The bustling pace of city life in China is as intense as it is exciting.

We live in a city of almost 13 million people, and our normal “break” is hopping across the border to Hong Kong. Considering that Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, albeit with some great hiking, it does not provide anything resembling peace and quiet.

The only non-city break we’ve taken in China was last year to Sanya, a tropical destination on Hainan Island. It was peaceful, quiet, and just what we needed to recharge our batteries. Considering it has been almost a year since that excursion, we figured it was time to venture out again in search of relaxation.

That is what led us to the Alila Yangshuo. It was exactly what we were looking for.

The Alila Yangshuo

Yangshuo is a town in the Guangxi Province, near the more famous tourist destination of Guilin. Unlike Guilin, tourists have not overrun Yangshuo completely, yet it has the same gorgeous vistas, hence the saying, “Guilin has the best scenery under the heaven, but Yangshuo is even more beautiful.” The landscape is dominated by karst mountains, a unique topography found in only a few places in the world. It also has the advantage of being a short 2.5 hour direct high-speed train ride away from our expat home city of Shenzhen.

Anyone who has flown domestically in China appreciates the punctuality and the reliability of high speed train travel.

After arriving at the Yangshuo Rail Station, we were met at the exit by an Alila driver and quickly whisked away to the Alila Yangshuo. The 30 minute drive was enough to start the city decompression as the skyscrapers, apartment towers, and shiny new shopping malls of Shenzhen were replaced by lush, green trees and sharp, jagged mountains on either side.

We pulled through the front gates and caught our first glimpse of what we would be calling home for the next three nights. Needless to say, we were not disappointed.

The Alila Yangshuo is a refurbished 1960’s-era sugar mill, painstakingly converted over a number of years by Chinese architect Dong Gong and interior designer Ju Bin. They kept most of the original features and the former pressing room, boiler room, and pump house were all re-purposed.

We headed up to our room to unpack and relax before lunch, located in a new guest room building covered in light coloured stone and local bamboo canopies. We could hear the honking of horns from trucks on the main road in front of the property as we walked to our room, but thankfully, once inside it was all peace and quiet. Our room, dubbed the ‘Sugar House Deluxe Retreat’ offered a view of the mountains and the sugar mill complex from our balcony.

It also was smartly designed, with USB outlets on each bedside table, and a hidden panel of outlets next to the table. We are too often surprised to find luxury hotels that skimp on the outlets and make recharging your phone a logistical nightmare. Here, we both plugged in our phones at night with ease, with no arguments about who deserved the charger more.

Hey, we said we wanted to unwind, not unplug. Don’t judge us.

Lunch at the Sugar House proved to be the first of many quality meals. We opted for the monthly fixed menu, which skewed European rather than Chinese. Seared sea bass, creamy mushroom soup, and a decadent layered chocolate cake along with a glass of refreshing sauvignon blanc was the perfect way to kick off the weekend.

On subsequent trips to the Sugar House for lunch and dinner, we went a la carte, from the predominately Chinese menu. We ate stir-fried pork belly, wilted greens with garlic, shrimp dumplings, fried rice, and a local Guilin rice noodle soup, garnished with spiced pork sausage, tofu, and pickled green beans. From what we could tell, many guests opt for day tours off the property, so the restaurant was nice and quiet during the mid-day meal.

Breakfast was a different story, as the Sugar House switched into high gear. The breakfast buffet was well stocked, including yogurt, fresh fruit, pastries with homemade jams, and at least ten hot dishes, ranging from roasted potatoes to stewed pigs feet.

In addition to the buffet, there is a daily menu of breakfast items you can choose from, cooked to order. Our favorite dishes appeared on that menu, including the Guilin rice noodle soup and French toast. They also only cook eggs to order, which is one of my non-negotiables for hotel breakfasts.

When was the last time you truly enjoyed scrambled, poached, or fried eggs that have been sitting in a warmer for an hour? The correct answer is never.

Of our 72 hours in Yangshuo, we spent 65 hours at the hotel. Can you blame us?

Most of those hours were spent around the pool area, sprawled out on lounge chairs. We sat and talked, listened to podcasts, read books, and worked on our tans a bit. The water was refreshing when we got too hot (summer in China is no joke!) and we got carried away people-watching. We especially enjoyed a small boy, decked out in a banana-covered swimsuit, who was less than thrilled by the water. “不要游泳，不要游泳” he yelled at his parents, as they tried to ease him into the water.

