As one of my favourite hotels in Hong Kong, I can’t believe I’ve never seen its pool or gym before. Until last weekend, at least. We chanced upon it after going to the Conrad and discovering how small and ugly (and shaded) it was, so decided to pop next door and try our luck at the Island Shangri-la pool.

Normally reserved for hotel guests only — unless it’s not super busy — we managed to pay our way in for HK$800 a head, which includes usage of the gym and other facilities in the changeroom, which unfortunately wasn’t much. Not cheap at all but truly on another level than the Conrad — the word heavenly comes to mind.

Quiet, calm and with that posh resort feel, it’s got to be one of the best pools in town, if you can get past its hefty price tag. Because of its positioning, the entire pool area got plenty of sun all the way to sundown (~6-ish) and most guests were quiet and respectful of each other.

As for the gym, I didn’t get a full session in as we were short on time, but here’s what it looked like:

There’s a bar where fruits are offered like apple, banana, Asian pear and oranges, along with iced water and fruit water above some newspapers and magazines.

The lighting is quite dim with a spots of blue light on the ceiling.

The cardio machines face out, offering a nice view to run to.

There’s a dedicated area for bouncy ball activities and/or stretching.

Overall, worth a visit especially if you’re a hotel guest. If not, it’s probably too high of a price to pay to just drop-in for a workout!

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