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NICE SURPRISE Yoga and tai chi classes over-looking the skyline in the morning. The next tenant will be Nobu, set to open in November. The hotel's trump card, however, is Remedios's spa, a series of rooms where you can flit among "minted" showers, hot mists, and tropical saunas where the ceiling "rains. THE SCENE Young ad and film execs in jeans and Puma sneakers pitch ideas over drinks in the lobby, while heavy hitters from Asian first-world economies like South Korea and Japan do major deals." DIRTY SECRET The location, in the heart of the Central district, is spectacular, but only if you're walking; it can take 30 minutes by car or taxi just to cross the last few traffic-choked blocks that lead to the hotel.

Set among the markets and frenetic foot traffic of Mongkok on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour, the 665-room retreat mixes business, pleasure, and even art with the kind of smart and playful efficiency most design hotels aspire to achieve. Thankfully, the incredible views of the skyline are unchanged, and the lobby and pools are still just feet from the water. Langham Place Hong Kong Since it opened in March 2005, the glass-and-steel Langham Place, designed by the same team behind Tokyo's Roppongi Hills complex, has quietly become the city's hidden gem.mandarinoriental. Unfortunately, bathrooms seem to have missed the update (the marble is overworn and the lighting is too bright). The desks are gently curved and big enough for spreading out work.intercontinental. An on-duty chef actually stopped to point us in the direction of the new Steak House restaurant; the concierge was able to compile an address list of eight hot restaurants, clubs, and cafés quicker than the best personal assistant. The fun China wholesale instant heating electric tap begins at arrival: guests are greeted by a pair of enormous, cartoonish sculptures of Mao's Red Guards, just one of the 1,700 pieces of Chinese art throughout the hotel. Decadent corn-fed chicken burgers and Wagyu rib eyes are delivered in the lipstick-red Steak House.

THE AMENITIES You don't need to step outside to eat well here. But who cares when you're at the hotel that's got the most epic views of Victoria Harbour. DIRTY SECRETS The lobby empties out into a mall; the corridors are dark and configured in a zigzag, so it's easy to become disoriented every time you return to your room. NICE SURPRISE Guests can use the hotel's 1,300 Vertu mobile phones—free. 15 Queen's Rd. THE SERVICE There's a casual confidence about the staff, who are happy to impart recommendations on the best noodle stalls or shops in the area. Savory salads are served in the lobby.com; doubles from 500. 18 Salisbury Rd.

The 495 rooms are now awash in earth tones with cheerful splashes of imperial yellow (on the headboards and tasseled silk throws) and have every possible high-tech gadget, from iPod docks and Bose surround-sound systems to Aquos flat-screen TV's.com; doubles from 513. There's also the occasional middle-American tourist group and a growing number of mainland Chinese.

THE ROOMS Guests used to complain about the drab interiors, but no more. InterContinental Hong Kong THE LOOK It's been almost five years since the beloved Regent Hotel was re-branded as the InterContinental Hong Kong. Polished mahogany walls and a monumental hanging sculpture of 4,200-plus copper rods greet guests, who are then treated to Dutch chef Richard Ekkebus's exploration of flavors from North Africa, Europe, and Asia. Alain Ducasse's Spoon is overrated and overpriced for dinner (entrées push past the 60 mark), but at its demure Spoon Bar, you can curl up in an eel-skin chair for sweeping Hong Kong vistas and an à la carte menu (unusual for Asia).THE AMENITIES New York designer Adam Tihany aimed to make a statement with the hotel's Amber restaurant, and he succeeds