Cosmic Guesthouse

We booked this hostel based on the good reviews given by the 2006 edition of the "Let's Go" travel book. The hostel is located on the twelfth floor of the Mirador Mansion, which is conveniently located close to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. Upon entering the hostel, we noticed that everything was very cramped into tight spaces. We looked at a room with two beds and a room with four beds and there is virtually no walking space inside the room. The beds are within arms reach and the bathrooms are tiny to a point where it is very difficult to shower or use the toilet. The elevators stop functioning after 10 p.m. so be prepared to climb twelve flights of stairs if you're planning on staying out late. The ladies working at the front were helpful, although I was very displeased with the way one manager handled our deposit situation. We had originally booked a four-bed room but changed to a two two-bed room instead. The costs were the same so it was a no-brainer, on our behalf. We tried to book the second night and she charged us the same rate, even though I had booked the room on-line with a 10% deposit already paid upfront. We tried to explain it to the lady but she fed us lies after lies, constantly changing her story which didn't add up in the end. If she wanted to cheat us out of $40 HKD, she should have done some homework beforehand because her excuses were weak! This hostel isn't bad but I would not recommend it for those who desire rooms that don't resemble a prison -- on second thought, I think prisoners have more cell space than this place. Other hostels in the same format will most likely be about the same in quality and space. Lastly, the pictures provided here are outdated. The hostel split one room into two rooms so even though it looks like you're getting a large spacious room, you're only getting half for the same price!

Located in the Mirador mansions, beside the TST subway station and in an ideal location for exploring Kowloon and Hong Kong island, the Cosmic guesthouse provides dormatory and private accomodation for the budget traveller. The two lady owners are friendly and willing to bargain, and a range of rooms are avaliable from HK$160 to HK$260 (dormatory beds are HK$60 per night). The rooms are all quiet, clean and have a/c, however some of the cheaper ones are very small and may not have a window. In addition, in common with most budget accomodation in HK, the shower, toilet and washbasin are in extremely cramped conditions, often with the shower directly above the sink. However hot water was avalible all day. Laundry is offered at very reasonable rates and returned dry and folded. Hot water for drinks and snacks, and drinking water, is available, although there is no kitchen, common room or internet access, meaning the place does not have much of a social aspect. All in all the Cosmic guesthouse provides clean, safe and pleasant accomodation in the heart of Hong Kong at a reasonable price.