Hong Kong



The Experience

If the hotel were any closer to Hong Kong harbor, there would be water lapping around the lower-level room doors. The InterContinental occupies the prime hotel spot on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, a five-minute stroll from the Star Ferry pier and people-packed Nathan Road. Two thirds of the rooms overlook the crazily busy nautical superhighway that is known as Victoria Harbour, toward the huddled-together skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island. The hotel has worked hard to break the corporate identikit mould -- the unhotel-like Spoon and Nobu are its two flagship dining outlets -- but the sheer size of the InterContinental inhibits any kind of intimate atmosphere prevailing.

The Rooms

Ample natural light makes even the basic 349-square-feet rooms seem spacious and airy, aided by the cream-and-yellow decor; and the sounds (and occasionally awful pongs) of the harbor are, mercifully, kept well at bay by thick plate glass. Views are the real highlight here, and at night, they're simply sensational from every level, straight across toward the neon-lit skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island. And while recent additions are CEO and Terrace suites, the InterCon is most excited about its new presidential suite, the city's priciest and largest at $10,000 a night and 7,000 square feet. The five-room facility has its own terrace that can seat 50 people for dinner, an infinity pool and, of course, that view.

The Service

As the hotel is confident enough to precisely state its staff-guest ratio -- 700 people for only 495 rooms -- it is safe to assume that service will be seamless. It is a business favorite, and in Hong Kong, the bellboy is likely to know the stock exchange closing prices and have a hot tip for the twice-weekly horse races.

The Highlights

This is a city of food fanatics, where hotels gear their dining outlets to local tastes as much as those of visitors. The chef of Yan Toh Heen is revered as an innovator who constantly reinvents and refines the subtle and endlessly varied cuisine of southern China; book a lunchtime window table and order up an exquisite Cantonese dim sum feast. Alain Ducasse's Spoon restaurant, the pioneering Nobu and a traditional steakhouse are other options. For shedding the ensuing pounds, there is the I-Spa, with its own suites, located next to a stunning series of descending outdoor pools that offer breathtaking views of the harbor.

-- Mark Graham

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