The highly chromatic bay area of Hong Kong has long been one of the Chinese territory’s signature allures and now more than ever, it is where you need to be to swim in the sea of superlatives that have assembled there. Here’s our guide to Hong Kong and the best hotels, restaurants, bars and ways to spend a week there.
The Peninsula Hong Kong
The Peninsula Hong Kong is four years shy of crossing its 100 years mark and for most of the century it is the beacon of luxury hospitality from its bay front perch in Kowloon city. The progenitor of a luxury chain that has maintained its impossibly high standards in the age of mergers and shadowplay in the industry, the Peninsula Hong Kong has much to celebrate, and offer, as Hong Kong speeds towards recovery post-COVID.
Facing down younger, brasher competitors with a composure of ease and a milieu of timelessness, walking into the grand lobby of this historic address is both a happy return and a grand arrival, especially if you have opted for an airport transfer via a Phantom from its flashy fleet. A stay here will elevate just about any visit to Hong Kong, whether one is wont to paint the town red or play hermit in one of its comfortable, stylish suites dripping with views and thoughtfully curated creature comforts. The Peninsula Hong Kong is unabashedly, still, the finest grand dame east of the Suez.
The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Rosewood Hong Kong
Rosewood Hong Kong had its moment stolen when it opened in 2020, right before the advent of a global lockdown due to the dreadful pandemic. Four years on, it is clear that the statuesque hotel, then and now, is poised to push the boundary on the superclass in luxury hospitality.
Firstly, there is no mistaking the tone in an expanse installed with so many flourishes – contemporary art pieces from Damien Hirst paintings to Lynn Chadwick sculptures decorate the public spaces while Loro Piana fabrics cover the walls of its rooms and suites, which all point towards some quintessentially Hong Kong vistas. The service is also poised to impress, its regiment of staff are primed with Manorish bearings crossed with modern ease. Tony Chi has certainly raised a babel worthy of praise while the Chengs have festooned it with every object worthy of such a mantlepiece. For a masterclass on what money and resolve can tastefully conjure, there is currently no better place than the Rosewood Hong Kong to check into.
Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Regent Hong Kong
Once upon a time the Regent Hong Kong was touted as the hotel with the best view in the territory. The property ceased operation in 2001 and over 2 decades on, this bayfront hotspot is still invested with some of the best views in the city. The erstwhile Intercontinental Hong Kong shuttered for three years from 2020 for a thorough renovation and was magnificently revived as the Regent Hong Kong in 2023, welcoming guests to a sumptuous interior glowing with modern, minimalistic aesthetics.
With its proximity to the bay, one actually feels like one is on the water, not unlike a luxurious liner replete with a bevy of prime restaurants and leisure spots. The Regent is of course on a prime stretch of Hong Kong terra, steps away from Avenue of Stars, which the hotel has received plenty over the years, and the other fabulous distractions of Tsim Sha Tsui.
Regent Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
The St Regis Hong Kong
The St Regis Hong Kong opened in Wan Chai in 2020, slightly removed from the waterfront which meant a sizeable chunk of its rooms feature city views with only a few suites offering partial vistas of the harbour. But alluring as the bay views of Hong Kong may be, this is a hotel that stands out with its classic and abundantly lavish design courtesy of Andre Fu, who seems to be really in his element when the palette is earthy and the mood opulent.
The rooms of the St Regis Hong Kong are unexpectedly large, starting at 50 sqm, raised with plush embellishments and decked with the right accoutrements that will have fans of say, brown marble bathrooms, cooing with delight. The milieu is undoubtedly classic, but far from boring, and in this era of instagrammable excess, this understated beauty is the very study of quiet luxury.
The St Regis Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Dr, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Gaddi’s
Aficionados of old world refinements will be thrilled by the eternal finesse instilled at Gaddi’s, the classically French culinary establishment raised in this part of the world that still dishes out the crystal and silverwares amidst synchronised service. At Gaddi’s, your bread and butter is plated and served from the trolley right before your table at the beginning and you wait for your soufflé to rise perfectly at the close of the evening, which you must for all good endings, as cliche and rarefied as such traditions have become. Every course lands before you and your guest with military precision and nothing is obtrusive or lacking in between courses.
Fine dining and etiquette does go hand in hand but at Gaddi’s there is an ease and friendliness that sets the guest above decorum, which makes the delicious ritual of relishing updated French classics like pan-seared foie gras and roasted pigeon all the more delightful. En tout, the cuisine is fabulous, the service impeccable and the experience immensely pleasurable at this 70 year old fine-dining institution located within the Peninsula Hong Kong.
