halfwhiteboy

See related posts: Hotel Icon: Designed to impress Inside our room at Hotel Icon The Market at Hotel Icon Given that Hotel Icon had already impressed me a lot, I thought I had to check out the pool (which I don't normally do). And this was what beckoned: Fantastic views, alright? It was just nice to spend a lazy afternoon overlooking magnificent Victoria Harbour. No worries, no nothing. The pool, along with the gym and spa, are at the 9th floor. The gym, as you can see above, is also overlooking the same spectacular view of the harbor. You can also order some food and drinks to be served by the pool; and their pizza was fairly good. Too bad I didn't get some sun that afternoon since the rest of the hotel building was casting a shadow on the area, but it was fine nonetheless. Okay, more than fine. After getting off the elevator, going to the pool area was also quite an experience. We were promptly greeted by a receptionist who politely asked us to register. The re...

See related posts: Hotel Icon: Designed to impress Inside our room at Hotel Icon Not to be missed: The gym and pool area at Hotel Icon After missing breakfast and lunch altogether on our second day in Hong Kong (because we slept till 2pm), we got up earlier on our third day, early enough to catch breakfast at The Market. Among other stuff, look what I got: I wasn't really planning on them but I was intrigued by their pancake maker, which, at the push of a button, makes you a small-sized one in a minute. Besides, fresh blueberries and raspberries for toppings? It couldn't get any better than this. Hotel Icon houses three restaurants: Green, which is located at the ground floor ( you can get a glimpse here ); Above and Beyond, which is exclusive to guests staying in club rooms; and The Market on the second floor. We haven't tried Green and understandably, we never got to see Above and Beyond. The hotel bills The Market as "a restaurant like no other,...

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. Af...

I recently wrote a post about my dillydallying with my hotel choices for last weekend's Hong Kong trip. Anyway, we ended up at Hotel Icon, a new hotel that sits close to the likes of the Regal Kowloon, Intercontinental, and Shangri-la hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui. The hotel is still in a soft opening phase since April. It's that new! And it's that new that most taxi drivers don't even know where it is. So you need to show them a map or a hotel card. The grand staircase at the lobby. Right underneath is the concierge desk. Hotel Icon is a five-star hotel that boasts of an iconic roster of talents that comprise its design team, headlined by renowned architects Sir Terence Conran, Rocco Yim, and William Lim. The hotel also credits Dr. Patrick Blanc for its awesome vertical garden. And I tell you, the lobby alone already impresses. The lobby. I've seen much grander lobbies from hotels here in Manila but this one is stunning nonetheless. The hotel's design i...