24-hour room service; The Regent, Hong Kong

From the skyscrapers to the shopping to the sophisticated hotels, Hong Kong should be done in style. After a hard day exploring the sights, the latter is by far the most important and, of all the luxury hotels, the Regent offers perhaps the most inviting stretch of air-conditioned calm.

From the skyscrapers to the shopping to the sophisticated hotels, Hong Kong should be done in style. After a hard day exploring the sights, the latter is by far the most important and, of all the luxury hotels, the Regent offers perhaps the most inviting stretch of air-conditioned calm.

Luxury in Hong Kong comes with a capital L. At the Regent that means 17 storeys of dark polished granite to explore by day, complete with upmarket shopping arcade and sleek "East-meets-West" interior and a choice of three outdoor spa pools - all different temperatures - in which to languish while overlooking twinkling skyscrapers at dusk.

The hotel is not purely the domain of visitors, but is also frequented by local residents looking for a good time. Plume, one of five restaurants, reputedly serves some of the finest Chinese this side of Peking. Table settings alone here are worth £700 apiece.

After dinner, there's cocktail lounging in the bar and a three-storey plate glass window to give you one of the most spectacular views over Hong Kong.

Location, location, location

18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong (00 852 2721 1211).

Being on the Kowloon side of the city, there's a dazzling view across the famous skyline and easy access to most areas. Hong Kong has one of the best public transport systems in the world. For an atmospheric trip, take the famous Star Ferry across the harbour (about HK$2 or 20p) to Hong Kong Island. There's an express rail link from Kowloon to Chek Lap Kok airport on Lantau Island every ten minutes. The trip takes 23 minutes and costs about £5 each way. There is also a slightly cheaper Airbus to and from the airport.

Are you lying comfortably?

Beds are of the large and comfortable variety. To enjoy them best, leave the curtains open and watch the sampans and boats toing and froing across Victoria Harbour.

Alternatively, get horizontal at the hotel spa. For about £50 you can have your own private spa - a polished-granite room with jacuzzi, steam shower and sauna - in which to enjoy a vast array of treatments. If you're suffering from executive burn-out, the "stress recovery day" guarantees you'll be as relaxed as mush come sundown.

There are 602 rooms, 92 of which are suites. Two-thirds of the rooms look directly across the harbour; if your budget stretches to it, get a deluxe suite with its own open-air jacuzzi. All rooms are air-conditioned, with a special air-purifying system.

Bathrooms are floor-to-ceiling Italian marble, stuffed with delicious toiletries by Bulgari. The deep baths fill in 60 seconds, so don't go wandering off.

E-mail ports in every room and a hi-tech business centre make it easy to stay in touch. And, if you really want to, you can close that all-important merger from the phone in your bathroom.

The bottom line

A superior, plaza-view room costs HK$2,950 (£270), a deluxe harbour-view room HK$4,250 (£390) and a deluxe harbour-view suite a sky-high HK$11,700 (£1,060).