Tried & Tested

Hotel review: Waterfront Suites, Hong Kong

12 Oct 2019 by Tom Otley
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BACKGROUND

Lanson Place has operated its flagship Hotels in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district since 2005.

Hotel review: Lanson Place Hotel

The Lanson Place brand is part of Wing Tai Properties which has added twelve  properties in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Chengdu. Two more properties are due to open in Manila and Melbourne in 2022.

What’s it like?

Modern, clean and well run. I had emailed my expected arrival time, and as I arrived by taxi there was a member of staff looking out for me to let me in by the small side gate.

One of the staff offered to show me the local area, pointing out areas of interest, from the harbourside walk through to recommended restaurants and also where I could buy takeaway or sit-in food. This is really useful if you are spending a few weeks in Hong Kong and haven’t stayed in this area before. My tour lasted two hours and gave me a real insight into an area of Hong Kong I’d never visited before.

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One of the nice things about the apartments is how the staff are keen to show you the local area when you arrive, pointing out all the areas of interest, from the harbour side walk through to recommended restaurants and also the local areas where you can buy takeaway food or sit in.

Food can also be delivered to your apartment and they can help with this. I arrived on a Bank Holiday and so had some time to spare, so my tour lasted two hours and gave me a real insight into an area of Hong Kong I had never visited before, despite our office being in Quarry Bay, only one stop away on the MTR.

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Where is it?

In Aldrich Bay, well connected via to Island Line to all the attractions including Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Admiralty and Central. To reach Sai Wan Ho MTR station is a five minute walk through Aldrich Bay Park.

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Rooms

All of the 75 rooms are in fact suites of varying size and configuration, ranging from a 32-38 sqm studio through to a 127 sqm three-bedroom penthouse. I stayed in a single bedroom duplex; the door to the suite opened into the kitchen area and then living room, with a balcony overlooking Victoria Harbour, and down some narrow stairs was the bedroom and bathroom. It’s a good way of making the most of the footprint of the building, but does mean that if you don’t like walking up and down stairs a lot, this layout won’t be for you.

The apartment block is very tall and thin, with rooms right the way up to the 33rd floor. The rooms are well equipped with dozens of plug points and USB points.The kitchen is fully equipped with a kettle, toaster, fridge freezer, electric hob and oven, microwave, washing machine and Nespresso coffee maker.

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The living room has a large flatscreen TV and the ability to stream content from your own device or simply log in to your Amazon Prime or Netflix account on the screen to watch films – though they also have an account with Now TV which offers many cable channels. There was also a Bose bluetooth speaker.

The bedroom was small but had a view out through the windows (and a second balcony) to the harbour, while the Sealy mattress was very comfortable. The lighting in the living room was controlled through an iPad which had Phillips Hue adaptive lighting. There is also a Waterfront Suites app you can use as a room key for main entrance as well as your own apartment.

The apartment block is very tall and thin, with rooms right the way up to the 33rd floor, though note that because of superstition, there are no floors on 4, 13, 14, and 24.

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Bar and restaurant

There are no restaurants or bars, but there’s a host of options in the surrounding area and food can be delivered. The Parlour on the ground floor serves soft drinks through the day and acts as a sort of mini executive lounge with a happy hour in the evening when complimentary snacks and drinks are served.

Business and meetings

No facilities for this.

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Leisure

The hotel has a small gym on the first floor which quite strangely is also a sort of library (they call it the “gym’brary”), although those books are all on healthy themes, so perhaps it’s to act as inspiration. On the 25th floor is a covered outdoor area where you can do yoga or just hang out or meditate. On the lobby level there’s a wellness pool – unfortunately it’s too small for much swimming.

 

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Verdict

If you’re looking at a long stay in Hong Kong, this would be a great choice – good value, brand new, great service, and a location which allows you to see plenty of the “real” Hong Kong Island experience while having great connections into Central.

Fact Box

1 Oi Tak Street, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong,    t: +852 2178 2288

Best for… 

Peace and quiet after a hectic day’s work, with a good restaurant and takeaway choices.

Don’t miss… 

Throwing back the curtains in the morning to look out at the ever-changing harbour view.

Price 

Special opening offer prices start from HK$28,800 (US$3,670) per month for a Studio and HK$41,100 (US$5,238) per month for a 1-bedroom unit.

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