The Peninsula was built in 1928 and presided over Victoria Harbour from the Kowloon side, its fleet of custom Peninsula Green Rolls Royces parked in the forecourt until the strip of land directly in front was reclaimed for the, in my view, ugly buildings of the Cultural Centre. Progress, that is.

The original part of the hotel with its palm court for afternoon tea and its gallery of musicians, was joined by its own tall extension to the rear in 1994. Rather  garishly lit at night, inside it is quiet and graceful, if slightly old fashioned. But they like that. Service is impeccable, with grace and gentility that seems out of place in today’s Hong Kong.

We had some fabulous meals in several restaurants and enjoyed treatments in the spa, but also whisky tasting with Caskells; a photo shoot; a session of cheese and wine pairings in the Felix restaurant and a perfumery workshop with Intime, where we put together our own signature scent.

Our initial encounter, however, was a tour of the hotel given by a venerable staff member who showed us the hotel’s historic archive room. One of the exhibits celebrated the hotel’s 75th anniversary in 2003. As soon that date had escaped our guide’s lips, there was a general sigh of recognition from the group: 2003 saw the first SARS-Covid outbreak, where the territory lost 299 people. Memories of that time are still vivid in the minds of the people of Hong Kong, and this perhaps shapes their risk aversion during the current pandemic.

Clearly close to tears, our guide related how the management of the Peninsula reassured their staff that no-one would lose their jobs, and it seems that this gentle paternalism has been repeated during the current economic disaster for the tourist industry. The staff repay this with their loyalty and often stay with the Peninsula for many years. Our guide, pointing to his lapel badge, proudly told us that 90% of his colleagues have received their Covid vaccinations, having been shown an appeal by a colleague in their Paris sister hotel, whom they know, who had caught the disease.

Overwhelmingly I had the impression that the staff at the Peninsula see themselves as part of a family and look out for each other, and that comes over in the quality of their service.

I hope you enjoy my snaps of the break.