Harbourfront luxury
Linked to the upmarket IFC (International Finance Centre) building and shopping mall, the striking glass front of this luxury hotel stands proud against the bottle green of Victoria Harbour. The lobby was made for gawping, with its triple height window framing the Central Star Ferry pier outside and the ebb and flow of bankers, tycoons, tai pans and tai tais inside. All of the rooms were redone during the pandemic in appropriately luxurious (if a little predictable) golds and dark woods, with big marble bathrooms, smart TVs, Bose speakers and sleep menus that feature bedtime foot massages and Tibetan singing bowl rituals. A more exciting new addition is Argo, a mirrored birdcage of a cocktail bar filled with beautiful people in their best plumage. Three restaurant – Caprice, Lung Kin Heen, Sushi Saito – share seven Michelin stars between them. The pool terrace lapped by the harbour and expansive holistic spa are also strong draws.
Address: Four Seasons, 8 Finance St, Central, Hong Kong
The Landmark Mandarin Oriental
For the socialising
When you ask a Hong Kong taxi driver to take you to Man Wah (the Mandarin), the first thing they’ll ask you is, ‘old or new?’ The Landmark Mandarin Oriental is the newer of the two, the fashionable little sister located on Queen’s Road, a few blocks away from the original. Hemmed in by high-rises there are no views worth mentioning. Instead, all eyes are on the Joyce Wang interiors, the Michelin star food and the fashionable clientele (the hotel was said to have been a favourite of Giorgio Armani). The 113 rooms are contemporary yet cosseting, with champagne-gold walls and dark wooden floors, angular headboards and subtle industrial touches – anodized metals, ridged surfaces, track lighting. Then there’s the spa, which unfurls over two levels and includes a swimming pool, a hammam, steam rooms, saunas and a Bastien Gonzales Mani-Pedi studio. Amber is one of the few restaurants in Asia to have achieved a Green Michelin star.
Address: The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
