This Is Where to Stay for a Maximum Fun Drink-and-Dine Trip in Hong Kong

The Pottinger is a European-style boutique gem in Central Hong Kong, and basing yourself in this elegantly homey, sweetly hosted hotel is all you need to enjoy the city of dazzling eats, snazzy drinks and tackling the occasional typhoon. 

THERE’RE TWO PRACTICAL THINGS to remember when you’re staying at The Pottinger Hong Kong: pack a pair of comfortable sneakers for exploring and get ready to eat and drink very well. 

Located in Hong Kong Island’s Central neighborhood, the 68-room boutique hotel is within a 10-minute walking radius of edgy watering holes, local eateries and cultural and arts centers such as Tai Kwun and PMQ etched out of restored historical buildings. Unless you don’t mind trundling up steep slopes with luggage, we recommend taking a car to the hotel’s 21 Stanley Street entrance.  

It was a convenient base when I was in the city during the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 awards, where guest shifts were happening mainly in Central and Sheung Wan. The moment you step out, it’s a fantastic smorgasbord of heady and tasty delights. The bar tribe is brimming with stalwarts like Asia’s reigning Best Bar, Coa, The Wise King, sustainability advocate Penicillin, and The Diplomat.  

Newcomers are bringing a fresh vibe to the scene. The Savory Project is a passion initiative around savory cocktails by Coa’s bartender-owners Jay Khan and Ajit Gurung; The Green Door is a basement speakeasy in a vault-like space; and mecca for la dolce vita Bar Leone, by Argo’s former head bartender Lorenzo Antinori, leaves you undone with their mortadella filled Roman sandwiches, frozen cappuccinos and classic cocktails with a twist.  

But my personal favorite was Dio, a cosy café by day and bar by night fronted by a small team that is 10/10 in its service and use of local ingredients such as honey, vinegar and gin. I ate my weight at the likes of Mak’s Noodle and Michelin-starred Yat Lok (roast goose) down the street and offset calories gained at nearby fine diners such as Whey and Feuille by commuting on foot. Getting back to the hotel after bar hops and late-nite suppers was a cinch, although this would not be the time to test one’s sense of direction on the uneven stone steps of Pottinger Street, the historical lane after which the hotel was named. 

The Pottinger (hotel, not street) itself has a few F&B tenants very much worth your attention: three Michelin-starred French-Japanese restaurant Ta Vie; noon-to-midnight bistro The Envoy; champagne and caviar specialist Huso, which serves a French-Mediterranean menu; and speakeasy Room 309 that is accessible only with the hotel’s keycard, a nice touch.  

At almost 10 years old, The Pottinger is showing signs of its age but there is still a quaint, old-world European charm in the botanical wall-papered walls complemented by chinoiserie touches in the lobby and corridors. The theme continues in the cosy pastel-hued rooms of which there are six suites named after iconic streets in Central such as The Wellington and Li Yuen Suites. Snapshots of 1950s and 1960s Hong Kong by local photographer Ho Fan grace the walls, giving a glimpse of what the neighborhood used to be like. 

As it happens, I had checked in on the day a Typhoon Signal 8 warning was hoisted later at night. As I woke up to deserted streets and cab fares of up to HKD500 in surcharges, my 19th-floor, 38-sqm corner suite became a comfortable incentive to snooze in and watch a “storm” that materialized only as far as a heavy drizzle with strong winds. I presented myself looking pathetically hungry at the reception and the sympathetic staff—bless their hearts—called up a few eateries in the vicinity to see if any were open. There were none. So, I traipsed down to the nearest 7-Eleven store to buy a bun.  

When I decided it would be cheaper and more efficient to walk to my next destination after check-out, a concerned employee actually ran down the street after me (I had quietly slipped out once seeing the busy reception desk) to make sure I had the right directions. I was impressed. If you want a hotel that feels like a well-located and comfortable home and whose staff realizes you are gone even when you made a surreptitious exit, The Pottinger repeatedly proved itself to be just that. 

www.sino-hotels.com/en/hk/the-pottinger-hong-kong; doubles from HKD1,390

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