get the bulkhead seats; they have more room and these were the first seats gone. 1C was taken by yours truly. Other than that, the stewardesses were pleasant and professional and the flight took off and landed on time. And the best thing was getting off the plane at Changi's T1. Beats the LCCT any day!

Everyone here was going to SIN; the priority line is on the right!

How to get to the LCCT: From the KLIA Ekspres stop at KLIA it's another 20 minute bus ride (and 1.5 ringgit!) and more waiting around. Or you can get up hella early, pay 9 ringgit and take the bas ekspres that goes direct to the LCCT.

A word of advice: getting up early is worth it because there's NO traffic on the road at that hour and the 75 minute transit time I was told was only 45. Which kinda tells you how bad the traffic is over there.