Jana Bhonsle is a hotelier, originally from India. She and her husband, chef Sandeep Bhagwat (in featured photo), came to Shanghai in 2013, before moving to Beijing in 2016. Their daughter Anjalika was “made in China”, Bhonsle tells us, having been born in Shanghai in 2015, and now attends Ivy Bilingual Kindergarten’s Ocean Express campus.
Have you ever taken a staycation in Beijing with your family? Why did you make that decision?
Yes! The Beijing air sometimes calls for finding indoor sources of entertainment, hence we have indulged in staycations from time to time.
Where did you stay, and what did you do?
We stayed at The Rosewood Beijing. We were three families with children, and it was great. We all chose a room with Club access, which meant a private space for meals. They were very accommodating, especially with the children who were between the ages of 2 to 4 years.
Did your child enjoy it? Would you do it again?
My three year old loved every bit, from the warm welcome, the cuddly panda bear she received in the room, to the swimming pool, and the gracious service at the club… All of it.
What information sources (eg websites or apps) do you use to help you explore Beijing?
I use Lonely Planet a lot. I also ask a lot of questions on family, moms, and baby groups on WeChat, which has really made my life in Beijing. I doubt I could have done without it.
What’s the best time of year for exploring Beijing?
Spring, for sure; after Chinese New Year, more like mid-March to April. Also, early fall, around October is a great time weather wise. There is also not a lot of tourists, so it’s easy to get around.
What’s your Beijing “hidden treasure” – a place or activity most people don’t know about?
Bespoke Travel Company is a cool tour company, that does a lot of “off the beaten track” tours that I would recommend to all. They do tailor-made tours and now have opened group tours which are pretty cool. For my little one, each Saturday we go to Safari Time at the Bookworm, which is a baby-to-toddler singing class along with parents and caregivers, which is also cool. For moms, the clothing auction network is a great place to socialize.
What advice would you give to a family considering a Beijing staycation?
I would say choose a nice hotel with a spa, and one that’s kid-friendly. Look up Tripadvisor for the latest reviews. Just do it! Staycations are a great time to bond with the family and decompress. Any excuse – birthdays, anniversaries, New Year – is a good enough reason for a staycation.
Jane Zhang is a partner in an educational institution, and responsible for brand promotion. She likes to make friends, enjoy good food, travel, and write. Her husband Eric Zhuang is a senior executive at a Fortune 500 company. After work, he enjoys reading, playing computer games, and leisure travel. Their daughter Rena Zhuang is 11 and attends a bilingual school. Her hobbies include singing, drawing and acting, and she excels at sports: swimming, skiing, and running. In October last year, she went to Japan to participate in a Tokyo international school swimming competition, and won two championships and a third place.
Have you ever taken a staycation in Beijing with your family? Why did you make that decision?
Yes; although for most of our vacations we plan to travel around the country or spend time with grandparents, we sometimes stay at home in Beijing for a staycation. For example, this Spring Festival, we had planned to go to Japan for skiing and hot springs. However, it didn’t go as we planned, because, at the end of February, our daughter was going to attend a very important swimming competition with her school team, the annual Beijing vs. Asia All Stars Swimming Meet at the International School of Beijing (ISB). It was during the spring festival, so in order to prepare for the competition, we had to give up our traveling plans and stay in Beijing for continuous training. This led to a local ski vacation for our family.
Where did you stay, and what did you do?
My daughter likes skiing very much. The snow season in Beijing is very short, so every year we seize the opportunity to take our child on a skiing holiday. During the week of the Spring Festival, when the swimming club was also on holiday, our family went to Chongli Taiwu town, a venue for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, and Nanshan ski resort.
Did your child enjoy it? Would you do it again?
Rena began to learn to ski four years ago and she practices skiing every year during the snow season. If time is limited, we go to a ski resort near Beijing on weekends. If we have more time, we will drive to Chongli to ski for a few more days. On New Year’s Day this year, Rena joined a one-week ski camp with her friends in Chongli, which greatly improved her skiing skills and made her more interested in skiing. In her own words, she felt “free to fly” on the snow. In addition, with improved technology, she has more sense of accomplishment and thinks that she has made a great breakthrough in another sport besides swimming.
What information sources (eg websites or apps) do you use to help you explore Beijing?
Because I like to make friends, I have a WeChat group for finding places and taking children to eat, drink, and have fun. The parents in the group share information about fun places to go with each other. For example, I often use apps and official accounts like: 大小爱玩 (WeChat ID: dxloveplay), 吃喝玩乐在北京(WeChat ID:ibeijing521), 父母邦北京周末安排 (WeChat ID: bjweek). You can find information there about vacations and play centers in and around Beijing. In addition, I recommend Feekr Travel as a niche public account, which has many recommended hotels in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai which are very romantic with great facilities.
What’s the best time of year for exploring Beijing?
I like the spring in Beijing the most. Everything in Beijing recovers in the spring, and the city seems to leap from winter depression to a new stage full of vitality overnight. The winter jasmine at the side of the Second and Third Ring Roads, and the peach, pear, and apricot flowers in Yuyuantan park are beginning to compete for fragrance and beauty. Above all, magnolia is the most characteristic and beautiful. As the ancient capital of six dynasties, Beijing began to plant yulan in the Jin and Yuan dynasties, and it was widely grown in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In Beijing, the most famous places to admire magnolia are Dajue Temple on Yangtai Mountain, the Summer Palace, and Tanzhe Temple. In addition, the magnolia appearing on the wide straight Chang’an Street by the red wall also makes a unique, colorful spectacle. The sculpture park in Beijing’s Shijing mountain area has also planted more than 5,000 yulan plants in recent years, making it the largest yulan park in Beijing. All over the capital, these white and scarlet magnolia flowers decorate Beijing in early spring, bringing warmth after the cold winter.
What’s your Beijing “hidden treasure” – a place or activity most people don’t know about?
For children under 10 years old, I would like to recommend a good place: Chi Mu Wu Shan (넹컁轟). It’s very suitable for families. There is accommodation, catering, and it is also ideal for children to play in the adventure park, or enjoy a woodworking experience. The farm has 20 pink pigs, and children can play a game called “piglet race.”
What advice would you give to a family considering a Beijing staycation?
In the past two years, many unique homestays have opened around Beijing, many of which are equipped with children’s play programs with their own characteristics. Here not only can the children release their exuberant energy, but the adults can get a good rest!
This article first appeared in the beijingkids April 2019 Exploring Beijing issue.
Photos: Courtesy of Jana Bhonsle and Jane Zhang
