The Upper House
Add: Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2918 1838
Website: www.upperhouse.com
Price: from 5,000 HKD/night
Visited: Aug 2016
It’s been a while since I last went to Hong Kong, so I couldn’t help but feel a little excited on my flight over – especially knowing that I will be staying at The Upper House. I have heard so much about this hotel and was already quite charmed by it after a lovely lunch at Cafe Gray Deluxe five years ago, so naturally I was looking forward to the stay. 4 days and 3 evenings after, I’m a believer. Let’s see how the experience unfolded.
八月底，去了一趟香港。由于在巴黎這些年幾乎都沒回亞洲，上次到香港玩也是快六年前的事了，去程的飛機上不免有種鄉巴佬要進城的興奮感（是真的）。這次住宿選擇在The Upper House 奕居，四天三夜下來除了滿意還是滿意 － 方便的地點、優雅的設計、舒適的空間、細致的服務，無一不讓人傾心。
It all started at the airport. Thanks to The Upper House’s limousine service, I didn’t have to wait in the long queue for taxi. I hopped on a Lexus Hibrid (Mercedes also available) and 40 minutes later I was at the hotel. Smooth.
感謝酒店的機場接送服務，不用大排長龍的等出租車。Upper House 用的是 Lexus 混能環保車（也可以選擇Mercedes），車裏設有wifi，連水都很貼心的准備了不容易灑出來的嘴吸裝水瓶。香港小旅行，完美開始。
The hotel sits on top of Pacific Place, a glossy shopping complex at Admiralty, which is one stop from the Central business district and one stop (across the harbor) from Tsim Sha Tsui, and also within walking distance to Wanchai. Perfect location.
從機場出發一路順暢，和司機先生聊著天，大約40分鍾抵達酒店。Upper House 位于金鍾太古廣場，是港島非常中心的地段，到中環、上環、灣仔都非常近，以地點來說沒有比這裏更方便的了。
The hotel entrance is cocooned inside a thick wall, entitled “Stone Curtain” by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, a understated yet solid facade that separates the hotel from the outside world. As The Upper House is renovated from an apartment building, its design is unlike that of a traditional five-star hotel – there is no grand lobby, but instead, it feels more like a (very stylish) home. At the reception, hotel service staff are all smiles and know the guests by name.
酒店大門隱藏在石砌厚牆內，低調、隱密、有與外界區隔的安全感。這裡由一棟公寓改造而成，設計上不像傳統的五星級酒店，沒有氣派的大堂，反而更有家的感覺，服務人員也都笑容滿面，叫得出客人的名字。
Have always loved these beautiful EcoSmart fireplaces.
一直很喜歡EcoSmart的火爐，好美好美。
The Upper House employs paperless check-in/out, and the staff led me directly upstairs to my room without any registration at the reception. The escalator is purposefully designed to be dark, and after passing through the “tunnel” we arrived in a bright space, almost like entering a different world.
Upper House 采用全電子化的 check-in/out，在入口處不需要登記，服務人員直接帶我上了電梯。手扶梯刻意設計的很暗，經過 “隧道” 後上到了一個明亮的空間，有種進入不同世界的感覺。
At The Upper House, there is no exaggerated lighting or flashy colors. Local designer Andre Fu uses natural materials like wood, bamboo, and limestone to build this tasteful, elegant retreat away from the city’s babble. The style is understated and soothing, yet with a definite modern edge.
這裡沒有誇張的燈光、炫麗的顔色、或者搶眼的名牌家具。設計師付厚民 Andre Fu 用白橡木，石灰石，和大理石等建材，將酒店雕琢成一個處處流露高雅品味的世外桃園。優雅大氣的風格，我個人非常喜歡。
Beautifully set in Andre Fu’s serene, sophisticated design are a series of commissioned artworks, such as this “Grain” by Italy-based Taiwanese sculptor Cynthia Sah, reflecting the Chinese philosophy of essential equilibrium with its sensual curves.
酒店內有不少藝術作品，比如這個由旅居意大利的台灣雕塑家薩璨如創作的 ”grain”，反映了中國哲學中的 “廣衡” ，曲線很美。
Upon entering the elevator, I noticed that there’s no button to close the door – a design to remind guests to slow down and unwind completely. Indeed, every time I retreat back to The Upper House from the busy streets of Hong Kong, a sense of calm naturally befalls. Though I must also note that the room floors can be accessed without a key card, which doesn’t feel very secure or private.
