Hong Kong - Mini Trip Report February 2019

[Glee Fan]

We travelled to Hong Kong in February 2019 and flew PE with Virgin both ways. It was the longest flight I had ever been on but felt like it went so quickly! I'm not sure if it was because it was the Dreamliner or if I was just shattered (had been very hectic at work in the run up to our trip) but I slept more than I ever have on a flight, and felt really quite refreshed when we got there. The reason for our trip was a treat to celebrate my dh's 50th birthday.

Where we stayed:

Hotel Icon in Tsim Sha Tsui.

As always, I had done lots of research about where to stay and after dithering between the Shangri-La and the Icon, it won in the end! The Icon gets great Tripadvisor reviews and it wasn't overly pricey either. I kept an eye out for special deals and booked directly with the hotel when I was happy with the price. I booked a city view Club Level King room with Tesla transfers to and from the airport included in the price. I tried to keep the Tesla thing a secret from my dh but failed miserably!

About a week before we travelled, I got an e-mail from the hotel asking if I wanted to bid for an upgrade on our room. We discussed it and decided to bid for a harbour view and bigger room. I literally bid the minimum it allowed and about an hour later, I had an e-mail saying I had been successful and to pay the hotel directly when we arrived. Perfect!

Included in Club level is breakfast either a buffet in the Market Place or in the Club lounge. We did the buffet the first two days, then the Club lounge the next two days. Both have a great variety and so much choice but we decided we preferred the lounge as it was a bit more sedate and not as hectic.

Afternoon tea is also included between 3pm and 5pm – We got back to the hotel to take advantage of this most days. Again the choice was plentiful.

Also included are cocktails and champagne between 6pm and 8pm along with nibbles. We definitely made the most of this and I think between us we made our way through the menu!

When we arrived there was a member of the Concierge staff waiting at the front door who whisked us up to the 28th floor for a private check in, we were offered cold drinks, hot drinks – the service couldn't have been more attentive. I kind of felt we were in the wrong place, we are not used to having a fuss made of us like that! She then took us to our room, where our luggage was already waiting for us, and showed us how everything worked. Amazing view and they had put balloons and treats in there as I had mentioned on the booking it was my dh's birthday.

In the room there is also a Nespresso coffee machine and a fridge/mini-bar – but unlike other hotels, everything is included and free – there is no charge for anything!

Another plus of this hotel was that there is a shuttle bus that takes you from the hotel down to the harbour near the Peninsula Hotel - it runs every 20 minutes, so location wise, some may say the hotel is a bit out if it, but we preferred to be a bit out of it and it was great for what we wanted. It was about a 10 minute stroll to the nearest MTR station or get the shuttle bus.

We did have a quiet pool afternoon as well, but never made it to the gym

There’s also a lounge called the Timeless Lounge for the day you leave. I think most of the flights are late out, but this was a great place. Comfortable chairs, drinks, snacks and the use of the pool/gym showers and changing room facilities. So we went out for the day, came back and got showered and changed , then had our last evening cocktails then were ready for our Tesla trip back to the airport. A really great idea and none of that hanging around or feeling in limbo while you wait.

I really couldn't fault this hotel at all. It is attached to the HK Polytechnic and a lot of the staff are students, but you would never know. They really couldn't do enough for you, we were made to feel very special indeed. I would highly recommend this hotel and would find it difficult to stay anywhere else in Hong Kong if we were to visit again.