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Monday, October 8, 2012

Hong Kong Hotel With Family Room : Finding one that accommodates 2 adults and 2 kids

hong kong hotel with family room
Hong Kong Hotel Family Room a Family of 2 adults and 2 kids (before the extra bed was sent up)

While planning for our recent trip to Hong Kong, I've heard a lot from friends and families that Hong Kong hotel rooms are super small. So, at first I tried fnding hotels that describe their rooms as "spacious" by Hong Kong standards. Nearer towards booking the hotels though, I started to worry about whether I have to declare that I am a party of 2 adults and 2 kids since I do not want to be suddenly shocked with extra billing from the hotel. 

As, I frantically searched for hotels that would accept 2 adults and 2 kids in a room, most hotels replied that the maximum number of guests are 2 adults and 1 child or 3 adults due to fire safety regulations(I wonder the validity of that excuse). Most hotels suggested their suites with outrageous charges to which I would never dream of saying yes to, unless I become an overnight millionaire. The cheapest family suite quote that I got from a Hong Kong hotel is around SGD600 per night at Mira Hotel (Suite 80) hmmm.. still on the high side for me.
hong kong hotel with family room
Hong Kong Hotel With Family Room: Me and my 2.5 yo slept  on 1 bed, hubby slept on 1 and my 4 yo slept on the extra bed

Searching on the internet, most travellers with families recommed YMCA at Salisbury but that fills up pretty fast and you got to book in advance. Another option was Holiday Inn hotel at Nathan Road where they have a triple room suitable for families of 2 aduts and 2 kids and Langham Place at Mongkok, where they were having a promotion of kids stay free but we thought that the place is a bit too far for sightseeing. In the end, we settled for Harbour Grand Kowloon near Hung Hom, even though yes it is farther in than East Tsim Sha Tsui but I thought that the harbour view was nice and there were raving reviews on tripadvisor about its "fantatstic pool". Plus the pictures on the official website looks nicer than Holiday Inn's pictures.


hong kong hotel in family room
Harbour Grand Kowloon: The Bathroom
hong kong hotel family suite
Harbour Grand Kowlon: The Bathtub is low, great for my kids :)


Once we have landed in Hong Kong, we took a taxi straight to the hotel as it was cheaper for us compared to taking a shuttle where we have to pay by head. Harbour Grand Kowloon's location is a bit off and the "grandness" of the place is prettier in pictures, I would say that the furnishing looks a bit dated. But, the staff are very friendly and the shuttle bus provided every half hour to East Tsim Sha Tsui (Mody Road) and Tsim Sha Tsui (Hankow Road - beside Peninsula Arcade) makes up for it. The hotel kind of grow on you and every evening as we come back tired from sightseeing, the whiff of the sweet smelling perfume at the entrance of the hotel is like a warm and inviting hug from the hotel welcoming you back from your long day. 


hong kong family hotel
Family Hotel in Hong Kong: Our Room View


My kids love the hotel, they love the harbour view and playing in the bath, but we didn't try the pool as it was not suitable for my small kids and the smaller pool is a jacuzzi, and not a kids-dedicated-pool. Plus the entrance to the pool is too small. 

There is a suburban shopping mall just within walking distance of the hotel called The Wonderful World of Whampoa, if you have no halal diet restrictions like us finding food is quite convenient here.

Family Hotel in Hong Kong:Grand Harbour Kowloon, view from the room


All in all, Harbour Grand Kowloon is quite a decent family hotel in Hong Kong if you don't mind it's location as you will be taking taxis most of the time to do your sightseeing. But, convenience-wise, I think Holiday Inn Hotel at Nathan Road is very convenient with halal shops just within 5 minutes walking distance (Ziafat at Harilela Mansion across the road and the plethora of halal indian stalls at Chung King Mansion to the left of Holiday Inn) if you are wondeing if there is a halal hotel in Hong Kong where you can enjoy your breakfast buffet leisurely every morning, then SkyCity Marriott is the only hotel that serves halal food in-house but the location of the hotel is also way off maybe good for a Hong Kong Disneyland and Ngong Ping 360 stopover only..
hong kong hotel for families
Breakfast since only SkyCity Marriott serves halal breakfast among all Hong Kong hotels

On another note, after booking my family room at Grand Harbour Kowloon through this website, my cousin (who also travelled to Hong Kong with his wife and 2 kids) told me that he booked a normal room at Kowloon Hotel and did not declare the number of parties sleeping in the room nor did he ask for any extra bed and he encountered no problem. Oh, if only I had known earlier.. 




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