Wanda Vista Chongqing | At the Far Side of Mountains and Lakes, a Courtyard with the Setting Sun

December 2020

Wanda Vista Chongqing

Chongqing is not only about high altitudes and river views.

After two months of continuous drizzle, Chongqing surprisingly showed a clear sky. With the extremely clean air, the sunlight and the moments were so beautiful. The sunlight cast on the face of my friend beside me, like a muse in an oil painting.

I invited a few girlfriends and packed a large suitcase with cameras, lipsticks, sunglasses, long dresses, and capes, as if escaping, we drove away. Passing through the long and dark Shuangbei Tunnel, the mountains emerged, and sunlight poured through the gaps in the sunroof, casting a golden ray inside the car. When the greenery became denser, the car turned a corner, and the hotel cluster of Sunac文化旅游City Chongqing came into view.

At that moment, the sky was as blue as washed.

In our hearts, it was full of joy.

For a gathering of women, taking photos is an indispensable part.

When the shuttle bus entered the hotel, a scene of Western Sichuan风情画卷 suddenly闯入视野, everyone couldn't help but let out joyful cheers—this place is perfect for photos.

The pool in front of the Wanda Vista lobby was as smooth as a mirror, adding a touch of liveliness to the entrance made of natural wood beams and marble walls. The interior design takes "Misty Mountain City" as its prototype, using the local characteristic stilt house chuandou beam structure to extract a layered form.

The lobby is lit on three sides with almost no partitions. The lounge seats, front desk, and lounge are scattered around the fully open hall. The wide-screen high-ceiling glass windows bring the skyline entirely indoors, complemented by ethnic musical instruments of Bayu style and handmade Shu embroidery as decorative elements. The atmosphere of the lobby is understated luxury with natural dynamism.

In the guest room area, 78 Chinese-style courtyard townhouses and villas stand around the lake. The clever layout of stacked rocks, water features, pavilions, and towers creates a winding garden landscape. The water-grinded exterior walls of the villas rest on white stone foundations. The antique flying eaves and roof tiles, along with doors and windows, have little red paint decoration, making them simple, elegant, and delightful.

Plants are faintly visible among the buildings. Sunlight passes through the leaves, casting tree shadows on the white walls, creating a play of light and shadow. From a distance, rows of green bricks and black tiles, deep courtyards, accompanied by birdsong, flowing water, and climbing vines, create a sense of seclusion.

This is another world.

The romance of Chinese people is inseparable from the courtyard.

As time goes by and years change, people still have a deep attachment to courtyard life. Whether it's elegance, wealth, luxury, or uniqueness, one only seeks to build a small nest, obtain a piece of heaven and earth, hide in the courtyard, watch the flowers bloom and fall in front of the hall, look at the clouds rolling and unrolling on the eaves, brew tea, read, lie down to listen to the wind and rain, and wait for spring to pass and autumn to come.

The particularity of the courtyard lies in the connection between architecture and humanity. The grass, trees, rocks, water, and ornaments in the garden represent a leisurely and pure life attitude.

The villas at Wanda Vista embody the way of the courtyard—a tree stands in front of the door. Step up two stone steps, gently pull the antique door ring, and the courtyard door slowly opens. The whole process feels dreamlike. Entering, the front yard is covered with green grass, with a path paved with green stone slabs. You need to walk a few more steps to reach the room door.

The double-door design combines the style of Jiangnan courtyard with dual protection of privacy.

It is also these few steps that create a reserved demeanor, evoking a Chinese-style indifferent sentiment, pure and implicit.

Different from the natural boldness of river-view hotels, the humanistic atmosphere of lake-view hotels is more restrained and deep. At Wanda Vista Chongqing, the Zen spirit is very obvious.

The plaque at the gate is taken from ancient poems, and each villa has its own name. The villa we stayed in, "Autumn Screen Painted", is from Yuan Dynasty poet Xue Angfu's "West Lake Miscellany · Autumn" - "Sparse forest red leaves, hibiscus about to fade, naturally decorate the autumn screen."

The guest room uses stilt house chuandou beam structure and sloping roof as the spatial structure form, making the whole space grand. The regionally representative Four Treasures of Rongchang (folding fan, ramie cloth, An pottery) and Bayu cultural handicrafts, Liangping bamboo curtain paintings, and other artworks are carefully placed, embellishing a cultural charm that lingers.

The indoor space of over 100 square meters is divided into four areas: living room, dining room, bedroom, and tea room. The living room connects to the dining room and tea room, with ventilation at both ends and excellent lighting. In the afternoon, sunlight can spread through the floor-to-ceiling windows covering half of the living room. On the chaise lounge warmed by the sun, squinting for a lingering lakeside afternoon nap is the most luxurious enjoyment of the holiday.

