Forget cookie-cutter rooms—this hotel’s family-friendly suites will leave your kids enchanted

Early summer has arrived; sunlight pierces through thick clouds, casting a generous glow over the warming earth, and your heart feels instantly lighter.

With the sunshine just right, in these suffocating pandemic days, life now and then needs a little “escape.” The weekend is here—set aside your complicated thoughts, add a touch of bourgeois flair, and indulge in a bit of luxury and romance; that’s how life becomes splendid. I’m here, at Forest Sea Hot Spring Resort Hotel in Zengcheng District, Guangzhou. It’s adjacent to the famous natural oxygen bar, Baishuizhai Scenic Area.

Address: No. 101 Baishuizhai, Paitan Town, Zengcheng District, Guangzhou.

From Guangzhou: Take Metro Line 14, get off at Conghua Passenger Station Exit D, walk about 860 meters to Conghua Bus Terminal, then take Bus No. 13 to Baishuizhai Lukou Station, and walk about 900 meters to the hotel.

From Shenzhen: Take the high-speed train from Shenzhen North Station to Guangzhou North Station (Huadu), walk about 300 meters to Huadu Bus Station, take the Huadu-Conghua intercity bus to Conghua Bus Terminal, then take Bus No. 13 to Baishuizhai Lukou Station, and walk about 900 meters to the hotel.

From Dongguan or Huizhou: Self-driving recommended.

By car: Navigate to “Forest Sea Hot Spring Resort Hotel Guangzhou.” From Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, or Huizhou, the drive is about 1.5–2 hours.

Nestled in Paitan Town, Zengcheng District, Guangzhou, Forest Sea Hot Spring Resort Hotel is right next to the AAAA-rated Baishuizhai Scenic Area and closely linked with Nankun Mountain. The hotel boasts enchanting views of rolling green hills, crystal-clear waters, and air rich in negative oxygen ions—creating a true “Xanadu” in Guangzhou’s backyard.

The hotel has 36 villas, 99 duplex family-themed rooms, and 118 boutique guest rooms. With sleek, minimalist, human-centric design, every room comes with a private terrace hot spring pool and sweeping, captivating views.

Phase I facilities include outdoor mineral hot spring pools, an indoor swimming pool, outdoor adventure activities, lake sports, KTV, chess/card rooms, sauna, tea house, spa, a lakeside greenway, an artificial beach, and more.

Dining options include an all-day restaurant serving both Chinese and Western international cuisine, and a Chinese restaurant specializing in authentic Cantonese dishes. You can also enjoy afternoon tea in the bright, naturally lit lobby lounge while admiring the lush Venetian-style swim-up channel garden through floor-to-ceiling windows. The hotel also has several multi-function meeting rooms, suitable for events of all sizes.

The hotel’s ingenious Southeast Asian design features a grand exterior and understated luxury interiors. A Venetian-style swim-up channel winds past the ground-floor guest rooms—open your door and dive right into the pool. With private natural hot spring water piped directly to rooms, the hotel offers a truly distinctive experience.

Enchanting scenery and flawless design create a tranquil, cozy ambience for every guest, while attentive, thoughtful service makes it an ideal destination for relaxation, leisure, wellness, and stress relief.

A Sun-Drenched Afternoon Tea

By the time I arrived at the hotel it was already afternoon. The early summer sun was strong, so I decided to take a good stroll around the hotel first. The hotel’s main entrance faces the famous Baishuizhai Waterfall; in a waterfall-view room, just open the curtains to take in the distant scene of what looks like ‘the Milky Way plunging from the heavens.’

The lobby is vast and majestic, very much in line with an upscale hotel’s style.

(Photo taken after nightfall)

To the right of the lobby is the hotel’s fusion restaurant. Passing through the buffet area, I was dazzled by a dining room with floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides—wasn’t this the glass house I’d always dreamed of?

I’ve always fantasized about one day buying a plot of land in the countryside and building a house with glass walls on all four sides. In my free time, I’d hold a book, brew a pot of tea, and bask in the soothing afternoon sunlight. Here, I got to sample that life in advance.

