Ewens-Downing Adventures in Asia

Everyone knows that there are almost always dozens of hotel options no matter where you go. Hong Kong is no exception. So what will your E&D friends do in a city that is ripe with choices?

Since Ron added Hong Kong to our itinerary I delegated the task of finding a hotel there to him. (As you will read in my Japan Hotel posting, I was kept busy enough finding hotels in Japan.) In typical Ron fashion he almost immediately found “the” hotel for us, The Peninsula Hotel. This is no ordinary Hyatt or Hilton. The Pen (as my friend Ernie in HK calls it) is known as one of the finest hotels in the world. Built nearly 80 years ago in the glamorous 1920s, this legendary “Grande Dame of the Far East” offers a blend of the best of Eastern and Western hospitality in an atmosphere of classical grandeur and elegance. Wow, that’s a mouthful. But from what I’ve heard, the hotel lives up to its promise. Case in point, they have a fleet of 14 Rolls-Royce Extended Wheelbase Phantoms, all finished in signature Peninsula Green.

It sounds like a lot of fun, eh? But it’s probably pricey. We’re not exactly touring on an open budget. Well, guess what… Ron found a package where we can get picked-up in one of the Rolls from the airport. (OMG! A first for Louis.) No, it’s not exactly cheap by any means. But our mantra for this trip has fast become “let’s enjoy ourselves.” After all, we won’t be coming back to HK and Japan very soon again.

But can the likes of a bull-in-a-china-shop guy like Louis coexist peacefully in an environment of (apparent) opulence and tradition? Below is a typical suite at the Pen according to their web site. <gulp>

“But where is the zip-cord laundry line??” “Where is the Ethernet jack??” We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.