Escape the Ordinary: Hong Kong's Hottest Hostel (Day & Night!)
Escape the Ordinary: Hong Kong's Hottest Hostel (Day & Night!) - My Totally Honest (and Slightly Chaotic) Review
Alright, buckle up buttercups, because I’m about to spill the Hong Kong tea on Escape the Ordinary (Day & Night!). This isn't your grandma's dusty old hostel, folks. This is supposed to be where the cool kids crash. So, did it deliver? Let's dive in – and trust me, I've got opinions.
First Impressions (the Good, the Bad, and the Surprisingly Sticky):
Okay, so right off the bat: Accessibility. They claim to be accessible, but I'm not a wheelchair user. I did notice an elevator (phew!) and a vague mention of "facilities for disabled guests." But concrete details? Missing. This is something to seriously clarify before booking if accessibility is key for you. (Important note: Contact them DIRECTLY for the lowdown on this.)
But the moment you walk in? Boom. Hong Kong. The energy hits you. It's vibrant, a little overwhelming (in a good way), and the front desk is open 24/7. Check-in/out is supposed to be contactless, which is smart, but the process still took a minute. Maybe my fault? I am not exactly tech-savvy.
And what about the looks? The photos? They are legit! Everything is designed with a youthful, modern aesthetic. This is where the “Escape the Ordinary” starts.
Rooms: My Sanctuary…Or Maybe Just a Very Nice Closet?
My little haven was, Available in all rooms, Air conditioning, Alarm clock, Bathrobes, Bathroom phone, Bathtub, Blackout curtains, Carpeting, Closet, Coffee/tea maker, Complimentary tea, Daily housekeeping, Desk, Extra long bed, Free bottled water, Hair dryer, High floor, In-room safe box, Interconnecting room(s) available, Internet access – LAN, Internet access – wireless, Ironing facilities, Laptop workspace, Linens, Mini bar, Mirror, Non-smoking, On-demand movies, Private bathroom, Reading light, Refrigerator, Safety/security feature, Satellite/cable channels, Scale, Seating area, Separate shower/bathtub, Shower, Slippers, Smoke detector, Socket near the bed, Sofa, Soundproofing, Telephone, Toiletries, Towels, Umbrella, Visual alarm, Wake-up service, Wi-Fi [free], Window that opens.
The Air Conditioning was glorious after a sweaty day in HK. Truly, I'd pay extra for that alone. Blackout curtains, perfect. I mean, I love sleep. The bed was comfy, and my room felt… Soundproof enough. Okay, actually, it was. I didn't hear a peep from the hallways. This is HUGE in a hostel!
The Wi-Fi [free], yes, that's important! Also, there was a Coffee/tea maker in the room. I had a Complimentary tea while I was working. And there's Internet access – wireless in the room. So, I guess this is where the "Day & Night" part comes in handy. You can work here.
Eating, Drinking, and Basically Just Surviving (and Enjoying) Hong Kong:
Dining, drinking, and snacking is where Escape the Ordinary really tries to shine.
- Restaurants? Yep, plural. A la carte in restaurant, Asian breakfast, Asian cuisine in restaurant, Bar, Bottle of water, Breakfast [buffet], Breakfast service, Buffet in restaurant, Coffee/tea in restaurant, Coffee shop, Desserts in restaurant, Happy hour, International cuisine in restaurant, Poolside bar, Restaurants, Room service [24-hour], Salad in restaurant, Snack bar, Soup in restaurant, Vegetarian restaurant, Western breakfast, Western cuisine in restaurant.
The food was pretty solid. The Asian breakfast was amazing. Especially the congee. The only thing I felt slightly weirded out by… the Breakfast service. Not sure why, but that's more me. The Poolside bar was fun and the Happy hour drinks were strong. The International cuisine in restaurant was fantastic, and there's the Vegetarian restaurant for us.
Chill Zone: Where to Relax and Pretend You're Not A Tourist:
This is where things got interesting… Because I went for the full shebang.. Body scrub, Body wrap, Fitness center, Foot bath, Gym/fitness, Massage, Pool with view, Sauna, Spa, Spa/sauna, Steamroom, Swimming pool, Swimming pool [outdoor].
- Pool with view? Yes! The infinity pool was stunning, overlooking the city. Instagram gold. But the sauna? It could have been a little steamier for my liking.
- Gym/fitness? I’m not a gym rat, but it looked fine. Clean, modern equipment, the works.
- Spa? Yeah, the spa. I indulged in a massage. Okay, honestly? It was… okay. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad. But it wasn't mind-blowing.
Cleanliness and Safety: Did I Survive the Pandemic? (Mostly):
Okay, pandemic times. Safety is HUGE. And Escape the Ordinary seems to try. They’ve got the usual: Anti-viral cleaning products, Daily disinfection in common areas, Hand sanitizer, Individually-wrapped food options, Physical distancing of at least 1 meter, Professional-grade sanitizing services, Room sanitization opt-out available. Staff trained in safety protocol.
Shared stationery removed, too! That's the first time I've seen that. Very thoughtful.
Services and Conveniences: The Little Things that Make Life Easier:
Alright, let's get into the extras:
- Air conditioning in public area: Crucial.
- Audio-visual equipment for special events: Not my area, but nice to know.
- Concierge: Helpful!
- Currency exchange: Handy.
- Daily housekeeping: My room was spotless.
- Elevator: Thank the heavens.
- Facilities for disabled guests: See above.
- Food delivery: Perfect for late-night cravings.
- Gift/souvenir shop: Overpriced, but souvenirs!
- Luggage storage: Super helpful.
- Safety deposit boxes: Important.
For the Kids (Because, Apparently, Some People Travel with Them):
I'm not a parent, but, the hostel does advertise : Babysitting service, Family/child friendly, Kids facilities, Kids meal.
Getting Around: Airport Transfer, Taxi, and the Great Unknown:
- Airport transfer? Yes, and reasonably priced, which is great!
- Car park [on-site]? I didn’t drive (Hong Kong, duh!), but saw it.
- Taxi service? Easy to find.
The "Escape the Ordinary" Offer (Because You've Earned It):
Listen, this isn't a faultless hotel. But it's energetic, lively, and smack-dab in the middle of the best city in the world.
Here's the deal: Book your stay at Escape the Ordinary: Hong Kong's Hottest Hostel (Day & Night!) and experience the pulse of Hong Kong. You get:
- (Free Wi-Fi in all rooms!) : Stay connected and share your adventures.
- (Pool with view for Instagram-worthy moments): Take a dip and soak up the city skyline.
- (Delicious Asian and International Cuisine): Explore your palates with our options.
- (Clean and Safe Environment): Relax knowing your health is our top priority.
Ready to escape the mundane? Book your room NOW! Don’t just visit Hong Kong. Live it.
This is your chance to jump into the vibrant Hong Kong scene. The energy of the city. The buzz of the hostel. You won’t regret it. Just, maybe double-check those accessibility details before you book. And pack your swimsuit. You're in for a wild ride!
Unbelievable Luxury Awaits: Hanting Hotel Fuzhou Cangshan Wanda Review!
Alright, buckle up buttercups, because you're about to witness the unvarnished truth of a human, battling jet lag and questionable air quality, attempting to survive… Day And Night Hostel Hong Kong. God, the name alone already makes me feel like I'm trapped in a cheesy rom-com.
Day 1: Arrival and Existential Dread (with a side of questionable dumplings)
- 6:00 AM (ish): Touchdown at HKIA. Okay, so, the airport is impressive. Very shiny. Reminds me of a futuristic shopping mall, which, in a way, it kind of is. But the sheer, overwhelming humidity hits me like a ton of bricks. My hair immediately transforms into a frizzy halo. Charming.
- 7:00 AM (ish): Figuring out the Airport Express. Successfully. Pat myself on the back for knowing how to buy a train ticket. Feels like a major victory after the five-hour flight where I barely slept. My brain is mush.
- 8:30 AM: Arrival at the hostel. Day And Night. The name. Still not over it. Check-in. The receptionist, bless her heart, looks like she’s seen things. Probably just the sheer volume of backpackers, I guess. She's super efficient and that’s a win. The room… well, it's a dorm. A small, slightly-dingy dorm. My bunk is conveniently located next to the perpetually snoring Australian. Great. Just great. This is exactly what I pictured.
- 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Unpack. Attempt to arrange the mess of my life (aka: backpack) in my tiny locker. Fail miserably. Discover a rogue half-eaten granola bar that’s been slowly suffocating in the depths of my bag. Throw it away. Regret, because I'm starving.
- 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Dive headfirst into the Hong Kong food scene. Find a tiny, crowded place down a side street, lured in by the delicious smells. Ordered dumplings. They were… memorable. Mostly because I forgot to ask what was in them. Let's just say I'm considering becoming a vegetarian. Or at least carrying a dictionary. Also, spent an hour trying to get a taxi back to the hostel. This is the real struggle.
- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Attempt nap number one. Fail miserably. The aforementioned snoring Australian is in full force. Also, my brain refuses to shut down. Thoughts racing, the humidity is suffocating even in my little dorm, the bed is hard as a rock. This is not the zen retreat I was hoping for.
- 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Wander around the neighborhood, desperate to escape my brain. Find a park. It’s bustling with old men playing chess. The energy is incredible. Feel a glimmer of something akin to hope. Buy a ridiculous, oversized straw hat because I am now officially a tourist.