The landscaped garden outside the window is also meticulously designed; a small boat drifts on the pond, reflecting the lush greenery of plants and hills near and far.

What could be more delightful than enjoying afternoon tea at a moment like this?

Exquisite presentation, delicious pastries

Like royal confections

With the blessing of sunlight, they appeal to all the senses.

Here, the essence of early summer is fully released. A quiet afternoon is not something easily obtained; if time allowed, I’d happily stay here for three more days and nights.

There are many hot spring hotels, but the Forest Sea Resort’s sky-high birdcage hot spring pool is surely a unique feature in South China.

The hotel’s hot spring area covers 13,000 square meters. The water comes from the Gaotan health-preserving hot spring; it is mildly alkaline and meets the ‘national medical mineral water standard.’ Rich in various trace elements beneficial to health, it can beautify the skin, ease nervous tension, and help treat neuralgia, skin diseases, psoriasis, arthritis, and more.

In addition to in-room hot spring pools, the hotel has separate indoor and outdoor hot spring areas. Even if you’re not staying overnight, you can come and enjoy the hot spring baths.

Hot spring ticket prices: RMB 268 per adult, RMB 128 for children 1.2m–1.5m tall, free for children under 1.2m. During the pandemic, there’s a special rate of RMB 99 per person. In-house guests enjoy unlimited free access.

Spacious changing room

Spacious changing room

A large, comfortable lounge area where you can enjoy drinks, fruit, and snacks after a tiring soak.

The distinctive sky-high hot spring pool—bring your special someone, isn’t it a chance for a romantic moment?

This elevated, birdcage-style hot spring pool design, not found in other hot springs, ensures excellent privacy and is a total Insta-worthy spot.

Indoor hot spring hydrotherapy area

Indoor heated swimming pool. Since my room had its own hot spring pool, I chose to enjoy an even more private hot spring experience in the room.

Rooms Specially Designed for Kids

Over the years I’ve travelled far and wide, staying in countless hotels, but this is the first time I’ve experienced such a special family-room design. The green-toned one is the Jungle Adventure-themed duplex family room.

All family rooms are duplex. In the Jungle Adventure room, there’s a slide from the second floor down to the first—kids go wild with joy and can’t stop playing. But parents should keep an eye on them, and safety comes first.

The spacious bathroom has separate wet and dry areas, and even includes a low washbasin specially designed for kids—very thoughtful.

The towel decorations on the bed look like toys—children can hardly bear to unfold them.

On the second floor, there’s a separate bed for kids, so adults can enjoy their romance on the first floor undisturbed. The bed is like a little house, full of novelty for children. Right next to it is the slide entrance.

There’s also a play area on the second floor.

The entire room is decorated in a lively and playful way, yet still feels warmly cozy.

Each room’s balcony has a hot spring pool, directly filled with water from the spring source, so you can enjoy a private, peaceful natural hot spring bath right there.

Besides the Jungle Adventure room, there are two other styles of family rooms. Out of curiosity, I went to have a look.

Starry Sky-themed duplex family room with three beds; there’s a climbing ladder between the two floors.

Two beds on the first floor, one on the second.

Enter and go straight up to the second floor.

Ocean-themed duplex family room with two beds

The ground-floor room’s balcony door connects to the outdoor swimming channel.

The balcony also has a hot spring pool.

The second floor also has its own bathroom.

About Dining at the Hotel

The hotel environment is very quiet, and after a hot spring bath you feel especially relaxed. Being next to Baishuizhai, the air is rich in negative ions. I drifted off into a deep, dream-filled sleep.

The next day I woke up naturally—and saw it was only 7 a.m. Why not enjoy another hot spring bath? After that, it was time to hunt for breakfast. The room rate included a complimentary buffet breakfast. I’d heard it was generous, and the experience did not disappoint.

The buffet breakfast had an amazing variety—Chinese stir-fries, Western pastries, congee, noodles, salad, fruit, whole grains, coffee, milk, soy milk, juice… you name it. No need to worry about not finding something you like.