The tatami-style tea room is the most popular. As soon as every woman sees it, she first goes "Wow!" and immediately takes off her shoes to step onto the platform, feeling the moderate softness and hardness of the straw mats. When she opens the wooden window and sees the rustling bamboo shadows outside, and through the bamboo, the dots of green tiles and blue sky, she can't help but "Wow~" again.

These two spontaneous exclamations exhale all the worldly turbidity, making one feel refreshed and happy.

The bedroom color scheme is elegant, and the embedded murals and room decorations create a sense of virtual and real harmony, bringing joy. The room has an independent bathroom and dressing room. Next to the soft "Wanda Vista Bed" is a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, outside which the lake ripples charmingly.

The amenities are L'Occitane, which truly understands women's hearts!

Push open the floor-to-ceiling windows to directly step into the private courtyard by the lake. Two lounge chairs and a tea table outdoors invite the breeze to sit, view the lake ripples, and experience the ancients' leisure among mountains and waters.

The extremely private large independent soaking pool is shaded by dense tree branches that block most of the light, with only a few slanting sun rays lazily spilling into the pool, making one feel extremely weary and eager to step into the warm water.

When the night is deep and quiet, immerse your whole body in the steaming hot spring. The warm water slowly seeps into the skin, and the entire body and mind can be most relaxed in this warmth. Above is the starry sky, in the ears is the chirping of cicadas, in front are the quiet lake views, in the distance the Ferris wheel is reflected in the lake. The wind carries the fragrance of osmanthus, causing the tree tops to move slightly, but the night breeze is not cold.

The butler service and Wanda Vista Angels unique to Wanda Vista were a highlight of this girlfriend trip—the dedicated butler is on call 24 hours a day, which is extremely convenient for a room full of "phone addicts."

After completing check-in procedures, the Wanda Vista Angel efficiently arranged the shuttle bus and escorted us all the way to the guest room, introducing the garden landscape and villa design concepts along the way.

After placing and storing our numerous luggage, the Wanda Vista Angel began introducing the room layout, from the allusion of the plaque at the door to the meaning of the handicrafts inside, including where the sockets are, the location of the curtain switches, how to turn on the TV... meticulous.

From the moment we added the butler's WeChat, that WeChat never stopped—during the day, we needed new slippers because we mixed them up; after the hot spring bath, the bathrobe got wet... Just send a WeChat message, and the butler would immediately deliver it; along with sending lost cosmetics and the card reader left in the restaurant, the butler smiled throughout; late at night, we asked for the bed to be made and an extra quilt because everyone wanted to experience a sweet dream in the tatami room; even the morning shuttle bus went back and forth about three times within half an hour—after all, the difference in makeup speed seriously affects the beauties' departure time.

We exchanged so many WeChat messages that the guests felt very sorry, but the friendly Wanda Vista butler provided the greatest comfort with a sweet voice and quick response—"Okay, coming right away."

Even when Er Ye needed a nucleic acid test for a business trip to Macau, the butler found out and inquired about the distance to the affiliated hospital of Chongqing Medical University (a few kilometers), the approximate driving time, the nucleic acid test process, and the cost, and informed us...

Isn't such service an angel on earth?

Both breakfast and dinner were at the Fengnian Ting Restaurant, located on the same lake island in the Wanda Realm Chongqing, adjacent to Wanda Vista. The lobby of Wanda Realm is also grand. The staircase leading to the restaurant is beautifully designed, making you feel like you are walking on a runway. We liked to slowly stroll through the garden scenery and enjoy the sunshine while walking.

How long can five women eat a buffet?

The answer is three hours.

Oysters, scallops, abalone, and shrimp—point your finger, and a chef immediately cooks for you. Seasonal hairy crabs and freshly pan-seared steak—if you can eat more, the chef can keep grilling. There are also rows and rows of creamy baked mussels, stir-fried razor clams, pan-fried cod, radish beef brisket, various sashimi... all generously displayed on the counter, take as you like. Baked Boston lobster with a firm, springy texture and rich cheese—one bite is the taste of satisfaction.

Which young beauty can resist such a dessert station?

When such a power-level chocolate mousse, fresh cream chiffon, donuts drizzled with sweet and sour strawberry sauce, and various flavors of ice cream with a chocolate waterfall come together, the women exchange knowing smiles—tonight, we use up this month's dessert quota!

