Given the current negative press regarding Wan Chai and prostitutes, my wife and I have booked into the Novotel Century , is this a mistake, is this area dangerous, should we cancel and move to a different area. The press,papers.. My version will be so boring-that no one knows WanChai- they can write, the bloke was president of this, where and guess he missed his history fossil. Wan Chai is a sizeable district and there is much more than the Red Light area.
In fact, there are quite a few good restaurants and coffee shops in Wan Chai. The Star Street Precinct is an area we quite enjoy. As said, Wan Chai covers a lot of ground and "red light" area is quite small. Avoid walking from the hotel down Lockhart Rd, in the direction of Admiralty, and you won't even know it exists.
The Shanghai restaurant on the lower level at Novotel Century has a very good reputation. As others said, the red light district is quite small, only a few blocks along Lockhart Road. Even in the "red light" district there are plenty of people on the streets to ensure that problems won't happen to you or your wife.
Sorry, didn't read thoroughly through your post the first time. You will find families with small children walking the streets all over Wan Chai! No problem at all! Generally speaking, you have to be out looking for trouble to find yourself in dangerous situations, this is pretty much true of the majority of places you will likely visit and spend time in Hong Kong. In fact the location of Novotel Century ,and the Chinese restaurant,which I eat there occasionally is good.
The Airport Express free shuttle bus from Hong Kong station also makes a call here. What is around you of this hotel infact will not fascinate the prostitutes..
