The Luxe Manor Hotel Review – Hong Kong

Written by Olivia Richardson: 02-June-2010

THe Luxe Manor, Hong Kong, lobby

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The Luxe Manor, Hong Kong = Alice in Wonderland meets Salvador Dali, heaven, hell and anything in between.

Think sultry velvety-blacks, fiery reds; brazen gold, black and magenta; meshed with silver heart chairs, tea-party spring blooms and white, human-sized candles... among other mysterious touches designed to surprise if you can find them (subtly glittery stairs, random artistic pieces, little 'games' or 'tricks' for fun). It's surreal and designed to surprise - you never know what you'll find or see if you look hard enough.

Best bits

The themed suites (each with a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and toilet/'powder' room). Go crazy with 6 theme choices (pictured in order, below):

* Royale - This suite is elegantly chic. 1940s Hollywood glamour brings the Marilyn Monroe out of you with a zebra-print rug, rouge-y red sofas, chocolate drapes, chandeliers, and motif-'lacey' wallpaper. Swish.

* Nordic - A 'glacially cool' lair with ice-like inspirations (stool-chairs and more look like ice!). They've even set the air con colder in here and it hits you when you walk in, so rug up with your partner in the caveman-Nordic-esque fur rug.

* My fave - Safari. A sassy, sultry, Middle-East-inspired suite with hanging Moroccan lanterns and a 'starry night sky' (seriously - turn the lights off in the living room and bedroom for desert stars on the roof! So romantic and lush. They look real!). Would make a very sexy honeymoon suite.

* Mirage - Have fun in this 'it's not what it seems' suite... (no clues here... may spoil it).

* Chic - It's just that. Think plush seating, mirrored bathrooms, and precise attention to detail that creates an ambience that's sophisticated from top to bottom.

* Liaison - Soft, daintily romantic room with cream cushion-y-patterned walls (see pic), gentle reds, and features the only round bed in a hotel in Hong Kong, apparently.

The 3 private dinning rooms. Choose from Heaven, Hell, and Garden of Eden themes. They're all lush and perfect for wedding receptions. You can actually get married in them too.

Inside Heaven, two walls of the room are exquisitely decorated with white curtains resembling the wings of angels, while the ceiling offers the illusion that angels are stepping down from above.

Eden creates the feel of being outside in a garden with the fresh-green carpeted floor. It's laden with peacock-feather curtains and dramatic flower-lined walls and ceiling.

Dark and sensual, Hell incorporates the use of deep, smooth reds and blacks, irregularly placed long mirrors and human-sized candles. It features lava-like flooring and a dazzling chandelier. If you like, you can watch the chef cook your meal, through a viewing window.

And I just love the whole design and fun feel in general. It's funky-surreal!

Regular rooms

I stayed in a Studio King Bedroom, which was still quirky-fab (pictured below). I loved the randomness and the orange, 'material string' curtains (there's a thick, regular curtain behind that you can use for night time), the huge bed (I could lay at any angle and it was still too big for my feet to reach the ends) and creamy-smooth bed linen; complimentary, funky wooden hair combs in the bathroom; the cute and quirky décor and design (the red 'paper-crumpled-like bin, cute drawers, and the insane carpet; embellished, empty photo frames on the wall, etc.).

Not so keen on...

Breakfast buffet at Aspasia was disappointing for me. There were about 4 little tables plus an egg station with the amount of food (and variety) you'd have at say a media launch, afternoon tea for 15 people in Australia.

The toilet paper could have been thicker; and I didn't see any sanitising spray in the gym (or in any hotel gym in Hong Kong for that matter - interesting, because they have sanitising solution, auto-squirt station in the hotel lobby; in most Hong Kong shopping centres in random places, and all over the airport). That's it. The rest was rocking!

Our ratings

Design and décor: 7/5
Location: 3/5
Comfort: 4/5
Service: 3/5 (staff in Aspasia for breakfast were stressed and rushing us in, etc.)
Cleanliness: 5/5
Chic-ness: 7/5
Overall: 5/5.

Quick facts

Size: 153 rooms; 6 themed suites.
Check in: 2pm.
Check out: 12 noon.
Dining: Aspasia (Italian cuisine), and Dada Bar + Lounge
Facilities - gym, internet, LCD TVs, etc. See the full list here.
Directions: www.theluxemanor.com/directions.php

Room rates

The following prices are in Hong Kong dollars. Click here to see current exchange rates.

Superior: HK$2400
Premier: $2600
Studio: $2800
Deluxe: $3000
Themed suite: $10,000
Extra bed / person: $500.

Area heads-up

Tsim Sha Tsui (pronounced "shim-sha-shway") - I was pestered by Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi men on the street who seemed to only approach Westerners. It gets annoying after the 6th time down the street. They apparently want you to go to their shop out the back to see if you want any clothes tailored.

www.theluxemanor.com

The Luxe Manor Facebook fan page

The Emporium Hotel, Brisbane (also chic and quirky)