Sunday March 6th, 2016 Hong Kong, China

After a relatively uneventful though agonizingly long flight we finally arrived in Hong Kong at around 8PM and made our way to the hotel transportation desk in the airport concourse. We had arranged for a car to pick us up at the airport; even though this is a bit more expensive than the other options – after such a long flight we appreciate not having to deal with buses or trains. Before long, suitably ensconced in the luxurious interior of a large Mercedes, we were on our way to the hotel. It’s nice to be pampered once in a while.

We have visited Hong Kong several times before and over the years we have come to favor the Langham Hotel in Mong Kok on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. So when planning this cruise we decided to add on 4 nights at the Langham prior to embarkation; this would give us time to get over the jet lag and visit some of our old favorite spots before heading out on the cruise. In addition our son Scott and his husband Sean were also making their first visit to Hong Kong at this time; so they would spend time with us prior to the cruise. 

Just before I booked the hotel I learned that the Langham in Mong Kok would be rebranded into the Cordis Hotel; everything I could find out indicated that this change would be pretty transparent. Upon arrival we were greeted at the curb by an associate from the club level who welcomed us and had all the details of our current and previous visits – this was a nice touch and in line with previous Langham experiences. 

The club level at the Cordis had been completely remodeled but still occupied three large interconnected spaces with floor to ceiling windows offering a stunning view of the Mong Kok. Scott and Sean joined us briefly; they had arrived the previous day and were staying at a different hotel in Kowloon. We noticed that the food offerings in the club room were decidedly sparse, but put this down to the relatively late hour. 

Tired and totally worn out, we turned in for the “sleep of sleeps” that usually follows such a long flight.