a lobby with a large chandelier and balloons

Review: Auberge Discovery Bay (Hong Kong)

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My parents wanted to book a stay at the Auberge Discovery Bay with my sister during July when I was out of town with a couple of friends. Unfortunately, weather in Hong Kong was abysmal, and my sister got sick, and my dad fractured his finger…long story short, that was, unfortunately, canceled.

My mom was pretty pumped to try the beachfront property, which opened in April 2013. So in August, we booked a pre-paid stay for last night. For four people, we were only opened up to either two rooms at ~HK$3,000 or an oceanfront two-bedroom suite at HK$4,840, and we went for the latter. I mean, what’s better than one of the best suites on the property?

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For those who don’t live around here, Discovery Bay is located at a twenty-minute boat ride away from Central, right across the cove from Disneyland. The catamaran ride costs HK$40, which is around the same price as most of the outlying island boats in the area.

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Boat ride to Discovery Bay

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Boat ride to Discovery Bay

Discovery Bay in itself is more of a tourist trap. The “main” area is where the pier is. It’s loaded with shops, residential buildings and a fake beach (usually, no one goes beyond the fake beach – I haven’t).

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Discovery Bay Fake Beach

We took the ten-minute bus ride (C4 or C9 direct from the pier terminus) and got off at Siena Two, where the hotel is located. Siena Two also features a few shops and a promenade, leading to the hotel.

The exterior of the hotel is really new, and it looks like one of those high-end residences you get on the island.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Exterior

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Auberge Discovery Bay Exterior

Obviously, there was a weather discrepancy – more on that.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Exterior

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Auberge Discovery Bay Signage

We got into the grand lobby, where there was a small line at check-in. The lobby is large, beautifully decorated and airy, featuring a few S-shaped sofas, an open air area, and a grand staircase.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Lobby

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Auberge Discovery Bay Lobby

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Auberge Discovery Bay Lobby Staircase

For the night party, there were ~300 balloons tied to the ceiling. There was a guessing game that we participated in regarding how many balloons exactly were in the pouch, but I haven’t received any news for that.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Lobby Balloons

We got to the check-in desk in about five minutes.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Lobby Check-in

The associate tried to be friendly, but it was apparent that she was going through the motions based on her tone (though not through what she was saying, stay tuned). She told us that we were given free access to shuttles from the pier (which we didn’t use), and upgraded us to an oceanfront two bedroom deluxe suite. Deluxe is always good, no matter what it means! 😀 Upon asking a bit later, one of the friendlier associates told me that the deluxe suites meant more space and a (huge) patio.

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The hotel then said that there would be two beds, and naturally we asked if there was a room with three beds. Initially, the associate said there was a room with three beds available in an hour, which we were happy to take, but then she said there was a mistake in the inventory, so we went with the room assigned for us.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Lift Lobby

Our room was featured on the 18th floor, 1809. The first fifteen floors of the hotel are rooms, and the rest (16-21) are suites.

The hallways feel rather “cyber” due to how they’re lighted though I can’t help but think of a modern cruise ship hallway.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Hallways

Our room was located right next to the lifts, with a rather modern-looking room number signage lit up. The hotel covers a pretty big land area, with eleven suites on the floor.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Entrance

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Auberge Discovery Bay Floorplan

Auberge Discovery Bay
Check-in: Thursday, December 31, 2015
Room Type: Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite
Room Number: 1809
Stay duration: 1 night
Check-out: Friday, January 1, 2016

The suite featured an entryway with a kitchen pantry, which all of us found useful (especially the huge fridge – the hotel doesn’t supply a minibar).

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Entryway

There was a microwave/mini oven though none of us used it during our short stay. I guess the suite as a whole was more of a serviced apartment given how well equipped it was.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Pantry Microwave

There was also a small sink, which would be handy after wiping off your shoes from the beach – though we didn’t visit the beaches (even the natural one, which is in the Siena Two area) at all until the second day. We did use the sink for the water to make our cup noodles from the Wellcome store right below, which was handy, to say the least.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Pantry Sink

There was even complimentary water – glug glug!

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Complimentary Water in Pantry

Not to mention a coffee machine, though the quality was questioned, so we didn’t use it throughout the short stay.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Coffee Machine

The suite itself was gorgeous, not to mention well-appointed. The living room featured a bit of open space, including a six-person dining table, a sofa, and a huge flatscreen TV.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Living Room

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Living Room Sofa

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Living Room Six-Person Dining Table

The bedrooms were stunning. The master bedroom featured a very comfortable bed, a desk and chair and a flat screen TV.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bedroom

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bedroom

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bedroom Desk and Flatscreen TV

The master bathroom wasn’t humongous but was also well designed, and featured a sink, a toilet, and a shower/tub combo.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bathroom

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bathroom Toilet Artwork

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bathroom Sink

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bathroom Shower/Tub Combo

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bathroom Shower Towels

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bathroom Tub

All the rooms featured unbranded toiletries, however, these were some of the better toiletries I’ve had in the year (having stayed on December 31st, I guess that’s pretty commendable).

