During my 10 day trip to Hong Kong, I stayed in four different hotels. The first place, an Airbnb, was fine and relatively cheap. However, the neighborhood was dead so I decided to move to the center of all the life: Kowloon (and as close to Mongkok as possible). First I stayed two nights at the Royal Plaza Hotel, then received one night complimentary at The Mira, before moving further away to the Pentahotel for my lasts few nights. Although I was a guest of the hotel, the opinions expressed about my stay are entirely my own.
The same weekend The Mira Hotel in Hong Kong joined Starwood Preferred Guest, they invited me to stay with them for a night to show what this Design Hotels member had to offer.
Booking The Mira through SPG
The Mira is a SPG Category 5 hotel, meaning a free night in a standard room costs 12,000 Starpoints. I did a search and most dates seem to price out around HK$1,500, while the 12,000 Starpoints rate is pretty widely applicable as well.
My stay
Finding The Mira was easy. Outside there was a large sign with an extravagant wall design, which matched the interior of the hotel quite nicely.
Upon entering, there is a wide walkway to the reception, which consists of three small desks.
Immediately, the colors and furniture at the hotel had me in awe. I liked the effects created by the lighting. Check in was a breeze and thankfully there was not a single paper – anywhere. All I had to do was sign once on an iPad and within two minutes I had my room key in hand.
I later learned The Mira is completely paperless, which I love. The level of English among the hotel staff also impressed me, and it seemed like the staff was pretty international.
The elevators were right in the lobby, so getting to my floor was quick. Upon exiting the elevator I was greeted by a decorative table, which indicated the color theme of my floor.
My room had one of several standard (studio) room designs – there are dozens of room types to choose from with all types of different designs.
Sticking to the color theme of my floor, almost everything was red, white or black. It’s great that you can choose a color based on what you prefer.
Coming into the room, there was a closet to my right and the bathroom was to my left. Beyond the closet was the sink, which had a huge selection of Mira branded toiletries and two stylish water bottles.
The whole setup was stunning and as it turned out, the area with the toiletries could be slid back and forth, providing more space to get ready when the faucet wasn’t needed.
I appreciate the attention to detail which really helped optimize the limited living space.
The bathroom itself had a generously sized bathtub and shower, with a toilet in between.
I’m so grateful they decided to install a separate shower and put the sink in the hallway, despite the extra space required. The enormous overhead faucet made it feel like showering in a waterfall. To my pleasant surprise, it was probably the single most enjoyable shower I’ve used in my life. The pressure was excellent and the temperature could be easily adjusted.
The shower toiletries were from Aromatherapy – nice!
Over the toilet there were controls for the bathroom lights, as well as some ambient music, which was quirky.
The bathtub was also top notch and beautifully designed. My favorite part? There was a big tub of bath salts and a shower head, which clearly took this bathtub to the next level.
There were blinds that could be raised and lowered around the bathtub, exposing the entire room. For couples traveling together it’s a useful function.
Leaving the entry area, the room itself wasn’t that large, partly because the bed took up so much space. The bed, just like the shower, was heavenly. The firmness of the mattress and pillows was perfect, and the cover was oh-so-cozy. I was pleased that they provided two pillows per person, which should be a global standard in my option.
There was a bedside table on each side of the bed with a speaker/charging station and a telephone.
Next to the bed there was a bright red chair, which seemed randomly placed. Ironically, that’s where I ended up sitting for most of my time in the room.
The view was over Kowloon park and some skyscrapers. It certainly didn’t feel like I was staying in the center of one of the world’s busiest cities.
Across from the bed was the desk and a surface for luggage storage with a mounted TV above it. Again, space had been used as effectively as possible, with the safe and tea selection in drawers. The mini bar was just next to these drawers in its own cupboard.
The Mira provides each room with a portable Wi-Fi device, which I wrote an entire post about.
Also, take a look at the insanely extensive room service menu.
A whole team of people was constantly coming by every room in the corridor throughout my stay – we had at least three people knock and offer us more water, turndown service etc. If constant attention is not your thing, a quick call to the lobby does the trick.
I left my room for dinner and when I returned to my room just a few hours later, the room has been cleaned and turndown service had been performed. They left a breakfast order card and a pillow menu (!), where I could choose five different types of pillows, along with some other information regarding the neighborhood, directions, etc.
The next morning I woke up and went down to breakfast, which was in this stunning dining hall.
The quality and selection of food was truly extraordinary, but note that the breakfast is pricy.
Moving on, I’d like to mention that the Mira, like many Hong Kong hotels, is connected to a mall. Hence, hotel and public facilities could all be accessed using the same elevators in the hotel. The most impressive of these “hotel facilities” had to be the pool and spa area. I’ll let these photos speak for themselves…
There is also a Mira Lounge, which can be used by people staying on their conference floors and hopefully SPG elites in the future.
I finished my time at The Mira by having lunch at their Michelin star recommended restaurant Cuisine-Cuisine. While this was pricy as well, I can honestly say it was the best Chinese food I ate during my three weeks in China and Hong Kong.
Bottom Line
Overall, my stay couldn’t have been better. For as little as 12,000 Starpoints/night, I would redeem for another stay in a heartbeat. The Mira is not a hotel for people who prefer classic 5-star design. However, if you, like me, appreciate modern and thoughtfully crafted living spaces, you will love this place. I’ll be back in no time to enjoy the hotel, its fabulous showers and of course, that stunning swimming pool! Since this stay was covered by The Mira, I trust the pictures to convey truly how breathtaking the interior was.
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