January 17, 2015

Review: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class San Francisco to Hong Kong
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
The Bridge Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Taipei
W Taipei
Cathay Pacific 777-300ER Business Class Taipei to Hong Kong
The Wing Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific 777-300 ER First Class Hong Kong to Los Angeles

Since we didn't have to wait for bags at baggage claim, once were were done filling out paperwork for Emily's lost bag, we were on our way into the city.  First, we hit the ATM to pickup some cash and purchase our train tickets.  The train is the best way to get to Hong Kong (either Central or Kowloon) in my opinion.  It's cheap, super clean, has wifi, and runs often.  We entered the train station connected to the terminal and the train was waiting.  24 minutes later we were headed out of the station on our way to the Grand Hyatt.


My tree is bigger than your tree

It was only 8AM on Saturday and since we only had one bag, we decided to walk.  Using Google maps to guide us, we were at the hotel by 8:30.  It was the 27th of December so the hotel was still decked out with three giant Christmas trees in the lobby.  


We had informed the hotel of our early arrival and were crossing our fingers that we'd be able to get into our room.  Since we had booked a club room, we were shown to the 30th floor (club level) where check-in was processed.  The friendly agent was able to find a remodeled room available which also mean an upgrade to a corner room (albeit not on the club floor) with a view of both sides of Victoria Harbour.  Score!

Upon entering the room, we were both very impressed.  The hotel is Hyatt's flagship Asian property and at least from a room perspective, feels much more like a Park Hyatt.   The bathroom had a huge soaking tub with views of Victoria Peak, dual sinks, and a shower with multiple shower heads and excellent pressure.  The toilet was in a separate "powder" room on the left with its own sink.  There was plenty of storage in drawers and in the closet.  


Daytime view looking out the window

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong bedroom

Bathroom

Looking back at the bathroom from the window

The bedroom was the real highlight though.  Each morning we woke up, opened the shades, and gazed out at our favorite city in the world from bed.  Doesn't get much better.  There was also a great chaise lounge with views of the peak or Kowloon depending on which way you laid on it.  The hotel was nice enough to include a couple of power adapters on the desk.  Even though we brought our own, that's definitely a nice touch.

Nighttime view from the room

Breakfast was served in the lounge until 11AM so after cleaning up we headed up to the club for some food.  The club views are stunning.  One of my favorite things about Hong Kong are the views.  I'll let the picture speak for itself.


View of Kowloon from the Grand Hyatt Grand Club

We ate breakfast in the lounge each day and enjoyed several rounds of cocktails and snacks in the evening.  The breakfast spread was typical Asian buffet although a bit on the small side given the size of the lounge.  Evening snacks were great.  We would watch the sunset while enjoying a couple of glasses of Champagne and some food.  Then head out to dinner.  Service was very attentive and everyone spoke English.  We definitely got our money's worth (8,000 additional points per day) and I would burn the points for the upgrade again assuming two people were staying in the room.  

There was one day during our three night stay where the sun came out and the temperature nearly reached 70 degrees.  We returned from our day exploring the city in the late afternoon and figured we'd check out the pool.  Unfortunately, the nearby buildings blocked the sun and the pool deck was in the shade.  We didn't go in but I did snap some pics.  This would be a great place to hangout in the summer and just take a break from the bustling city.





The morning of our departure, we headed downstairs and grabbed a cab (~35 USD) to the airport.  While we were sad to leave Hong Kong, we were both really excited about heading to Taipei - which would be a new city for both of us.  

I would say the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong exceeded our expectations.  For the location and views alone, I would highly recommend it.

No comments:

Post a Comment