Posted by
MisterLi
18 yrs ago
Hello,
I'd like to join a club similar to the Foreign Correspondents Club in Central that features a decent restaurant, Wifi and place(s) to meet and entertain clients. Problem with the FCC is there is a multi-year waiting list and they are raising their membership fee by 2X to 4X. The money I don't mind - the wait makes an application fruitless.
Any suggestions?
Mister Li
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The waiting list is down to about 9 months at the moment I believe (a batch of members has just been approved now that the impact of the smoking ban has been observed). There is no change to the monthly membership fee that the members have been told about (still $950/month, 13 months). The joining fee may have gone back to $10K from $5K I guess.
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Not really - just popped in to post the "Found in a taxi" thread and noticed this in passing.
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I was just told yesterday by Christopher Slaughter (President FCC) that the wait could be as long as four years (though it could conceivably be shorter) and the membership fee rise is currently being "debated" at 10K or 20K.
Hey, I am not looking for an FCC plug, I am looking for an alternative. I want to join a club *now*, not next year.
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If Chris was telling you that you could be on the waiting list for 4 years I suspect that was probably his subtle way of discouraging you from applying. The committee approves all applications individually and does occasionally reject some.
Which probably just goes to prove that Groucho Marx got it right.
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Hello,
Hey, I'm a workin' man. Clubs for me are not about lounging at a bar or snobbery - it's about a decent restaurant, closed rooms where I can have confidential conversations with clients (potential and actual) and an Internet hookup. Considering I've been in HK for about two months I doubt that Mr. Slaughter was discouraging me, he was just describing "worst case".
Nevertheless, FOTH, thanks for the vote of confidence! It's nice to know that colonial snobbery is alive and well in good old HK!
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Mr. Grey Fox, I'm open to alternatives - would you be kind enough to suggest one or two? I have no idea who the luminaries you mention are, sorry, so I don't know if you were being naughty or nice (though I suspect naughty). :)
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admux
18 yrs ago
i know it's not in central.... but TSTis close by MTR....
http://www.marinersclub.org.hk/
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Kowloon Mariner's Club
$800 for this year, $1200 for next year.
Contact Lily in Membership Services
Going to see it next Friday.
Now, what do I do about a club in CENTRAL?
Mister Li
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admux
18 yrs ago
Club Lusitano is one thats not well known... not sure what you have to do to get in though..located in Ice House Street
and of course the masonic lodge is another option.... !!!
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I cannot find a telephone number for Club Lusitano. It appears to be oriented towards Portugese people in Asia (Macanese?)
Very conveniently located 16 Ice House Street
Mister Li
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crj
18 yrs ago
Actually, the American Club has some great new mebership programmes (Pinnacle is one) that make it easy to join if you have an American Passport... and if money is no object! Although I heard they may put a new member freeze on, so you should call Betty in membership to find out.
Others:
China Club - can use if you have a Black Amex.
China Tee Club in Peddar Building, very inexpensive and nice setting.
HK Yacht Club - Causeway Bay (maybe too far from Central)
Lots of restaurants have private rooms you can book on a one off basis.
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Hong Kong Bankers Club 43-44/F Gloucester Tower The Landmark
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tosca
18 yrs ago
Club Lusitano is nice, very quiet, about 500 a month but 350 of that goes towards food/drink. however you have to prove portugese heritage.
Number is 25235367
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For the HK Yacht Club you need to be a sailor to become a member
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Visited the Hong Kong Club today. Very posh. Decent curry lunch. Plenty of ethnic British food like Steak & Kidney Pie, bangers n' mash and that kind of stuff.
Had to turn off my cell phone, seems I'll get ejected if I even display the thing. Pretty building and nice facilities. Well located. Plenty of Function rooms. Gym, barber, etc... the thing takes up something like 6 floors.
Restaurant is well appointed with uniformed attendants ready to jump at your every whim, if you like that sort of thing. One fellow with long arms even helped me reach some Nan Bread without trailing my sleeve in the sauce they had inexplicably laid in front of it. Cloth napkins.
I suppose it's just peachy for the older HK set (a few blowhards were in attendance drinking wine at 12h30 in the afternoon) but kind of ornate for a New World fella like myself.
Tough to get in, expensive, stuffy atmosphere and really not my style. It's most likely the archetype for those who enjoy a Dickensian existence, but I'm more of a Mark Twain (or according to FOTH, Groucho Marx...or even Woody Allen) sorta guy.
Mr Li
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tosca
18 yrs ago
I believe it means that as long as someone in your family history (grandparent etc.) held portugese nationality you can be eligible.
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Hello,
Can someone please explain what a "Tatler" club is? I have never heard this term before and have no idea what it means.
Mobile.Fidelity, the country I come from calls it like it is. If someone is a blowhard (i.e. LOUD IN PUBLIC to the point where it has a negative impact on your own conversation ten feet away) you don't quiver in fear of asking them to tone it down. More stratified societies may have to tolerate such anti-social behaviour, but not mine.
Nevertheless, sorry if my frankness left a poor impression. BTW - having made a lot of money in HK does not grant one license to ignore simple social courtesies, I hope? For my own part, when my little social circles get a little too boisterous, we move things to a private room, of which the Hong Kong club has plenty, right?
Of course, Masters of the Universe are a pain in the a** and unavoidable everywhere. It's the right to complain about it without social sanction that makes the New World so fresh and nice.
Mr. Li
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Mobile.Fidelity, thanks for the reference that explains what Tatler is all about. That was nice of you.
Mr. Li
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I'm a member of the FCC and the standards do vary, trust me.
Good luck.
I am still unsure why there is a 9 month waiting list. Even prior to the smoking ban the only really busy night there is Friday.
