WHAT’S IT LIKE?
We arrived at the hotel in Chek Lap Kok at 9.50pm. After being dropped off at the hotel’s main entrance, we headed one floor up to the reception – on the same level as the airport which makes it convenient for travellers. A covered corridor links the hotel to the airport’s Terminal 1 (landside), with the walk between buildings taking around five minutes.
A big hotel with plenty of rooms is uncommon in a closely built city like Hongkong. However, the Regal Airport Hotel has made good use of its location on Lantau Island. Last year, the room count was increased to 1,171, with an additional 67 guestrooms, including two Duplex Suites of 280sqm each. Room charge is for flexible 24-hour accommodation, which means you can check in at any time.
Onsite, a range of facilities caters for large-scale exhibitions, meetings, seminars and banquets.
WHERE IS IT?
The hotel is on Lantau Island, which is served by the city’s efficient Airport Express train connecting to Kowloon in 20 minutes and downtown Hongkong/Central stations in 24 minutes. For those attending events at the AsiaWorld-Expo, the site is a five-minute walk away. From the hotel, a scheduled minibus service is complimentary for guests heading for offices nearby and the Tung Chung residential/commercial area, where the MTR train runs on the Tung Chung line. Attractions in the area include the Ngong Ping skyrail leading to the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, while Tai O (a fishing village famous for stilt houses) is a ferry ride away for nature lovers.
HOW MANY ROOMS?
1,171 rooms, suites and apartments between 27sqm and 280sqm in 16 categories. There are 21 spa rooms and suites, some of which have cabanas with massage areas and Jacuzzis.
ROOM FACILITIES:
Contemporary-designed guestrooms all boast double-glazed soundproof windows, as well as broadband internet connection, IDD phones, satellite/cable TVs and wall-mounted hairdryers. Our only grouse, perhaps, is in locating the light switches in the bedroom of our suite, which were easy to miss as they were found to be in a corner by the window.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS:
The China Coast Bar & Grill serves steak and seafood for lunch and dinner, while drinks are available till 2am. Our dinner was made enjoyable with pleasant service, and on the second night, we went back for drinks.
Other dining choices on the ground floor besides China Coast, are Café Aficionado, Dragon Inn for Chinese cuisine and Airport Izakaya for Japanese. On the upper floors are the Regala Café & Dessert Bar and Rouge for dim sum.
BUSINESS FACILITIES:
The hotel is Wi-Fi enabled. The 11th-floor Regal Club Lounge is spacious, bright and overlooks the hotel’s courtyard, part of the runway and the coastal area. Guests can make use of a boardroom and four computer terminals at the lounge, or work from the second-floor business centre that is always open. And that’s not all – the hotel also has 31 function rooms named after world cities, zodiac constellations and places in Hongkong. A pillarless grand ballroom can host up to 1,500 guests.
LEISURE FACILITIES:
A spa with steam rooms, saunas and a foot massage room, a 24-hour gym and two pools – an outdoor and a heated indoor with a whirlpool.
PRICE:
A three-night Deluxe Room special online has an average daily rate of HK$1,500 (US$193) in late May. Business travellers can avail of a Day Use package for five hours at HK$880 (US$113), inclusive of accommodation, pool access, head or shoulder massage, refreshment and internet access at the business centre.
VERDICT:
An all-rounder whether you are looking for good and spacious business facilities or time away from the city.
CONTACT:
9 Cheong Tat Road, Hongkong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Hongkong, tel 852 2286 8888, www.regalhotel.com
Julian Tan
