You Won’t Find This Anywhere Else! Exclusive BOOMi Themed Family Room in Downtown Guangzhou

For working professionals, vacation days are precious. Even with over ten days of annual leave, we feel insecure, hoarding them like cash we're reluctant to spend, always worrying that if something urgent comes up and we've used them all, we'd be in trouble. But for parents, you always wish for more time with your children—as much as possible—afraid of missing even a moment of their growth.

With annual leave dwindling on one hand and a child growing up fast on the other, I've been wondering: can we strike a balance between work and quality time with our kids? Then I discovered the best way is a weekend getaway—two days and one night of family travel.

Recently, I found that the Holiday Inn Nanhu, right in downtown Guangzhou, has become my new favorite for these weekend family trips.

**Fantastic Location, within a Half-Hour Circle**

The Holiday Inn Nanhu is near Baiyun Mountain—the "green lung" of Guangzhou—and Nanhu Amusement Park. That might still sound a bit vague. Let me put it simply!

It sits within a half-hour business circle: about 25 minutes to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, 20 minutes to Guangzhou East Railway Station, 26 minutes to Guangzhou Railway Station. For elite business travelers, that means less time on the road and more time to unwind at the hotel!

It's also within a half-hour leisure circle: bringing the kids to Guangzhou makes Chimelong Tourist Resort a must-visit, and from Holiday Inn Nanhu, it's usually only 30 minutes. To overlook the stunning scenery of Guangzhou, you can't miss Baiyun Mountain—just a short 15 minutes away you can be climbing the heights. If you want a glimpse of modern, chic Guangzhou, Zhujiang New Town, the city's trendy new district, is well worth a visit. From Holiday Inn Nanhu, you'll reach the forest of skyscrapers in about 24 minutes!

And for me, a native Cantonese, it's just half an hour whether I'm heading from my home in Haizhu District or from my office in Yuexiu District. Such easy transportation makes my whole family determined to revisit this hotel again and again!

**Exclusive BOOMi Themed Family Rooms**

Our family are true enthusiasts of parent-child getaways, with fond memories at many family hotels across Guangdong. For us, cartoon-themed rooms featuring Paul Frank, B.Duck, or Super Wings are nothing new!

But when we saw the BOOMi themed family room at Holiday Inn Nanhu, we were genuinely thrilled! Any child who has watched the animated show Super BOOMi must be drawn to this adorable, brave little bear.

BOOMi is a super-bear with a boundless imagination—he believes he can achieve anything his mind can dream up, and he loves immersing himself in every imaginary role: astronaut, dinosaur hunter, ocean explorer, you name it. For him, everything is possible. BOOMi is upbeat, clever, and intensely curious, always ready to embark on adventures with his cute sidekick, Bibop.

I learned that as early as 2015, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resort signed an exclusive industry partnership in Greater China with the beloved bear BOOMi, created by renowned cartoonist Trevor Lai. Since then, the BOOMi family room has become a signature themed room at Holiday Inn hotels—you truly won't find it anywhere else!

The sunny yellow bed linens instantly captivate little ones; the adorable BOOMi becomes a prized friend—my two daughters couldn't stop "fighting" over him. My daughters keep asking when they can take BOOMi home. I hope Holiday Inn will someday launch some character merchandise to satisfy kids' love for BOOMi.

**Heated Swimming Pool + 24-Hour Gym**

While Holiday Inn Nanhu may not have amusement facilities like some family hotels, it does have an outdoor pool that's an absolute must-visit. It's one of the rare outdoor heated pools in Guangzhou, definitely fulfilling children's winter swimming dreams!

Nowadays, even primary school PE classes include swimming lessons. Swimming is an excellent exercise for kids—it improves lung capacity and strengthens the heart. Children who swim regularly often have slower and more robust heartbeats than their peers, and their respiratory function improves too. Especially during seasonal changes in autumn and winter, their cold tolerance and disease resistance also get a boost.

