I must disagree with another reviewer who says it is cheaper to stay near the airport if you're on a short trip. All the hotels near the airport are more than double the price, so even with a taxi each way HK130 - US$18 it's still better to stay at Silvermines.
Book on the Internet for the best price; direct at the hotel you could pay 50% more. Make sure your internet booking includes breakfast, which is really well worth having.
Great eating places all around the terminal - you will eat well for HK$30 or less!
The A35 bus from the airport gets there in the end, but very slow and infrequent service.
Remember that you have to walk a short distance along a pedestrians only roadway to get there, so not good if you have a ton of luggage. Travel light!
The best thing about staying here is you can get into HK Central by ferry, in 30 mins, a most memorable experience for only HK$10

If you're looking for a taste of the old China but still want to see the city this is a great place to do it from. Located in the slow paced and beautiful little fishing village of Mui Wo on Lantua Island the hotel is only about and hour ride from the airport. We took the public bus (number A35) which runs every hour during the day. It's located just out the doors of the terminal and across the street, the cost was $22HKD or about $2.75US for adults and half fare for kids under 12, (note fares on Sunday are doubled). The hotel
is an easy 10 minute walk from the bus and ferry terminal (luggage with wheels is a big plus).

My wife and I had our 2 children with us (ages 4 & 12). We stayed at the Silvermine based on other reviews we read and weren't dissapointed at all. If you're looking for a five star metropolitan hotel this isn't the one to book, but if you want to see and experience some of the old China and their way of life and still have easy access to downtown Hong Kong (30 minutes via fast ferry) this hotel is in the right place and the accomodations are very adequate. We found it a great place to use as a "base camp". There's so much to explore in the area; we went in to the city 2 times, went to the Tai O fishing village, the Pao Lin monastery, and just walked around the town during our 6 days there.

There are plenty of restraunts in town to try out from authentic Chinese to a McDonalds for those wanting a taste of home. The "Mui Wo
Cooked Food Market" is situated along the bay and is a great place
to sample many varrieties of fresh fish or other tasty Chinese food. Ask for a "fixed price" dinner special, about $100HKD ($12.50US) for a dinner for 2. There are also other ethnic foods in the village to please just about any taste.

We stayed in the newer "Garden view" section which was clean, good sized and quiet. We also looked at the older section which seemed to be OK as well. The room comes with 2 free buffett breakfasts, the selection was adequate and quality was OK but the buffett was a little pricey for the kids and there was no way to just order from a menu (there is none). The hotel pool was not yet open for the season when we were there but it looked nice and there were tennis courts next to it should you be looking for that kind of recreation. There's
also a sauna, steam room and small work out facility.

The hotel has internet available in the bar area (buy a drink and get
an hour free)...I used it several times and never found it to be crowded.

If you're coming to the Hong Kong area and want something different and affordable this is a great option. Give it a try you'll be happy you did.

My husband and I spent five nights in HK - three nights at the Silvermine Beach and two at the Langham in Mongkok. We absolutely loved the Langham and hope to return, Mongkok is a great area and buzzes with energy. The hotel is luxurious, but this is reflected in the price. Silvermine was considerably less expensive (a third of the price I think) and we thought really top value for money. We enjoyed the laid-back feel of Lantau and were impressed by the quick ferry link to HK island (30-40mins). The staff in the hotel are really friendly and helpful. We ate in the restaurant on the night we arrived (tired and bedragled). It was a buffet style meal, drinks/beers included. We also thought this was excellent value for money and were glad we did it. A lot of the negative remarks for the hotel seem to focus on the decor. We stayed at one of the rooms at the back of the older hotel and were still happy with it (I think the newer block, water facing supposed to be preferable). My husband said it reminded him of some of the Days Inn hotels we have stayed at on our trips to the States - a little dated, but clean and basic.

The Silvermine Beach is located about 5 minutes (without luggage) walk from the Mui Wo bus stop (not a mile!!) and ferry terminal - you can see it from the bus station. It does look rather tired from the outside - it is covered in greying white tiles and the letters of the hotel name are a bit scruffy. Inside is much better; reception is clean and tidy and the restaurant is smart and modern.

We stayed in the new wing - the room was a standard hotel size, not at all cramped, as was the bathroom. Full bath with over shower, toilet and sink, free toiletries and everything clean and functional. The room had a good if slightly hard double bed, table and two chairs, two bedside tables, big dresser and TV (which costs extra), large wardrobe and a fridge with mini-bar and kettle. A little worn in places but perfectly acceptable.

We booked on southeast-asia.com. We asked for an early check-in due to horrible flight times and were delighted that the room was ready at 8am even though official check-in is 2pm. We got a good night's sleep although slight interruption as there appeared to be a herd of elephants in the room next door. The hotel has no adjacent road and you can hear the sea which is across the path. Not sure I'd swim in the bay though.

Breakfast is very good - all you can eat buffet with both western and chinese food, and help yourself so take your time. I did see the hotel sauna which is a little tired, and the bar is a bit short on comfortable seats.

to get to the buddha is a 50 minute bus ride (same as from Tung Chung). From the airport was an hour there and 45 minutes back - second driver was a chinese Schumacher! Roads on Lantau are narrow and twisting so hold on tight, but buses are very cheap and punctual. Mui Wo has a cash machine, several restaurants and a supermarket.

Staff speak English and were very helpful - luggage stored for free in reception until we left at 11pm.

I think this is a totally acceptable 3 star hotel and a very good base, and would stay again.