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Master Bathroom Toiletries

My bedroom was similarly designed, except that it didn’t feature a flatscreen TV. Apologies for the “used bedroom” pictures, as my sister ignored my asking her to jump on the bed only after I’d taken the picture.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Bedroom

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Bedroom Chair and Desk

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Chair and Desk

I had a lot to do that day, so while I appreciated there were power ports, they weren’t near the bed (I like to get on my phone for a while before I sleep), and they came out of a cupboard, which I’m not sure about (on one hand it would be handier for phones, on the other they were really clunky for my computer).

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Bedroom Deskside Power Ports

The bathroom was great and featured a sink, toilet, and walk-in shower. While it wasn’t as large as the other bathroom, for me alone it was more than enough – I actually prefer a walk-in shower to a shower/tub combo.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Bathroom Sink

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Bathroom Toilet

I liked the blue the bathroom was decorated in. I like how it’s not surrounded with the color so isn’t overly dazzling, but kind of brings in the color in a couple of the walls so looks almost seducing.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Bathroom Shower

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Bathroom Shower Controls

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Toiletries

Outside the rooms was the patio, which was huge and a very welcome upgrade to the room we booked. It featured lots of comfortable seating.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Patio

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Patio

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite Patio

The views were insane. The view was of the sea, but there were also nearby buildings. Normally I would prefer a “land view” such as a mountain view or a partial water view over a complete sea view, but Discovery Bay isn’t known for the views, so the sea view is considered the most premium of them all.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite View

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite View

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite View

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite View

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Auberge Discovery Bay Ocean Front Two Bedroom Deluxe Suite View

The views were exponentially better the next day, but since the sun was so bright I couldn’t take a good photo, so take one I took from the ferry for comparison.

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Discovery Bay View January 1st, 2016

While no breakfast was included, we decided to have dinner that night for the party (even if we didn’t end up attending the party, I wanted to try some kind of offering that the hotel had). The dinner was at Café Bord du Mer, the hotel’s restaurant.

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Auberge Discovery Bay Café Bord du Mer

While I appreciate that they tried to make an extensive spread, some of the food weren’t as good as it looked. See all that fresh-looking sushi? Most of them just tasted fishy. The meat station was pretty good with the beef though the ham was dry as a bone. I liked the salads and the hot items were fine (save the garoupa, which was borderline vile).

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Auberge Discovery Bay Café Bord du Mer Dinner Spread

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Auberge Discovery Bay Café Bord du Mer Dinner Spread

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Auberge Discovery Bay Café Bord du Mer Dinner Spread

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Auberge Discovery Bay Café Bord du Mer Dinner Spread

Service was fine, but we vowed not to come back in the morning, given that it wasn’t included in the room rate. I won’t rehash the incident I heard near the chocolate fountain.

We went up to the room to find this:

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Auberge Discovery Bay Free Fruit

Yay, free fruit! While we didn’t touch it, the fruit was a really nice touch.

Before the party, I gathered my confidence and asked the front desk about the differences between my suite and the suite we booked. Apparently there’s the added patio, which I briefly explained above, but the front desk didn’t find it awkward at all and gave me a pretty detailed briefing about it. I found that nice.

There was a countdown party in the lobby that we attended at around 11:30 PM. The woman singing was really out of tune, but I appreciate her efforts.

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Auberge Discovery Bay December 31st Countdown Party

There were a lot of people who managed to dance to the music, and at the end, it became a lot like a disco. Unfortunately having so much work to do yesterday I was very, very tired, so didn’t join in and just stood taking pictures by the side.

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Auberge Discovery Bay December 31st Countdown Party

After the countdown, the balloons fell down on us (there was a guessing game during check-in for people who could guess the number of balloons in the pouch, but I haven’t got any news from that – too bad I couldn’t get a picture of the balloons falling down).

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Auberge Discovery Bay December 31st Countdown Party Balloons

There was also hugging, kissing and everything you would see during a New Year’s party (strangers making out not included – for the record, the guy in the blue jacket isn’t me).

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Auberge Discovery Bay December 31st Countdown Party Celebration

After the new year, to escape the woman’s singing as we were really tired, we went back up to our room. I set my alarm the next day so I’d be up for the sunset, but couldn’t sleep, even with my own double bed (mostly due to the large amount of “ding”s from my phone). I sprang awake at 5:20 AM for some reason, where the sun was still down. The next thing I knew the sun was high in the sky – and not only that but the weather was cloudless and just simply amazing. DAMN!

I spent that morning working, and we headed out at about 12 PM.

BOTTOM LINE ON THE AUBERGE DISCOVERY BAY

While the hotel wasn’t the thing of 2015/2016, it was a great place to spend a night. The upgrade was very welcome for our stay and was an awesome way to wrap up an amazing year. The service was also good.

While the food was mediocre, I enjoyed the hotel, and with its normal HK$4,540 rates for a suite for four people, I wouldn’t hesitate to return.

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