Review / Family staycation at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong with chocolate making and balloon animals – and maybe a Mercedes CLS450 for the day
Staycation by MO programme focuses on the kids, with classes and activities to keep them occupied while the parents get some down time in the tub or pool
With this in mind, I took my husband and young son for a “Staycation by MO”, a family-friendly stay that is laser-focused on keeping your child entertained and, as many a parent will tell you, a happy child is a happy life. Things started well when our room was upgraded to a Statue Square View Suite that came equipped with tepee, toys and games for our little one. He was over the moon. Add the welcome snacks of madeleines and MOHK’s famous rose petal jam, and we were all happy campers already.
What my husband and I liked best about the Statue Square View Suite was the gorgeous bathroom looking towards the harbour – one look and we could already feel ourselves relaxing at the thought of a long soak in that tub.
We were scheduled for the kid’s club which was conducted in one of the hotel rooms and hosted by staff. Our son was taught how to make towel and balloon crafts, and a manicurist from the spa painted the fingernails of the little girls in the group too. The catch was that a parent or guardian must accompany the child so it wasn’t quite as relaxing as kid’s clubs in resorts abroad where a child can go and play by themselves. Remember “abroad”? Anyway, our son was nevertheless chuffed with the whole thing.
Another highlight was the chocolate making class. Our son’s favourite book is Curious George Goes to the Chocolate Factory and going into the confectionery kitchen of the hotel was his dream come true. We learnt about the properties of chocolate making, the dedication of the hotel to free trade and most importantly we were taught to make chocolate truffles and lollipops.
For those who stay for two nights or more, there are other classes to enjoy too such as tea or mixology, and on the weekends you can attend wine tasting and Christmas wreath-making classes for an additional cost, but given our son’s reaction to chocolate making, we wished we booked it for the second day of our stay, but as it’s the most popular class, those who want to participate should book early!