進入電梯後發現的裏面沒有關門鍵，原來是爲了讓客人放慢腳步，徹底放松。的確，每次從香港繁華的街道回到Upper House時，就有種心能沈靜下來的感覺。不過不用刷房卡就可以到房間樓層，這倒讓我有點驚訝，覺得有必要改善一下保全和隱私。
And we are in the room. I was staying in a 78 sqm Studio 80 (6,000+HKD/night), a true luxury in a dense city like Hong Kong where every inch is at a premium. The Upper House has a total of 117 rooms and suites, the smallest measuring at 68 sqm, and the largest suite being 182 sqm, with views of the island or of the harbor.
抵達房間。Upper House 有 117 間客房，這次我入住的是 78 平米的 Studio 80，在香港這樣寸土寸金的地方，能夠有如此大的房間實在奢侈。Upper House 最小的房型也有 68 平米，最大的則是 182 平米的頂層套房，可以選擇城市景觀或著維多利亞港海景。
Check-in was done directly in the room, a quick process involving scanning the passport and credit card, followed by an electronic signature. The staff then gave me a tour of the room as well as explanations about hotel facilities, and before she left, sent me a glass of welcome drink.
帶我到房間的服務人員是位剛入職不久的可愛女孩，她直接以 ipad 幫我辦了check in，護照、信用卡等也都用掃描登記，電子化手續非常簡潔。隨後她詳細的做了房間導覽和設施介紹，離開前還不忘了爲我送來一杯welcome drink。
Some hotel gifts. My favorite was the Monocle guide to Hong Kong, which became very useful during my stay in the city with its stylish recommendations.
酒店爲房客准備的一些小禮物，質感都不錯。其中那本 Monocle 雜志出版的香港導覽更是在這幾天大大的發揮用處，裡面不少潮店我都一一去探訪了。
My favorite area of the room is perhaps this corner by the window, perfect for some reading, a cup of coffee, or just zoning out. There buildings around are all at a comfortable distance, leaving no feeling of enclosure. I had a good time just sitting there and staring down at the tiny cars zooming in and out…
太喜歡這個窗邊的角落，可以坐著悠閑的看書、喝咖啡、發呆。雖然周圍不少高樓，但都隔了一段距離，毫無壓迫感，而且坐在高處往下看地面的人來人往，有種微妙的抽離感。
Soothing bamboo, luxe limestone and warm woolens are the materials of choice in this subtly opulent room. I was also quite in love with the ultra comfy bed and pillows which allowed me to fall asleep within seconds after laying down.
極舒服的床和枕頭，每晚躺下都三秒入睡。
…and waking up in the morning to this.
早上醒來時…
The Upper House’s maxi bar is complimentary except for the wine and champagne. Beer, juices, milk, coconut water (my fav!), coffee, tea, snacks, all included. It does feel quite nice to not have to worry about paying extra…just like at home.
Upper House 的maxi bar除了紅酒和香槟之外，所有果汁、啤酒等飲料和零食都是包含在房費裡的，另外也有咖啡機和茶。這種可以隨便吃喝不用考慮另外付費的感覺很好，就像在家一樣。
On the other side of the room is a walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom big enough to sleep in. with rain shower and giant tub equipped with TV concealed behind a mirror.
房間的另一邊，是寬敞的浴室。
You sure can soak in the bath while enjoying the view outside, but perhaps it is still best to pull down the shades lest you give an heart attack to the window-cleaning staff…(or vice versa). In the corner is “Cocoon” by Taiwanese sculptor Marvin Minto Fang, an artwork inspired by the shapes of nuts and seeds, and sculpted from woodgrain sandstone.
可以邊泡澡邊看風景（不過還是乖乖的把紗窗拉下來吧，別嚇到洗窗戶的工作人員）。角落是台灣雕塑家範姜明道爲 Upper House 設計的 “Cocoon”，靈感來自于堅果和種子的形狀，每間浴室都有一座，但雕刻用的木紋砂岩塊各不相同。
During my stay the sound system wasn’t working smoothly as Airplay connection was off, and I had some trouble playing music from the phone (eventually fixed by the hotel staff, but still quite confusing). It would also be nice if there were separate sound systems of the bedroom and the bathroom. Sound proof seems to be done quite well though, as I don’t recall hearing any noises from neighboring rooms.
