Tsim Sha Tsui

The Peninsula Hong Kong

★★★★★

The Peninsula is the most famous hotel in Hong Kong and one of the legendary hotels of the world. It opened in 1928 on Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, facing the harbour and the old railway terminus, and was built to be the finest hotel east of Suez, a reputation it has never really lost. The original building, with its symmetrical colonial wings and grand forecourt, is now joined by a 30-storey tower added in the 1990s, which holds most of the rooms and has a helipad on the roof. The hotel's signatures are known around the world. Its fleet of Rolls-Royce cars in the distinctive Peninsula green waits in the forecourt to collect guests from the airport. Afternoon tea in The Lobby, with gilded columns, a high ceiling and a string quartet playing from the gallery, is an institution that draws queues of visitors who are not even staying. And the dining is among the best in the city: Gaddi's for classic French fine dining since the 1950s, Spring Moon for Cantonese cuisine and dim sum in an art deco setting, and Felix, the restaurant and bar on the 28th floor designed by Philippe Starck, with floor-to-ceiling windows over the harbour and famously the best urinal views in Asia. The Peninsula Spa and a Roman-style indoor pool with a terrace overlooking the harbour complete the picture. Rooms in the tower are elegant rather than flashy, with marble bathrooms and technology that the group develops in-house, from bedside tablets to nail dryers, and many have sweeping views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island. Service is the heart of it: the bellboys in white uniforms and pillbox hats, the concierge desk that can arrange anything, and staff who have often worked here for decades.

Choosing a room: the harbour-view rooms in the tower are the reason to stay, and the higher the floor, the better the view of the skyline and the nightly light shows; the Deluxe rooms in the original building face the courtyard or the city and have more classic character. Suites range from compact to vast, culminating in the Peninsula Suite at the top of the tower. The Peninsula has kept up with the times, and the rooms have been thoroughly updated in the last decade, but the overall style remains timeless, with a gentle nod to the hotel's heritage and its art deco roots.

Beyond the rooms, the hotel is a destination. Book afternoon tea in The Lobby as a hotel guest to avoid the queue (non-guests often wait), have a drink at Felix at sunset for the view, and try the dim sum lunch at Spring Moon, one of the best in Kowloon. The Peninsula Arcade has luxury boutiques, and the Peninsula Boutique sells its famous chocolates and tea. The Peninsula Academy offers classes and experiences, from cooking to cultural tours, and the hotel can arrange helicopter flights from the roof. The location is perfect for sightseeing: the Star Ferry, the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, the Museum of Art and the MTR are all a few minutes' walk, and Victoria Dockside and K11 Musea are next door.

Who it suits: anyone celebrating, anyone who loves classic grand hotels, and first-time visitors who want to stay in a landmark at the heart of Kowloon. The trade-offs are price, at the top of the market, and the crowds of non-guests in the Lobby during afternoon tea. Some younger travelers find the style more traditional than the newer luxury hotels, but for service, history and a sense of occasion, the Peninsula remains in a class of its own.