Weekend in Hong Kong by A380 & 77W, stay at W Hong Kong

[9V-SIA]

Introduction

We had to visit a relative in Hong Kong last weekend.

I have never flown on the A380. Rarely on the 77W. And after reading rave reviews of the W Hong Kong by KeithMEL here...

W Hong Kong

.... decided to kill three birds with one stone.

So in addition to fulfilling our filial duties..

1. We flew A380 SIN-HKG
2. Stayed at the W Hong Kong
3. And took the 77W HKG-SIN

Oh I forgot... got an economy to business class upgrade courtesy of an UG2 voucher from SQ
( My UG3 voucher will be SIN-BCN next month. And staying at W Barcelona )

So SQ treats me well

[9V-SIA]

SIN-HKG by A380

Introduction

Check in was quick. The guy in front of me was on his way to SFO via ICN.
Glanced enviously at the gentleman beside me checking in ( early ) for the non stop flight to LAX.
There was a long line at immigration but I whisked through the automated checking points.

Once airside, proceeded to the DBS Air Treasures lounge to wait for my flight.
The food is not as comprehensive as the SKL but you are served. And it's quieter.
And you can order a limo to pick you up on your return.

Soon it was time to board.



Gate B4. The view of the A380 that will take us to HKG
Flying mostly on A345s, I have been conditioned to choose a bulkhead seat for the full width foot rest.
I should have done my homework better.
I am claustrophobic and row 11 is a bad row to choose if you are one.



For a start, Row 11 Seats A & K have no windows.



What's more 11 D & F have bulkheads that appear to "arch" over you.
They offer very limited field of vision. Very unpleasant if you are like me, claustrophobic.
My bag ( in picture under leg rest ) would not fit into the overhead locker so had to be taken away to store for take off and landing.



So I moved to 11K, which offered a more open view of the staircase to the Suites.
This seat became available when the PAX seated there requested a seat with a window and was moved.
Unfortunately, it was a full flight and no further changes were possible.
The plane took off with 2 empty seats in business class, 11A and 11F!



For 11A & K, the screen and footrest are narrower than the other seats.
But I was reasonably happy since a got my "space". Luckily a short flight too.



The forward business class cabin. The cabin narrows towards the front of the aircraft.
In future I will opt for the rear J cabin, which is wider

[9V-SIA]

The Flight

I had planned to take a walk around the aircraft when the seat belt sign went off.
It was a bumpy flight and the seat belt sign was on most of the time.
When the seat belt sign was off there was a rush to the toilets and I couldn't explore anyway.
There was a line on the spiral staircase at the rear of the aircraft.
( The upper deck Y looked very nice though, hope they keep it )

I settled down to have my brunch and watch a movie... Terminator Salvation. Awful movie!



The Menu



Sliced Fresh Fruit



Birchermuesli



Griddled hotcake with blueberry compote, egg frittata, tomato and ham
As usual, I was full and did not eat the rest of what was on offer.

To be continued...

[SQflyergirl]

Shame about the windowless seat. The first time I saw it i though - my goodness what a bum deal for the guy sitting there - but great report though! I think I need a golden goose ride soon.

[9V-SIA]

Shame about the windowless seat. The first time I saw it i though - my goodness what a bum deal for the guy sitting there - but great report though! I think I need a golden goose ride soon.

I was pretty disappointed...



Upper Deck. Nose of the Aircraft

To the right of the staircase.. a corridor.
My bag was stored in the cupboard behind the crew seat.
What would be cool is if they had a window at the front of this corridor to look ahead!



To the left of the staircase... the forward toilet.

So overall, my first time on the A380 was a bit of a let down.
The fantastic crew did make up for it though.
Cheerful, fast and efficient despite a full house

[9V-SIA]

Introduction

Those of you who have taken the Airport Express into town will know that there are 3 stations:

1. Tsing Yi
2. Kowloon
3. Hong Kong

The organization that runs the MTR is given the land around the stations to develop.
They provide the infrastructure ( eg train line, roads ). The rest is parcelled out to private developers.

W Hong Kong is part of the Kowloon development.
Above the station lies Elements, the shopping mall.
Surrounding it are offices, hotels and condominiums.



The Site Map

So staying at the W Hong Kong is super convenient for travelers.

W Hong Kong Level 1



Front of the hotel.
Access to the hotel, unless you are in a car, is through Elements.
To the left of where this picture was taken is the road already.
No pedestrian walkway along the road to get a better shot of the hotel



The public areas ( level 1 and 6 ) is L shaped.
Concierge ( Whatever, Whenever in W-speak ) on level 1, in the corner
Behind the desk, note the "Tree Trunk" cladding wrapped around the support columns



Concierge eye view looking towards Elements
Expected to see Austin Powers sitting on the sofa!



From Concierge, looking left towards W shop



Free parking is available outside... when you have one of these..