Gaddi’s, 1/F, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Run
Run, which means nourishing in Chinese, is a two-Michelin-starred Cantonese fine dining restaurant at the St Regis Hong Kong that first impresses the eyes, both with its stately interiors and polished plating, then the palates, with Chef Hung Chi-Kwong’s many subtle refined interpretations of the genre’s classics.
Elegant milieu notwithstanding, the cuisine is naturally the main draw here and we are particularly impressed by the dim sums which were dainty and packed with flavours, the char siew that was roasted to perfection and the double-boiled soup which as expected was satisfying and nourishing to say the least. The braised abalone was also a delightful morsel that doubtlessly took years to perfect. Clearly the sterling reputation of Run is well deserved and well-worth the trek to Wan Chai for.
Run, 2/F, The St. Regis Hong Kong, One Harbour Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Lai Ching Heen
Restored as Lai Ching Heen after the Regent Hong Kong was re-opened last year, this two-Michelin-starred Cantonese institution has lost none of its old-school prestige and popularity as executive chef Lau Yiu-fai and head chef Cheng Man-sang continue to expand on the culinary finesse the restaurant has delivered for 40 years. The renovated space took inspiration from a jade jewellery box and its interiors are completely encapsulated by Hong Kong’s alluring harbour views.
What’s available on the menu are the chefs’ carefully curated Cantonese classics, which include exquisite dim sums crafted with premium ingredients (think truffles, lobster and crab roe), a delectable selection of braised and barbecued meats (the roasted farm duck is not to be missed), nourishing double boiled soups, creative vegetarian dishes, and perennial classics like sweet and sour pork, braised whole abalone and wok-fried Kagoshima wagyu. We particularly relished the chef’s signature wok-seared lotus root patties and fried rice with conpoy and egg white because etched within these simple dishes is a significant dose of home-cooked goodness that really is the soul of the best Cantonese fare.
Lai Ching Heen, Ground Floor, Regent Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Qura Bar
In Hong Kong the surest way to impress is to secure that table with the definitive harbour view and in Qura Bar at Regent Hong Kong, your perch can be quite literally next to the harbour, which isn’t such a common feature for drinking holes in Tsim Sha Tsui. It helps majorly that the decor here is also sophisticated and worldly, the drinks subtle yet powerful, and its crowd fits its milieu. The revelries here are more relaxed and tasteful than the gin joints elsewhere in the vicinity, thus this seems to be the bar du jour to throw back a few inspired cocktails and discuss one’s goals and aspirations beyond social climbing and bar hopping in glitzy Hong Kong.
Qura Bar, Lobby Floor, Regent Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
DarkSide
Marketed as a ‘cocktail parlour’, as opposed to just any regular nightspot, Darkside has the merchandise to back up its branding, from its sleek sombre interiors to its extensive cache of fine spirits that gave rise to its seductive cocktail selections and its clientele’s enthusiasm for them. A high performer on several best bar lists, Darkside is unsurprisingly one of the most fashionable spots to be in and be seen in when in Hong Kong currently, indulging the crowds with creative tipples from its special Ying Yang Menu along with the intoxication of being in the right set, which ties in quite ostensibly with Rosewood’s ‘Sense of Place’ philosophy.
DarkSide, Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Peninsula The Lobby
For ages since its inception close to a century ago, the tradition of tea has been the top draw at the Peninsula Hong Kong and the queues here snake on perennially on a daily basis, not just for the delectable scones and dainties that line the three-tiers, but also for anyone to partake in a ritual that has been done so right for so long. This is thus a timeless enclave where live music plays from the mezzanine, and street style blend seamlessly with high fashion to the clinks of fine porcelain and silverware.
From 2023 the minders of this tradition have extended the scene onto the decks of decorated star ferries, and every weekend from September 2024 till June 2025 tea aficionados can partake of the same ritual while out in the harbour to sets of live jazz performances and the gentle sway of yet another quintessentially Hong Kong fixture kept afloat.
The Lobby, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
(Main image: Regent Hong Kong; Featured image: The St Regis Hong Kong)
Cedric Tan wears many hats — a creative director, a PR practitioner, a private chef and now Le Chief at Le Concierge Orient, a digital travel outfit he founded in 2016 specialising in long-term and medical ..Read More
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