The Peninsula Hotel

The Peninsula is a grand old hotel that harks back to Hong Kong’s early days as an English outpost. As such it has echoes of the Ritz or the Savoy – English afternoon tea in the foyer, Rolls Royces to ferry you to and from the airport and a fine selection of high end luxury European shops in the surrounding foyers.

The Peninsula is a grand old five star hotel with a long tradition of service excellence. My first hint that I was in for something special came when I was met off the plane, taken through security and ushered to a waiting green Rolls Royce. After 12 hours flying zoo class squashed between two other people it was sheer bliss to settle back into this massive car and be driven smoothly to Kowloon while sipping some ice cold water. On arrival at the hotel my bags were whisked away and I was taken up to our room on the 12th floor which had an absolutely stunning view across to Hong Kong. A maid served me some freshly brewed jasmine tea and I sat in solitary splendour waiting for my other half to arrive and watching the ferries and boats chugging to and fro across the water.

Service is taken very seriously at the Peninsula and as a result staying here is sheer pleasure and indulgence. From the helpful concierge to the impeccable service at breakfast and at afternoon tea in the beautiful foyer we were looked after to the point of our every whim being gratified. I had the firm impression that the service here hasn’t changed at all in the last 200 years. Staying here is like going back in time to an age of English Empire and pith helmets, and, whilst it may not be very democratic, it certainly is pleasant.

Our suite was decorated in fairly neutral tones with the massive picture window providing the wow factor. We had a very large and comfortable bed and a desk by the wall. We also had two easy chairs facing the view and a small table on which a selection of fresh fruit was arranged, along with a sweet booklet with named pictures of the various tropical fruits we might encounter.

One of my favourite perks was the cubbyhole by the door in which you could place your shoes and they would be taken away and polished.

The bathroom was large and had two sinks and a massive marble bath and similarly large shower. I loved the soaps at the Peninsula that came in a selection of lacquered red carved boxes and lathered beautifully. The fluffy bathrobes and slippers were great too. There is a shop in the basement arcade beneath the hotel if you would like to take some of these things home with you and they sell beautifully packaged Peninsula tea blends here as well.

We spent one evening at the famous top floor Peninsula bar that is small and somewhat strangely decorated in white padded sofa leather. It had the fabled view indeed but was less exciting from a design point of view than I had expected and also really was ridiculously small. We went downstairs after a quick martini to the restaurant Felix where we had a more stylish take on the white decorative theme (designed by Phillipe Starck) and a table by the window with the same fantastic view that could be appreciated in considerably more comfort. The menu here was European and stylish and accomplished without ever giving us a “wow” moment.

We also ate at one of the many restaurants on the second floor one evening (the Verandah) and again had a pleasant meal. There are so many restaurants at the Peninsula that you could conceivably eat a different cuisine every night of your stay and never leave the hotel. The Japanese restaurant Imasa comes highly recommended, and if you are after haute cuisine then Gaddi’s also has a good reputation (although take your platinum card!)

A more recent addition to the hotel is the Salon de Ning in the basement which is an old style cocktail lounge decorated in a slightly mad French colonial/Safari way that somehow works. We spent a pleasant evening here sipping martinis and dancing to the band.

The pool and spa level is also lovely. Polite attendants give you robes and towels to wear and bring you tea to sip while you recline by the decent sized pool. There is also an outside terrace where you can lounge and watch the raptors drifting on the thermals above the bay.

Breakfast at the Peninsula was a very pleasant experience. We came down with our freshly delivered morning paper and were seated by a uniformed waiter who would bring us coffee, or, in my case, a morning pot of jasmine tea in a silver teapot with a special serviette on the handle to prevent me burning my hand. My tea was poured for me with great ceremony. There was a large selection of fresh fruit juices and all sorts of breakfast options. It is true that the Peninsula added cheese to their Hollandaise in the Eggs Benedict but for the ceremony and service and sheer style of dining in that lobby I almost forgive them.

Another favourite meal we had here was lunch on our last day when we ordered room service enabling my partner to have a burger and me to have some dim sum from the Chinese restaurant in the hotel. The waiter arrived and set up a round table between our lounge chairs complete with linen tablecloth. He added a flower, linen napkins, silver cutlery and an assortment of condiments, poured us each a glass of sparkling water and then left us to enjoy the classiest room service meal of my life. Rarely has a burger been served with such style!

If you stay at the Peninsula afternoon tea is a must and we have reviewed this in our afternoon tea section. To sum up – staying here was a once in a lifetime treat and really gave me a whole new concept of great service. Hong Kong is a fun city to visit and spend a few days in and the Peninsula is a truly great hotel.