We could understand every word of his complaints clearly, which just goes to show that our Chinese is about at 3-year-old level.

We even hung out by the pool at night, when the Alila Yangshuo illuminates the sugar mill building and the adjacent mountains, ensuring that even in the dark, your view is still impressive.

We did participate in some of the Alila’s many activities, including sampling a 30-minute foot massage at Spa Alila. The spa entrance is an unassuming stone hut, which leads to a spiral concrete staircase and a long, candlelit walkway to the subterranean spa. There are five VIP treatment rooms, and a wealth of spa services, which we may happily cycle through next time we visit.

We also attended a jam making class, and we happily stirred and stirred on portable burners until our passion fruit jam and spicy ginger jam were perfectly thickened. The instruction was mostly in Chinese, so we got in some practice, but even without a lick of Chinese skills it’s pretty easy to follow along the process. Just keep stirring! For our efforts, our homemade jams were packed up for us to bring home.

Our most nerve-racking adventure was when we went rock-climbing. Yes, you read that right. We went rock climbing.

Yangshuo, as we were informed, is a international destination for rock climbing, thanks to the sheer, vertical cliff faces of the karst mountains. I enjoyed looking at the mountains, but climbing one was not something I thought I would do, especially since I’m scared of heights. But with a little urging from our friend Esther, who assured us that even kids can do it, we signed up for a class.

We met our climbing expert, who strapped us into our harnesses, helmets, and shoes. There were a few different course options, and after deciding I would go first, I choose the easiest. You know, the one for kids. The pointed shot at my manliness was no match for my hatred of heights. The kids’ course would have to do.

From the bottom looking up, the cliff face was much scarier than I expected. It was a vertical challenge from the first step. Surprisingly, Julie and I both made it to the top of the course with relative ease, though all of the muscles in my body seemed to be working overtime as if they were yelling at me, “This is not a great idea!” Once back on solid ground, we quickly unstrapped from our gear and resisted the urge to try a more challenging course. We had officially rock climbed, even if it was only about 100 feet.

I call that a win for team Drive on the Left.

The Alila Yangshuo is a relaxation destination, not a party spot, but the 1969 Bar is the hub for most of the nighttime activity at the hotel. The cocktail program at the bar is extensive, and they make their own infused rums inspired by the building’s history as the sugar cane pressing room. Some of the original equipment and flooring was left in tact, as well as the soaring, open ceilings.

Every night, we sat and sipped a glass of wine or cocktail and sampled the small food menu, including focaccia pizza, steamed bao buns with braised pork belly, and chicken satay skewers. With only one full service restaurant onsite, it was nice to have another food option, especially one that had smaller, more casual dishes.

On our last evening, we took part in the Classic Cocktail Class at the 1969 Bar, which involved us making our own drinks. The bartender Noodle (not making that up, and yes, it’s our favorite name ever) showed us how to make the signature rum cocktail, informing us of the correct ratios, and finishing the garnish with a blowtorch. We took turns behind the bar, pouring and shaking a few cocktails. Obviously, we got wrapped up in playing bartender, and completely forgot the correct ratios, resulting in cocktails that were inferior to Noodle’s but still delicious.

Noodle concluded the class with a little shot of cognac, Galliano, and creme de cacao, all lit on fire and poured between two cups. It sounded like a drink I would consume on a dare in college, but despite my concerns, it was shockingly tasty. The added flair from Noodle made for a memorable conclusion to the evening.

For a country with a proclivity for tearing down buildings to build something newer and flashier, the choice of Alila Yangshuo to preserve this little corner of history should be commended. Structures like the sugar mill are not easy to find in China anymore, and we loved the feeling of old and new that the property provides.

For two people who aren’t exactly design savvy, Julie and I could not help but constantly comment on the design, layout, and the landscape during our weekend stay. No matter where we were standing, which direction we looked, there was another perfect view, another beautiful chair, another striking detail.

The Alila Yangshuo was just what we were looking for in a getaway destination. It was large enough to have a wide range of amenities and services, but small enough to feel intimate and special. It was hard to say goodbye and even harder to pull ourselves back to city life.

Special thanks to the team at the Alila Yangshuo for hosting us. As always, all opinions are my own.

Interested in seeing more, including the rock-climbing adventure in all its glory? Check out our YouTube video below!