Being an international metropolis and business hub, Hong Kong is no short of uber-swanky hotels, where you can rub shoulders with the world’s rich and famous. But there is more to Hong Kong’s luxury hotels than just glitz and glamour… As a matter of fact, the combination of British colonialism, Chinese traditions and other Asian and international influences has created a hotel-culture that is quite unique to this vibrant city.
This article will take you through the “creme de la creme” of Hong Kong’s hotels, and even if you don’t plan to spend the kind of money it takes to stay in them, having a cup of coffee in some of these luxury hotels is also a worthy experience…
1) The Peninsula
An article about Hong Kong’s luxury hotels has to start with the Peninsula – one of the city’s best-known landmarks.
Alongside the Raffles in Singapore, the Waldorf Astoria in New York and the Savoy in London, the Peninsula is considered as one of the world’s most classic hotels and has long become one of Hong Kong’s most prominent icons.
Founded by members of the Jewish Kadoorie family, this famous hotel opened in 1928, with the idea that it would become “the finest hotel east of the Suez canal”… and indeed, from the moment the Peninsula opened its doors to the first guest, its name has been synonymous with welcoming the rich and the famous to a place of unmatched luxury and service…
The guestrooms are among the most spacious in Hong Kong and are all beautifully decked out, combining classical European elegance with fine Oriental motifs…
Guests have a choice of rooms and suites in either the grand, Original Building or at the more contemporary Peninsula Tower, with commanding views of the harbor and the city.
The restaurants at the Peninsula are among the best in Hong Kong: Gaddi’s is regarded as one of Hong Kong’s finest and most elegant French restaurants, Felix bar-restaurant, on the 28th floor, offers an unforgettable dining experience, accompanied by some stunning harbor views, and the classic Lobby Lounge is serving traditional English-style high tea, reminiscent of Hong Kong’s colonial era.
The hotel is also famous for its fleet of Rolls-Royce cars, which are painted in a distinctive shade of green, known as the “Peninsula green”.
2) Mandarin Oriental
Although the 1950s style cube-shaped building of the Mandarin Oriental might look slightly uninspiring compared to the glitzy and modern skyscrapers around it, this internationally known hotel is a Hong Kong legend.
Located right at the heart of Hong Kong’s business district, the hotel’s interior décor combines European elements with Chinese touches, resulting in a stylish elegance that revives old-days charm…
As expected, the Mandarin Oriental’s amenities are simply superb and include a stat-of-the-art fitness centre, a world class spa and a heated indoor pool at the hotel’s top floor, just to name a few…
The hotel was renovated at 2006 and the guestrooms are relatively spacious and very tastefully decked out, blending Western and Chinese motifs.
Almost needless to mention, they are fitted with every comfort you would expect to find in a luxury hotel… From b beautiful marble-fitted bathroom, to a CD library and Salvatore Ferragamo’s toiletries…
3) Island Shangri-la
Soaring 56 floors above the prestigious shopping and entertainment centres of Wanchai, the Island Shangri-la features both a great location and superb opulence…
The guestrooms are quite spacious and beautifully decked out in a combination of European and Chinese styles… They offer unbeatable views towards the Harbour or the Peak, and are all properly equipped with a whole shebang of facilities…
Amenities include a luxurious health-club, with a well equipped gym, Jacuzzi and sauna, as well as a beautiful outdoor pool, surrounded by the city’s glittering skyscrapers.
The hotel also prides itself for housing some world class restaurants, including the internationally famed Restaurant Petrus at the top floor.
4) Langham Palace Hotel
Located in a glitzy, modern tower above the bustling shopping district of Mongkok, just a short walking distance from Hong Kong’s lively markets and the MTR station, this fabulous hotel prides itself for being one of the best spa-hotels in the Asia-Pacific region.
The guestrooms are all spacious and beautifully decked out in a somewhat “high tech style”, including floor-to-ceiling windows through which you can enjoy cityscape views.
The hotel’s “jewel in the crown” is, doubtlessly, the superb Chuan Spa on the 40th floor, where more than sixty beauty and health treatments are offered, all based on traditional Chinese medicine.
A well-equipped gym is located on the 41st floor, right above the Spa, and the excellent swimming pool is on the roof, above the Gym. There is a Jacuzzi too and a lovely sundeck from which you can enjoy the gorgeous views.
5) InterContinental Hong Kong
Well known for its fantastic location on Tsim Sha Tsui’s waterfront, with unbeatable views towards Victoria Harbor and the Hong Kong skyline, the fabulous Intercontinental is one of Hong Kong’s most sought-after hotels.
The excellent and luxurious I-Spa, presumably Hong Kong’s only ‘Feng Shui Friendly’ Spa, offers the full range of treatments, alongside Jacuzzi, sauna, steam shower and massage facilities. There is a very large outdoor heated swimming pool, adjacent to three temperature spa pools and surrounded by a sundeck and a terrace, where you can have your drink while admiring the stunning harbor views… and there is also a well equipped fitness center, which is open 24 hours a day. Island Private Party in Cartagena Colombia