Inside our room at Hotel Icon

Our recent Hong Kong trip was devoid of any pressure. There were no itineraries to follow, no checklists of sights to visit, no nothing. Well, except maybe Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau, but more on that in another post. It may sound strange to some but My Bibe and I spent a considerable amount of time just locked up in our hotel room. Heck, we even slept till two in the afternoon on our first night! But could you blame us when this is what you see from our room:

My Bibe and I aren't necessarily the high-brow type who fly first class or stay at five-star hotels (although I wish we were). Well, we do check in at such hotels in Makati on occasion but that's about it. For this trip, we decided on new kid on the block Hotel Icon because they had an offer that was simply too good to pass up: stay two nights and get the third night free.

We booked a Harbour View room that cost us a little over HK$ 4,000 all in all. A bit steep for us but we never regretted our decision. After all, we might not be able to afford this hotel anymore once its soft opening phase is over. So lap up the luxury at a discount!

And how was the room? Let me give you a quick tour.

The foyer gives you a glimpse of rest of the room.

Remember the huge mirror on the left side in the preceding photo? It's a sliding door that opens up to a closet.

The safe is in one of the drawers. There's also a flat iron and an ironing board.

The room is quite spacious; some say it's actually huge by HK standards.

Our room had a king-sized bed (sweet!). As we're not really particular with mattresses, we found it comfortable enough. I also like the extended desk with a phone, lamp and some paper on one end, and a coffee-making facility on the other. My, it really is extended! And oh, we also have a 40-inch flat-screen TV. Awesome! Even more awesome was the display when I turned it on:

Where most hotels will have a booklet or some literature detailing their rules, facilities, services, etc., Hotel Icon has ditched that practice. Instead, you'll find all of that information on this 40-inch beauty. Entirely paperless!

The bedside phone is cordless with a colored screen. The one on the extended desk, while not cordless, also features a colored display nonetheless. One more thing I liked about this hotel is its simplified directory. Instead of having to dial different numbers for housekeeping, room service or the front desk, you can just press the Hotel Services line. There's also a dedicated Emergency line for well, emergencies. The Bose iPod dock is also a plus. My Bibe's old and rarely used Nano sure got used a lot here.

Bedside charms: a cordless phone, pen and paper, and Bose speakers for your iPod.

Another floor-to-ceiling sliding door -- this time curved and wooden -- opens up to the bathroom, which is also a charmer.

The bathroom sink also doubles as the room's vanity. I just love that circular lighting fixture on the mirror; casts a cool reflection on other glass installations in the room. On the downside, I don't like the oval sink that much because I tend to spill water due to the faucet's position. Okay, so it's the faucet, not the sink really.

Opposite the sink is the shower area half-encased in glass; half of it is open. But curiously, both My Bibe and I weren't spilling a lot of water outside.

Now that is a huge rain shower head. But if you're not into it, there's a hand shower on standby.

The bathtub, while small, was quite deep for a tub.

Funky lighting; works well with the room's design.

There's also a pillow menu available. We weren't picky, though. We were content with what we were given.

Another come-on for this hotel are the complimentary snacks and refreshments, replenished daily. Well of course they're not exactly free because they're imputed in the room rate but it's still nice to consume whatever you fancy from the fridge without having to check the price first. And this isn't even a club room. But then guests staying there have it best with complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea -- the works.

All of this is free? Really? And they replenish your stocks daily.

Also complimentary: a sugar-free dark chocolate bar (not too bitter, just about right), nuts (loved the smoked flavor!), and an assortment of tea packs.

But of course my favorite would have to be the Nespresso coffee-making set. The coffee, which are available in three variants including decaf, are replenished daily. Boy did I have too much coffee during my stay here.

I want one at home because it's so convenient for making coffee. After all, our old-school coffee maker has been sitting idly for quite some time now, especially since Starbucks Via came along. Brewing can be so much hassle.

I love this chair; instantly made me feel like a king albeit one in slippers. Speaking of slippers, they really are slippers. Bedroom slippers. Not the paper kind that disintegrate so easily at the slightest splash of water that most hotels provide.

Feeling like a king, sucking in the stunning view of Victoria Harbour.

Stunning view by day, even more impressive at night. You can actually catch Hong Kong's fabled Symphony of Nights from your hotel room. You just can't hear the music though.

Obviously we loved our room so much. My only complaint -- but it's really no big deal -- are the towels, as they tend to produce much lint. But overall, the room was superb. I would really want to stay here again, and I hope we'll also get to experience what it's like to be in a club room.

My Bibe and I: no regrets about spending more than the usual for this hotel.

You can also check the following related post about Hotel Icon:

Hotel Icon: Designed to impress
The Market at Hotel Icon
Not to be missed: The gym and pool area at Hotel Icon

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[Update 02.19.2014]
Out of curiosity I checked out Trip Advisor and Hotel Icon is at no. 3, right ahead of the Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, and The Peninsula. It could only mean they weren't just able to maintain its facilties and already excellent service, but they most probably even managed to improve on them. I really hope to check in this hotel again.
 

Hotel Icon's website: www.hotel-icon.com