Have the jolliest Christmas season with Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s festive offerings

All of the hotel’s restaurants will offer exclusive holiday menus, from traditional roasts to festive buffets and afternoon teas. For example, apart from festive Sunday roasts ($1,088 per head) at the Mandarin Grill + Bar, the Michelin-starred eatery will also host a special roast on Christmas day ($3,288 per head with free-flow Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Champagne) featuring roast organic turkey carved tableside with all the festive trimmings. At night, Christmas day dinner (from $2,688 per head) will be a seven-course feast, serving up opulent dishes such as poached Gillardeau oyster with truffle Zabaglione, Oscietra caviar and mead jelly, and Rhug Estate venison in puff pastry.

To pick and choose your favourite dishes instead, head over to The Connaught Room, which is hosting Christmas brunch and dinner buffets. Diners can tuck into a sumptuous spread of both classic and modern gourmet delights, with the option of adding unlimited drinks ($1,588 per head for brunch buffet and $1,488 per head for dinner buffet). Alternatively, Clipper Lounge also serves up a festive buffet (from $768 per head) with seasonal dishes, live stations, and premium roasts throughout the month of December.

For a different twist on Christmas foods, try The Aubrey’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day omakase dinner ($1,588 per head), or the Michelin-starred Mah Wah’s festive lunch ($1,388) for Cantonese fine dining with family who might prefer Chinese over Western food. And even if you’re not one for massive feasts, don’t miss out on the chestnut hawkers at the hotel entrance from December 21 to 23, as well as mulled wine and mince pies at the hotel lobby on December 24 and 25.

Of course, it wouldn’t quite be Christmas without some seasonal traditions, and Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong has things covered on this front as well. The little ones will be suitably amused by face painting, balloon twisting, and magician sessions on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, while a choir will serenade the hotel with live Christmas caroling to keep things holly and jolly – catch their performances at restaurants and the lobby’s staircase. Santa himself will also be making an appearance for photo taking and, if you’ve been good this year, a little wish-granting.

We love Christmas more than any other festivity, but the season of giving can come with some stress, especially if you’re not much of a planner. Should you still be hunting down presents, then look to The Mandarin Cake Shop’s beautifully curated hampers. Ranging from $2,588 to $20,888, these hampers include a variety of goodies such as Krug Champagne, premium Baeril caviar, panettone, lobster rillettes, the hotel’s famous XO sauce and rose petal jam, and much more. Housed in tiered Chinese-inspired boxes, anyone would be more than happy to receive an MO hamper for Christmas for its variety of luxurious treats.

Bid 2024 farewell with a bang by treating yourself to a staycation at the Mandarin Oriental. Aside from being one of Hong Kong’s most beloved and iconic hotels, it also offers stunning views of Victoria Harbour and therefore is the perfect spot to take in the New Year fireworks. With a start date of either December 30 or 31, the New Year’s Eve Celebration package is available at $32,888 per room for two nights and includes an upgrade to a suite with exclusive access to The Mandarin Club, a set menu for two at The Aubrey on New Year’s Eve, and exclusive entry to the countdown party at The Aubrey.

When 2025 arrives, start the new year off with brunch at Clipper Lounge, followed by a massage for two at the hotel spa, as well as gifts and festive amenities – all inclusive in the stay package. If there’s one way to usher in a brand-new year properly, surely it’s this.

Christmas is also the season for pampering and being loved, so The Mandarin Spa has curated some special treatments for this time of year. The Celestial Black Diamond Facial (from $3,450) using 111Skin’s Intensive Collection promises to plump wrinkles and sculpt out the face’s contours, while the Holiday Glow (from $1,955) is a personalised treatment that’s perfect for a pre-party glow.

For a peaceful respite from the party season, there’s also the Silent Night Retreat that’s exclusively happening on December 8. After a sound bath and meditation, follow the peaceful vibrations to a 90-minute spa treatment of choice, before being gifted with a wellness-focused goodie bag.

Close out 2024 dancing to live band performances at several of the hotel’s restaurants, before heading up to the countdown party at The Aubrey for the perfect goodbye to the year. At the dawn of a brand-new year, we look ahead to 2025 while enjoying a New Year’s Day roast at Mandarin Grill + Bar for $1,588 per head with a glass of Champagne, a New Year’s seasonal set menu for lunch or dinner at Café Causette ($538 for two courses or $638 for three courses), or the New Year brunch buffet at Clipper Lounge ($988 per head).

Celebrate the best of the Christmas season and the new year to come with the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s huge programme of holiday offerings – and we’ll see you out there!