Hong Kong: Hotel Guides

Samantha Leese

Journalist and author

Hong Kong’s sky-high persuasions mean you’ll find many of its best bars, spas and suites at dizzying heights. Vertigo-sufferers needn’t fear though; there’s a wealth of hotels for high fliers, families and foodies to be found with a lower centre of gravity too

Best for Spa: The St. Regis Hong Kong

W Hong Kong

East meets West in the interior design of The St. Regis Hong Kong, and that fusion extends to the hotel’s bijou spa, where the interesting menu of treatments ranges from high-tech rejuvenating facials to the ancient art of reflexology and an energising body massage with bamboo stalks. The entire seventh floor of the hotel is given over to wellness: as well as the spa, there’s a large fitness centre, open round the clock, with all the latest Technogym equipment and the option of signing up for personal training sessions. There’s also a heated outdoor pool, where, after a swim, you can relax with a skyscraper view and sip cocktails or mocktails from the poolside bar.

1 Harbour Drive, Wan Chai

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Best for Romance: The Peninsula Hong Kong

The Peninsula Hong Kong

If you’re planning any grand romantic gestures, the Peninsula makes the perfect backdrop. Undeniably the grande dame of Hong Kong hotels, it’s a throwback to a glamorous golden age of travel, timelessly elegant but also totally in tune with 21st-century demands. Yes, you can still take afternoon tea amid the lobby’s potted palms and gilded ceilings, while a string quartet plays on the balcony, but there are slick techno features discreetly built into the sumptuous bedrooms and the hotel’s famous green Rolls-Royce Phantoms come with fridges and iPod docks. Pamper yourselves in the spa and pool; choose from eight restaurants and lounges (two of them Michelin-starred); and (grand gesture time) book one of the in-house helicopters for a swooping, soaring flight-seeing trip.

Salisbury Road, Tsimshatsui

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Best for Food: Four Seasons Hong Kong

Four Seasons Hong Kong

The hotel’s two in-house restaurants have five Michelin stars between them. Caprice serves contemporary French cuisine by Chef Fabrice Vulin. Dishes are made with produce flown in daily from France, while the two-star restaurant is home to Hong Kong’s first cheese cellar. Seafood and dim sum are not to be missed at Lung King Heen, the first Chinese restaurant in the world to win the coveted three-star rating – this, in a city packed with stiff competition. You can work off the extra dumplings with a swim in the hotel’s outdoor pool, or embrace the indulgence and carry on the next day with tea and scones at The Lounge. The fashion-forward will enjoy a trip to chic department store Lane Crawford, in the adjacent IFC mall.

8 Finance Street, Central

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Best for Families: Ovolo Southside

Ovolo Southside

The city’s first warehouse to hotel conversion may look too cool for school(kids), but Southside is one of Hong Kong’s most family-friendly districts and Ovolo is the place to stay. In the minibar, you’ll find a complimentary ‘loot bag’ with pre-packed snacks for a fun day out, while Apple TVs in each room have you covered on rainy days too. There’s even a complimentary in-house laundromat. It’s a five-minute cab ride to Ocean Park, a beloved (and, in our opinion, better) alternative to Disneyland. Repulse Bay Beach is a short taxi trip away, where along with sand and sea you’ll find The Pulse, an airy beachfront mall that features restaurants, cafés, boutiques and the Hong Kong branch of popular children’s club Maggie and Rose.

64 Wong Chuk Hang Road   

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Best for Business: Mandarin Oriental

Mandarin Oriental

Along with its central location overlooking the harbour, the iconic MO offers a number of classy settings like the Chinnery, Captain’s Bar and Chinese restaurant Man Wah for closing deals over lunch, drinks or dinner. Plus, you needn’t worry about looking sharp for your meetings: the hotel’s renowned barber and chic salon have got you covered. If there’s time for a little pampering in between pitches, the Mandarin Spa is one of the best in town. And you’re walking distance from the lush nightlife at venues such as Sevva, Zuma, and newcomer Foxglove.

5 Connaught Road Central, Central

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Best for Design: Rosewood Hong Kong

Rosewood Hong Kong
Rosewood Hong Kong

The design of Rosewood Hong Kong is based around the concept of a ‘vertical estate’, with outdoor areas and green spaces incorporated throughout, along with an impressive collection of contemporary artworks. There’s an ultra-luxurious residential feel in the bedrooms, with Loro Piano cashmere on the walls, hammered copper sinks in the white marble bathrooms, and decorative nods to the region’s rich history. Work your way round the nine restaurants and lounges, and you’ll find each has its own distinctive character: there’s an old-school, clubby feel to the grill and smokehouse; Dark Side bar is all louche, low-lit glamour; and Butterfly Patisserie was modelled on a high-end jewellery atelier, with cakes taking the place of jewels in the gleaming glass cabinets.

Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

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Best for Conscious: Cordis Hong Kong

Cordis Hong Kong

The list of on-site amenities at the Cordis Hong Kong is long and varied, from its spa, fitness centre and rooftop pool to four restaurants and bars, including the one-Michelin-starred Ming Court. Just as appealing to ethically minded travellers is the fact that the hotel has also achieved Platinum status from EarthCheck, which works to improve sustainability in the travel and tourism industry. Across every aspect of the hotel’s day-to-day running, steps are being taken to help minimise its environmental footprint, whether it’s installing LED lighting and new showerheads to reduce energy and water consumption; phasing out single use products; sourcing sustainable seafood for the restaurant menus; or seeking out more eco-friendly textiles for bed linens, towels and uniforms.

555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok

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Best for Views: The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton

Panoramas of the Hong Kong skyline are in no short supply at the Ritz-Carlton, one of the world’s highest hotels, occupying the upper floors of the International Commerce Centre (ICC). It’s difficult to beat the view from Ozone, officially the world’s highest bar, on the hotel’s 118th floor, where superb (if pricey) cocktails add an extra sense of vertigo. At the Lounge and Bar, a cool alternative for catching the sunset over the city, call ahead for a seat by the window. A convenient West Kowloon location, top-drawer service and that trademark Ritz cachet round out the experience.

International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West

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