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May 14, 2015

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Tranquility close at hand

SOMETIMES when the weekend arrives and you’re feeling a little frazzled all you want to do is escape the city hubbub for a couple of days. Finding a little piece of tranquility to ease away all your stresses needn’t mean a major expedition. In fact, there are numerous resorts in scenic areas within two or three hours of Shanghai by car.

Many are in the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, while another option is Chongming Island, administered by Shanghai and the third largest island in China.

Resorts are often located on the banks of a lake, nestled among mountains or near an ancient town. Management makes the most of their surroundings to offer distinctive leisure activities — everything from cycling, hiking, boating and fishing to flying kites and history tours.

And to help you get back to nature, some resorts have their own farms growing organic fruit and veg, hold cooking classes and offer “from farm to table” menus.

Some hotels even have their own private lake where guests can enjoy a leisurely lunch and take in the scenery aboard a boat. Landlubbers can sip a brew in resort tea gardens.

While the resorts usually offer rooms as opposed to self-catering options, these are often bigger than in downtown hotels, often with balconies, and with more family friendly arrangements — such as connected rooms for three-generation families.

Young guests have more to keep them amused than they might expect in downtown hotels — even down to kid-friendly shower gel and shampoo and anti-allergy little bathrobes.

Most resorts have an area for kids, where they can play, watch cartoons and eat ice cream, supervised by experienced babysitters to ensure they don’t overdo the sweet stuff.

Children’s bicycles and tandems are available at many places.

And mindful that herding kids in the morning isn’t always the easiest task, many offer late checkout.

This week, Shanghai Daily explores six nearby resorts, all within a three-hour drive and close to tourist sites so guests can combine chilling out with taking in local attractions.

One is at Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang Province, known for its clean water and lush forest spreading over 1078 islands. Another option is in Zhejiang port city Ningbo — a must for fresh seafood fans.

If you’re a martial arts fan head to Anji in northwest Zhejiang, where you can practice your moves in the bamboo forest featured in Ang Li’s Oscar-winning “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

And if an ancient water town and hairy crab combo is what you fancy, we recommend a resort at Yangcheng Lake in Jiangsu Province.

To make it even easier, we’ve compiled a must-try schedule for you.

So what are you waiting for this weekend? Pack that car and head out of the city!

4-legged-friend friendly

This Chongming Island resort, is an hour’s drive from downtown, where you swap a landscape of skyscrapers for one dotted with organic farms and wetlands that provide a vital habitat for migrating birds. It also has the distinction of probably being the only hotel in Shanghai that welcomes dogs.

Visit the East Wetland Park (a 20-minute drive from the resort).

12:30pm-2:30pm

Indulge in a champagne picnic on the lawn of the resort. Ask staff to prepare picnic goodies in advance.

3pm-5pm

Go to the gym, take a swim or drive 10 minutes to Yue Cheng Ju fishing club. Between March and November you can go on a strawberry picking trip organized by the resort.

5:30pm-6:30pm

Hire a bicycle from the resort and explore the island.

7pm-8pm

Have dinner at the resort’s Chinese restaurant, which is renowned for serving authentic local cuisine with a modern twist.

9pm-10pm

Have a cup of tea — or something stronger — on the balcony of the tea room and enjoy the view of the starry sky, minus downtown light pollution.

Price: From 805 yuan/night (depending on season)

Venue: Hyatt Regency Chongming

Tel: (021) 6703-1234

Address: 799 Lanhai Rd, Chenjia Town, Chongming County, Shanghai

Suggested schedule

9am-noon

Go with the flow

Set on the bank of the man-made Qiandao Lake — literally thousand island lake — Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort covers 3.5 hectares, and has 249 rooms and suites — three of which are family rooms that can accommodate six guests. Most rooms have views of the lake and its green islands .

Suggested schedule

8-9am

Start the day with the Chinese, Japanese or European style breakfast at Feast restaurant.

9-11am

Parents can drop off their children at the resorts kid’s club, where young guests can watch cartoons, draw pictures and play on a slide, while mom and dad can hire a bicycle or Segway to ride along the lakeside.

11am-2pm

Have lunch at Yue, the Chinese restaurant serving Cantonese and Hangzhou cuisine.

2pm-5pm

Rent a yacht from the hotel to enjoy the lake view close up or drive to Jiuxi, 23 kilometers from the resort, to try rafting

6pm-7pm

Have dinner at the hotel’s Fishing restaurant, which is renowned for its fresh local produce.

Price: From 987 yuan/night (depending on season)

Venue: Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort

Tel: (571) 6488-8888

Address: Xin An Rd N., Qiandao Lake, Chun An County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province

History and hairy crabs

Set on the banks of Yangcheng Lake, the Fairmont Yangcheng Lake is a 40-minute drive from Shanghai. Half of the rooms have balconies with views of the lake, which is famed for its hairy crabs.

