We have already reviewed the best hotels with club lounges in many of the major cities in China including Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Dongguan, Chongqing. We now review the best luxury hotels throughout China to help you decide where to stay.
When to Visit?
Whenever you visit China, it’s worth paying attention to the weather as it can be pretty ropey at certain times of the year. China is vast, but it’s situated in the Northern Hemisphere, which means it is much warmer in July and August. In Shangai, temperatures rise above 35 °C (95 °F). The coldest time is from late January to early February across the country, but how cold it gets depends on the city.
Below we list, in no particular order, ten of the best luxury hotels in China:
1. Four Seasons Hotel Beijing
My goodness, we love Four Seasons hotels, and this one is no exception. Something about the unbeatable service and family-friendly nature of these hotels makes them all a truly special place to stay. Take a peaceful dip in the sunlit pool at Four Seasons Hotel Beijing, and you may forget that China’s bustling capital lies right outside the door.
Centrally located in the city’s top commercial and entertainment area, this inviting sanctum exudes a residential feel in each of its 313 rooms and suites, with personal touches such as iPod stations and espresso machines.
Rising high above the embassies and international headquarters that line the bustling Chaoyang District, the hotel boasts 400 stainless steel butterflies that rise up in the soaring central atrium. There’s a serene Tea Garden, sun-lit 20m pool and whirlpool, sauna, 24-hour health club, 24-hour business center, nail salon, and executive club lounge, not to mention the luxury spa that rises six storeys above Beijing, with carved wooden screens and glowing lanterns that echo the past, while a cup of hot jasmine tea sets the mood for a quintessentially Chinese experience.
Upgrade to an Executive Club Level for added perks, including garment pressings and tablets for surfing the Internet. Dim sum goes upscale at Cai Yi Xuan restaurant, while the award-winning Mio serves modern Italian fare from an open kitchen.
Of course, Four Seasons hotels don’t have a loyalty or rewards program, but you can get free benefits by booking into any Four Seasons hotel via our luxury travel concierge.
2. Shangri-La China World Summit Wing, Beijing
High-level lavishness awaits you at Shangri-La China World Summit Wing, Beijing, which sits atop the city’s landmark 1,083-foot-tall China World Tower. Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal the city’s treasures below, while classic decor, rich woods, and Asian accents entice you to linger in your exceptionally well-appointed guestroom. Find refuge in the lifestyle sanctuary, featuring a full gym, infinity swimming pool, and the serene CHI, The Spa. Global tastes are satiated at a selection of fine-dining venues, including Japan’s Nadaman, Grill 79, and Beijing’s highest bar, Atmosphere.
China World Summit Wing, Beijing, features rooms starting at 55 m² with floor-to-ceiling windows offering unrivaled views of the city. Rooms on the west side of the hotel enjoy stunning views of the Forbidden City over 3km away. All guests can enjoy Club Lounge facilities and services at the Resident’s Foyer on Level 64, including continental breakfast and a daily 2-hour happy hour, with coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices, and snacks available all day.
The hotel also features CHI Spa, Beijing’s premier destination spa retreat, with six elegant treatment rooms offering signature treatments and therapies. Other facilities include an infinity pool, 24-hour gymnasium, sauna, steam room, vitality pool, relaxation lounge, two Western restaurants, three Chinese restaurants, one Japanese cuisine, and a bar.
3. Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing
Right in the heart of imperial Beijing, Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing is the last word in boutique-hotel luxury and comfort. The hotel takes its name from the lively Wangfujing district in which it is located and is situated on the upper two floors of WF CENTRAL, Hongkong Land’s leading premium lifestyle retail center.
The stylish Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing boutique hotel overlooks landmarks such as The Forbidden City and offers some of the largest rooms and suites in Beijing. It has an enviable location in the heart of Beijing’s prime shopping district, just a short stroll from Tiananmen Square and close to the CBD and financial districts.
This luxury hotel features 73 rooms and suites (all a minimum of 55 m²), two stylish restaurants, and a sophisticated late-night bar, all of which open onto an expansive rooftop garden terrace. The exquisite spa offers signature wellness programs, and there’s a fitness center and 25-meter indoor lap pool with a sky roof. As always, you can also expect a peerless Mandarin Oriental service.
Guests can choose from two stylish restaurants, the casual-dining Café Zi, the classic Mandarin Grill + Bar, and the sophisticated, late-night MO Bar. All offer magnificent terrace views of the Forbidden City. There’s casual dining at Café Zi, which has a pan-Asian menu and a-la-carte service from a Michelin-starred chef, while Mandarin Grill + Bar serves classic seafood and steaks with fresh seasonal produce.