不過浴室的音響無法和臥室的獨立開來，這點我覺得可以改進。可能也是剛好我入住的時候 airplay 無法使用（工作人員說是網路問題？），音響操作系統稍有混亂，讓我困擾了一下…隔音倒是很好，完全不會聽到其他房間的聲音。
Skincare products from REN, excellent.
Upper House提供的是英國品牌REN的盥洗用品，雖然之前沒接觸過，不過聽說是很純淨的護膚品，這次使用下來也很舒服，一點也不客氣的把剩余的帶了回家。
Compared to the standard five star hotel, The Upper House provides a lot more toiletries – facial cleanser, night cream, eye cream, and even lip balm are all included in the pack. I also found some very handy stationeries in the working desk like scissors (convenient for removing the price tag of a new piece of clothing, you know).
Upper House 提供的用品比一般的五星級酒店都還要齊全的多，連護唇膏都有。書桌裏也有小剪刀等文具，非常方便（比如買新衣服要把標簽剪掉時，對吧？）
I must also mention that the bathrobes here are thick, soft, ultra comfortable…slipping into one of these after a bath is heavenly.
必須一提的是，Upper House 的浴袍柔軟厚實，非常、非常舒服。洗完澡後穿著它，太幸福了。
Inside the closet, there are the typical slippers, laundry bag, safety box etc., and there’s also a yoga mat. The hotel does complimentary yoga lessons on weekend mornings out on The Lawn, too bad I didn’t have a chance to join in on that this time.
衣櫃裏除了常見的拖鞋、保險箱之外，還有瑜伽墊。聽說酒店在周末上午會在露台上提供瑜伽課程，可惜這次沒有機會去體驗。
As mentioned earlier, The Upper House is renovated from an apartment building, so there are not a lot of public facilities – there is no swimming pool, which is something to note for those who like a dip in the water, and there’s no spa for those who want a nice massage. There is, however, a small and functional gym.
剛才提過由公寓改造的 Upper House 公共空間不大，沒有泳池（在意這點的人請自己斟酌一下），不過有個小巧精致的健身房，各式各樣的器材都有。
From the atrium on the 38th floor, there is Japanese artist Hiroshiwata Sawada’s metal wall sculpture Rise running along the wall, which almost looks like a twinkling stream coursing downwards to the pool below.
在 38 層的中庭，有日本設計師 Hirotoshi Sawada 爲 Upper House 設計的一幅金屬牆身雕塑 Rise，有點像一道亮晶晶的小溪從上向下流到池內。
Up on the 47th floor is Sky Lounge, an elegant living room area perfect for some quiet reading or a cup of coffee. In fact, we even had some take-out Lady M mille crêpes here one afternoon. I was a little bit embarrassed as I took out the cakes, but the service staff immediately prepared plates, utensils, napkins, and sparkling water for us. Comparing to waiting the impossible queue for a table at Lady M, it is much more pleasurable to enjoy the cakes at the comfort of this living room.
抵達 47 樓，左邊的 Sky Lounge 是個優雅舒適的空間，可以在這裡喝杯咖啡翻翻書。中央的火爐在晚上會點起，非常溫暖。某天還在這裡吃了外帶的 Lady M 千層蛋糕。其實拿出外帶的蛋糕時自己都有些不好意思了，不過服務人員二話不說的幫忙准備了餐具、氣泡水。比起在蛋糕店裏大排長龍，還是這樣舒服多了。
On the other side of the 47th floor is Cafe Grey Deluxe helmed by master chef Gray Kunz.
右邊，則是由名廚 Gray Kunz 主理的 Cafe Gray Deluxe，這幾天的早餐都在這裡享用。
Cafe Gray Deluxe has a lovely selection of breakfast. I first tried the Upper East Breakfast (295 HKD), which includes steamed barbecued pork fun, ha gau, siu mai, turnip cake, gingered corn and crabmeat congee, fried egg noodles with bean sprouts, and freshly pressed juice (or soy milk, coffee, or other beverages of your choice).
