Check out that junk!
Written: Jan 06 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Comfortable rooms, great service, attention to detail, wonderful view
Cons: None really.
The Bottom Line: Excellent!!
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| vodkaboy's Full Review: Shangri-La Kowloon |
So here I am, sitting at the desk, looking out of the window at a mind-blowing panorama of Hong Kong island lit up with Christmas decorations. Skyscrapers decked out with neon Christmas tree balls, Father Christmas, sleighs, all in addition to the usual night time illuminations. And across the water chugs the Star Ferry, like it has for decades, along with modern pleasure boats, cruisers and speedboats, and from time to time a traditional sampan, or a junk, plying its way across as it has for centuries.
And here I sit, 20 or so floors up; the kettle whistles that I can finish making my cup of coffee; a soft hum from the minibar fridge tells me that my vodka is still cold; a few steps from my door is the lounge, with bar service, business centre services, concierge services, as well as a selection of complimentary Christmas delicacies including lebkuchen, stollen and milk, white or dark chocolate truffles - and oh boy those truffles are divine!
Hong Kong is indeed a blend of old and new, tradition and progress, and here at the Shangri La there is no better way to sample it!
Booking
I was able to get a special rate at the hotel but, if booked direct with the Shangri La, you'll pay around US$320 for a room. Hotels.com offered rates around US$340; Expedia offered US$225 for a basic room, or US$335 for a harbor view, as we had. In general, it looks like the best rates were by booking direct, on the website.
The website (http://www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/kowloon/en/) conveniently gives local weather information, a first that I have not seen before. I also noticed that the website didn't offer a photo tour or an album, but offered: "Map", "Fact Sheet" and "Safety Features". OK, reassuring, but it did get the mind racing!
Arrival and First Impressions
The hotel is located, as the name would suggest, in Kowloon, on the Chinese mainland; the district is called Tsim Sha Tsui. It looks across the harbour to Hong Kong island. The airport is on the neighbouring island, close to the new Hong Kong Disneyland.
From the airport it would be quite easy to take the MTR railway to the hotel but with luggage, and after a long flight, you may opt as we did for a taxi. The public taxis outside the terminal were about half the price of a hotel car and just as quick, we arrived at the hotel about 25 minutes later.
The entrance is quite nondescript, we may as well have been turning into a car park; but we stopped, someone rushed over to help with our bags, and then we were walking into a lobby which instantly confirmed that we were in a grand, five star hotel. There was a glimmering Christmas tree in front of us, stunning decorations all around - some temporary, others not - and to our left was Reception.
The smiling Receptionist took one look at our records and summoned someone. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "Oh yes," she replied, "but you are on the Horizon Floor, you can check in at the Horizon Floor lounge". Instead of calling someone to take us, she calls someone to cover for her while she takes us up to the Horizon rfloor, a small but nice touch.
Up there, on the 20th floor, we are swiftly checked in. As I give my passport details, The Terror has discovered the free chocolates and is emptying the bowl into his pocket. And so it starts...
The Room
Entering the room, there is a large mirror on one side; on the other is the bog standard door to a rather large bathroom with both bath and a separate shower cubicle. Next to the mirror is a cupboard door with slats; why it has slats, I don't know, but The Terror discovered that sliding a coathanger down it makes a loud noise. And he taught the younger one. Several times.
Entering the room itself, on one side is a curved cupboard followed by the refreshments station - minibar underneath, tea and coffee on top. I am sure that hotels must have a name for the area with the shelf where they place the tea, coffee, kettle, etc but I've never heard it.
The room is quite large - specially for Hong Kong, I hear - nicely decorated in browns and beige and the furniture simple but elegant. The bed is a large double, very comfortable. Across from the bed was the obligatory drawers unit and the desk, combined. At the far end were two armchairs, one with a matching footstool, and behind them almost floor-to-ceiling windows with a fantastic panoramic view across the harbour to Hong Kong Island.
There is a large, flat screen TV on the wall opposite the bed. At the back of the desk, a sliding panel opens to reveal two different plugs - UK and European - plus an internet port and even a video input port, so that Laptop can be displayed on the TV screen. "Great," I thought, "I can plug in my laptop and we can watch a DVD on the big screen." Then I discovered that there is also a DVD player in the room, in the cupboard under the TV. There is even a pair of binoculars on the desk - for watching the boats, I assume, as there are no other buildings close enough to be a peeping tom! On one side of the bed was a small alarm clock.
Not to be outdone, the bathroom is also very well equipped with a smaller flat-screen TV on the wall opposite the toilet - so even the call of nature won't tear you away from your favourite TV show! And of course there is the full range of bathroom condiments, with shampoo and shower gel by Aigner.
The room was, by any standard, exceptionally well furnished and comfortable. I can't remember the last time I had binoculars in my hotel room!
Food and Drink
There were plenty of restaurants to choose from in the hotel, catering to a wide range of tastes.
We had dinner one evening in the Shang Palace Chinese restaurant; the food and service were both good, but not exceptional. We were tempted, but didn't try the Nada Man Japanese, but we heard good things about it. For those who want Italian, Angelini is there to supply the pizzas and pastas!
For more casual, the Cafe Kool has buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the Deli Kool is a delicatessen where you can eat in or take away. Near the lifts is the Tapas Bar which I promised that I would visit at least once, but never managed to. Coming and going, we passed the Looby Bar, which has live music in the evenings.
Other Facilities
I visited the Health Club, for a nice and relaxing massage which was quite good. The Health Club has a large, spacious fitness centre with plenty of contraptions to wear you out and a steam room. At the entrance to the Health Club there is a small pool and a jacuzzi. I thought the pool was a plunge pool but it turned out to be the hotel swimming pool. Yes, it is a bit on the small side!
For business or banquets, they have a dozen small meeting rooms and a large room which can hold up to 750 people. There is also a business centre.
The Horizon Club
Being on the Horizon Floor, we got to use the Horizon Club lounges. There are two; on the 20th floor is the check in, business centre with three computers with print and copy facilities, as well as light refreshments. One floor up is the main lounge and bar, where they serve a good breakfast as well as complimentary cocktails and light snacks in the evenings.
Around the Hotel
The hotel is located just next to entrance to the Tsim Sha Tsui East subway station - though it is a bit of a walk from the entrance to the metro MTR trains - and also the overland station for the KCR railway from Kowloon through the New Territories to the border with mainland China. The Star Ferry terminal is also about ten minutes' walk and you can take the famous Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island or to Lantau Island (for the airport, Disneyland or a country park).
Around the hotel are several shopping malls, many with restaurants, and ten minutes walk will also get you to several museums including the Science Museum or the Space Museum.
Summary
in this age of cost cutting, it is the "little extras" that are often the first things to go, but at this hotel the "little extras" and attention to detail are very much there, from the binoculars in the room, to the lifts where the carpet stated the day of the week - changed daily of course! This, along with the good sized, comfortable, well furnished rooms and the exceptional service throughout, makes this an excellent place to stay and we really enjoyed our time here. Well recommended.
Recommended:
Yes
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vodkaboy
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