Mary

We are attending a meeting in Hong Kong in October which spouses attend as well. Looks like the Excelsior has been selected as the location. I don't care for huge hotels but we are obligated to at least spend 5 nights there with our group of about 60. Afterwards my husband & I may wish to move to something intimate and boutique-like, perhaps in an upscale neighborhood anywhere in the Hong Kong area. Any suggestions?

PeterN_H

The Metro Park Hotel, 148 Tung Lo Wan Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island (Tin Hau MTR), telephone (852) 2600-1000, Fax (852) 2600-1111 might fit the bill nicely. Have a look at www.metroparkhotel.com. It has 261 rooms and suites, and is a bright, newly-opened, 31-storey tower, with fresh modern rooms featuring plenty of glass and wood, and luxurious goose-down duvets, along with high-tech amenities such as broadband Internet access. 70% of the rooms have excellent harbour views along the north shore, and there!?s a spectacular swimming pool occupying most of the top of the hotel!?s flat roof. A regular free shuttle bus links it to shopping in Causeway Bay, a short distance away. In recent years I've been mostly staying at The Peninsula, The Mandarin Oriental, and the Grand Hyatt, but having visit the Metro Park I think I might stay there next time.

Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Cicerone

To the best of my knowledge, there are no boutique hotels in Hong Kong, if by "boutique" you mean a small (50 rooms or less) luxury hotel which feels intimate and is not part of a chain. Land is just too expensive for a small hotel to be profitable. You might consider going across the harbour and staying at the Peninsula, which is a fabulous hotel. Their rooms in the tower have endless views (telescopes provided in the suites). The corner suites are really something. The lobby is pure white marble. Felix on the top floor of the tower, is one of the best restaurants in Hong Kong, with views to match. Staying on the Kowloon side after a week on the Hong Kong Island side will give you a different view of Hong Kong, literally and figurelitively. The Intercontinental (formerly the Regent) is also here, another fine hotel. They have several good restaurants, including a Chinese seafood restaurant called Yu which is very good. Their main casual restaurant has great views and is good for lunch. The lobby lounge is great for tea or evening drinks to watch the lights come up over the city.

The smallest luxury hotel is probably the Ritz-Carlton, so that might come closest to being a boutique hotel (although a chain). It is on Hong Kong Island, in a very good location. Get a harbour view as opposed to a city/mountain view room. The Mandarin Oriental is just down the street and is the grand dame of Hong Kong. Have tea in the lobby if you don't stay here.

The most upscale neighbourhoods in Hong Kong are the Peak and areas around Repulse Bay. There are no hotels in either area that I am aware of.

The Excelsior is very well located for shopping, as there are myriads of small shops in this area (across the street from the Sogo Dept store). Just wander around the streets and you will find designer fashions at great prices. There are several large shopping areas here as well, which are good but no particular bargains. Victoria Park is a block away which is a nice bit of green. The Talk of the Town restaurant and bar on top of the Excelsior is a good and fun place for dinner or drinks. Eclectic menu and great views.

Kensington

Ritz-Carlton is small and intimate but it is far from being a boutique hotel. Everything from the location to the service style is completely business-oriented. I've stayed there before and felt that it's luxurious but a bit stuffy and dull.

The Mandarin Oriental has a reputation of being a service-oriented property. Service is perfect but facilities are a bit dated (the lobby is VERY dissappointing). If you like the Oriental Bangkok you will like the Mandarin Hong Kong as well.

My favorite property in Hong Kong is the Island Shangri-La in Admiralty. The location is great for both business and leisure (next to Hong Kong Park and Pacific Place, 10 min walk from Central). I believe the hotel is renovating though.

Excelsior is busy but the location is great for shopping. Causeway Bay is a very happening area!

Mary

Great advice from all. Thanks for responding. Will continue to monitor this in case there are more comments.
Mary

HKTraveler

Am from HK and am not aware of any boutique hotel here either. The only thing that comes close is the Gold Coast hotel but it is really out of the way and more a resort than a boutique hotel. Never lived in the Metro Park even though i was at the restaurant once which turns out to be a disaster. It is more of a hotel catering to the mainland chinese and in case you don't know, very close to the excelsior (15 mins walk). If you are looking for something different from the Excelsior, why not try the Peninsula? It's service is impeccable and it also has some of the best restaurants in town!

ASCarverIII

agree with HK Traveler. i stayed at the metro park in march as it was the only place still with rooms available during the Hong Kong Rugby 7s. OK hotel, but not a boutique. it is very close to the excelsior, so you won't get a different view or different neighbourhood. not a very interesting neigborhood, but close to the subway.

Have stayed at the penn (great) and ritz (of course nice, but you could be anywhere in the world). View from the penn is fantastic. Star ferry is also a lot of fun to take across.