[9V-SIA]

W Hotel Level 6


The 3 lifts from the Ground Floor serve only the public areas.
The hotel proper actually only starts on level 6.
Level 7 is the Ballroom
Level 8 is the Conference Rooms



Step out of the lift into the Living Room.
At the end of this hallway is the Bar.
Off to the left is the Reception



Look left from the lift is the Kitchen.
What's with the horses?



The Bar, looking back at the lifts.
Way to Reception on the right...



I didn't know he was a fan...



The Reception. I found the LED background a bit too much



The floor of the lifts has the same theme

[9V-SIA]

Bedroom

I was upgraded at check in from a Wonderful Room ( City View ) to ( Harbour View )
I wasn't expecting it, having already got a very good rate ( Stay 2 nights, 1 night free offer )



View of my room as you enter
Wardrobe to right where I'm standing



The flat screen TV is behind the sliding mirror panel.
The hotel is the only one I have stayed in with 5.1 ( ie 5 speakers and 1 subwoofer ) AV surround sound system.
The subwoofer is by the window, below the ice bucket
Watched Ironman on HBO. Whoa! Great sound!



The Bathroom



Loo and Shower share a common sliding glass door
There's a TV for you to watch as you soak in the bathtub



RAIN SHOWER!!!
My weekend is made



Peek-a-boo bathroom, like in Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai
Now you see it...



Now you don't...

But it doesn't open as widely as the bathroom at Hyatt on the Bund
W patrons don't strike me as being the bashful type...
I wonder why then?

[9V-SIA]

The Views

And the reason the Bathroom doesn't open up completely like in Hyatt on the Bund is evident...



...when you look out the window
That's ICC, and it won't do to distract the staff of Morgan Stanley and,
in the not too distant future, Credit Suisse as they go about their business
IIRC Ritz Carlton is also opening there.

The highway to the right of ICC is the Western Harbour Tunnel to Hong Kong.
It was never jammed as it is more expensive to use than the tunnel nearer Central ( Toll HKD45 vs HKD25 ).
We used it to get to Yung Kee on Sunday. Took all of 15 minutes.
( through a very photogenic part of HK, I might add. Ask the driver to take the hilly road )



View towards Central.
I can see my previous favorite hotel/ mall.. Conrad and Pacific Place through the gap in the buildings



The view is actually rather good, sitting on the couch in the room, looking west ( To the right of ICC ).

[9V-SIA]

Floorplan



The rooms are from the 16th to 38th Floor.

Pool & Gym

76th Floor is Wet ( Pool )
73rd Floor is Sweat ( Gym ) & Changing Rooms
72nd Floor is Bliss ( Spa )




The gym has nice views as you work on the cardio machines.
We used it every day.



The pool has the same facing as the spa/gym.
Great to swim laps at night.
And when it gets cold ( very windy ), we jumped into the jacuzzi at the far end.

I have no pictures of the Spa but it was IMHO the best spa outside of Banyan Tree Phuket.
We had treatments on Sat and Sun.
Noteworthy were the brownies on offer before and after the spa treatment

[9V-SIA]

Elements, The Mall

The mall is divided into 5 zones named after the elements..

• Water
• Fire
• Metal
• Earth
• Wood

We spent the whole weekend within this mall ( except for Yung Kee ).
Previous weekends in HK, we've done Ocean Terminal, Pacific Place and IFC.
HK is so near to Singapore.
And we like relaxing holidays.

We ate at Lei Garden, Pak Loh ( teochew ) and Wang Jia Sha.
I would go back to any of them.
In contrast, Yung Kee is pretty bad now and I won't be going back to it.



Layout of the Mall



Skylight below Civic Plaza, looking up the escalator towards ICC



I love this sculpture of "Nessie", the loch ness monster



Above ground, Civic Plaza by day...



..and by night.
Restaurants around the plaza are not as popular as within the mall.
We tried the Italian restaurant. BIG portions and delicious!

This mall deserves to succeed.
But judging from the promotions they had running - free parking with minimum spend, shuttle buses to Tsim Sha Tsui - they would like to see more shoppers.
Actually with H1N1 at the back of my mind, it is a relatively uncrowded mall so "safer" than the busier parts of Kowloon around Star Ferry.

[zxcvbn]

Thanks for the detailed trip report!

Post 9 - Tunnel is called "Western Harbour Crossing/Tunnel", although IIRC there are Mission Hill advertisements near the exits.

[9V-SIA]

Thanks for the detailed trip report!

Post 9 - Tunnel is called "Western Harbour Crossing/Tunnel", although IIRC there are Mission Hill advertisements near the exits.

Thanks. Amended.

[KeithMEL]

Great pics!

That's the Glamourous design scheme you've got with your room at the W. It actually looks nicer than the Glamourous-design Marvellous Suite, as in the colours gel together better. I hope you enjoyed a cocktail or 10 down at the Living Room too.

[SQ All The Way]

Great TR with photos, thanks for posting!