Sunny Day Hotel: A Lucky Find in Hongkong

When in Hongkong, location is everything!

That's why I always stick to the hotels in the Tsim Sha Tsui area for its convenience and accessibility to food, transportation, shopping, money changer and majority of tourist spots. While Hotel Benito is still my number one choice, I am still on the lookout for new hotels to add in my roster of accommodations that I can recommend to family and friends who are planning a trip to Hongkong. As I was browsing Agoda, I was lucky to chance upon Sunny Day Hotel, a fairly new hotel along Nathan Road with positive reviews from Tripadvisor, on an irresistible promotional rate!

It was a no-brainer so I immediately booked a family room even if it was just myself and my good friend A going on the trip. With a very affordable rate, staying in a family room good for 3 adults in Hongkong standards is like sleeping in a basic 20sqm standard room size here in Manila.

I was delighted to see that all airport buses are now equipped with a TV screen indicating the famous landmarks/hotels on each bus stop. I don't know if its a new thing but it was the first time I've seen one. Great help for first timer travellers who are worried on missing their bus stop.

With our luggage in tow, my friend and I alighted in Kimbereley Road at bus stop no. 12 just outside Sunny Day Hotel. Same goes for your return trip as the A21 bus going back to the airport stops in front of the police station situated across the hotel. Now that's a convenient location!

The hotel lobby is located on the second floor of the building. Do take note that there's no elevator that services the hotel guests from the ground floor so you'll have to carry your luggage to the lobby by yourself. Our flight from Manila arrived in Hongkong early morning so we just dropped our bags at the hotel and headed out to have lunch at Cafe de Coral and exchange our Php to Hkd in Mirador Mansion where a good number of money changers offer decent exchange rates.

There are 2 elevators that service the entire hotel so waiting to get to your floor and back to the lobby is to be expected. Guests are also warned not to bring durian inside to avoid penalty.

For just Php3700/night for a family room, Sunny Day is probably one of the best value hotels I have ever booked in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. The 22sqm air-conditioned room has a double and a single bed, an LCD television with a few English channels, free internet access, complimentary bottled water, coffee and tea maker, a refrigerator, ironing facility and a spacious toilet and bath.

Pros: Affordable rates, clean and spacious family room, generous supply of bottled water and toiletries, towels are changed everyday, one of the best egg waffles in HK is sold just around the corner and of course, the hotel's excellent location! Just to give you an idea, here are various modes of transportation and their distance to the hotel that you can utilize during your stay:

• 2-minute walk to/from Jordan Station (D Exit) - MTR
• 5-minute walk to/from Tsim Sha Tsui Station (B Exit) - MTR
• 15-minute walk to/from China Ferry Terminal if you're Macau bound
• 8-minute drive to/from Hung Hom Railway Station
• 50-minute bus ride to/from Hongkong International Airport

Cons: No lift from the ground floor to the lobby, internet connection kept dropping out, thin walls in between the rooms, elevator was slow and shaky and inflexible check-in and check-out time.

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Sunny Day Hotel - Tsim Sha Tsui

182 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Kowloon, Hongkong

Tel.: (852) 3760-8999

Website: www.sunnydayhotel.com