In the history of specialty tidbits offered up by hotels, there are a few standout items for which we've happily said "charge it to the room:" first there was the premium espresso at the Fairmont Chicago, then came the Gansvoort's sex kit, and now we're all too enticed by the fancy French macaron set at the Four Seasons Hong Kong.
A "macaron," in contrast to the coconut macaroon, is actually a delicate little thing made of egg whites, almond powder and sugar, which resembles a mini pastel hamburger. Of course, Four Seasons will offer nothing but the best macarons, sourcing a selection from Ladurée, the Parisian patisserie which originally begot the handmade cakes back in the 1930s.
Primly packaged sets of 6 macarons are available at the Four Seasons Hong Kong in your choice of caramel, strawberry, pear, or the current currant favorite.
Let's hope this begins a trend; we can imagine at least some Ferrero Rocher at Courtyard by Marriott.
Back when the Langham Place Hotel in Hong Kong had just opened back in 2004 we were excited to hear them talk about "omnipresent Wi-Fi" but a little skeptical about whether or not it would live up to the hype. So we thought we'd better check back in on what guests are saying now that the dust has settled.
For starters, TripAdvisor ratings now have it as the #1 hotel in Hong Kong. This is, surely, a good start. But as is so often the case, few guests seem to be as obsessed with WiFi access as we are. One was happy about the internet enabled computers provided free for guest use, but otherwise guest comments don't mention internet access at all.
The website assures us that since November 2007 (at least), all their rooms have had wireless broadband available at no extra cost; most rooms offer wired access too, if you want to plug in instead. And it's definitely all free.
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
A hotel with a name like the City Garden Hotel in the North Point area of Hong Kong does give us the impression that we might see a garden outside our window. That obviously depends on the room, because this anti-view shows nothing but dizzyingly tall apartment blocks. In fact, we find it scary enough just looking at the photo, and don't think we could stand looking at it in real life.
Despite the fear-of-heights rooms, the City Garden Hotel is a reasonable spot to stay and is convenient to the MTR (railway) as well as Hong Kong's convention center. They have some interesting deals on--including, for some reason, a Graduation Dinner Package which is available all year round. Presumably throwing a graduation dinner is big in Hong Kong because they offer banquets for a minimum of 40 people. Rates for a room to crash in after your big dinner start at HK$750 (just under US$100) but you can pay top dollar for the larger suites--especially, we presume, the ones with the giddy views. If you want them.
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
What would you be expecting if you booked into a hotel called the Harbour View International House? Even if it does sound like some form of budget accommodation, being owned by the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, there is some expectation associated with a name like "Harbour View."
Well, you don't always get what you expect, and that's certainly the case with this view from a room in the Harbour View. This view, in case you're wondering, is not a harbor: sure, there's a strip of mirror showing us some activity on the street but most of it's just dirty concrete. According to the website, there are also rooms with views over Victoria Harbour, but perhaps it pays to ask for one of these specifically.
The Peninsula Hong Kong, is consistently rated one of the world's top hotels. Not only does the hotel boast not one, but two Trumpian helipads, visible in Google Earth, but it also seems to please its most recent guests:
Stayed at the Peninsula for 2 nights on a recent business trip to Asia and I must say that this is truly an outstanding hotel in a highly competitive area... There are certainly other great places to stay in Hong Kong but if it comes to individual service and attention to detail, the "Pen" is as close to perfection as one can except from a hotel that considers itself as one of the best hotels in the world.
Looks like beauty isn't just Google Earth deep at the Pen--check out the in-room bath with a view shot, post click.
The New York Times has checked out the Four Seasons Hong Kong which opened last September amid the city's International Finance Center where business professionals and shoppers congregate by the waterfront. The reason why this place is so special is not just because it's a Four Seasons but rather because it is the first major new hotel to open in Hong Kong in 15 years.
The hotel has five restaurants and bars, including a busy lobby lounge. The reporter did get a little lost in translation with the concierge who offered a tea house when the reporter asked for a wonton-noodle restaurant.
The rooms are split between those with Chinese-style decor and those with more Western influences. But all are big, at close to 500 sq. feet with floor to ceiling windows and 42-inch plasma televisions.
The hotel also as a spa, two outdoor infinity pools, a fitness center and decidedly poor business center on the 45th floor with only three computers, and costs about $6.60 for 15 minutes.
Blogger Megnut let's all you travel voyeurs spy a morning of her vacation in Asia:
The hotel we're staying at in Kowloon has a lovely pool on its roof with views across the harbor to Hong Kong. And for whatever jet-lag-related reason I don't understand, we've been waking up around 6:30 AM every morning. So we've taken to heading to the pool for a nice morning swim.
Afterwards, we head downstairs for our complimentary morning breakfast buffet which is amazing. I've been eating a huge plate of tropical fruits every morning while I enjoy a nice strong cup of coffee and read the South China Morning Post.
While she doesn't reveal the name of her Kowloon hotel heaven, we are going to go with a Flickr member's best guess, until we here different.
So as far as we are concerned Meg's morning swim and refreshing breakfast took place at the InterContinental Hong Kong.
The 113 room Landmark Mandarin Oriental may not have killer views, however, the property tries to make up for its view lack-ed-ness with slick room design.
The corner rooms feature bathrooms where a tub that fits three serves as the centerpiece. Waterfall shower, double sinks, and windows complete the bathroom design.
Despite the modern design, it is the high tech amenities that really get us going:
The entertainment system is too complex to grasp without effort but features surround sound, scenic picture choices to flash on the plasma screens, spa music on demand, HDTV, cables for you to link an IPOD, video recorder or other device to enjoy through the plasma TV and/or surround sound system. I plugged in my IPOD and it worked albeit after some time getting the settings right. There is high speed internet but to access the wireless net you must first log in on a wired connection (that is not written anywhere). Wireless covers the hotel.
HDTV. Sweet. More hotels should follow that trend.
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by JetSetCD
