Landmark Mandarin Oriental

The lack of an obvious lobby is the only surprise at this seamlessly run, ideally situated establishment.

• The concierge team made up of true Hong Kong insiders who are endlessly speedy and resourceful
• The Oriental Spa, an insider’s spot for relaxing in their sleek steam and sauna facilities
• Sublime European dishes in the low-lit Amber and the see-and-be-seen vibe at MO Bar, open from breakfast until past bedtime

This is the stylish, boutique alternative to the hotel’s classic sibling, the Mandarin Oriental around the corner. One hundred and thirteen rooms and suites all boast sleek lines and sexy curves so it’s no wonder that categories sound like luxury car models. From the L450 to L900 (a reference to square footage), the rooms on average clock in at around 540 square-feet, making for some of the island’s roomiest accommodations. All are equally generous and well equipped. Limestone baths make dramatic focal points in the ultra-modern bathrooms. (Indagare Tip: Draw the curtains, unless you want an audience, given this hotel’s prime location in the center of Hong Kong’s business district.)

Staff provides excellent service on par with Hong Kong's most established five-stars properties. The duplex, 21,000-square-foot Oriental Spa deserves its stellar reputation as the island’s most restorative urban escape, especially with the vitality pool’s powerful massage jets to pummel away tension. Ashtanga yoga classes taught here have developed a cult following, as has the Bastien Gonzalez Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio for perhaps the world’s finest hand and feet pampering.

The street-facing MO Bar draws power brokers at breakfast, ladies who lunch (known locally as tai-tai) and, at cocktail hour, a bevy of bespoke-suited bankers. Upstairs at Amber, the hotel’s ebony-wood-paneled dining room, the chef has earned his two Michelin stars with a contemporary French menu featuring ingredients flown in daily from the Tokyo fish market, Tasmania, Brittany, and beyond.

Travelers willing to forgo any sort of harbor view for the hotel’s cossetting boutique vibe (not a given in Hong Kong) and the ultra-convenient location.