Warwick Hotel near Hong Kong

We spent three days on Cheung Chau, CHINA, a small island that is a 40-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong Central, in early December ’05. We stayed at the Warwick Hotel (East Bay, Cheung Chau; phone [852] 2981 0081, fax 2981 9673 or visit www.warwick hotel.com.hk).

We were personally greeted by Maggie Ma, Director of Sales & Marketing, who bought lunch for us on our arrival and did everything she could to make us comfortable. We made our advance reservations directly with her via e-mail (maggiema@fareasthotels.com.hk) and paid HK$600 (about US$77) per night, including the service charge and room tax.

Most rooms have a small balcony overlooking the bay, and the free breakfast included in the room rate is served on your balcony upon request. The rooms, although small, were recently refurbished and very comfortable.

There are dozens of restaurants on the island, many specializing in fresh seafood, plus numerous hiking trails and small shops. There are ATMs.

There are no cars permitted on the island, and it is much quieter and slower-paced than Hong Kong. The beach is suitable for swimming in warm weather (but not in December).

TOM LANCASTER
Portland, OR