New staycation options in Hong Kong? Two Accor boutique hotels provide a tempting temporary home from home

Think you have tried every staycation option there is in Hong Kong? Think again – there are new hotels and their bars and restaurants to explore this summer
MGallery: AKI Hong Kong in Wan Chai is a warm, woody Japanese retreat, while MGallery: The Silveri Hong Kong on Lantau Island is the perfect romantic getaway

Tourism

Lee Cobaj

Published: 5:15pm, 6 Aug 2022

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Twenty-nine months without straightforward international travel may have you thinking that you have exhausted every possible staycation option, so it is no small pleasure (in a Stockholm syndrome kind of way) to have two new options to choose from in Hong Kong this summer.

MGallery, a boutique wing of the Accor hotel group, recently opened its first hotels in the city, in Wan Chai and Tung Chung. We took a look at what they have to offer.

MGallery: AKI Hong Kong

Opened in July in a new silvery skyscraper on the corner of Jaffe Road and Stewart Road, in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island – within easy walking distance of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the malls of Causeway Bay – this small hotel has everything you need for an affordable city break.

AKI is Japanese for “bright, clear”, reflecting the building’s glassy structure. Spread over 25 floors, its rooms have been given a Japanese twist; woody, uncluttered and pared back, with tasteful art, high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows showing off fantastic city views.

The third-floor lobby opens onto a co-working space and lounge serving salads, wraps, cakes, coffee and detox juices.

Tangram is where guests at the MGallery: AKI Hong Kong may gather and indulge in its spectrum of food offerings. Photo: AKI Hong Kong

A staircase leads to the floor below, where you will find Tangram, an all-day dining restaurant, where guests can enjoy noodles, dim sum and eggs prepared at live cooking stations for breakfast, bento boxes for lunch and sharing plates of reasonably priced Japanese-Spanish fusion dishes for dinner – think tuna ceviche, deep-fried shishito pepper, truffle toast and Hokkaido scallop kushiyaki (Japanese skewers).

Tangram is complemented by a horseshoe-shaped sake bar stocked with dozens of varieties of the Japanese spirit.

Alternatively, you could head to the top floor for drinks at Uncle Ming’s. The whisky bar is scheduled to open in the coming weeks and is bound to pull in the cool crowd, with its wraparound city views, sleek ryokan-roll look and more than 80 international whiskies, including rare blends, as well as champagnes, fine wines and cocktails. Aficionados can book tasting sessions with the whisky sommelier.

The fitness centre at the MGallery: AKI Hong Kong. Photo: AKI Hong Kong

The 173 guest rooms cover five categories, from compact but cleverly put-together entry-level rooms, to mid-price “tatami rooms” with Japanese-inspired floor mats (instead of chairs) and 26-square metre studios, which are set on the high corners of the building with sofa spaces and bathtubs with a view.

All share the same aesthetic, mixing different textures of wood with apple-green woven wall panels and crisp white beds. Bathrooms are stocked with refillable bottles of eco-luxe amenities from Malin + Goetz. Less environmentally friendly are the Nespresso machines and plastic bottles of water.

Doubles from HK$964, room only, or HK$1,205 with breakfast for two.

MGallery: The Silveri Hong Kong

The Silveri takes its name from Lantau Island’s old silver mines. This chic escape by the South China Sea, in Tung Chung, has the feel of a tropical resort, even though it is perched above the new wing of the Citygate mall.

Behind the reception desk, double doors lead to a lush tropical garden terrace with a large, free-form swimming pool surrounded by palm trees. Above, 206 rooms overlook the pool, the ocean and the mountains of Lantau North Country Park.

The swimming pool at MGallery: The Silveri Hong Kong. Photo: The Silveri Hong Kong

There are a head-spinning 12 room types to choose from, all of which are bright and sunny thanks to panoramic windows, and feature luxe-y touches such as Japanese-style toilets, Malin + Goetz toiletries and Nespresso machines (again, it was disappointing to see plastic bottles of water in a new hotel in 2022).

Executive rooms are located on the 15th floor and come with access to a lounge that currently serves a rather basic set-up: a few trays of cold snacks, hot beverages, soft drinks and beer (Peroni) are available from 11am to 7pm; complimentary wine and cocktails from 5pm to 7pm; and no afternoon tea or hors d’oeuvres.

There are a few family rooms but the Silveri’s higher categories are more geared towards romantic encounters, with a show-stopping selection of suites, some of which have terraces, outdoor jacuzzis or private swimming pools.

A suite at MGallery: The Silveri Hong Kong. Photo: The Silveri Hong Kong

The panoramic Silveri Suite, with its wraparound terrace, glass-fronted private pool, sea view bathtub and aromatherapy rain shower, is ideal for honeymooners.

Back downstairs, The Enclave resembles a vintage luxury train carriage and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner (my two-course semi-buffet lunch, including unlimited appetisers, soups and salads and pork belly with couscous main course was excellent – and excellent value at HK$168 + 10 per cent service).

Next door, art-deco-inspired bar The Pavilion has gold-hued interiors to match the spectacular sunsets, a manicured lawn with a pretty gazebo and happy hour deals from 5pm to 7pm every day.

The Pavilion at MGallery: The Silveri Hong Kong is an art-deco-inspired bar. Photo: The Silveri Hong Kong

It would be preferable if the hotel offered more activities – the lawn is made for sunrise yoga – and experiences that promoted the local landscape and communities, but there is more than enough to keep you happily in situ for a couple of nights.

Doubles from HK$1,485, room only, or HK$1,958 with breakfast.

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