Nestled in a rather inconspicuous location between the glitzy Rosewood Hotel and the newly opened K11 Musea shopping mall, the Rosewood Residences has a classy yet unassuming facade that makes it easy to miss if you’re just walking by.
In contrast to its sister hotel next door, the residences are for those who want to enjoy the ultra-luxury Rosewood experience on a long-term basis. We're talking monthly suite rentals on a year-long contract type of deal. There's a total of 186 studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom duplexes, and one of the coolest things about the rooms (maybe just to me) is that they're all dog-friendly. I spent two nights in the premium one-bedroom suite, and this experience basically just ruined all other future staycations in Hong Kong for me.
Read on below for the full 360 of my gifted* experience at the Rosewood Residences, and also the restaurants on offer at the neighbouring Rosewood Hotel. Note that the residences connect directly to the hotel.
Premium one-bedroom harbour view suite
To get to the actual apartment, there are a few lifts you need to navigate. First, you take the lift up from the Rosewood Residences reception on the ground floor, to the 53rd floor lobby and club lounge (which is a spectacle in and of itself). There's another private lift next to the lounge doors, which leads down to the various suites. My corner one-bedroom was located on the 49th floor, and the lift doors open directly to the suite.
Needless to say, the room is breathtaking. Not only is there a 270-degree panoramic view of the harbour and glittering Hong Kong skyline like you wouldn't believe, but a fully-equipped Miele kitchen, large marble-finished bathroom, and luxurious amenities by Maison Caulières and Humble Co. with sustainable packaging. The phone connects to guest services and your personal butler, as well as 24-hour in-room dining.
53/F club lounge at Rosewood Residences
The 53rd floor is where it's all at. There's an executive lounge with an adjoining snack pantry with iPad-controlled coffee machine, teas and various homemade sandwiches, pastries, candies and fruits at your disposal. In the evening, the offering changes to cheese, crackers, olives, champagne and wines. On the other end of the hall is the beautiful heated indoor pool, cardio fitness center, a gym just for bear camp-type workouts with weights and machines, and a dance/yoga studio.
Asaya outdoor pool at Rosewood Hotel
If you're looking for an outdoor pool for some sun instead, head over to the hotel's newly refurbished 6th floor Asaya wellness centre. The poolside welcome offering of cold towels, fruit sticks and Asaya's own branded sunscreen and aloe mist was a really nice touch. You can order delicious organic eats from the menu at Asaya Kitchen next door, and I loved the "Citrus" fresh juice with lots of ginger to start the day. Prime sunning hours are only in the mornings here, as the sun disappears behind the building after noon.
Holt's Cafe at Rosewood Hotel
On the lobby floor of Rosewood Hotel is Holt's Cafe, the hotel's main restaurant for the breakfast buffet and all-day international dining. We came here for dinner first by invitation, before coming back for lunch on our own the next day because it was that good. The menu highlights traditional cha chan teng-style dishes that have been reinvented by Holt's Cafe's Hong Kong-born chef. There are lots of other food options like western-style salads, steaks, seafood, soups, even dim sum and barbecued meats such as the succulent Roasted Goose. J and I are forever on a quest to find Hong Kong's best hotel Hainan Chicken Rice, and I think we've found it. The organic yellow chicken from a local farm in Hong Kong was impossibly tender and juicy, a unique flavour that only homegrown produce affords. The seasoned rice also had a touch more coconut and a little less garlic to it, which I loved.
The Legacy House at Rosewood Hotel
The first time I tried The Legacy House was when it first opened around six months ago, and the menu has already evolved a lot since then. Shunde-native Executive Chef Li Chi-Wai showcases his native cuisine in innovative ways, introducing time-honoured dishes with modern flair. I ordered my favourite Shunde Minced fish soup with tangerine peel from before, which tasted even better this time around, as well as the Daliang-style wok-fried milk with bird's nest (which tastes infinitely better than it sounds, trust me). We got the delicious Xiaolongbao with a perfect skin thickness to filling / broth ratio, and another appetiser of barbecued meats combo. The peppery poached grouper fillets swimming in fish bone broth is a must-order, as are the daily off-menu specials by the chef (we had the moreish leaf-wrapped fried rice).
Such a therapeutic weekend away from Hong Kong island side. With K11 Musea next door and delicious local restaurants in TST a stone's throw away, there's endless things to do around the Rosewood Residences - that's if you ever leave! In Rosewood Hotel, there are a few other JUST opened restaurants such as Bayfare Social (Spanish tapas, gastromarket vibe), Asaya Kitchen (wellness gastronomy, local veg) and Henry (nose-to-tail smokehouse, meat specialist). I will be writing about those in the coming post, so stay tuned.
Read my other blog post on the famously hard to book The Butterfly Room at Rosewood Hong Kong. Feel free to ask me anything on my Instagram @furellie.
To explore opportunities for long-term stays, receive a full list of amenities and services or more information on Rosewood Residences Hong Kong, please contact +852 3891 8610 or email hongkong.residences@rosewoodhotels.com.