As part of my United status run this year, I returned to the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Sha Tin – our home away from home in Hong Kong. There was much to love and much to learn about our beloved Hyatt, the very first my wife and I ever stayed in (starting our loyalty to the chain).
Trip Report
This is part of a multi-post trip report from my status run. Other posts in the series can be found here:
- Mileage Running May Be Dead, Status Running Still Alive
- United’s Polaris Lounge San Francisco
- Polaris Business Class Service San Francisco to Hong Kong
- Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui – Suite
- Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Sha Tin – Suite
Location
In the beautiful hills of the New Territories, the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Sha Tin faces Kau To Shan mountain on one side and Tolo harbour on the other. The University MTR station in less than 100 meters from the hotel, and there is ample parking. The city is approximately 20 minutes by metro to Kowloon, 30 to Hong Kong Island.
Address: 18 Chak Cheung St, Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 3723 1234
We’ve Been Here Before
This property is our go-to in Hong Kong. It’s affordable, it’s got space for days, the view of their harbor (though not Victoria Harbour) is a stunning way to wake up in the morning. Most importantly, you get to leave the city behind when you’re done for the day.
It really is like a home away from home. On one trip I discarded a book when I was done reading it and a year later, they returned it to me (assuming I threw it away by mistake) upon checkin. This time, I was upgraded before I arrived for my entire stay of four nights over five days.
Now For Something Different
The location is great for seclusion, terrible for food choices after 10 PM. Matthew found the hotel to be too far away from the city, but that considers one is going to Hong Kong. If, however, you find yourself headed to Shenzhen, this hotel is exceptional. On previous trips, we had not crossed over to the Chinese side of the border but on this one I wanted to try it out. It’s just four stops from a land border and for that reason alone puts it back on the top of the list. I’ll cover more about that in an upcoming post.
Suite
As I have written about this property several times in the past, I am going to leave this all to pictures. Suffice it to say that the property continues to deliver, and the rooms are downright palatial in a city like Hong Kong.
Living Room
Upon entering, the dining room table is directly in front followed by the TV against the left wall. To the right is a guest half bathroom (toilet in a water closet, not a Japanese toilet sadly) and against the right wall a kitchenette with fridge and Nespresso machine. At the end of the room next to the large bay windows on the harbor is a very large couch, suitable for several adults.
Bedroom
The bedroom of this suite is huge and if you are unable to secure a suite, this roughly shows the size of a standard room – still larger than some US hotels. The curtains should be thrown open upon arrival and never closed, day or night.
This desk is nearly perfect but has one detractor: the plugs (seen behind the lamp) are difficult to use with an adapter given the proximity to the built-in desk. It comes with a Handy as I mentioned in my review of the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui for free data and international voice calls while staying at the hotel.
Bathroom
The bathroom is really well-stocked. In addition to a large soaking tub (Portico products) with a bath sponge and toiletry amenities, there’s also a bath mat, lit magnification mirror, even a scale. The shower is huge and the toilet is a closed door water closet within the bathroom – no Japanese toilet, unfortunately.
(below toilet on the left, shower on the right)
Lounge
There are really three things to say about the lounge so we will make this a compliment sandwich. It’s a gorgeous space on the 25th floor with sweeping views of Tolo harbor, well stocked at all times of the day and a staff that cares about their guests. They upgraded me prior to arrival and checkin is done in the lounge for elites, though you need a staff members key to permit you access on the elevator to the 25th floor.
There was little variety from day-to-day and morning to night. Salad for both servings, charcuterie, a lot of the same items for both. If you’re staying for a few days as I was, this gets a little repetitive – do I really want to make an effort to go in for yet another smoked salmon and salami plate – maybe not.
Breakfast (and evening canapes for that matter) are offered on a two-item menu changed daily. One day I had an excellent eggs benedict but after a couple of days I wanted it again – it, however, was not offered that day. I asked if I could have one instead of an omelet and was denied.
Of note, the lounge staff was terribly accommodating. They allowed me to stay in my room until 6 PM the day of my return flight, and the lounge after. And tip your servers, folks, a $20 HKD ($2.50 USD) goes a long way.
Cost
Twice the space for half the price, the Hong Kong Regency Sha Tin usually prices (as it did during my stay) between $110-130 USD/nt or 12,000 points. It is almost never worth spending the points though could be worth it at $75/nt and 6,000 points depending on the cash rate. This hotel delivers excellent value for money.
Have you stayed here? What is your favorite hotel in Hong Kong? Would you trade 20 minutes on the MTR for twice the space and half the price?
I have stayed there and I love the hotel and the convenience to the subway. I hotel rooms are big and you get more bang for your buck. It’s a little bit too far from the central business district though. I did eat breakfast in the buffet and was not impressed. Not much variety and not worth the price to me.
Sorry, Kyle. I couldn’t disagree with you more.
While the rooms might be bigger than a hotel in the city, there’s a reason for that. This hotel is FAR from where the vast majority of tourists and business people want to go. It’s a bit like saying a hotel in Slough is ideal for visiting London. It requires three changes on the metro (or two and a long walk in an underground walkway) to get to TST (and the Victoria Harbour there) and either three or four to get anywhere on Hong Kong Island.
I’d suggest realistic timings are closer to 30-35 minutes to Mong Kok, 35-40 minutes to TST and 45-55 minutes for the top of the island (Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay etc) if you know where you’re going. Longer for most tourists visiting for the first time who will need to check carefully when changing lines.
If you must stay in a Hyatt and you’re in Hong Kong, stay at the one in Tsim Sha Tsui (or the one in Wan Chai Kyle hasn’t reviewed)!
Also, if you’re going to Shenzhen, I’d suggest actually staying in Shenzhen where you get a lot more ‘bang for you’re buck’ in terms of room-size and value for money.
The Shangri-La Shenzhen can be found just over the border (literally a five minute walk from Lo Wu) for less per night than this hotel.