Hong Kong Staycations: Get Educated in Tsim Sha Tsui East
Tsim Sha Tsui East has always played second fiddle to TST proper, but this area is home to a touch of culture and a dash of good eats.
Check in: Hotel Icon
The 28-floor Hotel Icon sits at the eastern tip of the Tsim Sha Tsui peninsula, giving it the best view of any training hotel in the world. It’s built around Poly U’s hotel school, and aims to give its students hands-on experience of all aspects of the hospitality business. To their credit: if you didn’t know, nothing would give it away. Staff are friendly, efficient and professional, and the rooms are more than up to scratch. Best of all, it means that you don’t have to pay five-star rates for a five-star stay.
An Iconic vertical garden
The Icon is a super-green energy-saving hotel, right down to the huge vertical garden that dominates the lobby. Its rooms offer spectacular views of the harbor, with some beds directly facing the water: spend the morning rolling around in bed, watching the cruise liners meander by. In keeping with the training theme, the hotel’s excellent Angsana Spa trains all its therapists at a Banyan Tree Academy before sending them out into the world. Other perks include a free minibar and a small outdoor pool where the deck chairs all face outwards, looking towards Causeway Bay and the east of the island.
A gym with a view
Rooms from $1,755. 17 Science Museum Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui East, 3400-1000, www.hotel-icon.com.