Oasis Aurum 181 Hotel

Bruce greeted us on the lower floor, and his warm, hospitality-focused manner made us feel comfortable. He even pressed the elevator button and wished us a good day, a lovely touch. The hotel is beside a major road, so there can be some noise out front, but we didn’t hear anything from outside in our room. We had a great weekend at the Oasis. Our room on the 23rd floor was outstanding, with a comfortable bed, plush pillows, nice amenities, a minibar, coffee maker, and refrigerator. Temperature controls were easy to use, and the water was just right. The elevators were clean and quick. Breakfast was included, with well-cooked Western and other dishes, plus a self-serve espresso machine and hot and cold teas. HKU metro is a five minute walk away, with connections to the island and mainland. You can now tap to pay with your phone or credit card, so there’s no need to buy an Octopus card. A couple of blocks away, there’s high-end food as well as alleys with food stalls, shops, and noodle places. Everything we wanted was only a few minutes’ walk away.

The bigger rooms and free laundry service were good perks. The gym is basic, and its only chest machine was broken. The location is okay, though walking past the recycling centre felt a bit dodgy. It didn’t seem unsafe, just not very pleasant. What really annoyed me is that my HKD1000 deposit is still pending after a month. The hotel said it had voided the charge but offered no further help, while my bank said it never received the void. Nobody seems willing to take responsibility, and my money is still frozen.

The hotel was our first stop on a Southeast Asia honeymoon, and it was a lovely stay. The hotel arranged a driver from the airport who told us about the sights along the way. At check-in we got an upgrade to a fantastic harbour view suite. There were lots of great places to eat and things to see and do around the hotel. We really enjoyed it, thank you!

I stayed here for three nights in November, after having enjoyed a stay a few years ago. This time the standards disappointed me. We paid extra for a harbour view, but water marks and dirt on the windows made looking out unappealing. If the view is a major selling point, I’d expect clean windows. The blankets were thin, too. It took a month for the credit card deposit to be released, and that was only after I emailed repeatedly to ask about it.