Room with a view (and then some)

There’s only one Hong Kong Suite — because there’s only one Hong Kong.

That sounds like marketing, but it’s the kind of truth you feel when the elevator opens on the 50th floor of the Island Shangri-La and you step into a space that somehow captures the city’s big energy and small comforts, its boldness and its grace. This isn’t just a suite — it’s Hong Kong in residence. A masterstroke of design and detail, suspended between the mountain and the harbor, like a love letter written in skyline.

The suite

The moment we stepped in, the city unfolded before us. Victoria Harbour on one side, layers of buildings rising into the haze, and beyond them, the soft outlines of mountains. The living room, framed by a mural of Hong Kong’s early days as a fishing village, opens up with a quiet grace. There’s nothing flashy here, but everything feels intentional. It’s the kind of space you don’t just look at, you settle into it, you let it unfold slowly.

We didn’t have guests over, but if we had, I imagine cocktails would have been served in the late afternoon, with that view doing most of the talking. Instead, I poured a drink for my husband and we sat in silence for a while, watching the city move beneath us. You start to understand why they say “there’s only one.”

The bedroom

A daybed by the window, where the light changes color by the hour. A wall behind the bed embroidered in gold silk. A sense of softness in the quietest corners — pillows fluffed just right, a Dyson air purifier humming faintly, switches that turn things off without you having to search. These things don’t ask to be noticed, but they’re what you remember.

We had far too many suitcases with us, as usual, but the suite took them in without fuss. The dressing room was more than spacious, with mirrors, drawers, hangers galore, and everything felt considered. You could stay here for a week and not need to unpack creatively. The fully stocked bar with its olives, lemons, mint and those dangerously addictive spiced nuts was not just a minibar, but a signal that whoever put this room together understood indulgence.

The bathroom

I always say you can tell a lot about a hotel by its bathroom. This one felt like a little temple. White marble, twin rain showers with a warm bench, double vanities, Acqua di Parma on the counters and that bathtub — a perfect circle under a golden ceiling, framed in hand-laid magnolia mosaics.

One evening, our butler drew a bath for me using Shangri-La’s Signature Bath Salt — a blend of rose oil, Dead Sea minerals, dried rose buds and chrysanthemum from YUN Wellness. It smelled like peace. I stayed longer than I should have, watching the city lights shimmer through the wooden slatted window, thinking about nothing and everything all at once.

The breakfast

There are three ways to do breakfast here. We began with the most obvious choice: in-room dining, Hong Kong-style. My husband, Berg, had satay beef with instant noodles, runny scrambled eggs done the local way and a tall glass of proper milk tea. The comfort was immediate. I chose the Japanese set and the cod alone — silky, perfectly seasoned — was the best I’ve had in a very long time.

The next morning, we made our way to Petrus, where the Japanese breakfast quietly impressed once again. From the cod to the pickled vegetables, everything was thoughtful, composed and quietly confident — nothing trying too hard, everything just right. You could also go down to Café Too and join the morning bustle. But up in that suite, breakfast felt like it belonged only to us.

The pantry

The “mini” in minibar doesn’t quite apply here. This was a proper pantry — full-sized bottles, quietly replenished and curated with the kind of thoughtfulness that doesn’t announce itself but is felt. Mixers, juices, snacks, cocktail garnishes — it felt less like a hotel amenity and more like someone had taken note of what might make a night and feel just a little more complete.

What stood out to me most was the bottles of Saicho Jasmine sparkling tea among the offerings. We had just been introduced to it the day before at Petrus, and I’ve since learned that sparkling tea has become quietly popular across Hong Kong in recent years. It felt like a gentle continuation of the story — familiar, unexpected and somehow just right.

The view

It’s hard to describe without sounding cliché. But it’s also hard to ignore. Water in front, mountains behind. It’s not just scenic — it’s grounding. The kind of view that makes you sit still a little longer in the morning, breathe a little deeper at night. The kind that reminds you why Hong Kong is Hong Kong.

The service

If the suite is the body of the experience, the service is its soul.

There’s a kind of quiet choreography at play here. You don’t notice it at first, but it’s always happening. One afternoon, I asked the concierge, Mary Ann Aboo, if my friend could join me in the lounge. She didn’t just say yes — she walked us there herself.

What sets Island Shangri-La apart isn’t the amenities (though they’re stellar). It’s that sense of being cared for without feeling hovered over. Many of the staff have been here for decades, some of them part of families who’ve worked with the hotel since it opened. There’s a continuity in the way they move, the way they serve. It’s not about scripts — it’s about instinct. And that’s rare.

The heart of it

Island Shangri-La has long been part of the city’s rhythm. Since 1991, it has quietly witnessed Hong Kong’s changing chapters — from weddings and anniversaries to business trips and reunions. It has adapted without losing its anchor. The new additions — YUN Wellness, the Family Floor, Ming Pavilion — don’t feel like upgrades. They feel like natural extensions of a place that knows what it is.

For me, Shangri-La has always meant more than just a hotel. I celebrated my 18th birthday at Edsa Shangri-La in Manila, and years later, our family chose it again for our wedding. My husband and I have been given the opportunity to stay in many beautiful properties around the world, but Shangri-La will always be a little extra special. And Hong Kong, too, is that kind of city — layered with memory, pulsing with meaning. It never quite leaves you.

As general manager Clifford Weiner puts it, “With the launch of our latest suite, we really wanted to celebrate the DNA of Island Shangri-La. We ‘are’ Hong Kong, we sit at the beating heart of our city, and so with quiet grace and a lot of forethought, we have created a product that we feel represents the best of what our city has to offer to the world.”

And maybe that’s why the suite resonates so deeply. It’s not trying to be everything. It’s just being what it already is: a reflection of a city that’s layered, luminous and entirely its own.

Because there’s only one Hong Kong. And this suite, in its quiet, thoughtful way, understands what that means.