Royal Garden

Description:

• The Royal Garden has always been one of my favorites because of its architectural surprises that invite exploration. It features a cool, sleek lobby and a 15-story inner atrium, a concept adapted from the traditional Chinese inner garden (and employed here long before it became standard of some U.S. chains). Plants hang from the balconies ringing the soaring space, glass-enclosed elevators glide up the wall, a piano sits on an island in the middle of a pool, and the sound of rushing water adds freshness and coolness to the atmosphere. A wonderful 25m-long (82-ft.) rooftop swimming pool is heated in winter. Off the lobby is a very interesting martini bar, and its Italian restaurant, Sabatini, is one of Hong Kong's best. The rooms, the most expensive of which have partial harbor views between two buildings and the cheapest of which face the Regal Kowloon Hotel, are smartly decorated with a mix of colonial-style and modern furniture and offer chilled, purified tap water in the bathroom. Although a slight hike to the action of Tsim Sha Tsui, it's close to the railway station with service to the New Territories and China.

  Facilities: 6 restaurants, including Sabatini and the Greenery; martini bar; lounge; heated rooftop outdoor pool and Jacuzzi; lighted outdoor tennis court; putting green; exercise room; sauna; concierge; business center; shopping arcade; 24-hr. room service; babysitting; executive-level rooms

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2009
•  Highly Recommended 2010