For adults, the 24-hour gym has immense appeal. Once you've put the little ones to bed, you can finally relish the joy of sweating and burning calories—it's only after becoming parents that you truly appreciate the preciousness of personal time!

**Instagram-Worthy Afternoon Tea**

On leisurely weekends, launch a delightful afternoon tea journey with your family at the hotel lobby lounge. A lazy, relaxed afternoon tea break is the perfect occasion for an ethereal and elegant treat. Pairing a refined afternoon tea with delicious pastries and enjoying them with the kids is truly time well spent. A whole array of exquisite snacks—including savory bites, cakes, tarts, and mini desserts—every piece deserves to be savored.

The Buzz All-Day Dining Restaurant

For children, eating at a buffet is pure happiness. The freedom to choose whatever you want and go back for more—that unconstrained feeling is simply irresistible!

Having dined at many buffets, my family usually finds them just okay—nothing surprising. But the buffet at Holiday Inn Nanhu genuinely amazed us with its seafood!

The hotel's all-day dining restaurant is called The Buzz, hinting that the food here will make you buzz with excitement. The restaurant's logo is quite distinctive.

The interior is elegantly decorated, with a color scheme that lifts your mood. It's stylish yet simple, and the spacious layout offers complete comfort.

Of course, the food is what truly matters at a buffet. The culinary offerings here exceeded all my expectations and left me pleasantly surprised—the highlight being the incredible value for money, you definitely get your money's worth.

Seafood In a quality buffet, seafood often best reflects the restaurant's standards. Here, the array of fresh seafood is truly delightful!

The selection includes shrimp, crab, jumbo abalone, turban shells, New Zealand mussels, and king crab legs—it's so abundant, how can you resist? Everything is not only fresh but also plump and succulent. Even without any dipping sauce, just cracking open the shells reveals a sweet, briny freshness.

The restaurant's seafood is already generous, but they've gone a step further by offering, at no extra charge, a delicate selection seafood platter: New Zealand scampi, Japanese-style slow-boiled abalone, and red wine foie gras jelly—absolutely lavish! The scampi is tender and bouncy, a silky mouthful of umami. The abalone is superbly springy. The foie gras melts on the tongue.

Don't miss the freshly shucked New Zealand oysters. New Zealand is one of the purest countries on earth, and its oysters are immaculate, sweet, and delicately smooth, bursting with juice. One gentle bite and the oyster's briny goodness explodes in your mouth—utterly addictive.

Fine food deserves fine wine. Imported red wine, white wine, and sparkling wine are available. Seafood pairs best with crisp white, while meats like steak and lamb chops are most satisfying with a full-bodied red.

Whether it's the succulent salmon or other sashimi, only premium ingredients are used here. Simply sliced, with a touch of fresh wasabi and soy sauce to enhance the flavor, they're already exceptionally delicious. The salmon, especially, is most captivating for its marbled fat—rich, aromatic, and melting on the palate.

If Cantonese cuisine has a most famous dish, roast meats surely deserve at least a nomination. Char siu, roast pork, roast chicken—these common deli items are everywhere, but the shops that do them well are always packed with customers.

Here, the chefs refine roast meats with meticulous skill; whether chicken or char siu, they're incredibly tasty with just a simple dip.

Desserts is always a joyful affair after a meal. Over ten types, beautifully presented, bring a wealth of textures and layered flavors. Kids can even DIY their own treats.

Food always brings boundless delight—choosing your favorites and exciting your taste buds with each different bite is pure happiness. Especially at Holiday Inn Nanhu, where the buffet is not only abundant but also elegantly crafted, leaving you truly satisfied.

A two-day, one-night family trip may seem brief, but through shared experiences and conversations, it deepens the bonds of love. Children can't choose their parents, but as parents, we can choose how we give them love.

They say parenting is a selfless investment without counting rewards, a graceful stepping back. I hope to accompany my children as much as possible, to give them a childhood filled with love, so they feel secure and grow up confident.

Dear children, the stories ahead may hold a mix of flavors, and there might be storms and rain, but there will surely be bright sunshine, and a safe harbor called parents, forever watching over you.