My school screwed me over, and I have to go to Hong Kong in two days for a tourist visa. Does anyone know any CHEAP hotels near the consulte (in Wanchai I think)? I do not care how seedy or crappy it is, as long as I do not get murdered by gangsters or assaulted by hookers. Any quick help would be greatly appreciated!

If you are travelling light and don't mind carrying your luggage while getting stuff done you can get ~200HKD/night (sleep length time only, must check in after 9PM and leave before 9AM) around the west and south end of Mongkok in the short-stay love hotels. More pricey option: for 700HKD you can get a nice room for 24 hours with security etc. @ M.K. Hotel, www.hotelmk.com.hk/. Cheapest way from that area across to Wanchai is walking down Nathan Rd. to the star ferry (7HKD?). Faster way is the subway. I've always used agents around Tsim Sha Tsoi (TST) though myself... a good one is Japan Travel Agency (JTA), website @ www.jta.biz/chinavisa/china_visa.htm

10HKD buys you entry to the HK Fine Arts Museum at the north end of the star ferry line (ie. Kowloon side) which is a great way to spend time cheaply. Other museums near there too (northeast).

UK citizen 3M single entry tourist @ HK$490
UK citizen 3M single entry tourist (rushed) @ HK$790 .. if submitted in morning, can pick up next evening by 5PM.

There are all night buses from circa western Mongkok to one of the 24 hour border points, so you can immediately and cheaply slip back in to China and be on a train back to Yunnan.

If you pay for next day service you can possibly save money overall since staying in HK is pricey.

There's a great buffet all you can eat Chinese vegetarian place in between them, open around 11AM-4PM. plus.google.com/109899716890260196850/about?hl=en

Thanks, voltaire!

Can I go from Shenzhen to Hong Kong with a China visa? In other words, do I need a separate visa to get into Hong Kong?

I would have assume that Kunming-HK is the same as SZ to HK. For most countries' citizens it is a short term stay stamp on entry.

Flight to SZ + bus/train to HK would be cheaper. But you would still need accom in HK.

Remember you need to re-register your residence at the local cop shop when you return as coming back from HK is considered re-entry for visa purposes. I forgot this once.

If you are an American, no visa is required to enter Hong Kong. You will need a new China visa to come back to China.

Make sure you have the required paperwork as it has been changed recently. You can use visa agents (some info on agents here in the forums, somewhere). The visa office is near Central, there are no cheap digs in Central or the Wanchai area.

Voltaire seems to have it figured out. Just don't ask a lot of dumb questions, Honk Kong people will pickup on your ignorance and it will cost you. Know what you are going to do and about how much it will cost. Then do it. You start to ask and whine, you pay more.

Good info here: yourenotfromaroundhere.com/[...]

Check the restrictions for entering the building.

Best is to pay for 24 hour service. You get it the next day and costs less than a night in a hotel. When they had same day service, I would come from Zhuhai by early morning ferry, be in line before 8am and back to Zhuhai that evening. Today, different rules and you can't do it.

Thanks very much everyone for the information!

ChongQing mansions in TST has a lot of cheap places to stay.

If you are American or French, I was there about a week ago for my own visa and was unpleasantly surprised to find out that they won't do it in rush time, but it will take 4 working days to process it. All other nationalities can be done in rush time for about 700.

I stayed at the Kung Fu Hostel/Garden Hostel (it's got both names) in Mirador Mansion, on the third floor (flat F4-1 - enter Mirador Mansion from Nathan Road, walk straight, you'll see a first set of elevator on your right, continue straight till you see the 2nd set, go to 3rd floor and when you get off it will be on your left). They've got cheap rooms and dorms (80HKD a bed), which is the cheapest you can get in Hong Kong. And it's as clean as the Chungchin Mansions get.

For the visa, don't go on your own or they will ask for all kinds of papers (plane tickets, hotel reservations...), better just pay an agency. There's the shoestring agency, or this one: www.fbt-chinavisa.com.hk/ . I think the 2nd one is faster (if you bring your passport before 8:30 in the morning, you can pick it up at 2pm the same day), but Shoestring is the cheapest (it's right across from Mirador Mansion, almost on Nathan Street, where there is an arrow that points to a MacDonalds).

Shenzhen-HK crossing shouldn't be a problem, just get off the train, go through HK immigration (very few nationalities require a visa to enter HK, but if not American or European just make sure) and then jump on the subway all the way to Hung Hom station in Kowloon downtown.

When we got visas in Hong Kong we went to the agency at the Sheraton hotel (expensive). Because my wife is Chinese born, with property in China, her visa was done at the Chinese consulate. Mine was done by the PSB in Shenzhen. I don't understand the why, but mine came back faster.