DIEU-ET
The Albany flat
7.
Central.
The Albany flat is large and convenient to downtown
Disadvantages are
(a)
lack of flexibility:
it is good for a formal dinner of 12-18, but this form of entertaining is not liked by my top Chinese contacts. It is unsuited either to a small, friendly dinner or a larger buffet. For cocktails, more than 50 create a jam;
(b)
being in nature a large hotel suite, it lacks the convenience of downtown (where most people walk to lunches or cocktails) while being entirely urban for evening affairs;
(c)
(a) boxes;
(e)
it is not a home and it is in no sense British;
it has no style, being essentially a set of
it has no storage space; wine, suitcases and personal belongings have to be kept in guest bedrooms;
(f)
much of the space is devoted to large bedrooms but these are not needed for the job.
Like my predecessors, I am almost never expected to put up official guests; and
(g) it is extremely noisy: we tried one lunch on the balcony (for Sir Robin McLaren) and were driven inside, being unable to converse.
The Repulse Bay flat
8.
The Webb-Peploes, when with Shell, had one of the three best houses on the Peak, and the design of this flat is based on their long experience of a busy social life in Hong Kong. It is superbly equipped for the job, as well as providing a magnificent view and pleasant home surroundings.
9.
It is essentially a two-storey penthouse with two extraordinary roof-top gardens, each having a lawn, shrubs and patio with full catering facilities. The flat has one
-
more bedroom than the Albany and broadly similar reception and dining-rooms smaller in area but better laid out, more interesting and elegant, and offering a grater variety of entertaining possibilities.
Advantages of the Repulse Bay flat are -
10.
(a)
variety of entertaining: inside, it is superb for anything from a small dinner to a sit-down buffet of 20. The gardens that open onto both sitting-room
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