Ambience is hard to beat, food was delicious and plentiful - not expensive given the presentation and quality (was about $35 Australian dollars per head) ,lobby dining area is worth a visit just to enjoy the history and character of the building.As expected the teas were good quality with a great choice.
We followed the advice of various reviewers and went on a weekday(Monday) , arrived about 20 minutes before the 2 pm start and were seated within 15 minutes.
Service was attentive but my only criticism if any is that the service was unsmiling, all the staff looked rather miserable.

This place just works. The staff are extremely efficient and completely competent. No request seems to be too difficult. We had the Rolls Royce service from and to the airport which is a little extravagant, but totally worth it. It's a real treat. We were in one of the new rooms which were very nice, but I think I prefer the old rooms - they have a certain charm, even if they lack the stunning views of the new rooms. The Veranda was closed while we were there which was a little disappointing; I really enjoy having breakfast at the Veranda. I had the best massage ever at the spa: a four hands Chakra balancing massage. It was utter bliss, I even fell asleep, which never happens! I would have that treatment over and over. I always enjoy going to Hong Kong and staying here really makes it that much more special.

Simply the best. Service, amenities, massage, view. Cannot imagine how this could be better as it is perfection. The staff are fabulous and nothing is too much trouble, and the crystal steam room is unmissable.

After a very long and harrowing day and a missed flight due to China Air's repeated inability to find our confirmed and re-confirmed reservations, we arrived in Hong Kong very tired and quite grumpy. We were met at the aircraft ramp by The Peninsula's wonderful arrival service and whisked through immigration and customs. Exiting immigration we were handed off to the Concierge representative who escorted us to our waiting car. This is an invaluable service, well worth the few extra dollars; in essence, you are at The Peninsula, the minute you get off the plane.

Check in, as always at the Peninsula was warm welcoming and effortless and we were in our spacious harbor view room, complete with luggage, within seven minutes of arrival. The room was beautifully furnished and filled with too many amenities to enumerate. Worth a special mention is the free worldwide internet telephone service which was a great help in keeping us posted on conditions at home during hurricane Sandy.

The restaurants are excellent and the legendary lobby where a sumptuous breakfast is served is a great place for relaxing and people watching. Afternoon high tea is a very special, not to be missed event. Make sure that the Maitre D, knows that you are a hotel guest to avoid the inevitable lines.

Hong Kong itself has become little more than a gigantic shopping mall with very few real bargains, except for the mainland Chinese who can avoid their 35% VAT tax.
One exception is designer prescription glasses which can be had in 2 days for about 1/3 the cost in the US. We were very satisfied with our purchases of these at New Fei Optical.

Sightseeing was something of a disappointment since the real China of recent memory has been supplanted by modern shopping centers. The harbor is no longer teeming with live aboard junks and the cuisine in the floating restaurants is to be avoided at all costs.

We cut short our touring each day to rush back to the Peninsula which is the best destination in town.

Most important in a hotel of this calibre is the impeccable service. Every request is responded to immediately and staff members go well out of their way to insure that every need is more than fully met. A special thanks to Alice Chen, the guest relations director, who made us feel like honored guests in her own home.