On this trip to Hong Kong, I wanted to base myself in the hip and happening Sheung Wan area because I love the cool vibe and wanted to check out the local street art scene, so when the Travelodge folk offered me a stay at their new property located along Hollywood Road, I was pretty stoked to get a chance to stay there. Here’s a review of what a stay at the Travelodge Central Hollywood Road is like.
Welcome to Travelodge Central
Great central location
Travelodge Asia prides themselves on hotel properties in central convenient areas – the first Travelodge Kowloon (affiliate link) is in Yau Ma Tei right next to the Jordan MRT line, and the Central Hollywood Road location is equally convenient on the edge of the happening Sheung Wan district.
Sheung Wan MRT is just 10 minutes walk from the hotel, and the ferry terminal to and from Macau about 15 minutes away. The Airport Express at Central Station is just 1 stop away on the MRT, and you could walk over if you aren’t carrying too much – it’s about 25 minutes walk, but it started raining when I was leaving so I called an Uber that cost me about HK$50/S$8.
One big reason I love Sheung Wan of course is all the street art that you can find here, including this giant piece that marks the north-facing side of the Travelodge Hotel building so if you are ever lost, keep a look out for this landmark. Billed as the tallest mural in Asia at 27 stories high, this piece by American artist Stern Rockwell showcases some of Hong Kong’s most iconic features.
it’s hard to miss this giant mural!
Cosy no-frills room with a view
I’m the type of traveller who doesn’t spend much time in my room – I’d rather be out and about exploring a new place, which is often times why I pick hostels instead of hotels just because it never made sense for me to splurge on a fancy room with all the frills when I know I’m hardly going to have time to really enjoy them. But I do love having my own space to chill out, especially when it’s blazing summer and I want to throw off my sweaty clothes and sprawl around unglamorously, so an affordable no-frills option like Travelodge seemed like it would be a great fit for someone like me who doesn’t mind paying for privacy but wants something unfussy.
I’m standing at the main entrance, there’s a sink to my left and the toilet sliding door on my right.
The Travelodge folk put me in Deluxe Queen Room #2505 high up on the 25th floor, so I had a great view from my room of the surrounding buildings. The room is quite snug and mine was decorated with a picture of the iconic Hong Kong Tram. Though small, it does have everything a traveller needs fitted in, including a TV, fridge and your own ensuite bathroom.
I like how bright the room is with natural light. There are blinds to block out the light if you rather sleep in
I like that the room came equipped with a Handy Phone – you have unlimited data and the ability to make local calls without having to buy a local SIM card, very useful if you are here for a short trip and rather not bother with changing your SIM.
As with most hotels, it gets crowded on weekends and might be a bit noisy as you can hear the showers come on in other rooms and noise in the corridors, and I think it’s some sort of curse I’m under, but once again I was awoken by rhythmic thumping against the walls in the middle of the night – I guess I should be happy someone is getting some sort of action, it really is quite a large comfortable bed.
As a no-frills hotel, it doesn’t provide breakfast, though there is a basket of buns and muffins that you can grab and go from the lobby if you want. Given that it’s Hong Kong, I recommend finding a cha chan teng for breakfast instead. Ask the hotel staff for recommendations of food to eat around the area.
In the midst of Sheung Wan
Where to eat
Besides the street art which you can read about in this extensive guide, the Sheung Wan area is full of places to eat:
- Right across the hotel is 208 Duecento Otto, an bistro that offers Italian food, pizza and wine
- I walked to Little Bao for dinner one night – lovely pork belly bao burger and the cutest dessert bao, I enjoyed it but it is a little on the pricey side with small portions.
- For more traditional Hong Kong fare, I wanted to try the popular Sang Kee Congee but unfortunately it was closed when I reached, so instead I had dinner at Lin Heung Tea House which is also quite famous for dim sum in the day
- Gough Street’s Kau Kee beef brisket noodles and the tomato noodles of dai pai dong Sing Heung Yuen is not too far a walk, and I even saved on cab fare by taking a slow stroll back from Lan Kwai Fong one busy Saturday night
Hong Kong Little Bao Dessert
Where to shop
Hollywood Road is famous as a street of antique shops and is especially bustling on Sundays when vendors set up shop along the streets. The PMQ building is great for those who want to do a little boutique and designer shopping with plenty of little boutiques all in one spot.
Hong Kong PMQ Levels
Cost
The price of a room varies a lot depending on day/season when I checked on the Travelodge booking system – you can get rooms going for as low as HK$660/S$115 per night on a low season weekday.
Officially room rates range between US$140-$316 depending on season, and you can get 10% off for an advanced purchase if you book a room at least 14 days in advanced. Also, sign up as a Travelodger to get another 12% off!
Travelodge Central Hollywood Road Hong Kong on booking.com [affiliate link]
My stay at Travelodge Central Hollywood Road was sponsored.
Want to read more about my visits to Hong Kong? See all my Hong Kong posts here.