8 Best Hotels in Central, Hong Kong

If you've ever dreamed of living a life of privilege in the Mid-Levels without having to pay through the nose for it, this is your chance—all the better if you go for a slightly pricier harbor-view room. A fully equipped business center, workout room with view, pleasant outdoor pool, and restaurant with a nice open-air terrace overlooking the harbor are among the amenities.

A gleaming-white, oval-shaped tower rising from the Pacific Place complex offers dramatic views of the harbor and the Peak, along with super convenience for shopping and transport to other parts of Hong Kong. Guests appreciate little touches such as free-on-request Shanghai Tang bathroom amenities and a choice of five pillow types, and business travelers can enjoy five executive floors and a dedicated lounge with harbor views and all-day food and drink. The Sunday champagne brunch is one of the city's finest (best to book early).

Few comforts are neglected, with amenities ranging from sumptuous Chinese-accented furnishings to all sorts of high-tech gadgetry, but the main features are the knockout views of the harbor and Victoria Peak through walls of glass. The hotel is home to world-class restaurants, including Michelin three-starred Lung King Heen, two-star Caprice, and the first overseas location of three-starred Sushi Saito from Tokyo. You can also look forward to legendary service, a gorgeous infinity pool that hangs above the harbor and a blissful sanctuary of a spa.

Enthusiastic partygoers can roll out of bed and land in a bar—one is on the 29th and 30th floors of the hotel, others are in the same tower, and dozens of others are on the surrounding Lan Kwai Fong bar strips. As an antidote to the high-energy surroundings, rooms are soothingly done in warm colors and nicely equipped with ergonomic chairs, large plasma screens, and free Wi-Fi for most booking packages.

The scent of lemongrass and cozy feel of an old Hong Kong apartment building extend to the small but beautiful rooms enlarged by bay windows and plunging views of the surrounding cityscape. Bathrooms are gracefully outfitted with wooden-ladder towel racks and faux-antique Chinese doors. The surrounding streets are lined with cafés, galleries, and quaint boutiques, and the hotel's open-air Breeze lounge is a fine place to relax with free coffee and a book.

Over the past 50 years, Hong Kong's most famous hotel has lost none of its opulence, colonial charm, or shine: it still features impeccable service as well as spacious rooms with daybeds tucked beneath huge windows; TV screens set next to bathroom sinks; and closet cubbyhole "valet boxes," where your daily paper, newly shined shoes, and room-service meal magically appear. The Clipper Lounge and The Chinnery (serving Hong Kong's best fish-and-chips in Hong Kong) ooze colonial flavor, while Michelin-starred Man Wah offers local Cantonese delicacies. Other notable facilities include The Mandarin Spa, which draws inspiration from traditional Chinese Medicine, and the old-school Mandarin Barber.

Rooms in this attractive, cylindrical, high-rise guesthouse overlook the peaceful Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens and are clean, well designed, and affordable. A coffee shop and delivery from local restaurants compensate for a lack of room service and other amenities, and guests can use the outdoor pool and gym in the adjacent YWCA. The area is dominated by residential buildings, so there's little nightlife, but Central is only a 10-minute walk away.

Even standard rooms in this haven of stylish luxury are suites—tranquil havens of design and indulgence that feature huge window-side bathtubs, walk-in rain showers, and free minibars (or Maxi-Bars as they call them). Tucked away on the higher floors of the J.W. Marriott Hotel, the Upper House begins to charm as soon as the elevator opens onto the 49th-floor Sky lounge. Some guests may lament the lack of a pool and a spa, but with rooms like these, who needs them? The only drawback is not wanting to leave your room.