The Best Hostels to Book in Hong Kong

North of Hong Kong centre, in the Western New Territories, Commune looks out to a bay of the South China Sea. Designed for budget travellers, with dorms each containing four beds in curtained-off cubby holes, facilities are more like a hotel’s, featuring an outdoor swimming pool, sauna and gym. To head into the heart of Hong Kong, hop on the hostel’s free shuttle bus to Tsuen Wan or Tsuen Wan West stations, then it’s half an hour to central.

Boxy wooden beds and botanical prints create a homely vibe at this hideaway in Kowloon’s lively Tsim Sha Tsui district. Offering both dormitories and private rooms (for up to four), it draws a mixture of travellers, from solo backpackers to families. Some rooms have garden views, concealing the busy location, and all come with the extra perks of shampoo and shower gel, a hairdryer and slippers.

Perfect for those who prefer their own space, rooms at Alohas Hostel range from ‘Single Adventure’ to the triple ‘Family Together’. The price belies its central location, which is a few minutes’ walk from the Temple Street Night Market in Kowloon (directions are sent by WhatsApp, before you arrive). The simple rooms, some ensuite, have everything you need including a TV, towel and hairdryer – and an eccentric flourish of a mural on the wall.

If Hong Kong to you means views of a water world from high emerald peaks, check into the YHA Jockey Club, on Mount Davis. What it lacks in high jinks it makes up for with a social atmosphere – plus there’s a free shuttle bus zipping you to Kennedy Town station. As well as dorms, it offers camping in the garden and, for a little extra, a buffet breakfast, for fuelling up after a sunrise hike.

Hop Inn on Carnarvon isn’t just an affordable place to stay – it’s also an art gallery. Every living space has been transformed by a local artist or illustrator, adding a colourful splash of creativity to the wide range of single, double, twin, triple, quadruple rooms and four- to eight-bed dormitories. This arty guesthouse boasts a prime location in the Tsim Sha Tsui district, and also operates a sister hostel one block away on Mody Road.

The newest lodging in Hong Kong’s Aberdeen Harbour is custom-built for digital nomads, providing an assortment of co-living and co-working spaces. Mojo Nomad’s several dedicated work areas and free, ultra-fast wifi fosters a community of like-minded creatives, who also enjoy access to a library, music room, multimedia room, gym and yoga spaces, and stylish common areas.

Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions is infamous for its minuscule hotel rooms. Luckily, there’s a much more comfortable hostel perched just across the road. Rainbow Lodge HK contains spacious dormitories with four, six, eight and 10 beds in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui – the perfect base to explore the Avenue of Stars, Star Ferry Pier and Harbour City.

Inspired by lively European backpacker hostels, brother-and-sister team Wincent and Tracy opened their own guesthouse in 2012, combining a Western-style hostel atmosphere with warm Hong Kong hospitality. Situated just a stroll from the waterfront on Hong Kong Island, this family-run hostel organises a stack of activities and excursions, such as water sports, horse racing and hiking tours.

When a fire ravaged the Shek Kip Mei neighbourhood in 1953, tens of thousands of homeless people were resettled in public housing blocks. In 2013, the only remaining block was converted into a hostel – YHA Mei Ho House – with 129 rooms renovated from the original units. The themed rooms, retro-style cafe and heritage museum walk guests through the history of the building, the area and Hong Kong’s cultural life since the 1950s.

What’s the key to Urban Pack’s super-friendly communal atmosphere? Bottles of wine on the hostel’s 15th-floor terrace overlooking the Hong Kong skyline, according to the two Canadian pals who run the place. One of the best spots in town to meet fellow backpackers, Urban Pack offers great-value dorms, private ensuites and even serviced apartments if you’re travelling as a family or in a large group.

Culture vultures, this is the place to stay in Hong Kong. This trendsetting guesthouse is kitted out with chic vintage furniture and even a small cinema, record store and gallery. Well-equipped workspaces make Wontonmeen popular with writers, creatives and other digital nomads, while the enviable location in the middle of Prince Edward, Sham Shui Po and Tai Kok Tsui is ideal for travellers.