Wan Laoban, who is extremely disciplined in body management, did a lot of mental preparation, then elegantly stood up, walked around, and came back with a mountain of desserts on her plate. While savoring them, she said in a Versailles tone, "Actually, I usually don't eat much dessert... Oh, this is delicious, do you want a taste?"

After enjoying the buffet dinner without thinking about the consequences, we decided to switch gears the next day.

The Pin Zhen Chinese Restaurant, adjacent to the main building and occupying a standalone courtyard-style building, has deep cloisters and a tranquil courtyard, with a strong Bayu courtyard flavor. Borrowing the spatial structure form of stilt houses, the Chinese restaurant introduces Chinese red into the interior. The theme wall uses uneven wooden blocks to create a miniature of the mountain city. The combination of traditional lantern elements and modern materials in the chandelier design meets modern aesthetics while preserving cultural heritage.

The restaurant's dishes adopt an innovative cooking technique of "Chongqing dishes prepared in Cantonese style, Cantonese dishes prepared in Chongqing style." The blending of ingredients and techniques creates dishes that combine Sichuan and Guangdong characteristics. The novel taste stimulates the palates of diners used to traditional flavors.

Blueberry yam cake is sweet and delicious; cold北极贝 (Arctic surf clam) has fresh meat and moderate spiciness; spicy beef ribs are rich in fat, numb, spicy, and fragrant; braised chicken is soft and tender, appetizing and good with rice. The most amazing dish is the signature—golden roast goose sandwich with caviar.

Cover a piece of toasted bread with golden crispy roast goose skin, and top with caviar. Take a bite, the rich fat aroma of the roast goose skin bursts in the mouth. Then comes the caviar, bringing a fresh, sweet oceanic flavor that blends with the oil aroma. Paired with the crispy bread, the salty, savory, and rich taste with grain aroma swirls on the tip of the tongue and between teeth, leaving a lingering flavor.

The post-meal dessert is low-temperature slow-roasted durian. The already aromatic durian, after being roasted by fire, has every durian molecule sublimated. The pungent smell fades, and the unique rich sweetness is amplified. Freshly roasted durian, still warm when put into the mouth, slightly sweet but not greasy, the durian flesh is denser than a custard bun, soft enough to make the whole person melt.

Afternoon tea is arranged on the terrace outside the lobby, overlooking the green tiles of the villa cluster and lush plants. The terrace landscape is tastefully designed. Basking in the lazy sunlight, we sat there from the early afternoon until sunset.

The afternoon tea at Wanda Vista is very distinctive, shaped like the Ferris wheel of Sunac文化旅游City. Each small pastry is meticulously made, continuing the mixed style of Pin Zhen Chinese Restaurant. Besides common macarons, various mousses, and chiffon cakes, the desserts also include unique Thai shrimp towers and bacon wild vegetable crispy toast, so even those who don't like sweets can find something they love. It's best to make a reservation in advance, as such an exquisite and abundant afternoon tea set takes a long time to prepare.

Tasting various desserts and warm black tea, let the early winter sunlight thoroughly bathe your whole body. When the urge to talk arises, chat away; when you want to be silent, each gazes into the distance and daydreams.

Everywhere you look is scenery. Time is still early, so steal another half day of leisure.

Besides the Wanda Vista we stayed in, the lake island of Sunac文化旅游City Chongqing also has Wanda Realm Chongqing and Wanda Jin Chongqing. Compared to the all-villa layout of Wanda Vista, Wanda Realm has a lighter style and is more affordable, while Wanda Jin has a massive convention center to meet the needs of various exhibition guests.

The hotel cluster of Sunac文化旅游City consists of these three hotels with consistent style but different positioning, enriching the offerings on the lake island.

Across the lake from the hotels is Sunac渝乐Town, currently one of the most leading open parks in China in terms of scale and construction level. No admission ticket is needed to enter and experience the joyful atmosphere. The park has many creative shops, diverse landscapes, and exciting amusement rides, including a rare 70-meter-high U-shaped roller coaster and dual helix roller coaster. The Sunac Mao shopping center and leisure projects like Sunac Snow World, Sea World, and Water World blend international amusement park features with Chongqing's local characteristics quite interestingly.

Sit and enjoy tea, feast, soak in hot springs for a moment of leisure, or go to the park for crazy fun...

At Sunac文化旅游City, you can always stimulate more imagination for a leisurely life.

Wanda Vista Chongqing is located on the lake island of Sunac文化旅游City Chongqing. It is a 40-minute drive from Chongqing West Railway Station, a 45-minute drive from Chongqing North Railway Station, and only a 55-minute drive from the airport. You can enjoy tranquility without the hassle of travel.