When I first arrived to Kowloon Bay, I had a crazy time navigating through the MTR with my overnight bag in the sweltering heat during the Friday evening rush. On top of all that, I had just been diagnosed with tonsillitis and was on antibiotics and painkillers. Not my day. So it made me that much more appreciative of the blissful tranquility of the Camlux Hotel lobby when I arrived, sweaty and utterly defeated. Check-in was the smoothest I'd ever experienced, with a sleek iPad self check-in option available in case staff are busy with other guests. I actually pre-checked in so the system had all my information prior to my arrival, and I was very impressed by the feature (like pre-check ins for flights! Yas to efficiency!). All I wanted to do was collapse in my room for a bit before my dinner, and that's exactly what I did.
I went up to the fifth floor, through the dimly lit hallways adorned with splashes of turquoise, and found my room without issue. I loved the simple white-and-grey hued minimalistic feel of it, once inside. Walls stripped bare, massive king-sized bed, spacious airy bathroom with a rain shower head. My favourite thing about this room was not just in its pristine design, but how squeaky clean it felt. Like I had no issue walking around barefoot (which I don't even do at 5-star hotels. Those carpets are nasty.) All of my previous MTR annoyance was wiped away and replaced with a sense of calm. 100% would recommend a sweet little staycation here, if you're keen to just shut the world out for a weekend and nestle yourself into those comfy sheets all day with Netflix. It also helps that (well for me) you feel so far away from everything. At the same time, TST is just a 10 minute Uber ride away.
A bit of background on the hotel - it opened very recently at the end of May, and is somehow the first hotel to open in K-bay. Also one of the first factory-converted hotels in Hong Kong. The retro-modern hotel features 103 Cosy Rooms, 70 Comfy Rooms, 10 Family Rooms and 2 Studio Rooms, ranging from 22-32 sq. meters. All rooms are equipped with free high-speed Wi-Fi and Smart TVs with avant-garde sound systems that can be conveniently connected to personal entertainment and even social media networks.
I was also able to experience the breakfast in Cafe 15, which is just in the adjoining space from the lobby, and connected by an interesting art installation pop-up. From now until 9 July, you can check out works by local photographer Mr Ducky Tse, Chi-Tak who took a series of pictures of New Camel House (factory) before it was renovated into Camlux Hotel.
So a continental breakfast buffet is offered to all guests of the hotel, with HK$33 additional charge for hot food (which I also enjoyed). There's a pretty good variety of eats, including bread, cold cuts, cereal, juices, coffee, tea and fruits. The eggs, sausage and bacon were a nice touch, too, and service was on point the whole way through.
To celebrate the grand opening of Camlux, you can enjoy an amazing 50% off the best available rate when booking online from now until 31 August, 2017 - subject to availability. Serious value for money. If ever there was a time to plan your staycation ahead, now is it.
Hotel Details - Camlux Hotel 君立酒店
Address - 15 Wang Kwong Road, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, Kowloon Bay
Tel - (852) 2593 2828
Website - http://www.camluxhotel.com/
Email - info@camluxhotel.com