Amanfayun
Hotel · Hangzhou ·
Rustic village conversion offering serene suites, villas, spa, pool
Information
Xihu, Hangzhou, China, 310058 Get directions
Rustic village conversion offering serene suites, villas, spa, pool
Xihu, Hangzhou, China, 310058 Get directions
"Located in the bamboo-filled mountains above Hangzhou, the rustic 42-room Amanfayun, Amanresorts’ second in China, is actually a conversion of an entire village whose inhabitants once harvested the tea for which the town is justly famous. Bisecting the resort’s grounds is one of the village’s original thoroughfares, a stream-lined cobblestoned path that’s today traversed by not only hotel guests but day-trippers walking to and from the temples that dot the area. The concept aside, what’s really remarkable about Amanfayun is its restraint: The landscaping is natural, even a little wild; the signage is minimal (perhaps too much so—you’ll need a flashlight for nighttime strolling); and the 42 accommodations—once houses—with their stone floors, cloth-and-wire lantern lights, and subdued palette, are stunningly spare and sophisticated. Along with jettisoning tired design clichés (you’ll see no silk fans or red lanterns here), the hotel also upends traditional notions of what a resort should be: There are no TVs, no electronic locks. In their place is silence, stillness, and, visible from some of the rooms, the breathtaking sight of thirteenth-century bodhisattvas and Buddhas carved into the nearby cliff. Amanfayun’s only shortcoming is its overly shy staff, who march around in uniforms that are unfortunately reminiscent of Mao jackets and whose English skills run the gamut from barely existent to just adequate. The resulting stilted service toward Western guests is a regrettable barrier to what is otherwise a transporting experience."
"Privacy, discretion, understatement, and above all absolute tastefulness in every conceivable detail: this is the stuff an Aman hotel is made of. At their Hangzhou outpost, set amidst the tea fields and bamboo groves on the outskirts of town, those values translate into forty luxurious courtyard dwellings, designed in the distinctive style of traditional Chinese courtyard homes." - Tablet Hotels
"Set within an ancient-village resort beside the West Lake UNESCO site, surrounded by tea plantations and winding stone pathways, this Steam House offers hands-on cooking lessons focused on dim sum and the history of steaming so ingredients retain texture and nutrients. The experience highlights simple village cuisine from Hangzhou and neighboring regions, showcases traditional steaming methods still used today, and lets diners eat alfresco in an ancient courtyard or watch preparations in a semi-open kitchen amid the resort’s century-old stone dwellings and temple-lined Fayun Pathway." - Claire Knox and Karen Fong
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