this might not be a great piece of architecture, but definitely worth mentioning. the Cosmopolitan Hotel is located in Happy Valley, converted from what used to be considered as the regional HQ for the People Republic of China before the handover from the British colonial rule to the PRC. Its former occupant, the Xinhua News Agency was thought to be political representative of PRC in Hong Kong at the time, its interior secretive, and it was not easy to get beyond the reception lobby unless you happen to work there, invited, or undercover as a spy.
now a hotel, its interior is finely decorated and some rooms have marvellous view of the Happy Valley racecourse, though don't expect it to be one of those new boutique hotels.
apart from its unusal background, another intersting aspect about this place is it's location. yes, about half of all the rooms will have views of the Happy Valley racecourse, but the other side of the hotel is actually facing another well known feature of Happy Valley - the cemeteries! we are not talking about one cemetery, BUT cemeteries, including Catholic, Jewish, Parsees, Islamic, Hindu...etc!!! This might be the only place on Earth where all different religion can be so close to each others! We shall prepare another entry to talk about these cemeteries.
this hotel is definitely worth a visit, and a night at one of the room with a view of all these cemeteries must be breathtaking!
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