Lonely Planet Review
Garden Hostel is a long-term tenant of Mirador Mansion and has become even more popular since backpackers started favouring this building over Chungking Mansions, its rougher-looking cousin down the road. More sociable than party-obsessed, this is a good place in which to connect with fellow travellers.
The hostel's large open terrace is the favoured social spot, where lots of guests loiter while checking out the views of Kowloon's frantic downtown area. Off the foyer is a small hall which is used as a training room by a Wing Chun Kung-Fu group, hence the punching bag (don't worry, it's not there to practice methods for dealing with unruly guests). As is the case with other decent guesthouse-style places, security here is good and there's a laundry service, but Garden Hostel ups the ante by providing Internet access and a large communal television (though it's inconveniently positioned beside the reception desk), and manning reception around the clock. The trade-off for the facilities and budget prices is small and relatively uninspiring rooms, including dorms with four bunk beds.
Review by author
Paul Smitz