- 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Decide to try and find a proper coffee shop. This mission is proving to be difficult. Everything is crowded, loud. I’m starting to feel very, very small. Emotional breakdown averted.
- 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Return to the hostel. Debrief with the snoring Australian. Turns out he's actually quite nice when he's awake. He’s also been traveling for like, a year straight. I'm officially jealous. He recommends some street food. I'm tempted. Maybe tomorrow.
- 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM: Attempt nap number two. Fail. Watch the tiny, flickering TV in the common room. Something in Cantonese. No idea what's going on. Eventually give up and go to bed. The snoring… well, you get it.
- 11:00 PM: Sleep. Oh, the sweet promise of sleep. Please, Lord, let me sleep.
Day 2: Temple Hopping & Questioning My Life Choices (with a side of extreme heat)
- 7:00 AM: Wake up. Well, that’s a lie. I sort of emerge from the wreckage of a night that involved a symphony of snores and a desperate struggle for oxygen in my tiny bunk. The sun is already beating down, and I feel like I'm melting.
- 8:00 AM: Coffee! Found a small cafe. They make perfect, strong coffee. Feel like a human again. Order a pastry that looks vaguely edible. It's… okay.
- 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Head to Wong Tai Sin Temple. The crowds are absolutely unbelievable. Holy moly. But the temple itself is magnificent. The bright colors. The incense. The sheer energy. I'm also a bit bewildered. I'm not sure I fully understand what I'm looking at, but it's beautiful. Took about a million pictures. Probably looked like a total tourist.
- 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Lunch in the temple vicinity. More dumplings. This time, made sure I knew what was in them. They were delicious. Feeling marginally better about life.
- 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Explore the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. The climb. The heat. The sheer number of Buddhas. It was intense. I think I walked more steps than I have in my life. My legs are screaming. My brain, however, is oddly quiet. Maybe the exertion is helping.
- 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Get utterly and completely lost trying to find my way back to the hostel. End up on a bus heading in completely the wrong direction. Panic. Then, find some locals who are extremely helpful… with a bit of frantic pointing, and a smile, and manage to get back on track.
- 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Back at the hostel. I need a shower. More than anything in the world. The shower is… adequate. Mildly moldy, but hey, I'm alive.
- 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Thinking about dinner. Thinking about sleeping. Thinking about the snoring Australian. Maybe I’ll invest in some earplugs. Decide to skip the street food. Too tired. Eat some instant noodles I bought at the local supermarket.
- 9:00 PM - Bedtime: Attempt, and fail, to write in my journal. Feelings/thoughts are an incoherent muddle. Eventually give up. Try to sleep. The anticipation is nearly as torturous as the actual experience.
Day 3: The Peak and a Final (mostly) Triumphant Farewell
- 8:00 AM (ish): Wake up. Surprisingly, I slept! The earplugs were a lifesaver. The hostel isn't so bad in the harsh light of morning.
- 9:00 AM: The Peak. The Peak! Take the tram up. Holy. Cow. The view is… breathtaking. The city stretches out before me, a glittering tapestry of skyscrapers and harbor. This is what I came for. This is magical.
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Wander around the Peak. Take more pictures. Eat an overpriced ice cream cone. Feel profoundly happy. I'm actually enjoying myself!
- 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Lunch at a local restaurant. Try a roast duck. OMG. Amazing. Pure, unadulterated deliciousness.
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Last-minute souvenir shopping. Find a few little treasures to remind me of my trip. Everything is so colourful, so vibrant. Start to feel a little sad that my trip is ending.
- 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Back at the hostel. Pack. Say goodbye (awkwardly) to the snoring Australian. Promise myself I will learn how to speak Cantonese before I come back.
- 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: The airport Express again. This time it goes a bit easier. Perhaps because I am familiar with the routine.
- 5:00 PM - Departure: Bye, Hong Kong. It's been… an experience. Messy, overwhelming, and surprisingly beautiful. You've challenged me, exhausted me, and given me a taste of something new. And yes, Day And Night Hostel, you were definitely… a place. And you, snoring Australian, if you read this… thanks for the (mostly) silent company. I made it! And now, time to get some serious sleep on a plane! Until next time, Hong Kong!
Escape the Ordinary: Hong Kong - Raw & Real FAQ (Because Let's Be Honest, You Need It)
Okay, seriously... is this place *actually* cool? Or is it just Instagram hype?
