Asia - Where to stay in HK????

In HK for two nights in early December...I want to stay somewhere close to shopping, pref 4 star or better. Where (besides the penn) should I stay??

Thanks!!

The one beside the Pen is the Sheraton :)

There is plenty of choice: Intercontinental, Shangri-La, Mandarin, Conrad, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, etc. etc.

I think you need to be a bit more specific in your requirements to get any useful advice.

What type of shopping are interested in? High fashion? Electronics? Knock offs?

The Island Shangri-La, Conrad, and JW Marriott are all connected to this very high-end mall:

http://www.pacificplace.com.hk/homepage.html

The Peninsula has their own shopping center on the lower levels. The stores are very exclusive:

http://hongkong.peninsula.com/phk/information_06.html

Mandarin Oriental will not be a bad choice, if you prefer high-end shopping. The Landmark, Prince's Building, Chater House and Alexendra House all transferred into high end shopping malls. Armani has opened flagship stores within the complexes, and you can get anything from Zegna (my favorites) to Versace (which i dislike).

There are two Marco Polos on Canton Street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The HONG KONG Marco Polo is much newer with great restaurants and Ocean City Harbour is at the base. It is the best for shopping and value.

Peninsula is great choice with a wonderful view and the Grand Hyatt is not bad either, but not really in the middle of shopping.

Avoid the Ritz, great hotel, but you have to walk a bit to the shopping area.

Neither of the Shangri-la's are epicenters of shopping, but they're no more than 2 blocks away from the best stores. The Holiday Inn (Golden Mile) is closer than the Shangri-la's.

Too bad you're not coming until the summer when the new Four Seasons opens its doors.

Avoid the Ritz, great hotel, but you have to walk a bit to the shopping area.

Neither of the Shangri-la's are epicenters of shopping, but they're no more than 2 blocks away from the best stores. The Holiday Inn (Golden Mile) is closer than the Shangri-la's.
Well that sort of depends. the Ritz is within 400 metres of both the central upmarket shopping (Prince's Building, Landmark, etc.) and Pacific Place.

The Island Shangri-La has an entrance directly into Pacific Place.

So it really depends what sort of shopping you have in mind.

There are two Marco Polos on Canton Street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The HONG KONG Marco Polo is much newer with great restaurants and Ocean City Harbour is at the base. It is the best for shopping and value.

There are three Marco Polo hotels there. Marco Polo Hong Kong hotel is actually the oldest, but is the most upscale one, and closest to the Star Ferry, and many rooms with harbor view. The Marco Polo Gateway and Marco Polo Prince are newer, but cheaper and not as nice - and I don't think either one has harbor view rooms. All are connected to or on top of the Harbour City shopping arcade.

I really liked the Langham Place in Mongkok. :-: It's only partly open yet but the rooms are nice and very high-tech. Didn't notice any noise either.
Was very cheap when we went (HK$888).

The Island Shangri-La is very nice but much more expensive.
The Sheraton is cheaper but I didn't like the feeling of the place.

Langham on Peking Road is not expensive at all. It is around HKD 1100.00 only. It is also a member of Leading Hotels of the World. It is close to Ocen City, Penn, and the star ferry terminal. Chinese Arts and Crafts is also located around the corner in Star House.

A suite in Mandarin Oriental runs around HKD 3,000 now.

Probably better to stay on the HK side. JW Marriott or Island Shang.

If Kowloon then the Penn is a good choice.

I will second the Hong Kong Marco Polo. You can spend days in Ocean Center and its linked shops.

I second the Island Shangri-La suggestion: great service, connected to a high-end mall, on top of the Admiralty MTR (Subway) station which allows you to go to both Kowloon and Hong Kong. JW Marriott didn't quite measure up to the quality of the Island Shangri-La.

The Grand Hyatt and the Intercontinental are also very nice, but both are further away from the subway.

Is the Four Seasons open yet? Anyone had experience?

I'd recommend them both. Island Shangri-la is good, but there really isn't that much to do within walking distance. You have to use taxi or MTR.

Unfortunately the Four Seasons won't be open until next summer...if not later! I wonder what the restaurants will be.

Unfortunately the Four Seasons won't be open until next summer...if not later! I wonder what the restaurants will be.

I've been looking at the restaurant openings at recent Four Seasons openings. My guess is that there will be a high end Italian restaurant, an haute-chinois restaurant, a mid-level trendy pan-Asian restaurant (think sushi and satay), and a casual all-day dining facility.

The Grand Hyatt and the Intercontinental are also very nice, but both are further away from the subway.


For what it's worth, the Grand Hyatt is a short walk to White Star's Wan Chai ferry terminal. But I'd agree that subway access is more important than ferry. The Kowloon Hyatt on Nathan Road isn't bad either and close to Tsim Tsa Tsui station, but the neighborhood is a tourist ghetto, in my opinion.

What about the Sheraton? It looks pretty nice. How is it's location? I want to be close to upscale shops but also have access to the large knock off markets.

If you are looking for a mid-priced offering, The Excelsior is relatively cheap and is adjacent to a major shopping/nightlife area (Causeway Bay). It also has more expensive harbour view rooms that are quite nice. You will have more opportunities around Causeway Bay (which is more of a local hang out) to visit many of the small stores/shopping centers that sell unique items, rather than expensive name brand stuff that you can get anywhere.

It is managed by Mandarin Oriental.

http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hotel/517000001.asp

What about the Sheraton? It looks pretty nice. How is it's location? I want to be close to upscale shops but also have access to the large knock off markets.

Sheraton will be a nice location as well. The shopping arcade of the Sheraton and the Peninsular across the road make up the high-end shopping scene in Tsim Sha Tsui area. Harbour City (with over 800 shops) is just less than 10 minutes walk away, they have some high and middle end stuff over there too. A bus ride or an underground (MTR) ride will take you to Mongkok, where you can find very cheap and knock off stuff. Mongkok is around 10 minutes away by the MTR, while maybe up to 30 minutes away by bus during rush hours.



Harbour City:
http://www.harbourcity.com.hk/hc/en/frontpage.html