TravelAgeWest - China's Boutique Beauties

Boutique Beijing and More
Like Shanghai, Beijing has a number of new boutique hotels expected in the coming months. Two of the capital s most stylish bar/restaurants, Face and Green T House, are both planning to open hotels this year. In addition, a new design hotel will open inside one of the capital s premier tourism attractions, the Summer Palace, and the developers of Shanghai s Mansion Hotel are working on a new hotel project close to the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.

Beijing s premier boutique residence has long been the Red Capital Residence, a small courtyard hotel with five luxurious, yet quirky, rooms themed in Mao-era style and decoration. The below-ground Bomb Shelter bar and cigar humidor is unmissable. Red Capital s American owner, Laurence J. Brahm, has recently opened a new sister boutique hotel in a traditional Tibetan courtyard house in Lhasa, Tibet, called House of Shambhala.

For a stylish stay at the foot of the Great Wall of China, Commune by the Great Wall is located in the stunning Shuiguan Valley, about 35 miles north of Beijing. This eclectic collection of high-design villas and chalets is complemented by an Anantara spa, fine-dining restaurant with deck terrace overlooking the valley and a private section for walking on the Great Wall. Commune has drawn leading global designers, architects and celebrities (Jennifer Lopez and Serena Williams have both partied here) to enjoy its views, contemporary Asian architecture and interiors and art exhibitions.

Opened last fall near the Forbidden City, Beijing s newest boutique lodging is Hotel Kapok. Already singled out by style magazine Wallpaper as one of China s hottest new design hotels, Kapok has 80 minimalist rooms in three categories: Fashion, Court and Suite. The rooms are dressed primarily in white, with earthy stone-gray and bamboo-green tones to infuse color. Each has a plasma-screen TV, plus high-design lamp stands and custom-made lounge chairs. There s also a contemporary Western restaurant and bar, a small gym and a sauna.

So even as new mega-hotels go up all around the country, now could be the time to book adventurous clients in the highly designed inns of China.

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