A Few Recent Spa Trips

I haven't indulged in any luxe spa pampering sessions in Sydney for a while and so have tried to visit at least one each time I've gone to HK these past months. And since the list of places I want to try always seems to be growing, I made it a point to try three I had never been to before.

I first read about Spa L'Occitane over at Sassy Hong Kong (don't know how I would survive in HK without this site) and took advantage of the Sassy Discount promotion which was on a few months back: HKD500 off the original price of The Journey To Provence treatment which included a 75minute facial and a 60minute massage, bringing the total cost down to HKD1,100 - bargain! The spa itself doesn't have the kind of facilities you would find at your swanky hotel spa but I swear my skin has never looked so good after a facial, I think probably in part to the most painless extraction process I have ever experienced. And the massage was pretty great too, especially given the fact that my entire body was aching after just having moved in to our place a few days prior.

really like how you can sample the facial care and makeup range products after the treatment

This is the flagship Spa L'Occitane in HK located on Star Street in Wan Chai and you can view their treatment menu here.

Another place I've been wanting to try for quite some time now is the Bliss Spa over at the W Hong Kong in Kowloon. Given that the spa is located on the 72nd floor of the hotel, the view is absolutely phenomenal and hits you as soon as you step in to the locker room. The facilities here are great and if anyone were to ever ask me which is the best vitality pool with a view in a hotel spa I'd say this one pretty much takes the cake.

However that's pretty much the best thing about this spa. I always judge a hotel spa by the cleanliness and tidiness of their facilities and sadly, this one just didn't live up to HK's high standards for me. Some of the products such as the body lotion had not been refilled and there were showers which hadn't been cleaned after the previous person had used them. Granted it was near the end of the day..but still. I didn't even manage to find the famous brownie buffet I had heard so much about!
I had booked in for the Feeling Fabulous package which included a 30minute scrub deluxe, 45minute rapid rub and 60minute fabulous facial for HKD2,012 and while my therapist couldn't have been lovelier I really hate it when I look into a mirror afterwards only to see that my face is all sore and red from the extractions. If I were to go back it would definitely be for the body treatments only.
Detailed information about Bliss Spa can be found here.

And to finish off, the Spa at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental where I had a 1hour Oriental Essence body massage followed by a 1hour 30minute Customised Aromatherapy Facial at a cost of HKD2,730. Having been to the Mandarin Oriental Spa a few years ago I was expecting a lot in terms of service and professionalism - and I was not disappointed. The spa was so quiet and serene it absolutely did not feel like I was in the heart of Central and the facilities were spotless even though it was extremely late on a Friday night.

This does bring me to my one gripe though which is why some spas feel the need to charge 'Weekday' and 'Weekend' prices - and since when is Friday considered a weekend?? But back to the treatment - both the massage and the facial were great and my therapist was so very nice and really managed to put me in such a deep state of relaxation. This was also the only time the temperature of the bed was absolutely perfect since she didn't feel the need to put the bedding heat on given it was 30+ degrees outside. I will most definitely be going back, although will probably schedule my visit on a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday next time to make the cost a little more bearable.
All the information about the spa including the treatments menu can be found here.

Back...And Le Meridien Cyberport

I am back in beautiful sunny Sydney and as hard as it was to leave Mr Ng yet again, I have been absolutely relishing the cooler weather here after the sauna that was Hong Kong. From my last blog post up until now I have gone back to HK three times and Mr Ng has come back here once so the weeks spent apart haven't been too unbearable.
But I've just postponed my next trip over in order to coincide with a couple of the public holidays there next month so I think the number of weeks spent apart this time round will be the longest Mr Ng and I have ever been separated in our entire relationship. And if that weren't bad enough, more than a handful of people (including my own mother!) have been 'warning' me that a husband without his wife by his side is sure to cheat!! One lady actually said to me: "Distance doesn't make the heart grow fonder, it makes it wander". Gee, thanks lady..
And so in attempt to take my mind off of all of this rubbish - and also to stop me from counting the hours until I hop on that plane to HK - it's back to blogging. I'm just going to jump right into it now with the short stay Mr Ng and I had at the Le Meridien Cyberport back in May while we were waiting for the place we have now moved into to be repainted:

welcome tea and sweets

This was the first time either of us had ever even set foot in the Cyberport area and it was so quiet and peaceful it didn't even feel like we were in HK. I'm not even very sure why there is a Le Meridien there seeing as it takes about 30 minutes by bus to get to Central but the hotel was spacious, new (the hotel opened in 2011) and so very empty that we weren't complaining! We stayed in a Deluxe Ocean View room which included free buffet breakfast at nightly rate of HKD1,827 (plus 10% tax) which we thought was extremely reasonable given the fantastic view and the sheer size of the room. And as an added bonus a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were served for free each evening in the hotel bar:

if only all hotels provided this..

Since the most exciting thing in the area is the Broadway Circuit cinema complex located in the shopping mall adjacent to the hotel, I'm not sure I will be recommending the hotel to people anytime soon. However, if we ever need a place to stay in HK on very short notice again, this place will definitely be at the top of the list.

Le Meridien Cyberport is located at 100 Cyberport Road in the Hong Kong Island south area and bookings may be made here.