arjay66

Travelling to Hong Kong for 9 days in July, we are a family of four with a 12 and 13 year old, would like some recommendations on where to stay, my pick at this stage is the four seasons? Are there any hotels in hk with balconies? We have been to Disneyland and Disney World, is hk Disneyland worth it? Is it just a day trip? Any other attractions that we shouldn't miss?

rhkkmk

lots of lovely hotels.. i just stayed at the jw marriott and liked it a lot--no balcony, nor did i see any but there must be some..

rkkwan

Not aware of any major hotel in the city with balconies. The MO enclosed their balconies years ago. There are some with private terraces like some pricey suites at the IC.

Since the OP mentioned Disneyland, their main hotel does have seaview rooms with balconies.

Cicerone

I think the Four Season is an excellent choice, esp with kids in the summer. They will want a pool, and the Four Seasons has two large ones and a big pool deck. A nice poolside restaurant for guests only. It is attached to a mall which the kids can wander on their own (with money) – although all of Hong Kong is quite safe and kids that age could wander most anywhere. There is also a movie theatre in the mall which may be good for an evening or if you get a rainy day. It’s also attached by walkways to the mid-level escalators, which again kids may enjoy wandering on their own. Walkable to the Star Ferry.

Note that the land in front of the hotel is currently a huge construction site, as they are building an underground highway. Get a room on as high a floor as you can. Views from upper floors are not affected, but the view from the lobby does not currently impress; especially at night when construction lights are all over the place. You may have some slight noise issues with construction in the evenings, hard to say. It may be fine with their double windows, but again another reason to go for a high floor. While a harbour view is quite pretty, their Peak view rooms have good city and mountain views and could be an option (and would not have the noise issues).

As you seem to have a nice budget, the other place to consider would be the Intercontinental on the Kowloon side which also has a nice pool area and of course has The View. The JW Marriott mentioned above is in a complex with the Island Shangri-La and the Conrad, any of which would be good. (Marriott rooms are probably the smallest). They have nice pools but to be honest, cannot compete with the Four Seasons for size and deck area. The Penn of course could be on the list, most of their pool is indoors and kids may not find the whole set up as much fun.

There are almost no balconies in Hong Kong hotels. Has something do to with how tax rates are applied to the space, and something else to do with space available for rooms. The Mandarin got rid of their lovely balconies in the redo a few years ago. I believe some suites in the Penn or Intercon may have balconies. But IMO with a big picture window you are just as fine. In July you ain’t gonna want to sit on a balcony. Too hot and too humid. (Typed from my own balcony in Hong Kong, lovely in the extreme in Jan, but where you pretty much don’t find me in July….)

I do not think HK Disney is “worth it”, but I don’t have kids. If your kids have been to the other parks, they will find HK’s very small. In any event, I would avoid a weekend or a public holiday (July 1 if you are here then, there usually are fireworks in the harbour; in that case the Intercon would be the preferred choice). One of our home grown amusement parks, like Ocean Park, may be more interesting (http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/f_index.html) or going out on a boat to see pink dolphins http://www.hkdolphinwatch.com or someplace like Kadoorie farms http://www.kfbg.org.hk/. Or a hike or kayak trip in the New Territories would be quite enjoyable in the summer see http://www.kayak-and-hike.com. Then seafood in Sai Kung or the wonderful restaurant One Thirty One.

arjay66

Thank you so much your reply has been very helpful am now looking at the intercontinental, and very grateful for not having to spend another day at Disney!

annesherrod

We stayed at the JW Marriot about 9 months ago and absolutley loved it.

As Cicerone mentions it is connected to a complex with amazing shopping/restaurants etc... It is very safe. The metro is a short walk through the complex as well.

It is also in walking distance of HOng KOng Park which is a fun place to walk around for childrena and adults!

The concierge level at this hotel is by far the best in the Marriot family or really anywhere I have stayed. It has its own chef and is multi-level with beautiful views of the mountains and harbor! The food is out of this world!
They have a high tea as well and the baked goods are exquisite!