BY SHERRY KOH

Many moons ago, a story was told of a beautiful goddess whose forbidden consumption of the elixir of life lifted her from Earth to the moon. If you are unaware, it is actually the tale of Mid-Autumn festival that is based on the story between hero Hou Yi who was an excellent archer, and his wife, Chang’e, the Moon Goddess of Immortality.

One year, ten suns rose to the sky and caused great disaster. Yi shot down nine of the suns and left only one to provide light to Earth. An immortal admired Yi and sent him the elixir of immortality. There are two versions of the story. One is that Yi became a tyrant and his wife, the princess, grabbed the elixir from him because she did not want a tyrant to rule Earth forever. So she consumed the elixir, and started floating toward the sky. She chose the moon as her residence with her jade rabbit.

The other story is that an apprentice found out about the elixir and tried to steal it. She stopped the apprentice and during the struggle she took the elixir herself. When Yi came back and learned about the incident, he felt so sad that he displayed fruits and cakes (that’s the moon cake) that Chang'e liked in the yard every year.

Based on this interesting mythology, Mira Moon Hotel has reinterpreted the story and crafted a very interesting design for the hotel.

The entrance of the hotel. Intricate details welcome you from the get-go.

Fashion-forward hotel
This hotel is the result of a creative partnership between international designer Marcel Wanders – dubbed “the Lady Gaga of the design world” by the New York Times – and international property design company, yoo. Together, they have injected an abundance of colour, texture and style into the hotel.

yoo managing director Andrew Pang explained, “It’s like you are in a dream world. That’s why it’s like the Alice in Wonderland experience. You go through a “rabbit hole” and came out the other side.”

The hotel is the animation of a much-loved myth, injected with Wanders’ subtle humour and vibrant sense of life – in a space where his own branded playful furnishings seamlessly intertwine with Chinese artifacts and traditionally crafted ceramics, carved timber and cut crystal. The hotel’s colour scheme is a bold surge of lacquered whites and rich China reds, whilst the symbol of the peony is ever-present, embodied in ornately-carved wood paneling, vivid tiled mosaics and sheer curtains that tint the skyscrapers of the city beyond.

Safe to say, there are many interesting details, with a story behind it. The poetic Moon Festival tale is echoed in every aspect of the hotel, with the Jade Rabbit’s discreet presence on each floor.

Mira Moon Hotel also provides a handy smartphone to all its stylishly designed 91 guestrooms. This unique service includes free unlimited international and local calls, an informative city guide, as well as 3G data and Wi-Fi tethering capabilities. So, wherever you are in Hong Kong, you’ll always be connected.

Mira Moon's lobby area. Note the three winged rabbits!

Room corridors.

This is the entrance to the New Moon Studio. Beautiful motifs can be found in each room and level.

Moonshine Suite is often used as a pre-wedding day stay for a bride. The groom and his entourage arrives the next morning to fetch the bride from her "home" to the groom's home or residence where they will begin their life as man and wife.

Moonshine Suite's living room.

Full Moon suite's bathroom comes with a bathtub where you can surf using the iPad as you relax.

The Champagne Bar.

Stay connected via the hotel's smartphone while in Hong Kong.