Travelling in Hong Kong with kids is such a rewarding experience. The vibe, culture, attractions, shopping and food is exciting for the whole family and, although many families head to Hong Kong for the Disney experience, the city is just as amazing and well worth spending some time in also.
The trick is to find a hotel that is accommodating to families. A hotel that welcomes you with open arms, a candy bar and a glass of wine…wait, what? Does that even exist?
Yes it does my friend, it’s the Dorsett Wanchai Hotel on Hong Kong Island.
We arrived at the Dorsett Wanchai Hotel on Wednesday evening after a busy few days at Disneyland. We were tired, hungry and in need of some creature comforts to help us enjoy the next few days.
Arriving at the Dorsett Wanchai was like arriving home to family. They were so welcoming and helpful which is exactly what this Mumma traveling alone with two tired children needed. Check in was simple and it helped that the kids were completely occupied with the teddy bears they received plus the Candy Bar available for them to help themselves to.
Speaking of the Candy Bar, every night between 6pm and 7pm they have the Candy Bar open to all guests in the hotel lobby. It is the cutest little stand with candy jars filled to the brim. My kids eyes lit up when they first saw it!
Arriving on a Wednesday was perfect timing to enjoy their Wednesday evening live music, complimentary glass of wine and of course the Candy Bar. We settled into the high back chairs and enjoyed the tunes while I sipped my well earned glass of wine. Suddenly all was right again after navigating the busy city trains with two kids and a suitcase. **breathe**
We headed up to our family room, which consisted of two queen beds, and the kids squealed with delight at the box of books, more soft toys and snacks awaiting them. The Dorsett Wanchai have a little library program where they leave a box of books for kids to enjoy in the room. This is great as when we are at home we read a book before bed at night. We don’t travel with books so having some there to read at night was a real treat and a comfort to my kids.
Other features of the newly renovated 4.5 star Dorsett Wanchai are its great location between Wanchai and Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, the complimentary shuttle service to 14 destinations, high speed WiFi, Dining House, 3T Bar, gym room and meeting spaces.
In a bid to make our holiday a little more meaningful we decided to take part in the Dorsett Little Artist Program. The DLA program is a 100% charity based program raising much needed funds for the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation which is a Hong Kong based charity organisation. To be a part of the DLA program we made a donation of $100 HKD per child to take part and they received a page to colour and a canvas to paint (depends on the ages of the children as to what they receive). All the materials you need are delivered to your room and the kids can let their creative juices flow as they colour and paint to their hearts content.
Once they have completed their artworks they then hand them into the front desk of the Dorsett Wanchai to enter a colouring/painting contest. As a token of appreciation each child receives a certificate of appreciation, a 3 tier colouring box, colouring book and a Thank You card from the partnering charity. Now, about that competition I mentioned, you also go in the running to win a 2 night stay at the Dorsett Wanchai!
Bailee and Jasper both enjoyed sitting at our hotel window and painting the skyline they could see from the 21st floor. It was such a beautiful way to wind down after a busy day of exploring the city and much nicer than having the TV on!
While staying at the Dorsett Wanchai we ventured out into the city via the double decker trams. There is a tram stop really close to the hotel which made it easy to get to the Central area of Hong Kong Island. The trams are easy to use, if you know how! You get on the tram from the back and then pay once you get off at the front. You can use your Octopus travel card or cash to pay for your trip but beware that you won’t get any change. Tram rides fares cost $2.60HKD per adult and $1.30HKD per child. It’s worth saving your coins for the tram rides if you don’t have a travel card.
Hong Kong Island Tram
During our day out we explored the Western Market, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, our favourite restaurant Dim Sum Square and of course the shopping centres with amazing Christmas decorations.
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
When it was time for us to depart the Dorsett Wanchai and head home to Sydney the hotel made it really easy for us to get back to the airport. We caught the free hotel shuttle to Hong Kong station and then got the Airport Express Train to the airport. When we arrived at Hong Kong Station we were able to check in our luggage for our flight right there and not have to carry it onto the train. This made catching the train with the kids so easy and our arrival at the airport so simple as we could head straight to security and customs without joining the check in queue. Win!
Handing in the kids painting at check out
We were all so relaxed and excited to head home and it made me thankful for the little things that made travelling alone with kids that much easier.
We had a great stay at the Dorsett Wanchai Hotel, especially because of their friendliness to families. They made us feel so welcome and comfortable which made travelling along with two kids so wonderful!
Peace out Hong Kong!
Thank you to all the staff for hosting us so beautifully. We can’t wait to come back!
*Our original room was booked and paid for ourselves. The Dorsett Wanchai very kindly upgraded us to their family suite.
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