Hong Kong Holiday Apartment
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Why I Looked For a Hong Kong Holiday Apartment
I've lived in HK for over 5 years, and during this time I've had numerous friends and family members come and visit me. I found one thing in common when they are coming in large groups (i.e. more than four people). It was impossible to find quality affordable accommodation! Naturally they looked at hotels first, but the with HK housing and rents at record highs and hotels generally only accommodating 2 people the prices were ridiculously high. We were talking about $400 USD a night, so for a group of six you are looking at $1200 USD a night which is completely out of budget. After looking at serviced apartments, this option was ruled out too because all HK serviced apartments required a minimum one months rental which is too long given most of my friends and family were travelling for 1-2 weeks. So I started looking for a Hong Kong holiday apartment.
What to Look For Before You Rent a Hong Kong Holiday Apartment
‧ Internet. Most Hong Kong holiday apartment listings I've found provide free wireless internet. I think it's because telecommunications is cheap in HK so make sure you ask for it.
‧ Check to see what the maximum number of guests in the Hong Kong holiday apartment is and how the landlord will house them. I.e. how many beds are there, extra mattresses, blankets etc.
‧ Prices. Ask for a breakdown of prices. Most landlords charge extra for each person above 2 or 3 for large groups. A cleaning fee and a security deposit is pretty standard.
‧ Payment method. All apartments nowadays are booked online and payment is generally made in 90% of cases before check-in. However make sure you use a secure online payment system like Paypal (not western uni). This is because if there are any issues with the merchant not delivering the promised goods you can go the Paypal and they will generally take ownership of the issue and chase it up for you. Avoid transferring cash directly to the landlords bank account or using western uni.
‧ Promixity to trains and buses. Taxi's are pretty cheap in HK generally rides are $5 - $10 USD. However it can be a challenge getting a taxi or avoiding a traffic jam during rush hour so the safest / most economical mode of transport is the MTR (train). It's a plus if the apartment is located near an MTR station.
Where to Find a Quality / Affordable Hong Kong Holiday Apartment
After searching extensively on the web I found the following options for Hong Kong holiday apartment:
‧Vacation Rentals By Owner. I've used this website when I used to live in the US and it's excellent. It's listing for HK holiday apartments is low for now but hopefully this grows in the future!
‧ Rent Holiday Homes. This global website for vacation apartments has a section listing HK holiday apartments. However I found the technology a bit clunky to use.
‧ Hong Kong holiday apartment. I found this website has the most comprehensive listing of Hong Kong holiday apartments. They list prices for each night, maximum guests per apartment and allow you to book online with instant confirmation.
I've been renting HK holiday apartments recently and this is a list of what I've found out about the market.
Category Article Apartment, holiday