Alright, buckle up. The Instagram game is STRONG, I’ll admit. Like, jaw-dropping photos of neon-drenched streets and happy-go-lucky backpackers. And yes, Escape the Ordinary delivers on *some* of that. The common areas are definitely photogenic – think quirky art, mismatched furniture you secretly want to steal, and rooftop vibes that are *nearly* as good as the pictures promise. But here’s the truth bomb: sometimes, it’s a chaotic, glorious MESS. You'll be sharing the limited fridge space with questionable leftovers (trust me, label your stuff!), and the elevator... well, let's just say you'll get *very* familiar with the stairs. But the coolness? It *is* there. It’s in the impromptu late-night chats with people from literally everywhere, the shared meals that somehow materialize, and the feeling of being utterly, wonderfully lost in a city that's determined to blow your freakin' mind. The hype is… mostly accurate. Just go in knowing it's authentic, not airbrushed. That’s what makes it truly rad, you know?
What's the deal with the dorms? Are they… bearable?
Look, dorms are dorms. They're a necessary evil for the budget-conscious traveller (like, me, always). At Escape the Ordinary, you get AC, decent beds (trust me, that's HUGE), and lockers that *mostly* work. But… noise. Oh, the noise. Snoring that could rival a freight train. People packing at 4 AM. That one dude who *insists* on Facetiming his mom at 2 AM. My advice? Earplugs and an eye mask are your best friends. Also, pack a little patience. It's a shared space, and sometimes, things get… lively. I once shared a dorm with a guy who wore a full panda suit *every night*. No explanation. Didn’t bother me though. What a legend. Embrace the chaos, people. It’s part of the adventure. Just remember to tip the cleaning staff – they deserve a medal.
Alright, food. Street food? Hostel food? What's the score?
Oh, the food. Hong Kong is a damn foodie paradise, full stop. Escape the Ordinary is smack-dab in the middle of it. Street food EVERYWHERE. Cheap, delicious, and potentially a bit… risky (that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?). The hostel itself sometimes has communal dinners, and honestly, they're hit-or-miss. Sometimes, it's amazing: a local cook whipping up a feast that'll change your life. Other times? Well, let's just say I've seen better pasta. My advice? Explore. Get lost. Eat everything. Ask the staff for recommendations, they usually know the best spots and will happily guide you. The dim sum is a must -- prepare to eat ALL of it.
What's the WiFi like? Because, you know, Instagram.
Okay, okay, the Instagram thing. Priorities. The WiFi situation is… acceptable. In the common areas, it's generally fine. In the dorms, it can be spotty depending on the number of people streaming cat videos at the same time. Don’t expect blazing speeds. It's Hong Kong, not Silicon Valley. Embrace the digital detox. Or, you know, purchase a local SIM card. That's your best bet for constant connectivity. Embrace the opportunity to make real memories, not just online ones. Unless the pictures are REALLY good. Then, by all means, post away.
Is it easy to meet people? Because I’m travelling solo and, well… social anxiety.
Absolutely. That's the *point*. The atmosphere is designed for meeting people. The common areas are conducive to chatting, the pre-organised pub crawls are a great ice-breaker, and people *genuinely* seem to want to connect. I met a guy from Iceland there, we just became best friends. We explored the whole city together! I'm an introvert, and I *still* made friends. The staff are super friendly and helpful, and they make an effort to introduce people. It’s hard to be lonely. You'll find other solo travellers, couples, groups, people of all ages, genders, and from all over the world. Just… take a deep breath and say hello. It's a low-pressure environment, perfect for dipping your toes into social waters. Seriously, you won't regret it.
What about the rooftop? Is it as good as the pictures? (I'm obsessed.)
Okay, the rooftop. This is where Escape the Ordinary *really* shines. And yes, it's *almost* as good as the pictures. The views are incredible, especially at sunset. You can grab a drink from the little bar, chill out, and watch the city lights twinkle. It's a great place to meet people pre-going out, or just relax after a crazy day. I had an experience there once, which changed my entire trip, possibly my life. I was having a terrible day. Got lost. Got ripped off by a taxi driver. Had a minor panic attack in a crowded market. I went up to the rooftop that night, sat down, completely defeated, and just stared at the city. This guy I’d briefly spoken to earlier, he'd overheard my conversation with the taxi driver and offered me a beer. We just sat there, in comfortable silence, watching the colours change in the sky. It sounds cheesy, but it erased all the stress. The rooftop is more than just a place to drink; it's where you can actually *experience* Hong Kong, you know? It's where connections are made, and where you remember why you started traveling in the first place.
Is it safe? I'm worried about being a solo female traveler.
Hong Kong, in general, is a VERY safe city. The hostel itself feels secure—lockers, key card access, the usual. But the real safety comes from the vibe. The staff looks out for issues. Yes, be aware of your surroundings (essential anywhere, really). You're going to encounter some slightly aggressive street vendors, especially in touristy areas. Ignore them, it's fine. But I felt comfortable walking around at night. The staff can always help as well, if you get any problems. Trust your gut, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ultimately, the city is generally safe, and the hostel is an anchor of that.
Anything else I should know? Any hidden gems?Best Rest Finder
