BACKGROUND Situated in an apartment block dating from the 1920s, Apartment O is a boutique serviced apartment concept from Eton Properties, which also operates the Mini Hotel brand. Apartments are available from one month onwards so are suitable for long-stay visitors to Hong Kong.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Buzz your way into the apartment block and you’ll find yourself looking down into its common room, a welcoming space with tea- and coffee-making facilities and comfortable chairs. You can wait here in comfort, as the apartments’ washing and drying machines are located behind a pair of elegant wooden doors. To the side of the common room lies the cigar room, and conveniently enough there is a branch of the Pacific Cigar Company two doors away on Hoi Ping Road.
With a unique collection of traditional and contemporary Chinese art and chic antiques, the personality of the apartment’s owner is evident in the common room, and also prevails in other public areas. There are eight floors in total, accessed either by the stairs or an antique, but extremely reliable and fast lift. Take the stairs and check out the pictures and photos on every floor and wall, which once again create the impression that you’re in a family home.
WHERE IS IT? On Hoi Ping Road in Causeway Bay, a two-minute walk from the Times Square exit/entrance of the MTR.
ROOM FACILITIES Each apartment is individually decorated and furnished, though there are two broad styles: Old Hong Kong and Old Shanghai. I was in the latter, which featured modern Chinese art on the walls, dark antique furniture, wooden louvered window shades and a bright bathroom with giant walk-in shower.
There was a fully equipped kitchen with a fridge, cooker and tea- and coffee-making facilities, and the suite also had a connecting bedroom. Service was efficient: when I requested high-speed internet access and an extension cable to charge my various electrical items, it was sorted within an hour. Staff also made recommendations of local restaurants and shops to try.
The apartments have access to a roof terrace, and all have windows that open (though all have air conditioning) and it felt good to know I wasn’t hermetically sealed in some 50-storey tower block.
From the antique German Mauthe clock with Chinese lettering on the clock face to the old gramophone in my room, it’s the little details that make Apartment O so special. With a choice of sizes from 104 sqm to 140 sqm, there are 15 apartments in total. Having seen the few that were not currently occupied, it would be good to try each one in turn, although I’m told that many long-term residents have their favourites and always return to the same one.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS None, though with your own kitchen and the bars, restaurants and speciality food shops of Causeway Bay on your doorstep, that’s unlikely to pose a problem.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES None, though all of the apartments do feature large sitting rooms and many of the suites even have balconies.
LEISURE FACILITIES There is a rooftop garden where guests can enjoy drinks or a barbecue.
VERDICT A step away from the usual soulless corporate serviced apartments, this will suit individually minded business travellers who need a long-term let in Hong Kong.
