Sky High Getaway

Our obsession with staycation continued with a “weekend away” at The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. With the craze for staying a night or two away from home now catching on with the rest of the city, we arrived earlier than usual to check-in to avoid running into the crowd. And that strategy worked as we were given the room key quickly by the front desk staff upon arrival slightly after noon. 

There’s no such thing as a room with bad view at this hotel – being one of the tallest in the world with the lobby on Level 103 and rooms spanning over a dozen levels above that. Our Deluxe Suite (equivalent of a Junior Suite elsewhere) was of good size with separate bedroom and living areas and the view facing west overlooking the gorgeous Stonecutters Bridge on one side and the western part of Kowloon on the other – really got a bit of everything with the sea and the urban view with mountain as the backdrop, though I could imagine some might prefer the view of the Victoria Harbor instead. My only complaints were the occasional noise coming from the room next door (through the connecting door – we could hear the conversation quite easily at night) and one could easily see through the other rooms from the window. I wasn’t hugely bothered by both but just something to bear in mind if you expected more privacy. 

Upon check-in, we received an upgrade with the Ritz Carlton Club access so we did spend a bit of time chilling, eating and drinking at the lounge located on Level 116. We checked in early so we managed to enjoy a light lunch at the lounge just as we settled down – couldn’t go wrong with a glass of mimosa and simple buffet fare to kick-start our “holiday”. Later in the afternoon tea was served in traditional style with sweet and savory items on triple-layer porcelain plates – the food was right on par of the  Ritz-Carlton standard and in the comfort of the cozy lounge area. We also opted for breakfast there the next day – they may not have as many varieties of dishes as the breakfast spread at their all-day café downstairs, but they got everything I wanted anyway and in a much quieter space and surely more attentive service with less guests (and hey, did I mention free-flow champagne?)

The government regulation about swimming pool occupancy meant it was operating on a pre-booking system and sauna facility was closed. A bit of inconvenience for sure but then it also meant the pool was never overly crowded with the capacity control measures in place. The indoor, temperature-controlled pool is located on the top floor with the best view of Victoria Harbor on one side – not exactly an infinity pool but then this could be one of the highest swimming pool in the world, some 500m above sea level. No wonder it's probably one of the most instagrammable spots of the property. And the outdoor hot jacuzzi tub was the part I enjoyed most, especially we had that all by ourselves in the morning. 

The Ritz-Carlton pride themselves in the highest level of hospitality they offer and it showed in almost every details big and small during our stay. We felt so pampered and being looked after throughout the weekend, something we really appreciated. 

The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong: www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/china/hong-kong