Various cold cuts and condiments

Even the boiled eggs are artfully arranged.

With all kinds of decorative touches, the restaurant has a distinctive style. Unfortunately, my appetite was limited, so I could only sample a little.

Besides breakfast, I have to mention the dinner the night before.

The Chinese restaurant at Forest Sea Resort is superb, with meticulous presentation. It’s rare for a large hotel to achieve both good looks and great taste. There’s a clear stone quarry lake here that yields fish; they say a full fish banquet is a must when staying at Forest Sea.

This sour-soup fish blends northern and southern cooking techniques—fresh, sour, sweet, delicious. I’ve never tasted fish quite like this; highly recommended, a must-order.

Since it’s a fish banquet, you can’t miss the fish head. This steamed fish head combines the natural sweetness of corn and luffa with the savory richness of the fish head; dip the hand-pulled noodles into the delicious sauce and you can skip the rice. This dish is also highly recommended.

Specialty roasted pigeon—crispy outside, tender inside. Don’t be fooled by the little stones on the plate; they’re edible chocolate beans.

Stir-fried sliced pork belly with fresh bamboo shoots

Delicious salt-and-pepper prawns, the heads packed with roe.

For dessert, I was too full to finish, so I packed the char siu buns on the left to take back to the room as a midnight snack. They were so good, one didn’t feel like enough.

The decorative ceiling lights in the restaurant are both luxurious and cozy.

A Wealth of Family Outdoor Activities

It was still early after breakfast, so I took the chance to explore the hotel’s outdoor areas again.

On the edge of the villa area lies a natural lake belonging to the hotel, offering a variety of water activities.

From the shore, you can also gaze at Baishuizhai Waterfall in the distance.

A man-made waterfall between the villa area and the outdoor hot spring zone.

There are kayaks, water bikes, paddleboards, and more—of course, for an extra fee. With kids, you can try the sightseeing boat or covered water bikes, which require less effort and are safer.

The lake water is so clear you can see the bottom, and near the shore many small fish gather and swim about.

Price list for various activities.

Besides water activities, there’s a family-friendly picking garden right at the main entrance. Bring the kids to enjoy the fun of hand-picking vegetables—it can also serve as a little farming lesson.

The garden grows eggplants, choy sum, peppers, and more; children can go into the field and pick their favorite vegetables themselves.

It’s also a lovely spot for photos.

All the vegetables here are organically grown. Besides picking activities, they’re also supplied directly to the restaurant kitchen—chances are some of the veggies you eat there come from this garden.

We picked a few eggplants, planning to make an eggplant hot pot at home and savor the fruits of our labor. After picking, it was time to check out. Since we were already at Baishuizhai Scenic Area, how could we not go see it?

Baishuizhai Scenic Area boasts pristine forests, shallow wetlands, canyon lakes, and other rare natural ecological resources in Guangdong. The most striking feature is the Baishuixian Waterfall, with a drop of 428.5 meters—the highest waterfall on the Chinese mainland. I’m not a hiking enthusiast, but there’s no harm in admiring the waterfall’s grandeur from the foot of the mountain.

Due to the pandemic, Baishuizhai sells only 500 tickets on weekends and 300 on weekdays, online only—no on-site ticket sales.

At the entrance there’s a serene lake; the weather wasn’t great that day, so we missed the blue-sky-and-white-clouds backdrop.

As you enter, you can already see Baishui Waterfall hanging in the distance.

Along the path, many stones are painted with cute illustrations.

A quiet wooden walkway.

The murmuring stream water rushing down from the mountain waterfall.

To reach the top of Baishuizhai you need to climb 9,999 steps; at step 4,099 is the waterfall’s source, the Xiangu Heavenly Lake—a stunning emerald alpine lake. Even if I had the stamina, I didn’t plan to go that far, so I stopped there and headed back.

The setting sun finally spilled through the thick clouds, and we drove off, wrapping up two wonderful days. I think, on this trip, I was happy. At least, in this bustling metropolis of Guangzhou, I found a patch of tranquility and enjoyed a luxurious escape close to home.