Hong Kong’s bar scene is white hot at the moment, with places like Bar Leone, Montana, Maggie Choos and Yume pulling in the crowds night after night. At this stylish small hotel in Arbuthnot Road, you can roll from your room straight into the city’s raucous nightlife without scuffing your heels. More akin to an apart-hotel, Ovolo Central has just 48 rooms spread over 24 storeys. Two room categories include larger-than-usual Gold Rooms, which have workspace nooks with ergonomic chairs, and bigger sunnier Platinum Rooms, which are on the higher floors and have sleek city views. The contemporary décor blends wooden floors with geometric panels and funky Hong Kong art but it’s the extras that seal the deal. Every room comes with a complimentary mini-bar stocked with soft drinks, coconut water and a couple of beers; you can also swing by the lobby bar at Apero Hour for complimentary wine and cocktails, before dinner at the excellent vegetarian restaurant Veda. There’s no on-site gym but guests can workout and sign up for classes at the local branch Pure Fitness, which is just around the corner. The first floor self-service laundry is a godsend for anyone travelling for longer periods.
Address: 2 Arbuthnot Rd, Central, Hong Kong
Price: From about £153 per night
Tai O Heritage Hotel
This one-time marine police station – and pirate lookout – dates back to the early 20th century and offers a memorable rural alternative to Hong Kong’s big city slicker hotels. It takes a couple of hours to reach this part of Lantau Island from Central and there are a number of different ways to get here but my favourite is to take the Tung Chung ferry, which skirts around the raggedy coast and past the bottom of the airport runway. When you do reach the fishing village of Tai O the contrast is dizzying, all crooked stilted wooden houses, alleyways dotted with trays of salted egg yolks drying in the sun and tiny sampans chugging through narrow waterways. The Tai O Heritage Hotel sits at the end of this pretty peninsula, a two-storey neoclassical pile with a Chinese tiled roof and cast-iron cannons in the gardens. There are just nine rooms, each different but all with the air of an English countryside retreat; French doors, white wood panel walls, powdery blue silk rugs and Edwardian fireplaces. The Tai O Lookout restaurant rambles across the first floor under a glass roof that frames views of the South China Sea over breakfast, lunch and dinner, although I’d suggest a walk into the village for some fabulous local fare.
Address: 14 Shek Tsai Po St, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Price: From about £135 per night
