We stayed at this hotel -- and I use that term so very loosely -- because other hotels that we usually stay at were going for $750 a night or more. "How bad could it be?" we asked.
Reader, be prepared to reevaluate all of your life choices if you decide to book a room here.
First, it's a four-floor walk-up, with uneven, narrow stairways. Our room had a rickety bed with a small blanket that didn't remotely cover my 6-foot husband. There was a chair, table and tiny TV crowded up against it. Stains all over the walls and the drape that covered our one, cracked window overlooking a depressing alley. We checked for bedbugs and surprisingly found none.
In the bathroom, there was a tiny round toilet, a shower that only spat out water unwillingly, and a single used bandaid on the floor. Enjoy using your hand towel as a washcloth, because that's as close as you get.
Want coffee? There's some Folgers' crystals and a hot-water option on the fountain in the "kitchen" area, which at times even has water available. There are abundant signs warning you not to steal food out of the single refrigerator. And still more signs telling you that you are being surveilled.
Don't worry about the housekeeping staff damaging any of your belongings -- our room wasn't touched during our three-night stay.
China town itself is amazing. You will be tempted to ignore your gut and stay at this hotel, which passed "shabby" about 20 years ago.
Reconsider. We cheaped out, and we paid the price.
