Alila is just days away from opening a new luxury resort in Yangshuo county, China. Bordered by the Li River and dotted with dramatic karst peaks, this region is one of mythical landscapes and Guilin temples—first growing in popularity as a tourist destination among western backpackers in the 1980s. Now Alila—the Singapore-based hotel company which currently operates in Indonesia, India, China, and Oman—is upping the luxury quotient in the region when the Alila Yangshuo Resort opens in July 2017.
This will be the second Alila hotel in China after the Alila Anji, which is located in “China’s first National Ecological County.” (Surrounded by tea plantations and bamboo forests, Anji is easily accessible to the major cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou.)
What to expect at the new Alila Yangshuo Resort? The property was once a sugar mill overlooking the scenic Li River, and now it’s been converted into a “modern retro design resort” by Dong Gong of Vector Architects with interiors by Ju Bin of Horizontal Space Design. The style is a mélange of 1960s architecture with contemporary elements. The Sugar House restaurant is actually located inside the historic Sugar Pressing Room, while the 1969 bar (with an in-house rum distillery!) is situated in the former Refining Room. There will be 117 rooms, suites and villas, and comprehensive facilities: an underground spa carved from volcanic rock, an outdoor swimming pool, a fully-equipped gym, a library, the Alila Living boutique, Play Alili (the kids club), and a private pier for destination dining.
Guests will be able to embark on rock-climbing adventures on the resort’s very own karst hill. There will also be opportunities for local cultural immersion; think shopping the markets, trying the traditional sugar-making process, and more.
Access: The Alila Yanshuo resort is a 1.2-hour drive from Guilin Liangjiang Airport and a 30-minute drive from Yangshuo railway station.
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