The Olympian: A Rare Oasis in Hong Kong

Spacious rooms are a rare commodity in the dense city of Hong Kong. The Olympian offers space, an attentive staff, a smartphone, and more during your stay.

Sure you may find being in the heart of Central “exhilarating.” But when you are looking to get some shut-eye and find it hard to escape the noise and confined spaces of Central, where do you turn to? I turned to The Olympian Hong Kong. Generous space and room to breathe was sensed from the minute I stepped into the lobby at 6AM on Friday. The decadent five-tier chandelier and flower settings embellished the lobby as I made my way to the reception. Following my 17-hour direct flight from New York to Hong Kong, I was in dire need of a shower and some coffee. My room was not yet ready, but the staff kindly set me up in the business lounge area where I had access to the lounge’s bathroom and shower fully stocked with fresh towels and bathroom amenities. By the time I freshened up, it was time for breakfast.

Breakfast is held in the small and home-y nook adjacent to the business lounge. You have the option of ordering typical Chinese or American food à la carte or dining buffet style. I chose the latter. Croissants, eggs, toast with jam and butter, yogurts, fruit, bacon, traditional Chinese Congee, Cheong fun. The choice is yours. I tried some of the Chinese Congee on my second day and actually didn’t mind it! Something that stood out to me in Asia more than anything is their bread. I would eat their toast and pastries any time I could. I might even say it was better than European bread…why you may ask? It was soft and fluffy in the center, and I mean VERY soft and fluffy, yet crunchy on the outside. The perfect slice of toast. In the afternoon, you can always find complimentary snacks such as chips, candy and more available in the lounge area. Complimentary afternoon tea is also held in the dining area for those interested.

What is Congee?

Congee is a type of rice porridge with either chicken, fish, beef, pork and more. It’s been made for thousands of years. And yes, I said thousands!

Following breakfast Blondie, the Director of Communications, and Karen, the Operations Manager showed me some of the properties more noteworthy facilities. The entire boutique hotel is located on the second floor of the private residence One Silversea. The hotel is located in a luxurious private residential area, giving you a more quiet and intimate stay in Hong Kong. We walked down the boutique hotels long main hall lined with rooms. The attention to detail that went into the making of this hall can be noted from the Chinese lantern-shaped lights that décor the hall to the pictures of old Hong Kong from the 1960s that line the walls and tell a story.

First up: the gym. The boutique hotel is small and intimate with only 32 rooms, yet the 24-hour gym is generous in space and has a lot to offer for those looking for a good workout. Next to the gym is the self-laundry room, where guests can do their laundry. This amenity was made specifically for their guests, a large number of them being locals, who stay longer term whether it’s due to home renovations, business, or pure leisure.

As I stepped into my room it was clear that The Olympian was more than just your ordinary boutique hotel. When one thinks of a boutique hotel, they think of small spaces. In a city of over 7MM people, this means super small spaces in Hong Kong. The Olympian wanted to break the perception of these small boutique hotels in the market, so decided to build a luxury boutique hotel with larger spaces. The rooms are beyond spacious, with mine being about 50 square meters or 538 square feet. The morning paper had been placed for me in a small mailbox compartment outside of my room. A warm and personal touch I took note of. As I stepped into my room, I walk down a long hallway before entering my lounge area. The hardwood floors gave the room a more local Hong Kong feel, something that is not very common of hotels in Hong Kong.

Lined up against the wall was a kitchen with a pantry area, microwave, almost full-size kitchen, Nespresso machine, water, snacks and more. A small entrance table carried a complimentary smart phone called Handy, available for all guests to take out and use during their stay. No more getting lost and no more having to pay for data. The phone has Google maps, Internet, and even allows you to make long distance phone calls. This had to be the number one distinguishing factor of The Olympian. Something that is very important for people traveling abroad. 

A hand-written welcome note was left on the table, welcoming me to the hotel. The lounge area included a couch and TV with a customized message displayed on it welcoming me once again to the hotel. The room, although it was more of an apartment in size, was decked out in plenty of outlets, USB cables, and complimentary converters. Walk in even further and the accommodation breaks out into 2 separate rooms: the bathroom, the size of a Manhattan studio, and the bedroom. The bathroom was beyond luxurious. Envision floor to ceiling windows with sky-lined trees making you feel as if you were overlooking Hong Kong harbor from a tree house. The shower was equally as impressive with a rain shower that was 11 feet high!

The bedroom had all the amenities necessary. A walk-in closet that was bigger than my home closet, another TV, and a balcony. It was early in the morning enough that I was able to see some locals perform Tai Chi out on the boardwalk overlooking the harbor. An immediate immersion into local culture.

Each room had a well-thought out décor on the headboard. My room had a beautiful and elegant peony-inspired wallpaper, a symbol of wealth, fortune and luck in China. Other rooms had a beautiful and modern installation in the shape of the double happiness symbol in Cantonese. All the lights and curtains are controlled by a small display located next to the bed that included day and night light options. Now that’s what I call luxury, I felt right at home. It reminded me of my Alexa and Philips hue smart bulbs.

I settled in and decided to explore Hong Kong, West Kowloon, Central and more that day. On my way out of the hotel the maid took the time to greet me and ask me how my stay had been, while the staff attended to my needs making sure I knew how to get to my location. One of main acclaims I have about The Olympian is that being small, they are able to cater to every single one of their guests needs with such detail. You feel like they know you from the minute you step in.

When I returned to The Olympian, a small box of treats was left in my room for me. A sort of midnight cap or turndown service one would say, something that is hard to find in a city so busy like Hong Kong. I took a long drawn shower to ease the exhaustion of the flight and day exploring Hong Kong and fell asleep under the fluffy duvet covers and Egyptian linens of my comfortable king-size bed.

The Olympian does not offer dining aside from breakfast, but they have a wonderful restaurant right below them that guests can enjoy. Anything a guest needs can be arranged from private transportation to and from the airport in their hotel Rolls Royce to booking a spa appointment for you in one of the neighboring areas. The Olympian Hong Kong manages to be in the center of it all in West Kowloon, just 10 minutes from Mong Kok, 15 minutes from the Clock Tower and 20 minutes from Central. But it still manages to be a quiet oasis, hidden behind a tree-framed view that overlooks the ever-changing Hong Kong harbor.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for The Olympian. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. 

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