When you visit Hong Kong as an American Wyndham’s hotels present a compelling proposition when you’re searching online, particularly if you’re on a budget. Their three hotels in Hong Kong can routinely be had for under $70 USD per night, and are often even less on Expedia. I’ve seen them for as little as $45.
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I’ve stayed previously at the Ramadas in Tsim Sha Tsui (review) and North Point (review) so it was interesting to compare all three and see where they land.
Travelers participating in the Wyndham Rewards program won’t find much value here. These hotels are seldom showing any availability on Wyndham’s site and when they are available they’re all 15,000 points a night, making cash the better option. If you can save $20 or more per night on a third party site that’s strongly worth considering.
I will say that having Wyndham status has, at all three properties, secured me a high floor room with a fantastic view, and late check out has been granted as well. So booking direct can be worth it as well.
Ramada Harbour View Location
The Ramada Harbour View is on the Island Line (Blue) of the MRT, which is the most desirable line to stay near. In fact this hotel is just about half a block from the station exit so it’s very convenient. You can be in Central or the LKF nightlife area in just a few minutes, or even walk there without much difficulty.
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Visitors will also be able to take the tram easily or reach any point of the city by any mode of transportation. With groceries, coffee and restaurants all within a block there’s nothing to complain about with this location.
Ramada Harbour View Property
This is another highrise Hong Kong hotel and it’s a little strange in the way the building is laid out. Most of the ground floor is a large porte-cochère area with a concierge desk, luggage storage and a waiting area. There’s a small elevator lobby in the corner.
The third floor is a restaurant area that serves only a breakfast and lunch buffet. There’s also an outdoor courtyard there. The front desk is on the fifth floor. The good news is there’s lounge access for all guests on the 5th floor. The bad news: it’s just a room with some tables. No food or booze in there. But it’s still a very nice amenity given the small size of the rooms.
But the star of the show is the 38th floor rooftop swimming pool here. This is way nicer than you’d expect from a $65 a night hotel. Pools are not entirely common in Hong Kong so finding a great one at a cheap price with a million dollar view is definitely a win.
A Note About the Pool and Elevators
As great as the pool is here (and it was not at all crowded on a recent sunny Sunday) it should be noted they close it daily from 1:00-2:00 pm. I’m not sure why, but this is a pretty inconvenient hour to chase all the guests away from your best amenity.
Guests here will also discover that the number, speed and size of elevators is not adequate for a building this size. Of four lifts, one is a service lift, but there’s no real separation in use between the guests and employees. Houskeeping is very much in the habit of pulling large carts of linen onto the guest elevators and stopping at multiple floors to deliver bundles.
The elevators are small and slow, and the lobby being on the fifth floor means they stop there virtually every trip. Only one elevator goes to the pool level.
Ramada Harbor View Guest Rooms
The rooms here are identical to the Ramada in TST and unfortunately they’re every bit as small. It’s very similar to staying in a Japanese business hotel. Despite the size the rooms are adequate, especially considering the price. There was a bit of wear and tear present and my safe didn’t work.
These rooms also feature the same tabletop-hard beds as the Ramada Hong Kong Grand. They’re not good as far as hotel beds go but they’re also adequate.
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The worst thing about these rooms is the bathroom. You can’t turn around or sit on the toilet comfortably. It’s very awkward to step in and out of the shower. It’s all functional but just barely.
However the view is amazing. A full panorama of Victoria Harbor. Floor to ceiling windows. Impossible to get better than this as a budget traveler.
About Sai Ying Pun
Sai Ying Pun is a typical Hong Kong neighborhood and home of Hong Kong University. It’s a great location because you’ve got the convenience of being near Central on the Island Line but the streets are not as densely packed. It’s more apartments and far fewer office buildings. You can begin to feel like a local staying here.
Hong Kong Kong shopping is organized into de facto districts. There’s luxury districts, pets districts, construction equipment, kitchen equipment… all these specialized stores cluster together. The area around the Ramada Harbour View is the dried foods district. Specifically dried seafood.
There’s also the beginning of the mountain right across the street. If you want to walk south from the hotel it’s so steep that they’ve installed a set of escalators similar to the ones in Central-Mid Levels. The sidewalks are staircases.
Bottom Line
Of the three Ramadas in Hong Kong this is the one I’d recommend booking. TST Is also a fantastic location but this one has the pool.
Tiny room size notwithstanding there’s enough value here that I would happily stay again. Check the current rates on Expedia.
