I'm looking for suggestions for luxury hotels in Hong Kong. I'll be there in March for 2 days at the start of a longer trip, and 2 days at the end -- so I'd like recommendations for 2 different hotels, preferably in different neighborhoods. I'm fortunate that for this particular trip, price is not a consideration. The hotels I'm considering are Mandarin Oriental (original one), Peninsula, Ritz Carlton, and Intercontinental. Which two would you choose?

peninsula, shangri-la and madanrin oriental come to mind...

I;d probably choose the Pen for one stay, and I'd consider the Island Shangri-La for a nice contrast. The Ritz, of course, is very nice.

The Peninsula and The Intercontinental.

There are no better views of the harbor from a room in HK than at the IC

Aloha!

Well, I would choose a hotel one side of the harbour and then stay on the other side for The other 2 days, that will give you different views and different feelings. The Peninsula for the Kowloon side would be first choice with the Intercon behind it. The Mandarin for the Hong Kong Island side with probably a dead heat with the Four Seasons; the Mandarin is bit more central location, but the Four Seasons has much larger rooms. March, unfortunately, is not a great weather month here, it tends to be cool and foggy, so you won't get much use out of the Four Seasons pool which is a plus in summer (the Mandarin has a very small indoor pool) only. You might look at prices and room size and availability and see what interests you out of the four. If price really is no object, go for a corner suite on a high floor at the Penn, preferably on the west side of the building.

The Ritz-Carlton is closing at the end of this year so can't be on your list.

hi , changing the subject slightly , is ther a service apartment in the central area that is 5 star , ive tried the four seasons ,but they are full . 18th nov -20th dec thx all

Try the Pacific Place Apartments at Parkside (in the same complex as the Marriott/Contrad/Island Shangri-La hotels, go to http://www.pacificplace.com.hk/living/live_index.html). I believe that the Parkview apartments, which is a very nice luxury flat complex up on top of the hill above Happy Valley has some serviced apartments which they let on a short-term basis, go to http://www.hongkongparkview.com. Some of the best walking and hiking in Hong Kong would literally be out the front door, there is a pool, kids play area and grocery store in the complex, and a shuttle to Central. There is also the Convention Plaza in the Grand Hyatt Hotel complex, (go to http://www.conventionplazaapartments.com, you can also rent these through individual owners, try the South China Morning Post newspaper). Also try Two MacDonnell Road (at http://www.twomr.com.hk). They have a nice location near to Bowen Road. These would not be at quite the same luxury level as the ones above.

Someone told me that The Repulse Bay Apartments also has serviced apartments, and I just looked at the website and that appears to be the case. If you know Hong Kong, and want to be on the South Side, that would be a good choice. Nice location for kids in terms of the beach and close to Stanely, it is green and quiet; not so great if you want to spend a lot of time in the city parts of Central. Take a look at http://www.therepulsebay.com/apartments/dericou.html.


There are some brand new serviced apartments in Wan Chai which appear to be nice although they are rather small studios (I have not seen them myself), but the company has two others on Hong Kong Island, and the ones in Causeway Bay are 1800 sqaure foot 2-bedroom units that might be more workable, take a look at http://www.thev.hk/. I don't know anything about this group or the quality of the apartments. There are no pools and the fitness clubs appear to be private ones at which you would have temporary membership and are located a few blocks away. The area of Causeway Bay in which they are located is quite congested, but very close to Victoria Park and there is some great shopping in the area. I don't have any idea of the prices. The one in Happy Valley is in a bit quieter location, yet pretty convenient to transport. The area has some good restaurants and is a mix of European expats and locals (the French international school is nearby). Although the map does not show it, the street is on a somewhat steep hill.

Cic,

Hope you liked Kona!

Aloha!

Kona was great! I liked the Big Island even more than Maui. We kayayed and snorkeled in Kealakekua Bay which was fantastic, a great wall of coral full of fish and some turtles too. My sister and I volunteered at the Ironman which was a hoot -- what fun it was to meet the athletes -- even if those people are just plain crazy to do that sport. It was 95 degrees F in town and 105 out on the bike and marathon course on race day....