YVR_Traveller

Hi Flyertalk!

I am in the midst of planning a trip to Hong Kong and Taipei this December. Since the trip is for a special occasion with my girlfriend, I want the entire trip from start to finish to be in luxury focused but also budget friendly at the same time. So far, I have booked all the flights using miles and secured J class flights on CX. Now, it's time to book the hotels!

My budget is around $200-300 USD per night and I will be staying in Taipei for 4 nights and Hong Kong for 3 nights. So far, I've narrowed down my choices to a few options but I am also open to hearing new ones. Good location is a must for me, which means close to transit and preferably in a bustling area as we really enjoy being in the middle of the action. We would also prefer more modern finishes to the room and a nice view if possible. A separate bathtub + shower would also be greatly appreciated.

Here is my current shortlist:

Hong Kong
-Intercontinental (pros: great view + location, cons: slightly on expensive end, out-dated rooms)
-Cordis Hong Kong (pros: modern, good location, affordable, cons: don't know much about this brand since I mainly stay at the large chains)
-Shangri-la Kowloon (pros: mid-price, good location beside intercontinental, reputable brand, cons: out-dated rooms, might as well go with the intercontinental)

Taipei
-Grand Hyatt
-Shangri-la

If you were in my shoes, what would you pick? Looking forward to your suggestions!

GetSetJetSet

You won't find luxury in Hong Kong for $200/night.

YVR_Traveller

My budget is $200-300 and the intercontinental prices out to $297 USD/night (including taxes) on my dates + virtuoso amenities and I would definitely consider it a luxury hotel? The shangri-la is even cheaper and Cordis even cheaper than that, which I'm not sure can be considered luxury but the rooms are nice enough.

BENLEE

The Intercontinental can arguably be called luxury but the standard rooms are dated and the bathrooms are from the 80s. Nice views though and F&B is quite good. Cordis, never heard of. Shangri-la Kowloon is at best a decent 4-star hotels.

For Taipei, I quite like the Grand Hyatt, spacious rooms and great location next to Taipei 101. Shangri-la Taipei, if you can get a renovated room is worth a try. Both are more business 5-star than really top end luxury.

Cityflyer10

$200 is tight/impossible for true 5* luxury. Your best bet is to find the area you want to stay in and go through TA reviews. There are some decent looking options around $200, just not really in the purview of this sub-forum.

Also, note that the IC rooms close to your price range are most likely not harbor view, so something to think about. The hotel is also closing next year for major refurbishments so the rooms are old

francophile

Cordis is fka Langham Place Mongkok. Here are some positive comments about the property:
Best Luxury Hotel in Hong Kong

Is your search limited to the Kowloon side?

erik123

IC can be booked through virtuoso for about $350 which offers very good value with all the extras. IC will offer paid upgrade to Harbor View if you email them in advance. The Conrad is also worth a look - and if you have Hilton Gold (e.g. through Amex Plat) you get quite a few extras.

taipeipeter

For Taipei, Shangri-la rooms are probably a bit nicer than GH, but I vastly prefer the GH's location. In HK, I quite liked the old Langham Place Mongkok. In Taipei, you might also look at Le Meridien.

CGRA

There are often 3rd night free at the MO (sometimes on their web site and sometimes via FHR)
If you can have a 3rd night free, you’ll be a little more than your budget but it’ll be true luxury and a different league than IC etc.
Book the golf cart at the airport, it’ll avoid a possible long walk to the immigration and is not that expensive about Usd 30. (Your wife will love it).
Enjoy HK.

BlackHappy

In case you care about these things, the GH is supposedly haunted.

Depending on offers, you may be able to get good rates for MO Taipei.

offerendum

MikeFromTokyo

Regardless of level of “luxury” I think W Taipei would be a good choice. In Hong Kong, I think IC with Ambassador status would be a good choice. S-L could also be a good choice, and Island S-L may be reasonably close to within budget for an entry level room, which I believe would be automatically upgraded if booking Luxury Circle.

garykung

Think about how much time you really will be in the hotel room, and you may change your mind.

MikeFromTokyo

Baghoarder

Agree with this. Taipei is generally a cheaper city for hotels than Hong Kong so I'd be looking to skew your budget towards Hong Kong and find a special offer. There are a number of smaller boutique hotels in Hong Kong that may be worth investigating as well (sorry I have no personal experience of those), and a boutique hotel atmosphere may provide the special ambience that you are looking for better than an upscale chain hotel.

I was disappointed that my room wasn't haunted at the GH Taipei...