"Panda Hotel? What kind of hotel is that?"
Yes, the above reaction was quite typical when I told my friends I would be staying at Panda Hotel in Hong Kong. Well, now that I am back; I can confirm there's no LIVE panda in the hotel although you can find plenty of plushies and panda memorabilia.
Maybe due to its location which is rather far off from tourist hot-spots like Mong Kok, my friends who are frequent visitors to the Pearl of the Orient are not aware of its existence. However, it's a rather large hotel in the Tsuen Wan area, with over 900 rooms!
Come, let's proceed to check out the hotel!
Accommodation
Room 1313 - at almost the far end of the corridor (a less preferred option according to here); i am glad that Alex's colleagues were all in the same area which means i can clearly hear them when they were chatting outside our room.
After hearing so much about the lack of space in Hong Kong, i thought our 'superior' room wasn't as squeezy as i initially assumed it to be. Sparsely decorated, it provided the basics like fridge, safe, television, sofa etc.
Loving the USB ports; with the modern traveller carrying so many gadgets, it's a necessity for hotels to provision for these essentials!
View outside.
Bathroom with the same mosaic tiles that many flat owners undergoing Home Improvement Programme (HIP) would find familiar. What i am more surprised with was the following.
A bathtub that would have been considered luxurious in space-starved Hong Kong! To be honest, my hotel room in Sapporo (UNIZO Inn) was smaller.
Amenities; i love it when shampoo, shower gel, body lotion, hand soap were all in large, refillable bottles! It's frustrating sometimes when the smaller bottles they usually came in contained so little content (imagine having to shower three times or more on a hot day) and i had to ration my usage.
Gymnasium
Gosh, i am turning to be like my younger sister who needs a fitness centre whenever she travels! Not that i die-die have to factor in a gym when i am overseas but i find myself making use of it more frequently nowadays.
Operating 24 hours, it appeared larger than it really was due to the installation of mirrors! However, it contained the basic equipment for a good 30-minute workout. I actually don't need much, just dumbbells, chess press machine would be fine.
Alex feeling darn comfortable on this chair!
Swimming Pool
I totally didn't expect a pool and even if there's one, i am thinking the size would not deviate that much from the one at FX Metrolink Makkasan Hotel in Bangkok; i was so wrong as you can confirm from the above two photos.
Opened from 7.00 am till 7.00 pm, kids would enjoy the two bouncing castles on site! Alex and i are not keen to spend our precious time in swimming pool though; gym is a different story...
Alex feeling at peace at the edge of the swimming pool. Quietness surrounded him as the swimming pool would be closing in less than fifteen minutes.
Interesting access to the swimming pool; via the toilets! Hm.... so what would happen if a single dad brought his young daughter? Or a single mom bringing her young son?
The steam room and sauna room in the washroom; i presume you would get the same setup in the female washroom. Despite the health benefits, i personally think it's a waste to spend time in a steam / sauna room.
Recreation Room
Even though this was on the same floor as the gymnasium and the swimming pool, i didn't know it was there until the day of checking out!
What's available? Pool table, foosball, air hockey, table tennis, video games! Fun activities if weather is bad or you prefer not to step out in the midst of the protests! There's a caveat though.
They are not for free and you may refer to the price list appended above! If you are still keen, you may notify the staff in the gym so that the necessary equipment can be provided.
Executive Lounge
At the top 30th floor of Panda Hotel is the executive lounge; otherwise known as the business centre in some hotels. For usage of the computer, be prepared to fork out HKD $15 every 15 minutes!
My objective was simple; I just wanted to have a bird's eye view of the hotel's surroundings! Actually, to think about it, Singapore is progressively looking like Hong Kong with towering residential blocks topping 40-50 floors.
Downtown Shuttle Bus
Knowing the disadvantage of being located too far from the downtown, Panda Hotel provides a free shuttle bus service (every two hours) to Tsim Sha Tsui (DFS Galleria), with an option to drop off mid-way at Mong Kok.
Remember to reserve a seat in advance!
Others
A key benefit to staying at Panda Hotel is the direct access to the Panda Place shopping mall on the lower floors! Aside from the dining and retail options (KFC, Kee Wah Bakery, Starbucks etc), you can also spend some time browsing at AEON supermarket.
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Address
3 Tsuen Wah Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong
Map
As above.
Website
How To Get There
Nearest MRT station is Tai Wo Hau along Tsuen Wan Line. Walk is about ten minutes to the hotel and the initial five minutes would be unsheltered.
Additional Information
Want to get back to the airport? You can make use of the limousine service at HKD $650 (mind you, this is more than S$100) or take the airport shuttle bus (which isn't cheap at HKD $150 per person). Want a cheaper alternative? Hop onto Bus A31 from outside the hotel; same side as 7-11. Cost? HKD $18.90 per person.
For the summary of my seven days' itinerary to Hong Kong (with a day trip to Shenzhen), please click here.
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