The concierge team at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong has more than 65 years of experience in elegantly answering guest questions and queries. This Valentine’s Day, Danny Lai, Giovanni Valenti and their colleagues proffer their expert advice on the five best places in Hong Kong to pop the question:
1. On a junk.
This is a romantic variation on “taking the slow boat to China” – or at least around the island. The concierge team will hire a private junk (a traditional Chinese wooden sailing boat) for the happy couple and load it with a picnic of gourmet treats and champagnes from Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s celebrated kitchens.
2. A midnight swim in the penthouse swimming pool.
The concierge team will decorate Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s indoor rooftop pool with flowers and candles after hours for that special occasion.
3. At the Big Buddha on Lantau Island.
Probably one of Hong Kong’s most distinctive landmarks, the Tian Tan Buddha is the world’s tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha and is reached by a spectacular 25-minute cable car journey. The concierge team can organise a Rolls-Royce stocked with the requisite champagne and picnic goods to see that the couple arrives in style and comfort.
4. By the pagoda in Nan Lian gardens in Kowloon.
Built in Tang-dynasty style, this botanical garden offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life with lovingly manicured gardens, small ponds, a waterfall, Chinese teahouse and a wooden pagoda.
5. In the Krug Room at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.
Simply put, there is no other place like the Krug Room in the whole of Hong Kong. Secreted away within the hotel, this rose-bedecked private restaurant has the largest collection of Krug champagnes outside of France, making it the natural place for celebrations; all the while, foodies cannot fail to fall in love with Executive Chef Uwe Opocensky’s inspired tailor-made menus.
Likewise tailor-made for romance, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s spacious room interiors incorporate contemporary luxuries and thoughtful touches to delight even the most seasoned traveller. Best of all, the rooms give a warm sense of welcome as if each guest were returning home. The hotel’s Seasonal Choices package, priced from HK$3,099 per night, includes breakfast and a late check-out of 6 p.m.
About the Concierge Team at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Danny Lai: Danny Ping-Pui Lai joined Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong in 1973. A familiar face to all in the hotel’s busy lobby, Danny wields a seemingly magic wand that opens doors and makes the impossible happen. He is always on hand to assist with guest requirements, whether it be advice on shopping or perhaps the best tailor in town. Danny knows some of Hong Kong’s most influential business figures and luminaries, and as such he’s able to offer expert insider guidance in many areas.
Giovanni Valenti: Giovanni Valenti, Chef Concierge, has been with Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong since 1979 and agrees his role is more a way of life than a job. The silver-haired Valenti delights in being able to access the inaccessible and find the un-findable. He is at once a dispenser of information and a reliable confidant, a man who has mastered the ability to anticipate guest needs. Whether advising on restaurants, giving shopping recommendations or attending to special requests, Giovanni is widely known as “the man who knows”.
