🏨 Silka Seaview Hotel Review: Budget Stay Near Yau Ma Tei MTR & Temple Street Night Market

Looking for a budget hotel near Yau Ma Tei MTR Station, Jade Market, and Temple Street Night Market? We booked Silka Seaview Hotel mainly because of its affordable rate and prime location in Kowloon. Here's an honest review based on our experience — the good, the not-so-great, and everything in between.

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📍 Convenient Location

Silka Seaview Hotel is located less than 5 minutes on foot from Yau Ma Tei MTR Station, making it an ideal base for exploring Hong Kong by train. The Jade Market and Temple Street Night Market come alive at night, and you’ll be steps away from all the bustling street food and market action.

🧭 Tip: Streets look calm during the day but turn vibrant and busy at night.

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🧳 Why We Stayed Here

We booked two different hotels for our Hong Kong trip to make it more convenient. Our first night was spent near Ocean Park, then we transferred to Silka Seaview for the rest of our Kowloon itinerary.

💡 Budget Tip: When booking budget hotels, we manage our expectations. It helps avoid disappointment when the service or rooms don’t meet typical standards.

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🚖 Taxi Experience

Before we checked in, we printed the hotel name and address — a lifesaver since many Hong Kong taxi drivers don’t speak English fluently.

Things to note when riding taxis in Hong Kong:

• HK$5.00 per luggage charge (small or large)
• Tunnel fees apply when crossing from island to mainland

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🛎️ First Impressions

The hotel building looked decent, but the experience started on a low note:

• No warm greeting at the entrance
• No staff assisted us at the front desk
• We had to call their attention multiple times for check-in

😕 We weren’t sure if it was just the staff or general local culture, but they weren’t particularly friendly.

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🧳 Luggage Drop-Off

We arrived early and left our bags at the hotel. There’s no designated luggage room — they just stored them in the corner of the small lobby with a net draped over for security. I was hesitant at first, but trusted that they had a system.

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🛏️ Room and Amenities

After exploring the Kowloon Walled City Park and The Peak, we returned in the evening to finally check-in.

Here's what we observed:

• 🚪 Small elevator, felt a bit shaky
• 🧱 Narrow but clean hallways
• 🛏️ Room was small, dim, and had a faint cigarette smell
• 😬 Bed sheets had stains and smelled musty
• 🚿 Shower room was tiny
• 🪟 Small window facing a cluttered, trash-strewn street with little privacy

We didn’t expect much because of the price, but the cleanliness and smell could definitely be improved.

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🍽️ Breakfast at Jade Café

This was perhaps the worst part of our stay:

• Only 1 staff managing the entire breakfast crowd
• We waited 10 minutes just to be seated
• Miscommunication: they initially didn’t let my friend enter, even after I explained multiple times that we’d pay for the extra meal
• Once inside, no one cleaned the table until we asked

And the food?
👎 HK$70 for a bland breakfast — not worth it. The next day, we opted to eat at Yoshinoya instead.

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📶 Perks We Appreciated

Despite the issues, there were a few things we liked:

• ✅ Free MTR Tourist Day Pass included with our booking
• ✅ Free Wi-Fi in the rooms
• ✅ Complimentary mobile phone provided by the hotel with free local and selected international calls

📱 You can bring the hotel phone while exploring, but read the terms and penalties in case it gets lost or damaged.

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👍 Would I recommend Silka Seaview Hotel? Maybe — with a big asterisk.

Pros:

• Excellent location
• Cheap price
• Free Wi-Fi and MTR pass

Cons:

• Poor customer service
• Unpleasant room smell and cleanliness
• Terrible breakfast experience

💡 If you’re really on a tight budget, it’s doable — but I’d suggest checking other hotels first before booking here.

🔗 Visit their website for current promos and updates:
👉 http://www.silkahotels.com/seaview/index.php