San Francisco, CA - Luxury Travel Destinations in Asia - Rosewood Hong Kong - Luxury Travel Tips
SYNOPSIS: A 65-storey skyscraper that takes center stage on the new cultural district of Victoria Dockside that has literally reshaped the waterfront of Kowloon. It's a little out of the main social vortex (the Star Ferry and the closest MTR station–Tsim Sha T
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A 65-storey skyscraper that takes center stage on the new cultural district of Victoria Dockside that has literally reshaped the waterfront of Kowloon. It's a little out of the main social vortex (the Star Ferry and the closest MTR station–Tsim Sha Tsui–are a 15-minute walk away, and it takes about 20 traffic-free minutes to get to Central on Hong Kong Island), but the views are peerless, soaring over Victoria Harbor with the glittering Hong Kong cityscape set before you. The cobbled driveway and petite lobby of the hotel are built for quiet arrivals, ensuring there's little noise in the way of arrival. The "oohs" and "aahs" come later when you know how beautifully indulgent and thoughtfully designed it is all–gleaming marble, hypnotic eight-point geometric motifs, high-back seats, testing carpets and artworks that stop you on your tracks.
Wellness is incorporated into this sanctuary of the region. On the sixth floor there is an outdoor swimming pool facing east across the harbor to the site of the old Kai Tak airport. A fitness center with a gym fitted with the new Technogym equipment and a TRX and yoga studio are next door. There are also free regular classes like HIIT, Hatha yoga, and meditation. Asaya Spa offers a wide range of holistic, medicinal and cosmetic services and treatments. My 360 facial by Evidens de Beauté was suitably indulgent and delivered with expert accuracy.
It is in the 413 rooms and suites, 80 percent of which have views of the harbour, that Taiwanese-born detail-bedevilled builder Tony Chi has outdone himself. Entry-level rooms start at 570 square feet (larger than my apartment in Hong Kong) and are cleverly designed to reflect the rich history of Hong Kong–sage-green lacquer lashings, silver stag door handles, pale plaids, fascinating items–all rendered with a fun pastiche hint. Bathrooms channel old Hollywood glamour; a white marble sea with stand-alone tubs and copper sinks hammered in. If you feel warm, you can add access to the lounge, but the only thing to worry about is your room's precise location.
The Legacy House serves Chinese tip-top cuisine – sweet little plum wine tomatoes, tender-crisp barbecue meats, tasty chunks of wagyu beef and woody matsutake mushrooms – while afternoon tea served in shell-shaped chairs under a rainbow of Damien Hirst acrylics is a treat in the Butterfly Suite.









