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Old Feb 25, 2011, 9:21 am
  #11  
okazon69
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: YUL
Posts: 2,115
Langham Place hotel, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

I selected this hotel based on its reviews on Tripadvisor. It seemed to be a good value for money for a more luxurious hotel, much cheaper than the usual suspects like the Peninsula or the Mandarin Oriental. Overall, I was not disappointed, and would stay here again, perhaps with a few small changes.

The hotel is relatively new, in an area that has seen a lot of new development in the last 10-15 years. The first impression is very positive.

Many employees were milling about the lobby, waiting to serve. Checkin was quick and efficient, and I made my way to the 36th floor. I had booked a "Sweet Place" room, which is a two room suite. The view toward the West wasn’t the best, but nevertheless impressive.

The living room features a couch and couple of chairs and small table, a large TV and a kitchenette, as well as a small powder room. I didn’t use the kitchenette, but it would certainly be convenient to have for a longer stay. A water boiler was constantly on at 98 degrees C, so a cup of tea or instant noodles was never far away. In the drawer were various useful items including a plug adapter and an Ethernet cable.









The bedroom itself is very comfortable, and the bed is excellent. A hard mattress, combined with soft blankets and many pillows to choose from made for some very good sleep.





The bathroom is separated from the bedroom by a glass wall, which, fortunately, has a shade that can be pulled down. There were both a shower and a bathtub available. The shower door didn’t close 100%, so there was always some water on the floor afterward. No big deal.





The "Sweet Place" room comes with "Club L" privileges. This means access to the club lounge on the 36th floor, where various beverages and snacks are available 24/7. They also have a nice breakfast buffet set up in the morning, which is considerably calmer than the main restaurant "The Place" downstairs. The selection is more limited, of course, but that’s the trade-off.

Breakfast at "Club L".



Breakfast at "The Place".





Overall, I am not certain the Club L is worth paying for. If you are going to be entertaining guests or spending a lot of time at the hotel, maybe, but if you’re going to be around sightseeing, then you’ll likely not have a lot of time to spend at the hotel anyway. At least for me, that was the case.

I did take advantage of the Chuan Spa to have a 1 1/2 hour massage on the 2nd day. That was an overall amazing experience, and while not cheap, certainly worth doing.

The swimming pool on the rooftop is nice, though the weather was a bit cold to really stay outdoors for a long time. Then again, it's likely less unpleasant than July or August!

The hotel has a strange "X ME" theme, where X can be replaced by any number of things, as seen in these pictures. Funky and modern, I suppose.









If I did stay here again, I would probably just book a standard room and forgo the free food and drink from Club L. Given the limited amount of time I did spend in the hotel, mainly asleep, I personally think it's not worth paying for the extra touches.

The hotel is attached to the Langham Place mall, where many shopping opportunities, a food court, and movie theatres are available. Of course, the really fancy shops are elsewhere, but there are ample choices here for clothing or cosmetics, for example.

Nearby are several markets, notably the Ladies Market and Sai Yeung Choi Street South. These are fun to walk through, though the items they offer do seem repetitive after a while.

(I won't post more pictures of the area here, as there are any number available on the 'net!)

Last edited by okazon69; Feb 25, 2011 at 5:47 pm
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