TRIED AND TESTED HOTELS
Rosewood Hong Kong; The Mandrake, London
BACKGROUND
In February, with the Covid-19 pandemic in its early stages, I stayed at the Rosewood Hong Kong, which had already instituted many of the measures that have now become familiar to us. Temperature checks were in place at the entrance, staff wore masks and there were lots of hand sanitising stations. In the past six months, further measures have been imposed in Hong Kong, with hotel guests now required to wear masks as well.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
The hotel is in a Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed, 65-storey skyscraper that also contains Rosewood residences and offices and is connected to the K11 Musea shopping mall. The intention is for it to feel like a high-end home, or “elevated residential hotel living”, as they put it, so there are lawns, gardens and terraces, all by interior designer Tony Chi. Although new – it opened in March last year – the hotel contains many references to the history of the location, as well as to the Cheng family that owns Rosewood.
A sweeping cobblestoned drive takes you up from Salisbury Road, the noise of Kowloon left behind you as bonsai and topiary come into view ahead. The hotel entrance faces out towards Victoria Harbour, as if still welcoming people arriving by sea, and the forecourt has several luxury cars with Rosewood number plates.
The lobby is on the second floor, with event space on the third and fourth, the spa on the sixth and seventh and guestrooms on levels 24-40, with some of the top suites positioned on higher floors. The hotel makes the most of its location, with harbour views from the marble-floored, limestone-walled reception area. Art is everywhere, including works by Damien Hirst and Hong Kong’s Wilson Shieh, and a startling life-sized sculpture by Indian artist Bharti Kher called The Skin Speaks a
Language Not its Own, of an elephant lying down, either resting or dead.
WHERE IS IT?
On the Kowloon side of the city, on the waterfront next to the Avenue of Stars, in an area called Victoria Dockside. You can walk to the hotel from East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station (follow the signs for exit K or J).
ROOMS
The 413 rooms (which include 91 suites) start at a huge 53 sqm, with the suites starting at 92 sqm. More than 80 per cent of the rooms have harbour views, with the rest overlooking Kowloon Peak. They feature very large beds, lacquer panelling, Loro Piana navy wool wall coverings, and bathrooms with freestanding tubs and twin showers. Suite and Club Grand Harbour View room guests get access to the 40th-floor Manor Club, which has outdoor terraces, food and a bar serving free evening cocktails (access can be purchased by guests in lower-category rooms – this was an extra HK$1,980/£194 per night when we checked).
FOOD AND DRINK
The nine dining and drinking venues (some are currently closed) range from Holt’s Café, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, to the fine-dining Legacy House, which has a focus on regional Shunde cuisine, a type of Cantonese cooking. The all-day Butterfly Room serves afternoon tea, and the Butterfly Patisserie looks more like a high-end jeweller and offers cakes, gelatos, sorbets and handmade chocolates. Dark Side bar has nightly live jazz and an al fresco terrace overlooking the harbour. Connected to the mall but still part of the hotel is Bayfare Social, offering Spanish cuisine with Asian touches, and smokehouse restaurant Henry, led by British chef Nathan Green.
MEETINGS
There is 3,200 sqm of venue space, including a pillarless ballroom that seats 780 guests for a banquet.
LEISURE
The gym is huge and the Asaya spa has facilities so extensive it would need another review to cover (both were closed as we went to press).
The hotel makes the most of its location, with harbour views from reception
VERDICT
One of the best and most luxurious hotels in Hong Kong.