The Heart of the Hotel

Destination guide · China

Hong Kong

A vertical city wrapped around one of the world's great harbours, with green mountains and quiet islands twenty minutes behind the towers. Hong Kong suits travellers who want to eat very well, walk a lot and stay somewhere with a view.

Hotels we have scored in Hong Kong

8.5

Regent Hong Kong

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

The Regent is the calm one on the Kowloon waterfront, and for most trips to Hong Kong it's where I'd send you. Rooms cost about half what they do at the Rosewood next door, the staff were warmer, and from the window table in our suite I watched the Star Ferries go back and forth until the sun dropped behind IFC. There's no spa and the main pool doesn't look at the skyline. Book a Harbourview Suite for the club and the space.

8.4

Rosewood Hong Kong

Victoria Dockside, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Rosewood Hong Kong has the best rooms in the city, 53 square metres of marble, lacquer and tartan with the whole harbour in the window, and the Manor Club on the 40th floor is the best club lounge I've used. Outside the club, though, it's a very busy hotel, and the service and breakfast downstairs don't keep up. Book a harbour room with the club, never a Kowloon Peak room, and if that's beyond the budget, take a harbour room at the Regent next door.

8.3

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

Central, Hong Kong

Book the Four Seasons for the food and the staff, but not for the room. No hotel in Hong Kong is better for eating, with seven Michelin stars across Caprice, Lung King Heen and Noi. Our Deluxe Harbour View room was the disappointment, already looking older than its refit, with 45 square metres that filled up fast and a cramped bathroom. At close to Rosewood prices I'd book it for a work trip in Central or a trip built around food, and if you're paying mainly for the room, I'd send you across the harbour.

Why go

The harbour is the heart of it. Crossing on the Star Ferry costs almost nothing and is still the best short boat ride in Asia, and the view back from Victoria Peak explains the whole city in one look.

The food runs from dim sum trolleys and roast goose shops to some of the most decorated dining rooms in the world. Beyond the centre there is far more green than people expect: hiking trails, beaches, fishing villages and the outlying islands.

When to go

October to December is the sweet spot: dry, clear and warm without the humidity. January and February are cooler and good for walking. Spring is mild and often misty. May to September is hot, humid and wet, with a chance of typhoons, though hotel rates are lower.

Where to base yourself

Tsim Sha Tsui, on the Kowloon side, faces the Hong Kong Island skyline and has the classic harbour view from the room. Central and Admiralty, on the Island, put you among the offices, the smart restaurants and the bars, and suit a working trip.

The two sides are minutes apart by ferry or MTR, so the choice is about what you want to see from the window.

What we would build into your trip

A morning walk through Sheung Wan and Sham Shui Po with a local food guide, a proper dim sum lunch booked ahead, and an evening on a boat in the harbour. For a day out, the cable car to the Big Buddha on Lantau with the stilt village of Tai O, or the Dragon's Back trail ending at a beach.

With more time, add the M+ and Hong Kong Palace museums in West Kowloon, and a day in Macau.

Good to know

The Airport Express reaches Hong Kong station in 24 minutes. An Octopus card covers the MTR, trams, ferries and most small purchases. The best restaurants and hotel afternoon teas fill weeks ahead, so we book them before you fly.

The city is steep and humid for much of the year. Pack comfortable shoes and a light layer for the air conditioning.

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