Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tion and a comfortable, modern and well-presented four-star finish. The lobby is mildly
jazzy and sedate - but not subdued - with chocolate-brown leather seats, while rooms are
stylish and comfortable. Not elegant, but it's modish, the living is easy and you won't be
left with a gaping hole in your budget. It's hidden away behind its glitzier sister hotel, the
Regent Běijīng.
ESCAPE TO THE GREAT WALL
As well as the accommodation options that feature in our special Great Wall section (
CLICK HERE
), the following
luxury digs offer some exclusivity beside more remote parts of China's best-known icon.
COMMUNE BY THE GREAT WALL$$$
) The Commune by the Great Wall is seriously expensive but the cantilevered geometric architecture, loca-
tion and superb panoramas are standouts. Positioned at the Shuǐguān Great Wall off the Badaling Hwy, the
Kempinski- managed Commune may have a proletarian name but the design and presentation are purely for the
affluent. Take out another mortgage and treat yourself - this is the ultimate view, with a room. There is a kids'
club to boot.
|LUXURY HOTEL
RED CAPITAL RANCH$$$
( Xīnhóngzī Bìshǔshānzhuāng; 8403 5308;
www.redcapitalclub.com.cn
; 28 Xiaguandi Village, Yanxi; r from
¥1500; ) Doing its own thing miles from civilisation, Red Capital Ranch is
the
Běijīng escapist op-
tion. Sooner or later, you'll want a break from the big-city cacophony. If so, why not check into one of the 10
individually styled villas at this Manchurian hunting lodge on a 20-acre estate north of town and settle down for
a long, stress-free siesta. If the mountain setting - complete with Great Wall remains running through the estate
- doesn't dissolve your stress, the Tibetan Tantric Space Spa will. Try to get your Běijīng sightseeing out of the
way before staying here - it's quite a hike into town. Free transport is laid on daily from its city-centre sister
|HISTORIC HOTEL
HOTEL KAPOK$$$
Tiananmen East)
Offering midrange cool for designer types, trendy Kapok is hidden behind a
tough-to-keep-clean, all-glass-grill frontage and comes with modern rooms with plenty of
glass, mirrors and white panelling, as well as free wi-fi. Even the bathrooms are glass-
walled, so perhaps not a hotel to share with your travel buddy? Discounts bring standard
rooms rates down to ¥900.
|BOUTIQUE HOTEL
RAFFLES BĚIJĪNG$$$
|HISTORICAL HOTEL
