48 Hours at the East Hong Kong
Hongkong is definitely one of those cities that are not short of having cool hotels. While the city is widely spread, you can easily be everywhere within a quite comfortable time frame. On the more eastern side of Central, some would say it's quite out of town - which is definitely not true, the East is a brilliant place for business travelers as well as a young, fashionable crowd not needing an over-the-top luxury hotel. As the second property of the Hongkong-based Swire Hotels (they also own The Opposite House in Beijing, the Temple House in Chengdu as well as the East in Miami), the East Hong Kong is not less cool than the famous Upper House in posh Central. While the rooms at the luxurious sister property might be more spacious, the interior is slightly similar and the service during our stay was really on point and everything went seamlessly.
After we relocated from the Ritz Carlton in Kowloon, we were impressed of the sleek interiors when we first entered the massive and light lobby. Being welcomed with a smile is always nice and although this property may seem to attract more business people, we felt the warm welcome by the staff. Once we signed the digital registration papers on the tablet, we were handed over the keys and shown the way to the elevators. We loved to be on the 21st floor, with just the suites situated on the 22nd floor and the famous rooftop bar called "Sugar" on the 23rd. As soon as we entered our room, the view caught our full attention. A nearly 180-degree view of the harbor including the old airport which I never saw before. I loved the full glass windows to better enjoy the views and with the bed facing the windows we could enjoy the view all day and all night. The reason why we did not need the blinds ;)
Generally said about the rooms, they look very new and clean. There is plenty of bright wood paired with light fabrics and gray stone. I truly loved the cold look which was the perfect balance to the hot and humid weather conditions outside. Inside our spacious corner room, we had a comfy double bed, a practical working place with everything needed when in town for business, a wardrobe with iron and hairdryer as well as a TV that was hidden behind an art piece. Inside the open layout bathroom, we found a separated toilet, a single vanity overlooking the bed and harbor as well as a walk-in shower next to it, meaning you could enjoy the full harbor view while showering. All the bathroom products are by Elemis, a British brand and smelled really nice tough are filled in refillable bottles and therefore not able to remove. The main idea of the hotel is to work on an environmentally friendly policy, therefore, you also find the entire guest products such as toothbrush in ecological papers. A nice touch tough.
Before we left for a day trip to Macau with the speed ferry we had the pleasure to enjoy the breakfast buffet at Feast - the main dining venue at East. With a perfectly sized buffet and amazing egg dishes to order, we were ready for the exciting day trip. The best things about the breakfast were the egg benedict with Iberico ham as well as the freshly squeezed orange juice. In fact, Feast is dedicated to a healthy breakfast option (a little bit like at the W Hotels), so all the fruits and smoothies were extraordinary and tasted very good.
“The best of best when combining business with leisure!”
Should you ever have a minute or two left for leisure when staying at this place, make sure to have a dip in the cool open-air infinity pool just next to the gym. While I would definitely prefer to relax by the pool, the gym is a great place to work out and get ready for a long haul flight. While it might not be the horizon that comes with the edge of the pool, it was funny to make shots of jumping into a pool that is situated in the middle of the big city jungle surrounded by high skyscrapers. It's a wow experience of its own. Last but not least it has to be said that for the money a room is sold on their online booking site, there is a lot that comes with it and you will find yourself in a clean, modern and truly upscale property. Therefore value for money is excellent and just perfect when your daily schedules are packed with meetings or when you have to see everything Hong Kong is offering.
We were guests of the East Hong Kong and stayed at the hotel for editorial purposes. However, all above written expresses our own opinion and has not been influenced.
