Chun Hui Yuan Hot Spring Resort
What’s it like?
Chun Hui Yuan (春晖园温泉度假村) bucks the trend in the world of
Beijing hot springs, forgoing kitsch
adornments and faux tropical
scenes for something more stylish,
with classic wooden trellises and
sleek stone furnishings dominating
the decor. The baths are divided
into three areas – one indoors, two
outdoors – and vary in size with
plenty of options for both couples
looking for a bit of privacy and large
groups. The Garden Baths garner
the most attention: ten steaming
open-air pools offer different types
of aromatic-infused waters to help
relaxation; stay here into the evening
for a soak under the stars. The next-door
Lakeside Baths shouldn’t be
missed either, offering views of Chun
Hui Yuan Hotel’s grounds beyond.
Facilities
Alongside the 30-odd
baths, Chun Hui Yuan has a heated
indoor swimming pool, hot stone
resting beds, steam rooms and
saunas – the ‘hot’ sauna even
has a plunge pool and television
for optimum chill time. There’s
an onsite spa offering a range of
treatments, including a 40-minute
foot massage (88RMB) and a whole-body
oil massage (398RMB).
Yu Zhuang, Gaoliying town,
Shunyi district (6945 4433, ext
1030). Open
9.30am-midnight Mon-Fri;
9.30am-1am Sat-Sun. 168RMB
Mon-Fri; 268RMB Sat-Sun.
Feng Shan Hot Spring Paradise
What’s it like?
Feng Shan (金隅凤山温泉度假村) offers
paradise from the perspective of a
particularly sleazy toddler, with a landscape
of concrete caves, plastic rocks,
frog-shaped fountains and semi-submersed
basketball hoops. Grin and embrace it, because it’s huge, it’s tasteless, and it’s open
24 tacky hours of the day.
Provincial leisure centre on
acid it might be, but we enjoy this
psychedelic idyll precisely because, at the end of the day, lying on a bubble bed next to a
model elephant is always going to be a giggle. And if you look
beyond the glare from the fairy lights
and illuminated swans, the outside
spring area offers spectacular views
of the nearby mountains.
Facilities
Feng Shan offers stacks
of reasonably private pools both
inside and out, with noticeably
different water temperatures
and mineral levels. There’s also a
25-metre swimming pool complete
with disco-tastic decor, some toasty
kang beds, saunas and a cinema.
10 Mangshan Lu, Changping district
(6071 3942). Open 24 hours.
238RMB Mon-Fri; 268RMB Sat-Sun.
Longxi Hotspring Resort
What’s it like?
Here at Longxi Hotspring Resort (龙熙温泉度假酒店), a system of small tubs and larger swimming pools offer a great mix of relaxing getaway vibes and waterpark thrills. While the resort’s heyday may have passed – the wood-panelled walls and kitschy decor could use a bit of a revamp – Longxi is still great for a warming winter soak.
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