4. Capella Shanghai
Nestled in the Xuhui District’s last remaining cluster of shikumen townhouses, Capella Shanghai is one of only a few of the original shikumen lanes remaining. The design concept, created by Jaya Design International, embodies the spirit of Jian Ye Li, reflected in the fusion of French and Chinese elements, a nod to its heritage and the golden era during the 1930s.
The heart of this urban sanctuary is the one, two, and three-bedroom Shikumen Villas, which blend historical Shanghainese courtyard living with Parisian design flair.
Through the use of the finest ingredients and innate gastronomic creativity, three-Michelin star chef Pierre Gagnaire has spent five decades transforming simplicity into a symphony of flavor. His iconic name and reputation anchor the dining experience at Capella Shanghai.
5. The PuXuan Hotel & Spa, Beijing
The PuXuan Hotel and Spa in Beijing is only minutes from the Forbidden City and Beijing’s main commercial shopping district. The design of the hotel does not celebrate an aesthetic; rather, the city out of which it was born.
Spacious and luxuriously appointed guestrooms, many with uninterrupted views of the Forbidden City, as well as two specialty restaurants, a Lobby Lounge, Tea Room, and UR Spa, are sure to make this a new destination for luxury business and leisure travelers alike.
The PuXuan Hotel and Spa will join Urban Resort Concept’s (URC) first property, The PuLi Hotel and Spa in Shanghai, along with The PuShang Hotel and Spa in Xiamen and The RuMa Hotel and Spa in Kuala Lumpur, to offer a guest experience that is handcrafted not only with the pinnacle of luxury and elegance in mind but also intimate access to each hotel’s respective destination and culture.
6. The Opposite House In Beijing
Like the concept of yin and yang, The Opposite House combines seemingly contrary elements in a most harmonious way. Its shimmering glass exterior resembles traditional wooden latticework; the interior is a blend of modern sculpture and furnishings with subtle, classic Chinese touches. Located in the vibrant, cosmopolitan Taikoo Li Sanlitun, the hotel offers luxuriously understated studios with comfortable features such as Denon entertainment systems and, in studio 95 and above, in-room Nespresso coffee machines. Surprise your taste buds with Asian and Mediterranean flavors and unwind at Mesh Bar.
7. Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai
With its glittering skyscrapers and breathtaking views over the Huangpu River, Shanghai is home to one of the world’s most incredible skylines. Located on the banks of the Huangpu River lies the five-star luxury Mandarin Oriental Pudong hotel.
Considered one of the very best luxury hotels in Shanghai, this luxury hotel is located on the banks of the Huangpu River, in the heart of Pudong’s financial district.
This location is particularly good for business travelers, and for leisure travelers, the Lujiazui and Pudong Avenue Metro stations are within easy reach for Shanghai’s sightseeing action around the Bund.
The view of the river from this hotel is excellent, and this hotel has many wonderful features, such as the stylish downstairs pool and a trendy bar and restaurant with innovative cuisine and delicious cocktails.
The rooms are both sophisticated and spacious. All 362 rooms and suites offer a sublime blend of comfort and design. Interestingly, their bathrooms have sliding doors, which, if left open, means you are visible to most of the room from inside the bathroom. I like this open-plan bathroom design, but not everyone will. Rooms also offer a great river view if there is good visibility.
The Mandarin Oriental has an excellent Club lounge, which features in my best club lounges in Shanghai and another highlight is the Spa, which is centered around an enclosed landscaped garden.
Sandy-colored marble, pale oak wood floors, and butterfly motifs throughout create a tranquil atmosphere in this wonderful Spa. The Spa has 13 spa suites, including two couple’s suites and two VIP suites. There is also a crystal steam room, tepidarium chairs, aroma experience showers, sauna, and ice fountains. The treatments are excellent, but the tranquil surroundings make this one of the best Spas of any luxury hotel in China.
8. Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai
The award-winning Fairmont Peace Hotel, situated in Shanghai, China, is a ‘luxurious Art-Deco masterpiece’, beautifully reinvented for the 21st century where old fashioned glamour sparkles with a new luster. Located at the famous Bund promenade and the unrivaled shopping area on Nanjing Road, it is the perfect base from which to explore Shanghai’s spectacular scenery and vibrant lifestyle.
This landmark hotel has historically served as a glamorous playground for the elite, where every night was an extravagant gala event and a veritable Parisian fashion show. It continues to be a sought-after venue for meetings, weddings, and social events in the city.
This Luxury Shanghai hotel offers 270 distinctive guestrooms, including 39 luxurious suites, which blend art-deco-inspired furnishings with modern amenities. The hotel also features a selection of six restaurants and lounges, extensive business and event facilities, and a fitness center, not forgetting the Willow Stream Spa with 11 treatment rooms and an array of relaxation areas, as well as a private, sky-lit swimming pool.
