One of the perks of this job is travelling half way round the world to spend six days in 4 and 5 star hotels,enjoy hosted banquets and fantastic hospitality,all in the line of work!! Victoria recently visited Hong Kong on such a trip,so if you’ve ever wondered about this exotic and exciting destination,read on below:
In December I was given the amazing opportunity, a Work excursion to Hong Kong, here is my account of a fabulous 6 days.
Hong Kong is a very vibrant city which has lots to offer; fantastic as a 10 day vacation or a 4 day stop over while on route to Australia.
The Flight takes 12 hours, they are 8 hours ahead and the currency is the Hong Kong Dollar
There are a number of different areas in Honk Kong – The main 2 are Hong Kong Island and Kowloon
I stayed on Hong Kong Island and I was very lucky to stay at the Island Shangri-La 5 star hotel. It was amazing, as I walked through the entrance I was greeted by the management and the LARGEST Christmas tree you have ever seen, there were 56 floors in the Hotel and my room was on the 50th. The room had a superb view of Victoria Harbour and completely blew me away. The Hotel has 7 restaurants and one has a Michelin Star. That night we dined in the hotel.
We then ventured into Lan Kwai which I would advise everyone to visit. In the evening it’s a lively street lined with stylish Restaurants and trendy bars, after seeing a few different bars we decided to return to the hotel.
The following day we looked at the a number of hotels Below I have listed my 2 favourites in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon which rank from 4 – 5 star
Start With Hong Kong Island Hotels
Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong 5 Star
Fantastic hotel, very Glamorous and will meet all expectations. As it was Christmas time the hotel was decorated in fresh red roses with crystal from their florist even the Christmas trees had red roses on them. The hotel has 10 restaurants and bars to choose from .Outside the rooms they have a wardrobe especially for your paper or breakfast so they do not have to disturb you in the morning. If you stay at this hotel for 3 nights they will offer you a free night.
Eaton Smart Hong Kong 4 star
This hotel is very modern, they have lots of different aspects that make you want to stop and look one of the walls has a garden growing from it. In the lobby there is a huge giant bird cage. Sounds bizarre but looks fantastic. This hotel is a must to stay in or just go to see minimalism with a twist. It has 7 restaurants, 465 rooms, a great roof top pool ideal for going to with friends and trying the drinks menu, a great central location and the hotel comes in at very reasonable price.
The one Hotel I was not impressed with was the Traders hotel – it was a very big disappointment as they have one in Singapore and it’s a fantastic 4 star stay. It was very expensive and was nowhere near a 4 star rating.
Kowloon
Langham Place 5 star
Very Funky, cool hotel and amazing links to shopping mall. Hotel has 665 rooms and 42 levels .The hotel colours are grey, pink and green. Sounds bizarre but works really well, very upbeat feel and the rooms have a very modern minimalist feel. In the rooms a complimentary yo yo is a very nice touch to while away time. To sum up, good location, ideal for something different for a ladies holiday or a young couple.
Harbour Grand Kowloon (formerly known as the Harbour Plaza Hong Kong)
Located on the waterfront offering fantastic views of the Harbour, the hotel offers 554 rooms. We dined in the Promenade Restaurant at this hotel; the food was great with lots of different choices so if you are fussy they have something for everyone. The Waterfront bar and Terrace is the place to be seen and dine. This hotel offers luxury on all levels.
Things to do in Kong Hong
Take a tram ride to Victoria peak – The peak has the best views of Hong Kong and if you look at the hotels you can see a lot of effort has gone into building these. On one of the hotels there is a Kuala bear hugging it then on another there are guns pointing at another – the architecture is amazing also. At the top off the peak there is Madame Tussauds and a few places to eat. I would recommend you take a full day to do this as there is so much to see and do.
Go and see the largest Buddha in the world – there is a cable car journey to the Buddha – you can have a glass floor one or a covered one depending on how much you want to see and how you deal with heights . Once you get there you then climb the 268 steps up to the Buddha. The Buddha was constructed in 1990 and finished in 1993. It’s amazing to see .This trip will take you a whole day.
Take a ride around the fishing village on one of the local boats cost is about 5 dollars.
Hong Kong also has its own Disney Land it’s smaller than the one in Paris but a must to see –this will take you a full day.
Also take the star ferry over to Kowloon and at 8 o Clock every night there is a laser show which is done from the top of the hotels. This lasts about 40minutes.
Take a trip to the ladies late night market were you grab all your bargains – make sure you wear flat shoes as you will end up buying lots of items – this is where you need to be very good at haggling .
I had an amazing time in Hong Kong and would defiantly visit again; it has so much to offer.
Flights are direct with Virgin
Transfer time is approximately 40 minutes
And also Hong Kong has the best chocolate and cakes, their speciality is chicken legs which I tried but I prefer the Chocolate.
If you have any questions or want to know more about Kong Hong please call the office on 01437 763046
Kind Regards
Victoria
