**This is not a sponsored post. I have chosen and stayed at this hotel based on my own research and on my own budget.**
This is a review of my 14-day Hong Kong quarantine in the ‘Superior City View Room’ at Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West Tower 1, as a solo traveller, remote worker, and a Highly Sensitive Person who was extremely anxious about having to go through mandatory quarantine for the second time in a year.
Given the ever-changing Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong and the measures taken by quarantine hotels, please do note that any of the below is subject to change as well. But for reference, I booked my room in December 2021 and my check-in was end of January 2022.
Below are my notes on the experience and I hope that it’ll offer some help to anyone who finds themselves looking for quarantine hotels.
One sentence review
If you are able to invest about $400-500 extra per night over the cheapest quarantine hotel options for a large room, good service, decent food and amenities, you can’t go wrong with Nina Hotel.
With that, below are some details of the stay.
Pros
Spacious room
At least at the time, Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West and Nina Hotel Island South had the largest rooms I could find when researching quarantine hotels that were (relative to other designated quarantine hotels) reasonably priced.
According to their website, the city view room that I stayed in at Nina Tsuen Wan West is 34-40 sq. m (approx. 366-431 sq. f). Other hotel rooms that I researched that fit my budget were generally in the 20 sq. m range – and lacking in other important criteria as well.
Even when quarantining alone, I found having ample space is one of the most important things to consider. It allows you to create designated spots for specific activities like exercise and work, making the room feel more like a flat than a prison cell.
Large window
Almost an entire wall of the room was glass, with an expansive city view (as I stayed in the ‘Superior City View Room’) and ample sunlight and sky through it.
There were plenty of buildings outside but none right opposite the window and none too close to feel like I had no privacy.
The window is also large enough that you can see the sky and some greenery. I found this extremely important to feel less claustrophobic, especially given that you cannot get any fresh air during the quarantine.
There are 2 layers of curtains covering the entire width of the window to block out sunlight entirely or to let some light into the room.
Hotel-cooked meals with vegetables and fruit
The meals are freshly prepared at the hotel rather than from a catering company that some quarantine hotels have opted to do.
I got the default ‘Standard’ menu throughout my stay, which included one fruit with every dinner.
Lunch and dinner had a good portion of vegetables and meals had a good balance of fish, chicken, pork, and beef.
Everyone has different tastes so this is very subjective but I did find a good portion of these meals to be quite delicious.
On the other hand, the breakfast pastries were too stale and scrambled eggs too soggy for me.
Multiple surfaces and seating
Out of convenience, it’s great to have more than one chair in the room. My room had three – a cushioned one I used when working and 2 hard chairs that I used when eating.
It also helped that I could work and eat on 2 different surfaces to create separates zones of activity.
The round table I used to eat could also be moved to create extra room for exercise.
There’s also plenty of other surfaces in the room where you can arrange your things.
Responsive and polite service
This makes a big difference when you are stuck inside a room for weeks.
The hotel staff was also prompt at calling my room to let me know I could leave earlier than my expected 21-day quarantine and they were quick to bring me any food deliveries I had made from outside and care packages from friends.
Generally the meals provided by the hotel arrived around the same time each day which helps to plan out your day.
Others
Not all quarantine hotels necessarily had these when I was doing my research:
- Bath tub
- Air purifier
- Wooden floors for convenient cleaning
- Individual air conditioning and ventilation
- Cleaning supplies, reusable utensils and cup
- Food delivery options
Cons
All the pros trump the cons but if I had to nitpick these are a few things that could have been better:
- Usually stale breakfast pastries and overly soggy eggs
- TV – limited channels and poor resolution
- Lighting – yellow, dim lights only
- Room – slight signs of wear and tear
- Electric kettle – cheap plastic, limescale
- Open Wi-Fi network – no passwords
If the above bothers you, prepare ahead!
Links and resources
- Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West 14-day quarantine package
- Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West ‘Superior City View Room’
- Nina Hotel Island South – another Nina branch designated as a quarantine hotel that I stayed at in 2021 for 21 days, with a very similar experience and would recommend.
- ‘HK Quarantine Support’ Facebook Group – join the group and search for Nina Tsuen Wan for more reviews from the community and to join the Telegram chat where you can find other quarantine mates.