Chinese New Year at the Charterhouse

I stayed at the Charterhouse over the Chinese New Year 2006 for 10 nights so that I could visit family and friends, the hotel was in a good location and had a drive through area to pickup or drop people off which was good. I got the Airport Express train straight from the Airport to the Hong Kong Station, from there it is easy enough to get the MTR to the Times Square stop that is near the hotel. I was fortunate as arrival to this hotel for me was easy as I was picked up by family at the Hong Kong Station, you could easily get a taxi from there.

The check-in process was pretty good and using area knowledge from friends I asked for a room in the back off the hotel facing the public pool that is near by. This is better than having a room at the front of the hotel which would face a fairly busy Wanchi Road, possibly quite noisy at times.

I had booked a deluxe room which is supposed to be the slightly larger off all the rooms. Like all hotels in Hong Kong, the rooms are on the small side, but the room was adequate enough with a queen sized bed. At times you could think you were in a 4 star hotel rather than a 3 star hotel. All the fixtures and fittings were of good quality wood and material. The bathroom was nicely decorated with a marble and tile type theme, everything worked as it should and was very clean. Service at this hotel was excellent, additional towels that I requested were given quickly. On the 5th afternoon there was a problem with the lights where not all the lights in the room would go on. The electrician look at this after about 30mins, after about 10mins I was moved a couple off rooms along to a different room of the same type. The room service helped move my things so this was a painless event considering I had everything unpacked.

The hotel has a gym which I used on several occasions, its quite a small gym with a couple of running machines, cross trainer, bicycles and stepper machine. There was also a free weighs area with benches for chest and shoulder work and some cable machines to work the upper body and legs. At the times I went (early morning) the gym was nearly always empty so there were no queues, I would expect the room to be quite busy when there is more that 5 people working out. One thing that lets the hotel down in this area is that some of the equipment was getting a bit old and the room could do with being refurbished a little.

I got a great deal that with the hotel which meant that breakfast was included, though I noticed that it would be hk$12 per day for the full buffet breakfast. It was a great buffet breakfast each day, not as large a selection, say compared to the Excelsior hotel, however it was like a similarly scaled down version. There was selection of cereals, breads, fruit, yoghurts, juices, salmon, traditional UK/USA cooked breakfasts and also a small Chinese selection. The Chinese selection was a plain and and chicken congee, beef or pork dumplings and a plain and Chinese sausage or chicken buns.

I didn't have any proper evening meals at the hotel, but did order a small late afternoon snack one night at the cocktail bar. The drinks and snack that I got I were very impressive as was the service. There was a separate dining area and at the basement of the hotel there was another bar which offered a buffet lunch deal each day. With so much selection near the hotel there never seams to be enough time to try everywhere.

The closest underground transport (MTR) is about 300m away, a short 5min walk to Times Square through the Wanchi market (small traditional food market). The hotel is in a great location to explore the Wanchi and Causeway Bay area, after looking round the Times Square complex which is a large shopping mall and MTR train stop, you will also find great inexpensive places to eat around this area and towards the Victoria park. At the time of Chinese New Year this was a great place to be as there is the flower markets at Victoria park, very busy at night, but the park is a great place to relax with a take-away lunch.

The hotel is also great for bus transport, good if you are familiar with which buses and mini-buses to get, though the concierge will help. If I was a first timer to Hong Kong I would be inclined to stick with the MTR unless you are adventurous, there is a good possibility of getting lost otherwise. It is not a far walk towards the Convention and Exhibition centre from the hotel may be about 10-15mins and it's possible to walk to the Central district where all the 'big' named brand shops are in about 20mins. Those visiting during the summer months may find this quite hard with the heat and humidity, though from Jan to March the weather is just right (about 25C). Make sure that you get an Octopus card when you arrive at Hong Kong, these are pre-pay cards that you can use for travel and purchasing items in some shops. You can top them up at MTR stations and other vending machine areas adding money to them as you need.

I'm going back to this hotel later in the year as I really enjoyed my stay there, it has a great combination of price, location, accommodation and facilities. I would recommend this hotel to those on a slight budget but still want good accommodation that is high quality, I have stayed in may 4 and 5 star hotels and would say that this can hold its own with a lot of them.

Excellent hotel

Excellent hotel in a great location. Ask for a high room with Happy Valley view.

The staff are superb and very attentive. All rooms have internet access for a small fee but the Businrss Centre behind reception is free!!

Plenty of places to eat around the hotel. If you want to eat cheap (and Western) go to Cafe de Coral restaurants. They are everywhere and fantastic value for money!! Have a look at their air hostess uniforms.

Hong Kong is fantastically clean and efficient in every way. The Charterhouse is prime example of this. Would definitely recommend to any traveller. Definitely will stay there again on my travels.

Good hotel in great location

The Charterhouse Hotel is a good place to stay. The rooms are smallish, but very comfortable. The hotel staff are very good. The hotel's location is the best thing about it. A quick walk to Causeway Bay in one direction, towards Star Ferry Wanchai terminal in another and Wanchai MTR down Wanchai Road. Great shopping choice and a wide choice of places to eat nearby. I've stayed there on 2 occasions and will stay there again when next in Hong Kong.

A good place to stay

I spent three nights at the Charterhouse, and enjoyed my stay. Good location in Wanchai, between two MTR stations, very good room, pretty good service.

Average hotel, good for the price

The decor in the hotel is a little tired, and the rooms are quite small, but they were clean and comfortable. The location isn't great considering that the WanChai MTR station is at least a 15 minute walk away (not nice in a 95% humidity), but for the price it is good value, especially if you've been to Hong Kong before. Also, there is free internet access in the business centre, and the reception staff speak good English and are very helpful.

A little tired, but good value

This is an average hotel. Black marble in the bathrooms, modern conveniences, but just barely.

For a first time visitor to HK this might not be the greatest location, due to the distance from the MTR, and craziness of Wan Chai. But to the repeat visitor who knows their way around, this is a convenient location: walking distance to Times Square for shopping, Wan Chai for nightlife, and Happy Valley for the horse racing.

Not sure where they got the outside picture with the trees, as this location is as dense and urban as it comes.

OK Hotel, Not the Best

Considering the price, the Charterhouse is a good hotel to stay in. The rooms were clean, and the service was OK. However, please keep in mind that the rooms and the beds are very small. This is typical for Hong Kong though. In addition, the location of the hotel is not very convenient. The closest MTR station is Times Square, which is a good 15 to 20 minute walk. This is a torture if you are heading to Hong Kong in the summer. Also, the hotel is right next to some funeral service shops, and you can see the cemetary from some of the rooms. Just so you know. However, Hong Kong is a great city, out of all the places I have been to, HK is the place that's most worthwhile for a visit if you haven't gone before, and I would definitely recommend going to HK for vacation

Gr8 value for money

We stayed at the Charterhouse just before Chinese New Year and thought it was great value.

The rooms were clean and tidy but a bit dated with the dark wood furniture. Generally could do with an overhaul. But everyone was extremely helpful and friendly.

Breakfasts were fantastic, you certainly don't need to have lunch!

Location was fantastic, on a slightly quiet back road but only a 5 min walk to the trams and 15 min to the MTR.

If the Peninsular is a bit out of your budget, try here!

Great Value Overall

Stayed in jr. suite for 3 nights.

Pros: Excellent value for price; Clean w/ all necessities for short stay; Convenient location near Times Square and Wan Chai

Cons: Carpet, walls need heavy duty cleaning; Not all staff proficient in English