China – Banyan Tree Macau
Cool
off at the "beach resort deck" and pool at the Banyan Tree Macau
There is an old primary- school teachers’
trick: if children get rowdy, do not raise your voice- lower it. The kids will
instinctively quiet down to listen. The same goes for luxury. Its does not have
to shout. It should whisper. Amid the gaudy lights and round- the- clock
madness of the vast new Galaxy Resort in Macau, casino capital of the world,
the Banyan Tree is an oasis of serenity. It is the little touches that make it
special: the notepaper in your room is not just headed; it is persionalised
with your name. You are given use of a mobile phone, with a host on 24- hour
call. The staff is attentive without being intrusive. But the Banyan Tree can
do bif- picture, too. Each of the 246 rooms is a suite. Each suite has its own
relaxation pool. The design is Zen minimal, right down to the big black Tibetan
wooden tub in the bathroom, but also hi- tech: push- button blinds, state- of-
the- art TV, a toilet whose heated seat thoughtfully lifts up as you approach.
I would have said they will do everything expect wash your beachside for you,
but there’s a button for that, too. Add in a huge spa and a superb top- floor
restaurant, the Belom, eccentrically designed to a quatic theme, and this –
whisper it- probably the finest new hotel in a city full of brasher contenders.
the
New Banyan Tree Macau Resort
When to go
Macau’s Portuguese heritage makes Christmas
a special time, as is Chinese New Year.
Room to book
Even the smaller suites offer 100 square
metres for just over $305, but the Sky Villa at 160 square metres for $770
gives you that high- roller cachet.
00 835 8883 8883;
www.banyantree.com/en/macau/ double from $335
The Ritz- Carlton, Hong Kong
The
Ritz- Carlton, Hong Kong
To ride the lift up The Eits- Carlton, Hong
Kong is to switch between Lemuel Gulliver’s Brobdingnag and Lilliput. One
moment you are dwarfed by the city’s skyscrapers; swallow a couple of times to
equalise the pressure, and 490 metres later, the buildings are looking
positively puny. Just as the biggest buffet in the world would not necessarily
serve the best food, so the highest hotel in Asia might not be the ideal place
to stay. Suffice to say and skipping obvious puns such as ‘scaling the
heights’, the Ritz- Carlton has aced it. The design theme- a not unsurprising
‘East meets West’- is rendered with a fair amount of subtlety, and spiced with
elements such as blue palissandro marble, which is used throughout. The 312
rooms and suites are all one might expect from this hotel group, but it would
be a very dull guest who found the iPod/ Blu-ray DVD player/ whatever more
intriguing than pressing his or her nose against the window pane and goggling
awhile. Naturally, competition for window seats at the Italian and Chinese
restaurants on the 102nd floor is intense; strolling through the illuminated
wine cellar between the two is incredible inspiring. The obvious conclusion is
Ozone, a sinning combination of nightclub, bar and restaurant which would
ensure its popularity even if it were not at the top of the highest hotel in
Asia
Bed
room
When to go
The clearest days- when city, harbor and
beyond are at their most panoramic- usually fall between September and
November.
Room to book
One of the mid- tier suites, either Carlton
or Premier Executive, on the 116th floor
00 852 2263 2263; www.ritzcarlton.com.
Double from $937
Xixuan Spa Hotel Hangzhou
Xixuan
Spa Hotel Hangzhou
Proudly modernistic in its architecture and
minimalist in detailing, this 68- room spa hotel overlooking the Xixi National
Wetland Park showcases China’s emerging resort aesthetic. The property is part
of the Westbrook Resort, a kind of bucolic mega- retreat (it also houses
Sheraton, Banyan Tree and Angsana hotels) beloved of Chines developers. The
boxy glass and marble exterior evokes a contemporary art museum; the tiled lobby
is redolent of a merchant bank; within, the hotel’s charm quotient begins to
reveal itself. The cream- and- white bedrooms and suites are sparingly styled
with wood paneling and floor- to- ceiling glass windows and are equipped with
iPod docks and locally sourced Ba Yan Ka La bath products. There is an organic
gourmet Chinese restaurant and wine bar and a three- level, 6,000- book library
with black- leather banquettes. These elements are mere teasers, however, for
the remarkable MetaSpa. Designed by Ho + Hou Studio Architects, this palatial,
split- level spa is a movie- set in waiting, with 16 treatment rooms providing
sophisticated beauty and spa therapies, using products including Cosmelan, TMT
and (exclusively in China) AQS from Switzerland. Framed by dark granite, marble
and hardwoods, the stepped private steam pool and Jcuzzi is a 21st-
century update of a Central European bathhouse enriched by mod- oriental
ambience. Only a 20- minute cab ride from downtown Hangzhou, one of China’s
most affluent cities, Xixuan Spa Hotel is a refined retreat from the big city-
Chinese style.
Xixuan
Spa Hotel Hangzhou
When to go
Spring (Apr- May) and autumn (Sept- Nov)
for the best chance of clear skies.
Room to book
A Spa suite with mini in- room greenhouse garden.
00 86 571 8500 2888;
www.xixuanspahotels.com. Doubles from $183
