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If location isn’t important then consider the YWCA-run Anne Black Guest House stuck out in Mongkok. The rooms (either with private or communal bathrooms) are basic but clean with air-conditioning, TV, and telephone.

Air-conditioned rooms with shower, fridge, phone, bath and TV are merely adequate but the location and prices are great at this Salvation Army-run hotel.

Like Booth Lodge next door, there’s only a chapel and restaurant-cum-café to amuse yourself here. Still, the rates are lower, and the rooms are large by any standards.

Well situated but in something of a chaotic, scrappy and noisy area. Rooms are neat but small, and the views unlovely.

A pleasant alternative to the dingier guesthouse offerings in Chungking and Mirador, but stuck out in boring old Hung Hom. Facilities in double and triple rooms are basic but include TV, phone, bathroom, shower and air-conditioning.

As you might expect from such a remote hostel, basic, barrack-like dorms are the order of the day. Those with tents may want to walk on and pitch camp at Tai Long Wan’s lovely beaches nearby.

This very pleasant hostel by the reservoir makes for a good base or stop-off for walkers wanting to explore the beautiful country around Plover Cove. Air-conditioned singles, doubles or dorms are available.

Lying in the heart of the country park, this is a functional hikers’ overnight stop with dorm beds. The views are great and it’s also possible to camp.

A very basic hikers’ crash-pad, Sze Lok Yuen perches close to the summit of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s tallest peak. The views are spectacular but its dorm rooms are pretty basic with no fans or air-conditioning. The altitude cools things down though in all but the hottest months. Camping is permitted.

Staying at the mansions is a badge of honour to some budget travellers, an unpleasant necessity to others (see Kowloon – Tsim Sha Tsui). The dingy hallways and semi-squalor contain dozens of guesthouses offering cheap, boxy and usually stuffy accommodation in an excellent location. Oppressive and fascinating at the same time, Chungking Mansions is a warren of small-scale commerce and Hong Kong’s cultural melting pot. Chungking House is probably the best option, with larger, more comfortable rooms than elsewhere in Chungking Mansions.