With the world’s greatest number of skyscrapers in one city, as well as thousands of buildings over 10 stories, Hong Kong’s urban landscape has a way of overpowering visitors. Sometimes it’s easiest just to stand in front of the window of your hotel room and take it all in.
From five-star palaces to youth hostels, presidential suites to rented apartments, you can pretty much be guaranteed views that you’ll be posting and sending to friends as soon as you check in.
Here are 14 of the best when you stay here:
1. Hotel Icon
This unique five-star property is owned by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and operates as a research and training facility for the School and Hotel of Tourism Management.
Guests come for the sleek Tesla limos, classy club floor and award-winning dining. But most of all for the intoxicating views from rooms, restaurants and particularly the pool deck and gym.
2. InterContinental Hong Kong
Located on the water’s edge on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbor, guests get some of the city’s most spectacular views at the InterContinental Hong Kong. Looking toward the Hong Kong Island skyline, there’s no better vantage for the city’s nightly laser and light show.
3. Hyatt Regency Sha Tin
The Hyatt Regency in Sha Tin is the first globally branded hotel in Hong Kong’s New Territories.
Sitting next to The Chinese University of Hong Kong means there are lots of students and families, but it’s the view of Tolo Harbor, the Kau To Shan mountains and Sha Tin Racecourse that really catch the eye.
4. Lanson Place Hotel
Causeway Bay is a conveniently located shopper’s paradise, thronging with locals and visitors day and night. The small, boutique Lanson Place Hotel looks over Victoria Park to one side, with swanky high-rise living and hills to the other.
Look carefully and you’ll see Hong Kong Stadium, home to the city’s annual Rugby Sevens tournament.
5. Mandarin Oriental
The Mandarin Oriental opened in 1963, remaining one of the city’s most well known five-star hotels to this day.
If you’re going to kick back in a bath filled with rose petals, there’s no better view to enjoy than the shiny skyscrapers of the city’s Central commercial district and the harbor beyond.
6. Airbnb
Of course it’s not all five-star luxury at five-star prices, but the views can still be amazing.
Airbnb has thousands of options in the city, but few can match the view of the Happy Valley racecourse. At some properties, you can watch the horses romp home from the comfort of your own apartment.
7. The Park Lane Hong Kong
The Park Lane Hong Kong offers sweeping views across Victoria Harbour, the most impressive of which comes from its rooftop bar, The Deck.
You couldn’t be better located to make the most of Causeway Bay, while Victoria Park across the road offers a respite from the concrete jungle.
8. The Peninsula Hong Kong
The Peninsula Hong Kong is the city’s oldest hotel, having opened in 1928.
It subsequently became known as the “Grande Dame of the Far East,” an icon of the city combining Eastern and Western hospitality. More than 80 years later, the views of Hong Kong island and the harbor remain a knockout.
9. YMCA The Salisbury
A view to almost rival the storied Peninsula comes from the less glamorous but more wallet-friendly YMCA The Salisbury right next door.
The 372-room property includes a number of suites. The most impressive is the 530-square-feet Harbour View, which sleeps four and has million-dollar views without the million-dollar rates.
10. EAST Hong Kong, Quarry Bay
The face of Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay district has changed arguably more than any other in the past decade, from a residential area to the city’s media business hub.
EAST Hong Kong caters to this new crowd with panoramic views over the eastern end of Victoria Harbour, especially from the rooftop bar, Sugar.
11. Silvermine Beach Resort, Lantau Island
Lantau is Hong Kong’s largest island and home to the city’s airport, but you wouldn’t know it in sleepy and laid-back Mui Wo.
Here the view of the beach from the Silvermine Beach Resort is occasionally interrupted by a herd of remaining wild buffalo on their morning stroll, a world away from the neon and noise of Hong Kong Island.
12. Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
At the other end of the scale, occupying floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Center in Kowloon, the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is the highest hotel in the world.
Each one of the 312 guestrooms offers spectacular city and harbor views, while the rooftop bar, Ozone, a cool 490 meters above sea level, tops them all.
13. Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong
Pacific Place is home to the 56-story Island Shangri-La Hotel, the brand’s flagship property in the city. Expect sweeping harbor views, perfect for the city’s firework displays, but also beautiful vistas up toward Victoria Peak from the other side.
The top-floor Petrus Restaurant under Ricardo Chaneton defines dining with a view.
14. Jockey Club Mt. Davis Youth Hostel
Sunset views are striking from this humble youth hostel on Mount Davis.
Looking out toward Tsing Ma Bridge and over the multitude of boats in the shipping lanes, it’s a unique angle on the city. You can even catch the nightly fireworks off in the distance at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Chris Dwyer is a Hong Kong-based communications consultant and food writer. His restaurant reviews, chef interviews and more can be found at finefooddude.com.
