Hong Kong: 5 Places to Stay

Brand new in 2005, this 399-room waterfront property has a gargantuan, decadent spa (try a ginger-lemongrass soak to ease your jet lag), and spacious rooms and suites (the smallest of which are about 500 square feet). Room décor tends toward clean-lined, modern minimalism, with Asian-infused touches like lacquered-wood tables and silk cushions and throws in some of the rooms. All have 42-inch plasma-screen TV's, and luxurious bathrooms with deep soaking tubs and walk-in showers with rainfall showerheads. Of the on-site dining options, two are excellent: Lung King Heen, serving innovative Cantonese cuisine, and the elegant Japanese Inagiku, where chef Shinji Morihara prepares some of the city's finest kaiseki and teppanyaki . One of the property's real showstoppers is the rooftop deck, where twin swimming pools overlook the harbor.

Insider Tip: If traveling light, take the airport express train, which is a 24-minute whiz to downtown, as opposed to an hour by limo or taxi. The station is a five-minute, escalator-assisted walk from the hotel lobby.

Room to Book: Harbor-view rooms, as opposed to city-facing options (the latter looks over lots of skyscrapers — not such a novelty if you've come from New York or Chicago).

• 1. Four Seasons Hotel
  8 Finance Street, Hong Kong, China; 852-3196-8888 22.286655114.156618 fourseasons.com/hongkong