In the last few years, Kowloon has been quietly chipping away at upgrading its Victoria Harbour waterfront, a popular tourist strip which includes the storied Avenue of Stars. A boardwalk teeming with people at any time of day, you would often find expectant crowds waiting their turn to place their hands on a mould of their favourite celebrity’s. Now crowned Victoria Dockside, the refurbished promenade saw these coveted hand moulds moved from the ground—thank goodness—to handprints on its railings.
Louis Vuitton deemed the destination worthy in November last year when it held its pre-fall 2024 men’s show here, led by Pharrell Williams against a scintillating backdrop of skyscrapers as dusk turned to night. Indeed, Victoria Dockside is a powerhouse in itself. Behind the Avenue of Stars is K11 Musea, a chic 10-storey cultural-retail destination, alongside its own serviced apartments and offices. Rosewood Hong Kong stands proudly beside it, a Kohn Peterson Fox-designed wonder, and undeniably the city’s most talked-about hotel in recent times, given the city’s proclivity for luxury. Within four years of its opening—and about two of those years lost to Covid-19—Rosewood Hong Kong has been ranked the second-best hotel in the world on the World’s Best 50 Hotels list. The first is Passalacqua in Lake Como, which effectively makes Rosewood Hong Kong the best hotel in Asia.
Here, luxury starts with an overarching sense of generosity. Renowned hospitality designer Tony Chi lavishes an intriguing mix of opulence, lush greenery and residential living within the hotel, depending on the space one is in. Waltz into the lobby, and its geometric-tiled flooring, bronze sculptures and candelabra-shaped lights offer modern-day flamboyance. Peek into the Butterfly Room during high tea, and Damien Hirst’s butterflies line a wall as well-heeled ladies blend right in with the salon’s scallop-shaped chairs.
Ping up to the sixth floor and slip into Asaya, where a hidden oasis awaits. An air of tranquility envelops this expansive wellness jungle, which includes gorgeous treatment rooms, restorative gardens, open-air walkways and aroma ateliers where you can blend your own essential oils. The infinity pool, made available to all guests, is the optimum place to be during sunrise or sunset, because there is nothing quite like watching dappled rays reflect off its twinkling waters and across Victoria Harbour. I’m hard-pressed to believe I’m in one building.
This generosity extends to the size of its lavishly-appointed rooms, particularly in a city where space is shockingly scarce. Beyond the glossy, lacquered doors of the Grand Harbour Corner Suite is 123 square metres of sought-after space that is luxurious and homey in equal parts.
Chi describes his design as “invisible”, where it all comes together without a second thought—but it is only when you delve deeper into the sum of its parts that you discover its subdued glory. The black-and-white checked carpet is so plush I forget I’m even walking, while the arabescato-marble bathroom is fitted with copper sinks, a free-standing tub and twin showers at opposite ends—an extravagance I never knew I needed. An ornate bar cart encourages you to fix up your own drink while soaking in jaw dropping views from almost every crevice in your suite. My favourite spot? The unassuming secondary lounge area within the cavernous bedroom.
For VIPs and special guests, Rosewood Hong Kong indulges even further with personalised pillowcases and photo frames of you and your loved ones, to punctuate their home away from home message. They think of everything and it is almost impossible not to openly gawp at these thoughtful gestures. A stay at Rosewood Hong Kong’s suites also guarantee access to the Manor Club, an exclusive lounge where you can enjoy a quieter breakfast experience, or preferred tipple at any time of the day.
Should you fancy a bite, there are a staggering 11 restaurants to pick from, meaning you don’t have to leave and will never get hungry. There’s one-Michelin-starred Chaat, which pays homage to Indian street food culture, with the likes of an Old Delhi butter chicken and black truffle and chilli cheese naan. But, gravitate towards The Legacy House if your first meal in Hong Kong has to be dim sum—their pork dumplings with abalone and shrimp, and deep-fried crispy pigeon are astonishingly good and service is deeply attentive.
BluHouse, the hotel’s sun-drenched Italian dining hall on the ground level, is a secret trove of some of the city’s best pizzas, pastas and roast meats. Some are made to order, while others are proudly on display in glass counters, which adds to its European charm. Call for the mozzarella di buffala to pair with the fantastic pollo allo spiedo, a free-range rotisserie chicken cooked over an open flame, or selection of pastas and Roman-style pizzas. Time your meal well, because a light show at the Avenue of Stars takes place at 8pm daily—walking right out onto the boardwalk after dinner at BluHouse is an unparalleled win in my books.
One of Rosewood Hong Kong’s ultimate but underrated, selling points is their Rosewood Explorers Club. The hotel has converted several rooms into playrooms of different themes—such as Curious Jungle, Big Sky, Deep Blue, Mad Space and Play Lab—which successfully piques their wonderful imaginations. Your little ones will easily spend an entire day traversing the various worlds set out for them, in treehouses, on slides, and in wooden planes, accompanied with dollhouses, steering wheels or a fictional space station.
World-class design, sharp service and a smorgasbord of extraordinary culinary experiences are standard benchmarks for Hong Kong’s old guards. Yet, with the city’s indefatigable spirit, there is always room for more sublimity—Rosewood Hong Kong has taken the brief, and executed it to its sky-high standards. If there was one downside of staying here, it was that I simply could not leave. That meant that plans to eat my favourite typhoon-shelter crab had to be shelved to the next time I return, which given my track record with Hong Kong, is never far away.
Book a stay at Rosewood Hong Kong here.
