A Moon Over the Water: 2-Day Trip to Huairou's Sunrise Kempinski Hotel
Huairou is a beautiful area of Beijing, with many scenic spots: Yanqi Lake, Hongluo Temple, Huanghuacheng Water Great Wall, Shentangyu. It’s close to the city center and easy to reach—especially for people living in the eastern part, who love heading to Huairou on weekends. I’ve climbed Hongluo Temple many times with my twin boys, stayed at Yanqi Lake State Guesthouse, and even joined a football camp there. But this 'sun' building (or moon, depending how you see it) at Sunrise Kempinski Hotel—I’d never stayed there.
A kid-free solo getaway: a 2-day trip to Sunrise Kempinski Hotel.
I planned a one-night stay at Sunrise Kempinski with a friend to take some great photos, and luckily the weather couldn’t have been better. We laughed and chatted the whole way there—the short trip without kids as a mom was so exciting, a real recharge. A good mood means better parenting too.
Fanqi Road is my favorite stretch in Huairou, a route I had to take years ago when going to dine at Shanba. The Sunrise Kempinski Hotel by Yanqi Lake is the focal point of the landscape. From the highway, from the top of Yanqi Pagoda, or while strolling along the lake, the building looks like a sun just rising over the horizon, set against the mountains, water, and blue sky. In the evening, it becomes a full moon on the sea—romantic and whimsical. The architecture is in such harmony with its surroundings, it feels like it’s always belonged there; with it, the landscape comes alive and becomes even more beautiful.
The rooms at Kempinski have floor-to-ceiling windows that fill entire walls, giving you an unobstructed view of the scenery. You can gaze at the starry sky right from your bed, as if you’re lying in the middle of a landscape painting.
On the island opposite the hotel is the Yanqi Lake International Conference Center, also home to the Yanqi Island State Guesthouses—over a dozen uniquely designed villas clustered around the center. The best view is from Yanqi Pagoda on the island, where you can overlook the conference center, vast lawns, villas, and in the distance, the round silhouette of the Sunrise Kempinski building. Sunset views from here are simply breathtaking.
After checking in, we started with an elegant Western-style afternoon tea. The three-tier tray was loaded with treats: savory snacks, sandwiches, croissants, macarons, plus classic opera cake and red velvet cake. Paired with the views outside the window, it instantly switched us into holiday mode.
If afternoon tea leaves you too full for an early dinner, you can push it back and enjoy happy hour—dinner and late-night snacks—at the famous Biergarten. The Biergarten at the Liangmaqiao Kempinski is a childhood memory for many Beijing kids; as soon as they were old enough to drink beer, they’d head there for a pint. The food here is fantastic too: the salad dressing is spot-on, and the pretzels are beautifully shaped—you can tell the chef has made so many that each one hangs perfectly on the rack. The specialty meat platter with sauerkraut is a must-order if your party is big enough to finish it. It comes with roasted pork knuckle, smoked pork chops, meat loaf, coiled sausage, Frankfurter, Thüringer sausage, and mashed potatoes with beer gravy.
Best photo spots:
There’s a bridge behind the hotel; the end of the bridge is a perfect spot for pictures. Outdoors, you can rent a bike from the hotel and ride all the way to Yanqi Island—the scenery is stunning! Indoors, make use of the floor-to-ceiling windows—wide-angle shots are spectacular.
Climb Yanqi Pagoda to photograph the villas and the golf course on the island, and then capture the sunset with the Sunrise Kempinski Hotel in the distance.
No matter how you shoot this 'ball,' it’s never enough.
Follow @依然七月 to discover a better life!
