Kowloon Shangri-La
The Kowloon Shangri-La has a great location right in the centre of Tsim Sha Tsui East, the shopping, entertainment and commercial district in Kowloon, but this luxury hotel is more than just well located, it has some of the best service in Hong Kong and it’s exceptionally vegan friendly.
There are 688 rooms in the Kowloon Shangri-La, all with views of either Hong Kong city or the famous Victoria Harbour. There’s real buzz in this busy city hotel which is full of the gorgeous Shangri-La scent, if you’ve stayed in a Shangri-La property, you’ll know what we mean about the scent and if not then pop by on your next travels; it’s a smell that is not only synonymous with their brand but is deeply pleasant to encounter (travellers addicted to this smell will be pleased to hear it’s available for purchase too!).
Our Deluxe Harbour View room had everything you would expect from a hotel of this standard; TV, tea and coffee making facilities, safe, complimentary wi-fi, comfortable bed and marble bathroom complete with bath and shower. We also received a pot of welcome tea and an abundant fruit basket when we checked in, such a nice welcome to the hotel.
As the name suggests we also had a view of Victoria Harbour so were able to watch life on this busy stretch of water go by, whether it was helicopters landing, boats sailing or eagles fishing; it really is a fascinating view framed with the backdrop of skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island.
We had access to the Horizon Club Lounge (highly recommended to upgrade to get Horizon Club privileges) which is spread over two floors and has everything you might need if you have any work or travel planning to do or if you just want to have a great space to relax in and take advantage of the complimentary refreshments served.
The Vegan Food
As we arrived in the Horizon Club Lounge we were greeted by name and taken straight to our table. Before we had a chance to utter the magic words “we’re vegan”, Max (our waiter) tells us he knows we don’t eat any animal products and wonders if we would like soya milk instead?
We were then introduced to the chef who has heard we have arrived and wanted to come to tell us that he would like to prepare us a vegan breakfast of sautéed potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms and asparagus. Shortly after, a plate of well cooked food arrives and we’re left to sip fresh juice and coffee, eat our vegan breakfast and enjoy the experience. It’s a smooth, hassle free breakfast in a peaceful environment with some of the best service we’ve experienced on our travels.
The Cafe Kool experience was equally as impressive; the restaurant is bigger with a huge buffet selection and live cooking stations offering guests food from around the globe. It’s busy as you’d expect but the staff were helpful and efficient (a running theme throughout this hotel it seems). Again the chef comes out to greet us and this time gives us a personal tour of the buffet. He already knows what it means to be vegan and our questions are met with reassuring answers like “I only use vegetable oil” and “no chicken powder, no oyster sauce”.
He’s one of the few chefs at a luxury hotel that seems to have embraced the sensible approach of making many of the vegetarian options available suitable for vegans too and so there was a huge variety of food we could eat. We opted for a selection of Indian food; dosas, lemon rice filled with cashew nuts, dahl and vegetable pakoras, it was spicy, flavourful and utterly delicious.
There are also vegetable udon noodles, western coked breakfast options, porridge, soups and a fresh juice bar where you can get your own creations made. On top of this there was bread, a salad bar, a fruit bar and also some sorbet from the ice cream bar. We were too full to eat everything on offer, but did squeeze in an few delicious oatmeal and red bean cakes with maple syrup and enjoyed the slightly salted, substantial oat cake that was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, drowned in delicious maple syrup.
Wanting to explore another great vegan option on our doorstep, we took the opportunity to eat in Shang Palace, the hotel’s two Michelin star Cantonese restaurant where the vegan food was excellent and the service was impeccable. Please read here about our amazing meal at Shang Palace. if you want to see how vegans really don’t miss out on fabulous food when they travel away from home.
The Vegan Essentials
There were synthetic pillows already available in our room so it was easy to arrange a feather-free, vegan sleep.
The in room amenities were the Shangri-La’s signature brand and we were unable to tell if they were vegan, so we used our own.
Spa loving vegans can enjoy massage and reflexology as well as sauna and steam facilities.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
Check-in to the Kowloon Shangri-La Hong Kong for a well located luxury hotel stay where the service is amongst the best in the city, making it easy to be a vegan guest here. This is an exceptionally vegan friendly hotel where they’ll go out of their way to help you, making it likely that you’ll be full of delicious vegan food with very little effort.
Don’t forget to make a reservation at Shang Palace, their two Michelin star restaurant, for a vegan Cantonese meal to remember.
We were guests of Kowloon Shangri-La but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views
Kowloon Shangri-La
64 Mody Road
Tsim Sha Tsui East
Kowloon
Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 2721 2111
Rooms From: £230 / $345 per night