It could be so great, but it's not.

One of the most annoying things about the fact that my parents left Hong Kong is that now I have nowhere to stay for free when I pop up there. Of course, there are always friends to stay with, but considering that the average HK flat is the size of an average English bathroom (OK, I'm exaggerating. But not by much.) that option is pretty much unavailable. So, on my recent travels, I found myself having to book accommodation. I was only going to be there for 30 hours, so all I needed was a place to sleep for 2 nights, as I'd be out and about during the day.

THE HOTEL- AN OVERVIEW:

The Hotel Ibis North Point is located in North Point on Hong Kong Island. It has 275 rooms over 31 floors (Some facing the harbour, others not). Eleven of those floors are non-smoking. There's a business centre and a restaurant and Laundry service if needed.
I paid HK$ 550 a night, so a total of HK$ 1100 for two nights (About £69). Price-wise, this is a budget to mid-range price for Hong Kong.

The location is slightly out of the major tourist areas, but in a place like Hong Kong, public transport is so efficient and quick that nowhere is really far from anywhere else. Bear in mind that just because it's not in major parts of town doesn't mean that it's not a noisy and bustling area. Everywhere in Hong Kong is noisy, so you just learn to tune it out, although I didn't really notice much noise when I was in my room.

I checked in quite late at night, but the Ibis chain promise that there is always somebody on reception, 24 hours a day. There was a lady on the desk who checked me in. She wasn't particularly friendly, didn't crack a smile, but she wasn't rude either. Her English was fine as she asked me for my reservation details and my passport.

Checking out at about 6:30 in the morning, I didn't see anyone at the reception desk. However, I peeked through an open door just next to the check in area and saw a staff member sitting in a small office using a computer. She straight away got up and dealt with me, so that was fine. I can't imagine the graveyard shift is very much fun.

I had a room on the 12th floor, facing away from the harbour. It was small, very small, but I thought very well laid out. As you entered, the bathroom was on the right with a toilet, shower and sink. It was small but perfectly fine for my needs (Showering, toilet and teeth.) It had two full-sized towels and two hand towels, one of which I used as a shower mat. There was a squeezy bottle of bodywash/shampoo affixed to the shower wall and two water glasses. There was no soap rack or small ledge in the shower, which was annoying as I had nowhere to put my shampoo or personal soap bar, so they just kind of sat on the floor of the shower.

The rest of the room had a bed. It was certainly big enough for me to sleep comfortably and to stretch out, but if there had been two full-grown adults in it, it would have been very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, small beds are a fact of life in Hong Kong; space is at a premium, and you pay more if you want more space. Matresses tend to be very very thin, often just a foam matress on top of a wooden ledge (Which was the case here) so beware for anyone with back problems. There was a TV set into the wall next to the bed, so you pulled in out on casters and then tilted it so that it was facing you. It made for quite comfy viewing when all tucked up in bed.
The windows pointed out and created a triangular window seat, so a custom made desk fitted into that space. There was a wooden desk chair, a telephone and a few vouchers and brochures to read about Hong Kong. There were a couple of hooks on the wall to hang clothes, and enough space to walk around the bed and possibly leave a suitcase on, but that was it.

The sheets, as far as I could see were clean and freshly laundered, as were the towels. However, I noticed quite a bit of dirt and hair in the corners of the bathroom. I just got the impression that the cleaning staff would do the basic room servicing, but what my room needed was a thorough deep clean, if not a revamp, using materials that were more stain-resistant. I may have just been unlucky, but the building as a whole looked a bit tired and worn, which was sad, as other Ibis' I have stayed in are very clean and well-maintained.

The hotel had a restaurant, which is apparently open every day from early morning until reasonably late at night. However, I really don't see any need to eat there. There is a 7-11 practically next door, so I bought myself some juice and muesli bars to eat first thing in the morning and then went out. For your information, there are 2 national activities in Hong Kong: Shopping and eating. So you'll never go hungry, and you won't need to resort to eating in scummy hotel restaurants unless you're in exceptional circumstances.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: