Hong Kong certainly has no shortage of luxury hotels. But if you’re traveling to the city with your kids, staying at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is a can’t-miss experience. Not only does the property boast unparalleled views of Hong Kong’s iconic skyline, it offers the perfect balance of warm, kid-friendly hospitality and meticulously crafted luxury.
The Ritz-Kids check-in experience
The fun started as soon as we arrived for check-in. Much to our girls’ delight, the front desk staff greeted them by name (“Which of you is Sean and which of you is Ella?”) and surprised them with plush lion backpacks. In addition to activity books, the backpacks contained bracelets that granted them complimentary ice cream anywhere in the hotel.
More surprises in our room
When we arrived at the room, our girls were excited to find a big tent set up in a corner of the room. When we told them they could sleep inside it, they were even more thrilled!
This is part of the Ritz-Kids Night Safari experience. Inside the tent, there’s a plush mattress made up with The Ritz-Carlton’s silky-smooth signature linens. This all makes for a roomy, comfortable place for kids to spend the night.
The girls also found two Ritz-Kids mini tote bags in the room, packed with more coloring and activity books for them.
At the time we made the hotel reservation, they had asked us for a family photo. I sent it to them, assuming it would be used to help the staff recognize us when we arrived. What I didn’t expect, however, was to find this adorable customized welcome card waiting in our room, along with a platter of delicious chocolates and cookies. It’s these little personal touches that made our stay so special.
This indoor camping experience was one of our girls’ favorite memories from our trip.
Talk about a room with a view
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong’s location on floors 102-118 of a towering skyscraper makes it one of the world’s highest hotels. This elevation also offers guests truly unparalleled views of Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbor. Hands down, you’re not going to get as good of a view from any other hotel in Hong Kong.
We stayed in room 113-32, one of the hotel’s Grand Seaview Rooms. It was hard to capture the panoramic effect of the view in a photo, so here’s a video tour of the room:
A bathroom outfitted with kids in mind
When it comes to outfitting the bathroom for little ones, the Ritz-Kids program goes far beyond the usual kid-sized bathrobes and slippers. Though of course, those are provided too.
The hotel provides special kids toothpaste and toothbrushes, along with a set of bath gel, shampoo, conditioner and lotion suitable for babies. The grown-ups get luxurious Asprey products.
At the time we were making the reservation, the hotel staff had asked us what the girls’ favorite cartoon character was. I told them the girls loved Hello Kitty, and I was curious to see what they would do with that information.
When we saw the bathtub, we were amazed to find that they had hand-drawn a special Hello Kitty greeting for the girls with washable markers!
The hotel had even provided rubber duckies for the girls to play with, and covered the faucet with a protective rubber blue whale.
The bathroom itself was large and luxurious. The rain shower made for a fantastic bathing experience, and I always appreciate a separate washroom.
One thing to watch out for though, is that the toilet seat is wider and than usual. So you might want to keep an eye on your kids when they’re using it the first time. Both Sean and Ella almost fell in the toilet, much to our collective amusement.
The Club Lounge is well worth the upgrade
When you’re traveling with kids, having access to a hotel’s club-level lounge is always a plus. Kids get hungry at weird hours, so being able to grab drinks or snacks at odd times of the day without getting nickeled and dimed really helps smooth out a family vacation.
The Club Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is a fantastic space, wrapped with windows overlooking Victoria Harbor. While hotel lounges usually bill themselves as offering light refreshments, this Club Lounge serves full-on meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cocktail hour is popular here too, with delicious appetizers to accompany the drinks.
Having breakfast here each morning was such a great way to start the day. I really enjoyed how warm and personal the service was. The team got to know us, and by the end of our stay we were on a first-name basis with everyone there.
They went above and beyond to make our daughters feel welcome too. As if the amazing breakfast buffet spread wasn’t enough, they made special bunny-themed pancakes just for the girls!
A hotel scavenger hunt just for kids
One of the goodies in the plush lion backpacks the girls got was a map of the hotel’s main attractions. Kids are encouraged to visit each of the sites to have their map stamped.
Once they’ve collected all the stamps, they can turn their maps in for a prize: an adorable little plush lion!
The girls loved their little lions so much they couldn’t even stand still long enough for me to take a non-fuzzy photo!
Excellent location makes for easy exploration
Though The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is located in Kowloon and not Hong Kong Island (you can think of the latter as the equivalent of Manhattan in New York), it’s still very easy to get around and explore the rest of the city.
If you’re staying in a room with Club Lounge access, you can enjoy complimentary drop-offs anywhere within Kowloon in the hotel-owned Tesla Model S. This in and of itself is a mini-adventure for the kids. Here’s a video of our girl’s first ride in the Tesla:
Taxis are another easy way to get around. Because the hotel is right next to the West Kowloon tunnel, it takes just 5 or 10 minutes to get to Hong Kong Island.
If you’d rather travel by MTR, Hong Kong’s subway system, that’s just as convenient. The hotel is located in the same building as the popular Elements luxury shopping mall. On the ground floor of the mall is the Kowloon Station MTR.
The afternoon tea is simply sublime
Hong Kong is famous for its afternoon tea options, and one of the best the city has to offer can be found at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.
Before the food even arrives, the experience is already incredible because the floor-to-ceiling windows offer stunning views of the Hong Kong skyline.
Afternoon tea is served at The Lounge & Bar, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant. It’s a beautiful space, but designed to be comfortable and relaxed.
Our server did a terrific job of recommending different teas for us to try. We had the Pomme Prestige Tea, Lemon Bush Tea, Grand Wedding Tea and 1837 Black Tea, all of which were delicious.
We started with the savory items: chicken and honey mustard finger sandwiches, mini croissants with smoked salmon, black truffle egg salads topped with quail egg and caviar, and delicious asparagus and gruyere cheese vols-au-vent.
Then we moved on to the sweets. I was particularly impressed by the coconut “sunny side up.” Made to look like an egg, it’s actually a coconut pudding served inside a chocolate shell. The “yolk” is made of mango puree, but has the exact same texture as an egg yolk. Once you puncture the thin membrane surrounding it, the yellow leaks out onto the “egg white.” It was truly a marvel in pastry-making.
The scones, served with homemade jam and clotted cream, were delicious too. Our girls loved the raisin scones, while we preferred the plain ones.
Thoughtful children’s programming
I really appreciated the thoughtful approach The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong took towards children’s programming. While the hotel doesn’t have an actual kid’s club, it still managed to organize some fun activities for the little ones.
We stayed at the hotel over Easter weekend, so the hotel organized a little Easter party for the kids. They set up an arts-and-crafts station in one of the restaurant’s private dining rooms, and our girls really enjoyed making bunnies out of paper cups.
The staff gave them fun bunny ears and bunny masks to take home with them, along with a goodie bag filled with Easter chocolates.
Kaysie, our guest relations officer asked me to take a photo of her with the girls. I didn’t think anything of it, but when we got back to our room later that evening, we found this lovely card:
Along with this hand-written note inside:
These personal gestures were so sweet, and made our girls feel so welcomed at the property. As parents, we really appreciated them too.
A one-of-a-kind swimming pool on the 118th floor
The showstopper at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is undoubtedly its swimming pool. Perched on the 118th floor, this is one of the highest pools in the world and offers the same spectacular views of Hong Kong’s harbor.
The pool area also has two hot tubs: one indoors and one outdoors. Enjoying a dip in the outdoor hot tub on the deck is a must-do while you’re at the hotel.
A diverse array of dining options
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong has a plethora of dining options. One of its most popular restaurants is Tin Lung Heen, a two-star Michelin establishment that serves Cantonese cuisine and traditional dim sum.
Tosca is also a Michelin-starred restaurant. This one serves Italian cuisine and is known for its open kitchen design, allowing diners to watch the chefs do their magic.
The Lounge & Bar is one of the hotel’s most frequented eateries, as it features all-day dining, traditional afternoon tea, organic salad bar, a la carte menu and cocktails in the evening.
Café 103 also serves afternoon tea, though they tend to feature different themes depending on the promotions the hotel does throughout the year. It is well-known for its lunch and dinner buffets, and is just as popular with local Hong Kong residents as the hotel guests.
Walking from restaurant to restaurant is an experience in and of itself. The hotel’s designers created these spectacular corridors lined with light and wine storage.
The hotel also boasts one of Hong Kong’s most popular rooftop bars: OZONE. It offers innovative cocktails and an assortment of Asian tapas, and its dance parties feature some of the city’s most well-known DJs.
For a more low-key evening, you can enjoy a wide selection of caviar and Balik salmon fillet, along with top-quality champagnes and vodkas at Almas Caviar Bar.
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is a great family hotel
Our family had an amazing time at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. We appreciated the hotel’s attention to detail and impeccable service, but also loved how they could be so warm and personal with our daughters. The girls are already asking when we can go back to the hotel!
The author received complimentary accommodations and meals from The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong for purposes of this review. All opinions are her own.
About Carmen Sognonvi
Carmen Sognonvi is a luxury family travel content creator at Top Flight Family, named a top 10 family travel Instagram account by Time Out New York and Brit + Co. Her insights on travel have been featured in The Washington Post, INSIDER, Huffington Post, Wanderlust Travel Magazine, TravelPulse, HOTELS Magazine, and more. Carmen firmly believes that you can (and should) travel with your kids from a young age. She offers families practical solutions for travel, as well as tips on how to travel in luxury for less. She lives in New York City with her multiracial and multicultural family of four. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
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