rebeca

i am going to hong kong soon and have a reservation at the grand hyatt but a friend just got back and said the island shangra la was great - any opinions on which is better? i have heard both are good - i know grand hyatt is a little out of the way but stil nice

Cicerone

I am not a fan of the Grand Hyatt for two reasons: view and location. You won't get the famous view of the skyline here, as many rooms face the huge interior courtyard and pool area, and the rest look over the water to Kowloon. The location is actually not that convenient, as it is a bit out of the way in Wan Chai and you may end up taking more taxis than you wish. (I also think the décor is in slightly bad taste, a bit too much black marble and huge crystal chandeliers for me.)

The Island Shangrai-La is a beaitufl hotel, a little smaller and the lobby and other public areas are not so overpowering. They have several excellent restaurants. It is much more conveniently located, IMO, than the Grand Hyatt. They are conveniently located in a shopping complex and you can walk easily to many parts of Hogn Kong, either west toward Central, or east toward Wan Chai. There are several good restaurants in the neighborhood. They are on the edge of Hong Kong Park, which is a nice bit of green in the middle of the city. (If you want a great walk, go through Hong Kong Park and up a steep hill to Bowen Road, which is flat and goes on for about 2 miles with excellent views. Drawbacks are that the rooms are not huge, and many have "mountain view" which means you look out onto greenery but not the harbour or even the Peak. If you can get a harbour view room or a room with a Peak view, this would be a good choice. As with the Grand Hyatt, the harbour view is really of the "wrong" side, i.e., it is not of the Hong Kong skyline. However you will see some of the skyline if you hav a harbour view, as the hotel is in from the water and up a hill; as opposed to the Grand Hyatt which is on the water.

Kathie

I prefer to stay in Kowloon. I've stayed at the Shangra La on Kowloon, which is lovely, and of course, there is the Peninsula.

HKTraveler

If I were a tourist in HK, I'd pick Island Shang. You can't go wrong with either since both have good rooms, good service, good restaurants and facilities. But the big difference is convenience. The Island Shang is right on top of one of the most popular high end shopping centers in HK. You will have easy access to shopping, the MTR subway station and restaurants. The Grand Hyatt is quite out of the way.

DonTopaz

The Island Shangri-La is one of the best hotels in Hong Kong, just a notch below the very elite (Peninsula, Mandarin, InterContinental).

Note that the Conrad and the JW Marriott are also very good hotels, and they are at the same location as the Island Shangri La (all connected directly to Pacific Place). You can usually get better rates at the Conrad and Marriott (compared to the Island Shang).

I would not recommend the Kowloon Shangri La until the nearby construction work is finished. Traffic is even more congested than usual, and the waterfront promenade is closed.

Kathie

Eek! The promendae is closed? Do anyone know for how long? I'm headed to Hong Kong at the end of April, and walking along the promenade at night is one of my favorite things to do in Hong Kong!

DonTopaz

I was mortified as well; the Promenade is reason alone to visit Hong Kong.

You might be in luck. I was told that the Promenade would re-open in April, but we all know that sometimes these things are on schedule, sometimes not. In any event, a small section of the Promenade is still open, from the art museum to the Star Ferry. (The walk is closed from the Salisbury Gardens all the way up to at least the Nikko hotel.)

Kathie

Thanks so much for the info - I'll keep my fingers crossed!