Cafe Gray Deluxe 有豐富的早餐選擇，我試了其中 Upper East 中式早餐，包含了叉燒包、蝦餃、燒賣、蘿蔔糕、姜絲栗米蟹肉粥、銀芽炒面、鮮榨果汁，當然另外要加點豆漿或咖啡等也沒有問題。
There are also a la carte items, such as this quinoa yogurt porridge with raspberries and cranberries.
也可以單點，比如這個健康的藜麥優格燕麥粥，搭配覆盆子和蔓越莓。
Short ribs eggs benedict.
或著人見人愛的 eggs benedict。
Nutella-filled French Toast (ok, a bit too sweet for breakfast even for me).
法式吐司，裏面還夾了 nutella 榛果巧克力醬（點這個，是一大早就要把自己甜死的節奏）。
And what a killer view. Having breakfast with this as the backdrop, one can’t help but feel on top of the world. Cafe Gray also serves lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner, available for non hotel guests as well.
重點是這裏處處都是 killer view。坐在窗邊慵懶的吃個早餐，慢悠悠的喝杯咖啡看著外面的景色，can’t help but feeling on top of the world。
In the evening.
晚上，是這樣的。
Even if you are not staying at The Upper House, you can come by Cafe Gray Bar for a cocktail and a night view of the city.
就算不住在 Upper House，晚上也可以來 Cafe Gray Bar 喝杯酒、看個夜景。
I first tried an Earl Gray Martini (125 HKD), composed of Earl Grey-infused Beefeater Gin, lemon, and orange; then there was a Summer Southside (135 HKD) of Tanqueray No. Ten Gin, elderflower, lime, cucumber, and bubbles, both very good. My friend’s Gin n’ Roses (115 HKD) was also excellent, composed of Hendricks Gin, Aperol, rose, pink grapefruit, apple, and lemon – which looks like a lot, but the combination was surprisingly pleasant.
而且呢，這裡不只夜景美，酒居然*也是好喝的。先嚐了他們的招牌之一Earl Gray Martini，裡面有伯爵茶風味的 Beefeater Gin 以及酸甜的檸檬和橙子，另外我也很喜歡清爽的 Summer Southside，由 Tanqueray No. Ten Gin、接骨木花、青檸、黃瓜、和氣泡酒調制而成。朋友點的 Gin n’ Roses 也非常棒，裡面有 Hendricks Gin、Aperol、玫瑰、粉紅葡萄柚、蘋果、和檸檬，看起來材料似乎多了點，不過喝起來層次豐富，一點也不怪。
*說 “居然” 是因爲這裏夜景這麽美，酒隨便調調應該都會有人來吧…結果酒還調得很認真。
In love with this beautiful glass of Martini (that’s all ice around the flask), but the olive flavor is extremely strong in this one…not a hit with me.
這杯 Martini 和搭配的容器好美（外面一圈是碎冰），不過橄榄味極重，不太喜歡。
The room, after dark.
房間晚上長這樣。
I must also mention that the hotel delivers warm milk and cookies in the late afternoon. Warm milk with cookies, I mean, seriously? That is just too sweet.
差點忘了提，酒店會在傍晚送來一壺熱牛奶和餅乾。居然還有 milk & cookies 服務，實在暖到心底去了。
Checking out from the hotel was also hassle-free with no additional paperwork. On my way out, I received another bag of cookies before getting on the car…they obviously know that I have a thing for sweet things. No complaints.
最後一天 check out 同樣輕松，無需任何手續就可以離開。臨走上車前又收到一包餅乾，是覺得我多愛吃甜點…（完全沒有在抱怨的意思哦）。
After staying at The Upper House and being pampered for three days straight, I was seriously convinced that I wouldn’t be able to stay anywhere else in Hong Kong in the future. From the location to the design and the service, everything at this hotel was carefully thought out – except for the few minor hiccups I mentioned above, there really was not much to complain about. So this is how it feels to be spoiled…
經常出去玩，各種酒店也住了不少，不過像 The Upper House 服務如此細膩的，還真是少見。除了文章裏提到的一些小地方之外，這是間從地點、設計、服務都無可挑剔的酒店，住過這裏之後，以後來香港真的都住不了別的地方了。一不小心就被寵壞了，糟糕。
The Upper House 奕居
地址 : 香港香港島金鍾道88號
電話 ：+852 2918 1838
網站：www.upperhouse.com
價位：每晚5000港幣起
入住日期：2016年8月
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