We chose Hong Kong as our layover city, knowing it would be our last hurrah before having a child. As many of you know, view is very important to us and in this case, we wanted the classic vantage point from Kowloon looking out onto Hong Kong Island. We were torn between the Ritz Carlton, the Intercontinental and the Peninsula but ultimately chose the Peninsula due to the recent well-received refurbishment and it being such an iconic hotel. On arrival, we used the Rolls Royce transfer service which was worth the USD $200. We were greeted coming off the jet bridge and personally escorted via golf cart through the labyrinth that is the Hong Kong airport. Our escort remained with us through immigration and baggage location all the way to the car itself. We still had to wait in the immigration line, but our escort was there with us, helping us get everything in order while making small talk.

Room

We were taken directly to our Deluxe Harbor View Suite (quadruple upgrade???) for check in. We had booked a Grand Deluxe Harbor View room and knew to ask for a high floor to guarantee the best view. The upgrade was a pleasant surprise since Virtuoso upgrades don’t usually apply to this room category. Part of our view was taken up by Museum rooftops and one corner of our suite even looked into the back of the Intercontinental (which was ironic considering we almost stayed there). But it was a stunning suite at nearly 1200 square feet with lots of windows fronting the harbor. We loved the telescope for observing the harbor, the overall sleek design and black lacquered wood , the tablet that controlled all aspects of the room from lighting to room service, and the big marble bathroom with a corner tub….not to mention every possible amenity that we did not know we needed until it was there.

Service

Service was very good except in the heavily touristed lobby lounge (which was painfully slow until we asked them to hurry things up a bit).

Dining

Overall, the food was wonderful with the standout being the dim sum and the beautiful buffet breakfast. Though I thought afternoon tea was just OK.

Activities

With our brief time in Hong Kong, we took a junk harbor tour aboard the Aqualuna and Mr. Ericka had some shirts made at Ascot Chang.

Photos