It is 50 minutes from Zhou Zhuang, an ancient water town with a history dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Zhou Zhuang’s stone bridge and carved windows have provided inspiration for many Chinese artists over the years.

The resort’s own water park, covering 33 acres, is a highlight, where guests can cycle or dine at the organic farm. Produce includes seasonal vegetables and fruit, while rabbits, peacocks, ducks and goats are raised there for display and bees are also kept.

The resort shows its family-friendly by offering kid-sized bicycles and bathrobes and bath amenities specially for children.

Suggested schedule

8am-9am

Attend the resort’s fun club to play football or volleyball.

9am-10am

Fly a kite, go fishing or play mini-golf in the resort’s park.

10am-11am

Move to the Wugu Culinary Studio in the resort’s organic garden, where young guests can attend a planting class and gather honey while their parents can enjoy a class in Chinese cooking and Western pastry.

11:30am-1:30pm

Have lunch at Wugu garden restaurant, which serves organic food.

2pm-5pm

Visit Zhou Zhuang ancient water town.

6pm-7:30pm

Dine at the hotel’s Chinese restaurant that offers local lake produce — including hairy crab, river shrimp, river snail and water chestnut.

7:30pm-9pm

Watch a movie in the resort’s function room.

Price: From 980 yuan/night (depending on season)

Venue: Fairmont Yangcheng Lake

Tel: (512) 5780-0888

Address: 3668 Ma’an Shan Rd W., Kunshan, Jiangsu Province

Make a splash at lunch

This 209-room resort on the banks of Dongqian Lake in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, is two and a half hours drive from Shanghai. The architecture combines ancient Chinese style — with white walls and a tiled roof — with modern touches. General manager Peter Zhou was a Shanghai celebrity chef, so the food should be pretty special — even more so if you take advantage of the exclusive dining on a boat option.

Suggested schedule

7:30am-8:30am

Attend the resort’s free yoga class.

8:30am-9am

Have breakfast at the resort’s all-day restaurant, complete with lake view.

9:30am-10:30am

Cycle around the lake.

10:30am-11:30am

Swim in the resort’s outdoor pool.

12am-2pm

Have a private lunch on the resort boat, complemented by a violin performance. This must be booked in advance.

2:30pm-3:30pm

Attend a tangtuan — glutinous rice filled with black sesame — cookery class.

4:30pm-5:30pm

Go fishing.

6pm-7pm

Have dinner at the hotel’s seafood restaurant.

7:30pm-8:30pm

Attend a live kun opera performance, one of the oldest styles of Chinese opera.

Price: From 2070 yuan/night (depending on the season)

Venue: Park Hyatt Ningbo Resort and Spa

Tel: (574) 2888-1234

Address: 188 Dayan Rd, Dongqian Lake, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province

Break offers a real kick

This resort on the banks of the lake at the foot of Tiemao Mountain in Anji County covers 53 hectares and features 180 rooms and nine villas. It’s just a three-minute drive to the world-famous Anji bamboo forest featured in Ang Li’s Oscar-winning martial arts movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

Suggested schedule

6:30am-8:30am

Hike to the top of the mountain.

9am-11:30am

Try rafting or sailing.

12am-2pm

Have lunch at the resort restaurant, which uses local fresh produce, such as bamboo shoots — naturally enough — to make simple but tasty dishes.

2:30pm-4:30

Go fishing.

5pm-7pm

Enjoy the BBQ prepared by the resort.

Price: From 300 yuan/night (depending on season)

Venue: Meilin Resort

Tel: (572) 533-9999

Address: Tiemao Mountain, Chengnan Community, Anji County, Zhejiang Province

Relaxation down to a tee

This resort in the coastal city of Nantong in Jiangsu Province, is a two-hour drive from downtown. Covering 2.5 hectares, it has 22 spacious suites ideal for families, and highlights include a professional standard golf course and an exclusive hot spring. It also offers harbor views and super-fresh seafood. Shanghai customers can take resort’s weekly shuttle bus from the Shanghai Renaissance Hotel on Friday, returning to Shanghai on Sunday.

Suggested schedule

9am-11am

Hire a bike or tandem and ride around the resort, seeing its rare birds and exploring its rose garden.

12am-1pm

Have lunch at Rudong seaport, three kilometers from the resort, and sample freshly landed seafood.

2pm-4pm

Play a round on the 27-hole golf course.

4pm-6pm

Take a dip in the resort’s 42-degree Celsius hot spring.

6:30pm-7:30pm

Dine at resort’s restaurant or have a terrace BBQ.

8pm-10pm

Enjoy the resort’s exclusive spa.

Price: From 703 yuan/night (depending on season)

Venue: Links Hotel and Resort

Tel: (513) 8086-9999

Address: Coastal Tourism Economic Development Zone, Xiaoyangkou, Rudong County, Nantong, Jiangsu Province




 

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