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I've been a guest at the FCC a few times. The members I've spoken too seem pretty nice.
The waiting staff was helpful and nice. The front desk staff are not really all that friendly and border on being unhelpful, as well as having weak English (which is pretty bizarre considering the name of the place and its purpose)
I spent a whole day at the FCC once. Breakfast was lightly attended. The food was pretty good and the service was good too. They had a sense of humor. After breakfast the place was absolutely empty until just before lunch, when it suddenly got really, really full. Like too full.
It was pretty busy after lunch time with what I guess were the wives & children of FCC members (or FCC members who brought their kids with them). Hindsight makes me wonder if the actual patrons of the FCC are actually the spouse and offspring of FCC members in terms of hours spent between the walls of the club. If so, good for them. Pretty much all of this crowd was gone by 4:30 p.m.
The place got busy again in late afternoon from 5:00 pm onwards. The center of activity was the bar, which attracted a very well-fed group of middle-aged gents who appeared to be in a pretty tight clique of some kind. They were pretty loud and gave off an obvious "stay away" vibe. I didn't even bother to try to get to know them, preferring to stay at my table and observe.
I left at 7:00 p.m., thinking that if your objective is peace and quiet, the best time to be at the FCC was between 8:00 a.m. and about 11:30 a.m.
Avoid lunch
If you are interested in the social set or a spouse of a workaholic Expat, show up at 12:30 and leave around 4:30. The kids can run around (kind of) and you can catch up with all the latest gossip or just see your friends over snacks (is this the Tai Tai culture I've been hearing about?)
If you are into middle/late age businessman BS culture then you can have your fill of that around the bar starting around 5:00
It was an interesting day, seeing the sociology of the same fixtures change so much - like being in the middle of one of those time lapse films of major city streets.
Mr. Li
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apart from the 'male bonding' type clubs that are mentioned in the thread - does anyone know of which clubs are ideal for families with young children - one i have heard about is the 'ladies Recreation Club' what do people think of this place? Is it very high brow and stuffy?
Or is it a nice relaxed place where you would feel at home? I'm looking for a club on the island rather than in NT/Kowloon side
Anyone out there that can point me in the right direction?
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I have also visited the Ladies Recreation Club a few years ago.
The club is very nicely appointed, though very difficult to get to if you choose to walk (extremely steep hill). A car or a taxi eliminates this difficulty. If you choose to walk down from the LRC there is a small bird sanctuary or zoo on the same road or close by (my memory is vague).
My memories of the LRC feature a brilliantly sunny day, watching tennis from a veranda, clean air a view of the swimming pool and a very, very nice time.
The LRC is a tremendously family-oriented club. If you brandish your cell-phone you are liable to a fine and severe sanction.
There is a library, extensive dining facilities (including, if I remember correctly, al fresco dining) and areas where activities such as book fairs take place.
I enjoyed my time at the LRC thoroughly and I highly recommend it for those who have children in Hong Kong.
Mister Li
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mrsl
18 yrs ago
petals, you might also consider the Cricket Club (a bit run down but the major advantage of lots of real grass), the Football Club, the Aberdeen Marina Club (skating rink, two indoor playrooms and one outdoor playground) or the American Club (nice playroom and pool but VERY strict on bringing helpers and no pool in the winter). All have their own advantages depending on what your children are most interested in.
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TC
18 yrs ago
MisterLi,
From your various reports about some of the clubs you appear to be the best person to ask your own original question!
And for the record...your comment "having made a lot of money in HK does not grant one license to ignore simple social courtesies" is sadly very wide of the mark in a lot of cases.
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ldavy
18 yrs ago
What about the Fringe Club? It's not a club in the same sense that the FCC is - you don't have to be a member to go there, but if you are a member you pay less for drinks. There's a downstairs bar plus a rooftop terrace, and there's a restaurant called M at the Fringe, I've never eaten there but have heard it's good. And of course, if you're a member you get advance notice of the live music/theatre that's coming up. I have no idea about Wifi, you'd have to ring and ask them.
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Pumpkin: LRC is as cheap as chips.
ldavy: Fringe Club does not have the facilities for entertaining business partners that MisterLi is asking about (meeting rooms and the like). M at the Frigne is not part of the Fringe Club.
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aemom
18 yrs ago
beachball: you must mean blue chips. LRC is $55K for entrance fee for single ($110K for couple) plus $850($1200)/month subscription fee plus $300($600)/month minimum spend...
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aemom: HKD55k entrance fee is pretty tame by standards of 'social' clubs (like LRC, Country Club, to an extent AMC) - as opposed to activity focus like the various sporting clubs. However, the straight double-charge for couples (i.e., no discount) is indeed irritating.
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I became a memeber of the Fringe Club simply because I wanted to be sure the HK authorities knew some of us care about "the arts".
It's only $2500.00 for a membership but what the heck, support the arts. And yes, you do get discounts on food and drinks and tickets.
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Hello,
Is there no club in Central that is basically a restaurant, a bar and a cluster of tables with a Wifi network and a few closed rooms?
Or am I going to be forced to bring my clients to Regus?
Mister Li
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There's also the Kee Club in Wellington Street and the new M1nt Club. I don't know much about them except it seems to be patronised by a younger and trendier set than the aforementioned clubs.
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Not in Central, but apparently with a good view of it: http://www.kowloonclub.com.hk I haven't been there but it looks to meet your requirements and it also has reciprocal rights with the FCC.
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I'd reiterate Helena May. It's actually what you just described... without possibly WiFi!
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Pacific Club is one big bore though. I'd say more for the over 70 crowd. I'm no young chick but it's pretty dull there and very few members are ever around except for a weddding reception.
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