5 Reasons to Make the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Your Home in HK

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental is a tick-all-the-boxes base on Hong Kong Island. Sally Paine shares five reasons to book in and bliss out.

You’re travelling with kids

Like its older sibling, the grand Mandarin Oriental, the Landmark is serious about service, meeting needs at every step, and littlies share the star treatment. There’s a welcome gift of toys, kid-size robes and slippers, baby-proofing of sharp corners, and babysitting by agency nurses can be booked through the concierge.

You care about cutting-edge design

The Landmark turned 10 in 2015 and guest rooms and suites are being upgraded to bring it bang up to date, with local architect Joyce Wang giving them the look of a luxe apartment. The L900 suite now has leather and brass features and exclusive furnishings, plus a Nespresso machine, Bluetooth speaker and three TVs (one hiding in the bathroom mirror), but the hero is still the 2m circular spa bath – it takes 10 minutes to fill, but floating in Jo Malone-scented bubbles makes you feel like you have all the time in the world.

You want to eat world-class cuisine

Michelin-star dining is everywhere in Hong Kong, but the Landmark gives you access to Amber, the best restaurant in China according to the San Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants List 2016. Dutch culinary director Richard Ekkebus’ 2 Michelin star restaurant came 4th, putting him ahead of Aussie chefs Tetsuya Wakuda (Waku Ghin, Singapore) and David Thompson (Nahm, Bangkok). Budget doesn’t stretch to dinner? Have breakfast in the restaurant or choose from the Ekkebus-designed in-room dining menu.

You’d like a break without breaking your routine

No need to hit pause on your healthy habits while staying at the Landmark. Occupying two floors, the Oriental Spa & Wellness offers yoga and pilates studios as well as pool and fitness facilities (or salute the sun on the yoga mat in your suite). For something special, book a stress-busting spa treatment, such as the signature Oriental Essence massage. Make sure you save time for the pre- or post-treatment area with steam rooms and vitality pools with massage jets. There’s also a treatment room for couples.

You need to be where the action is

The hotel’s CBD location makes everything easy. For high-end retail therapy, enter the Landmark Mall from level 2. From there you can travel via covered walkways and train to anywhere you want to go, but a wander on foot through the streets of Central and SoHo is a must. Fancy some Michelin-quality street food? Take a 5-minute walk to Yat Lok in Stanley Street for the local specialty of roast goose with rice or rice noodle soup. Be early if you want to try the juicier leg meat – it’s guaranteed to sell out.