Hotel Madera Hong Kong

Thread count and square footage are important enough, but what the boutique hotel audience cares about above all is character. This is why, in a city with some top-flight luxury hotels, you might find yourself at Hotel Madera, in Kowloon. From the lobby installation, which is outfitted like a Fifties Hong Kong sound stage, to the rooftop lounge, with its view over the rooftops back towards Hong Kong Island, you’ll find every aspect of the Madera is focused on making an impression.

Hence the green garden wall behind the reception desk, and the zebra-print or off-color Union Jack carpets in certain spaces. Some rooms are nearly monochrome, almost Art Deco, while others are all soothing neutrals and earthy materials, with hardwood or concrete floors and Bisazza tiled baths. There’s no shortage of luxe comforts, from goose-down duvets to plush terrycloth robes. And all feature striking city views, which only get more dramatic as you approach the top. In the technology department, meanwhile, every guest gets a free loaner smartphone with unlimited local and international calls, 3G internet, maps and a Hong Kong city guide all included.

Cafe 1997 strives for a vintage atmosphere — many decades earlier than 1997, if we’re not mistaken — while the rooftop lounge is pure contemporary Hong Kong, all high-rise city lights and design-hotel glamour. Meanwhile the location, a few minutes from Jade Market, Temple Street and Tsim Sha Tsui, is something of a shopper’s paradise — you’re not likely to return home empty-handed.

Please note: Horizonte Lounge will be closed for renovations until further notice.