With the long National Holiday just around the corner, not everyone is planning on an extravagant family holiday abroad. For those of us opting to stay in Beijing it’s the perfect time to enjoy the less crowded city and beautiful weather.
One of my favorite nearby day-trip getaways is the Ovation Seven Cultivation Hotel in Langfang. Located on the way from Beijing to Tianjin, Langfang is a quick 40 minute drive from the city, but the hotel gives you a sense of relaxation that’s hard to come by in the city.
Luxury spas and pools aside, the hotel is built on an acre of land that includes a small waterfall and pond to relax and enjoy the sun by. The focus of the hotel is all about Chinese culture and history. Think of it as a luxury Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) health retreat. Their latest culinary creation is an over-the-top set menu that’s created based on your body’s needs. When making a reservation, you’re first asked to provide the restaurant with a quick TCM health exam by submitting photos of your face and tongue on their WeChat mini program. Then you answer a list of questions about your daily health routine, and you’re provided with a quick diagnosis of your body type. To my surprise, mine accurately determined that I have a lot of allergies. Then based on your result, the chef creates an intricate set menu made with ingredients that are believed to ‘balance’ your body.
Created around the ideologies of traditional Chinese medicine, every aspect of the hotel is designed to give you inner peace along with balancing your yin and yang. The family-friendly weekend getaway offers classes in tai chi, traditional perfume making, natural lipstick making, cooking, rice wine making, Chinese calligraphy, art, the tea ceremony, and jut about any other traditional Chinese crafts that you’ve ever thought about taking part in. My personal favorite is their interactive Vincent Van Gogh museum just for kids, giving them a place to learn about art while playing around and watching Starry Night come to life.
Ovation Seven Cultivation Hotel 廊坊新绎七修酒店
North of Youyi Road, Economic/Technical Development Zone 中国河北省廊坊市开发区友谊路 (0316) 608-9999
Photos: Ovation Seven Cultivation Hotel
