Enjoy a getaway weekend from the home by taking the family to the following hotels and retreats around Beijing.
Shan Li Retreats
Located about 100km away from Beijing, Shan Li Retreats offers serene countryside stays in beautifully-renovated traditional houses. There are five properties in total, all located near each other in Huangyankou Village: Poshang, Banpo, Qianjia, Shanjiaoxi, and Stone House.
The houses range in size from one to three bedrooms and feature courtyards, modern amenities, lots of natural light, and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. The flagship house, Po Shang, has not one, but two gardens from which to admire nature. Except for the Stone House, all of the properties have a living room, fireplace, coffee press or espresso maker, oven, stove, microwave, and barbecue.
Good for: Multi-family groups
Prices: RMB 4,500 per night (Poshang); RMB 1,500 per night (Banpo); RMB 3,500 per night (Qianjia); RMB 2,800 per night (Shanjiaoxi); RMB 900 per night per room (Stone House)
Local attractions: It’s all about exploring nature at Shan Li; a 20-minute hike from the Stone House will take you to a set of Great Wall watchtowers, while Qianjia is located right next to a reservoir. There are several hiking trails around the properties, which are marked on Shan Li’s website.
EAST Beijing
Located in Dashanzi, EAST Beijing is one of the newer hotels in town. This Swire property is home to contemporary restaurant FEAST, Japanese restaurant Hagaki, cafe Domain, bar Xian, and health club BEAST. Though EAST Beijing is ideal for business travelers, its proximity to 798 Art District and Indigo Mall make it a family-friendly spot as well. The hotel doesn’t have any staycation packages per se, but is running a number of promotions throughout the summer. Good for: Art lovers
Valid period: All promotions valid until December 31 (except for the Upstairs Special, which is valid until August 31)
Promotions: The 3 Days Advance Purchase gets you a 15 percent discount on all rooms if you book at least three days in advance. The 14 Days Advance Purchase gets you a 25 percent discount on all rooms if you book at least 14 days in advance. The Stay and Save promotion offers a 25 discount percent to guests who stay at least two nights. An extra bed can be added for a child, but only for Corner Rooms and Park Studios at an extra charge of RMB 300 plus 15 percent surcharge.
The Upstairs Special allows you to upgrade to an executive floor room for RMB 200 per night. Benefits include free breakfast (including room service), all-day complimentary snacks and soft drinks in the lounge, happy hour (free snacks and drinks from 6pm to 8pm), a free mini-bar (excluding wine), use of a Nespresso coffee machine, daily turndown service, and Elemis toiletries.
Local attractions: EAST Beijing is located right next to Indigo Mall; the latter can be accessed through a door on the ground floor of the hotel. The mall tends to be quiet during the week and offers free weekend shuttle buses to various parts of Beijing. Dining options include Element Fresh, Blue Frog, Flamme, and Muse. There’s also a cinema on the top floor showing English-language movies. Further north, there’s 798 Art District and Caochangdi. Sign up for one of UCCA’s weekend children’s art workshops or drop by The Familier if you have younger kids. Teens and older kids might like exploring Caochangdi, 798’s grittier and less commercialized cousin. You can also head south to Lido for a stroll through Si’de Park.
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Photo courtesy of Shan Li and East Beijing.
This article originally appeared on p44-47 of the beijingkids August 2013 issue.
Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com
