Budget hotels in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, HK, and mainland China at around £10-20 per night

 


What kind of budget accommodation can you expect for around £10–20 in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China? Japan is the most expensive of the five, and at this price you're usually looking at a dormitory bed; occasionally, however, it's possible to find a private room with an en-suite bathroom for this price in so-called business hotels. South Korea is similar, perhaps slightly more affordable. In Taiwan, you can find good hotel deals, but prices vary significantly by region — some places are surprisingly expensive even at the budget level. Hong Kong is notoriously poor value for money: budget rooms are tiny and pricey, barely large enough to fit a single bed. Mainland China stands out as the cheapest and best value option, offering surprisingly good budget hotels. The following list of hotels offers a glimpse into what you can realistically expect in this price range in these countries, based on personal experience and without affiliate links. 

JAPAN

Smile Hotel Nara - Business hotel in Nara, Japan, with room costing around £20/night on weekdays. On weekends even many cheap hostels double or triple their rates; it tends to happen more in popular big cities and tourist destinations.








Hotel Aiwa for men's only - A very simple Japanese-style room in central Osaka for around £15-20/night if booked online. According to the Japanese sign at the reception, it is £10/night if paid there. It's a clean hotel with an AC-heater and good self-catering facilities in a quite poor but interesting and conveniently located neighborhood. Smoking is allowed. 





Hotel Wing Port Nagasaki - Business hotel in Nagasaki for around £20/night. The price didn’t seem to vary much depending on the day of the week — in fact, it was cheaper than a dormitory bed in Fukuoka for the same weekend period. You could chose between smoking and non-smoking rooms at booking. 












SOUTH KOREA

Kimchee Busan Downtown Guesthouse - A simple, but quite big and well-heated room with shared bathroom in Busan, South Korea, for around £15-20/night in a strictly non-smoking building. 



White House Seoul - For around £10–15 per night, this privately managed room in Seoul is more like a shared flat. A bit dated and a bit messy, it is a convenient base in a central location near universities. 






TAIWAN

Dream Travel Ximending - It's a very small room in Taipei, Taiwan, but one of my favorites. For £10 per night on weekdays, double on weekends, it costs a very little more than a dormitory bed in the same periods - but it's a private room, and one with a view. In the mornings and at nights, and on rainy days, the floor-to-ceiling window provided a great view into the city's life. This is where I stayed the longest during the recent Asian trip, all up 9 nights. 






Zu Sin Garden B&B - Qingjing Farm is a very popular and quite overpriced area in the mountains of central Taiwan. The cheapest place I found was around £30 per night; not exactly cheap but still affordable, with high standards, a great buffet breakfast and a very beautiful setting. 










Wankou Hotel - Also in the mountains of central Taiwan, Alishan is even more overpriced than Qingjing Farm. Many people, in fact, don't spend the night here for this reason. The cheapest room was around £40 per night; it wasn't bad but definitely not outstanding. 







Boston Hotel - A hotel in overlooked but charming Chiayi in a very central area, near the train station. There are many hotels in the same street, some advertised cheaper than this one, but I think it was still a good deal at around £15 per night. And I really liked the old-school style. 







No private parking / 無私人停車場 - A funky hotel without a name (or a very strange one down to the point) right on the main street of lively Kenting, with a bit of a view of the sea from one of the room's windows, and the peak of one of the rocky hills from the other. For around £12 per night it was a good deal. 








和平公獄監獄文旅 近東大門夜市 Peace Prison Theme Inn - A room in a prison-themed hotel in Hualien for around £12 per night. 







HONG KONG

Maple Leaf Guest House - A tiny room in Hong Kong for over £20 per night. At least it has a bathroom, even if it is also tiny. Bewarre: in Hong Kong, you often have to pay more than the advertised price because of some additional "fee" or to "upgrade" to a nicer room. 





CHINA

Puzzle Hotel Guangzhou Fenghuang New Village Subway Station - A very spacious, modern room for around £12 per night in Guangzhou. Ashtray was provided. 





Climbers Inn Yangshuo - A cheerful room with a balcony and views in Yangshuo for around £12 per night. Smoking only on the balcony. 








Family Hotel Zhangjiajie - A spacious modern room in Wulingyuan (Zhangjiajie) for around £12 per night. Smoking allowed. 





笑脸里青年旅舍天府店 - A very nice modern room with views on the the 33th floor of a 47-storey tower in the center of Chengdu, for around £15 per night. Ashtray provided. 










Smiley's Long Time No See Hostel - A nice, modern room with a view in central Chongqing for around £15 per night. Smoking allowed. 









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