Review of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, by Simon Crerar

What possible reason could you have for staying here? Well for starters, the Four Seasons Hong Kong is the city’s best address. Arrive at Lantau’s Norman Foster-designed Chep Lap Kok airport and you are whisked 35km in 23 minutes by Airport Express rail into Central, the boringly-named centre of Asia’s biz capital.

Exit the station and you can walk straight into the lobby of the Four Seasons: no taxi required. You’ll immediately notice the hotel’s peerless view, sitting at the northern tip of Hong Kong Island, looking towards Kowloon and China beyond. The MTR subway is right underneath the hotel, the Star Ferry five minutes away.

More importantly, this is the only hotel in the world with not one, but two, Michelin three star restaurants. One of those eateries, Lung King Heen (View of the Dragon), offers stylish modern Cantonese cuisine, specialising in Dim Sum and seafood, and is the only Chinese restaurant in the world holding Michelin’s ultimate honour. Plan well in advance: the restaurant is booked months ahead.

I was lucky enough to dine at the hotel’s other internationally acclaimed restaurant, the French culinary extravaganza Caprice. With stunning views over Victoria Harbour from its floor to ceiling windows, this is classic French cuisine at its absolute best. Chef Vincent Thierry previously worked at the legendary Cinq in Paris during its glory days under Philippe Legendre.

The service is impeccable, every course presented and lovingly described by an enthusiastic team of French waiters and sommeliers. Ingredients are flown in daily from France, so whether you’re eating Langoustine Carpaccio with Sour Cucumber, Wasabi Jelly and Osetra Caviar, Wild Cod Fillet with Iberico Chorizo, Vegetable Ratatouille and Yellow Bell Pepper or Orange Soufflé with Chestnut Cream Feuilleté and Grand Marnier Ice Cream, you could close your eyes and be in Paris.

But why would you want to when the harbour views here are so goddamn good?

Even better are the knockout vistas from the hotel’s 45th floor Executive Club. Here, for a very reasonable fee added to you bill, you can enjoy extremely generous glasses of afternoon champagne, a limited but classic selection of evening cocktails and light meals at various times of day, plus a winning breakfast buffet, all best enjoyed while gazing north across the water into the most important nation of the 21st-century. And yes movie fans, that soaring gothic skyscraper to your right is the one out of Batman flick The Dark Knight.

If you somehow have any time at all to spend in your room, it is no surprise to discover that it comes brilliantly appointed. This Four Seasons opened in 2005, and the huge chambers come complete with every modern amenity you could possibly imagine. So, a huge and comfy bed, lightening-fast internet, luxurious bathroom suite and supremely efficient room service. And always views, views, killer views.

One gripe? Avoid the room service menu. A late night Club Sandwich was hard and cold, with chewy French fries; the accompanying Wonton soup a flaccid disappointment. More fool us for eating in the room when there are so many magnificent options downstairs.