In terms of dining, the hotel keeps traditions intact with the opulence of the signature Chinese restaurant Dragon Phoenix and the esteemed Jazz Bar, Shanghai’s premier destination for jazz, while the legendary hotel’s new and contemporary spirit is felt in the elegant Cathay Room and Terrace with spectacular views of Pudong, the refined Jasmine Lounge as well as the Parisian style Victor’s Café.
The winner and their guest will be staying in a 45 m² Deluxe Room with a choice of either king-size or twin queen beds and views across the bustling city. These rooms feature a writing desk, mini bar, Illy espresso machine, bath-side LCD screen, Philips 37-inch flat-screen television, Philips Audio iPod docking station, wireless and broadband Internet connectivity, walk-in closet, and bespoke furnishings. The well-appointed marble bathrooms are finished with large chrome fittings, a claw-foot tub, and Le Labo amenities.
9. Amanfayun, Hangzhou
Surrounded by natural beauty and history in equal measure, Amanfayun is just a 20-minute drive from the center of Hangzhou, and a 50-minute drive from Hangzhou Airport. The airport is serviced by both domestic and international flights, and there are direct domestic flights to most major cities in China. International flights operate daily between Hangzhou and Hong Kong, Tokyo, Macau, Taipei, and Seoul. There are also regular flights from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Access from Shanghai is either by car (approximately three hours) or by fast train (one hour and 20 minutes).
Amanfayun lies hidden in a valley to the west of West Lake. The 20-minute drive from the center of Hangzhou takes one along densely wooded bamboo and tree-lined avenues, past the botanical gardens and inner waterways of West Lake, to the temples and village of Tianzhu. The resort lies just beyond Tianzhu, below North Peak, and adjacent to Lingyin and Yongfu Temples.
Amanfayun offers 42 rooms, suites, and villas located within the property. Due to the unique nature of the structures, no two rooms are identical. Without compromising the integrity of the dwellings, all accommodations enjoy the comforts of radiant underfloor heating, air conditioning, and internet connectivity. All furniture is freestanding and includes daybeds, sofas, dining suites, and floor and desk lamps. Fine calligraphy art pieces decorate the walls, and a sound system with an iPod option is available in all rooms. Televisions are available on request. Most accommodation units are open to private or semi-private courtyards with informal outdoor dining and lounging areas.
The Restaurant is tucked away behind a grove of evergreens and offers picturesque views. This is the only outlet that serves Western cuisine. The menu features a number of classic international dishes, in essence, offering guests comfort food. The Restaurant also houses the Bar, which is suitable for informal dining.
Amanfayun’s Aman Spa consists of five separate buildings surrounded by bamboo groves, tea bushes, and Magnolia trees. The Spa offers eight treatment rooms, a reflexology room, a movement studio, a room dedicated to tai chi, yoga, and meditation, and a Finishing Salon. Massage and body treatments draw from traditional Chinese massage and reflexology, as well as from ancient Asian healing therapies. The Finishing Salon provides hair spa treatments, manicures, pedicures, and waxing.
Amanfayun also features a Library with an extensive array of books and documentary DVDs focusing on the history and culture of China, organized informative talks and presentations, a meeting room with two terraces and the latest audio/visual equipment, a boutique, a Tea House, the Village Eatery for more casual dining, and broadband internet access throughout its facilities and accommodations.
10. Amandayan
Arranged around calm courtyards, Amandayan’s dwellings are imbued with the clean lines and the architectural aesthetic of the indigenous Nakhi people using locally sourced materials, including Yunnan pine and elm from Dong Bei.
Known as the Land of Eternal Spring for its exceptionally mild climate, China’s southwestern Yunnan province is bordered by Tibet, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam and is famed for limestone plateaus, snow-capped peaks, and rushing rivers.
An ancient city, Lijiang’s Old Town, Dayan, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Perched in the center, above the roofline on Lion Hill, Amandayan overlooks an intricate bridge and canal system and a dramatic mountainous landscape.
Lijiang’s Old Town has long been home to skilled artisans, and Amandayan makes ample use of their works to enhance the resort’s soothing aesthetics. Nakshi embroidery pieces and intricate wood carvings adorn the 35 simply graceful suites, placed around peaceful courtyards and built in the classic, high-pitched-roof style with Yunnan pine and other locally sourced materials. Local ingredients are also key to culinary offerings and alternative therapies at the spa. Set beneath snowcapped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Amandayan makes an ideal base for exploring this spellbinding region.
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